“Brothers and sisters, it is true that all of us, this entire assembly as baptized Christians, are called to be witnesses of the Lord Jesus, who died and rose again. But it is equally true that we, consecrated men and women, have received this vocation, this call to discipleship that asks us to witness to the primacy of God with our whole lives. This mission is particularly important when—as is the case today in many parts of the world—God's absence is felt or his centrality is too easily forgotten.” These are the words of the homily of Cardinal Ángel F. Artime, former Pro-Prefect of our Dicastery, during the eighth Mass of the Novena in suffrage of Pope Francis. The Cardinal also emphasized the mission of consecrated men and women to be “sentinels who see and announce the new life already present in our history,” “an eloquent sign of the presence of the Kingdom of God for today's world.”
At the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration, Sr. Mary T. Barron, OLA, President of the UISG (International Union of Superiors General), addressing Pope Francis, recalled: “You have made us active participants in the synodal journey, promoting dialogue and discernment in our communities and in the whole Church. You have envisioned consecrated life as the cornerstone of this journey, where young and old, people of different cultures, share wisdom and visions, united in the mission of the Gospel.” Then, a special thanksgiving: ”We give thanks for your shepherd's heart, for your vision, and for the deep trust you have placed in consecrated women. We promise to carry on the mission you have entrusted to us: to be the caress of our loving Creator God towards those who suffer, to be the fire that lights other fires, and to live our lives for the Lord, for humanity, for all of God's creation.”
The commitment of consecrated life to follow the teaching of Pope Francis was also reiterated by Fr. Mario Zanotti, OSB Cam, Secretary of the USG (Union of Superiors General), who recalled how the Pope “has repeatedly invited us to be consistent in obedience to the Holy Scriptures and to the charism of our respective religious families; to take seriously the commitment to poverty, which leads to true humility, as a prophetic sign opposed to power and wealth for its own sake; to live chastity as a human and Christian impulse of more intense and universal love in order to be close to one another and to love more especially the least, the poor, and the discarded.”
Now memory becomes commitment: in these days, our prayer for the Conclave intensifies, invoking the Holy Spirit in communion with the whole Church.
