The World Day of Consecrated Life was established in 1997 by St. II. It was founded by Pope János Pál and placed on the feast of the Presentation of Our Lord, on the day of Our Lady of Candlemas.
On February 1, on the eve of the Day of Consecrated Life, faithful to the tradition that has been alive for two decades, brothers and sisters serving in different orders gathered together to give thanks for their vocation. The festive occasion took place again this year at the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Pasarét; the Franciscan brothers from Pasarét served as hosts.
The celebration began with vespers in the parish church, where the manger was still standing in front of the altar, indicating that until February 2 there is an opportunity to receive the full farewell, which the faithful can enjoy in the Franciscan churches on the occasion of the 800-year jubilee of Greece.
The World Day of Consecrated Life was established in 1997 by St. II. It was founded by Pope János Pál and placed on the feast of the presentation of our Lord, on the day of the Blessed Virgin Mary; the eve mass is hosted several times by the Church of St. Anthony of Padua in Pasaret. The brothers and sisters came primarily from Budapest and its surroundings, but there were also several from monasteries further afield in the country.
After Vespers, the festive liturgy continued with the consecration of candles, and then those living a consecrated life placed candlesticks at the sacrificial grid - the symbolism of this gesture was expressed by the provincial chief Piusz Berhidai OFM, who presented the holy mass:
The candle on the steps of the altar expresses our surrender."
Monks who chose the priestly profession concelebrated with the provincial.
At the beginning of the homily, OFM Piusz Berhidai highlighted from the Gospel of John: "God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but live forever" (Jn 3:16) - he called this passage the central mystery of our faith, which illuminates our lives.
The meaning and source of today's holiday is also in this secret, that God first loves, and we have come to know this love in Jesus Christ. There is eternal love and it is good to belong to Him
said the provincial of the Franciscan Order.
He shared with those present a story that was told to him that day by a lay colleague of the Franciscan Provincial, which gave him the question of the day:
How old is my soul?”
The 94-year-old Franciscan sister from Mallersdorf in the story, despite all the difficulties of her old age, considered herself 15 years old - because that's when the Lord Jesus betrothed her.
How old is our soul? There are days when we feel old and tired, but the truth may be what the sister said: that when God touches us, we enter that ageless world, which is eternal life, which is also the real time of our vocation, when not the years they matter - added Piusz Berhidai.
Today we observe how the child is presented to the Lord in the church, we observe love made human. This is how he comes into official, religious contact with the Father for the first time; it becomes the holy property of the Lord. In that church, where later, at the age of 12, he declares: he must deal with the Lord's business, and now as an adult, he drives out the merchants and declares: this house is a house of prayer.
Today we look at this triple image, in which we can also recognize our own vocation - we look at ourselves in Jesus Christ as a mirror; the monastic profession makes the traits of Jesus visible in the world.
Even if I don't feel like I'm five years old - Brother Piusz continued - it's still good to look at these scriptural scenes and pictures; it can confirm that I belong to God—and that is liberating.
These pictures bring me back to the origin of my profession: I am at home in his things.
In addition, we must also practice "driving out the merchants" from the church, realizing that "my father's house is a house of prayer", a space and time set apart for God is needed.
The opening words of the prayers also evoked the symbolism of light: "Light from the light, our Christ..." was the address.
After communion, the parish priest of the church, Magyar Gergely OFM, once again drew attention to the possibility of receiving farewell until February 2, and after the mass, the large army of monks awaited the joy of agape and fraternal togetherness in the neighboring Pasarét Community Hall.
Featured image: Attila Lambert/Hungarian Kurír
