First of all, I would like to express my deep gratitude to all of you, dear catechists, for your decisive commitment to Christian Formation, to transmit the Christian faith to the new generations. You are a vital pillar of our Apostolic Vicariate. We cannot imagine the life of our Church without you. Thank you for your generous dedication. On this Sunday we celebrate a special feast, the presentation of the Lord in the Temple. It is a feast that is deeply related to the liturgical time of Christmas. This feast is celebrated forty days after Christmas; it is also called the feast of the encounter: Jesus was born into this world as a man so that we can meet.
The Gospel today tells us about a different but very significant encounter. Jesus is presented in the temple by Mary and Joseph as required by Jewish law. He was offered in this way to God, as a consecrated person. This presentation is accompanied by the offering of simple gifts by Joseph and Mary. It is the offering that is made by poor people, once again reminding us that the King of heaven and earth was born in a poor family.
Very significant is the meeting that takes place in the temple with the elderly Simeon. He was a man of great faith, full of faith and hope, he was waiting for the coming of the Messiah. The Lord had revealed to him that he would not die before seeing the savior with his own eyes. That very day he sees Jesus in the arms of Virgin Mary, and he recognizes that the child is the promised Messiah.
Simeon’s words are very important because they proclaim that Jesus came not only for Israel but for all people. Jesus is the light of the world that illuminates the darkness of the peoples.
Today's feast is called the feast of the encounter for a fundamental reason: it is the encounter between the question that is in the heart of man and the answer of God; it is the encounter between the desire of humanity and the salvation; it is the encounter between the expectation of the peoples and the fulfillment of all the prophecies; it is the encounter between God and humanity.
We too are called on this day to recognize Jesus, the light that frees us from the darkness of evil, from bad thoughts, from negative desires, from the lack of love and from the slavery of sin.
Finally, on this day the Church also celebrates the World Day of Consecrated Life. Jesus presented in the temple is the definitive image of a life totally surrendered and consecrated to God.
For this reason, today we remember all the people who left everything to follow Christ through a life of the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience. It is important to celebrate this day first of all to thank all the consecrated people who also live in our vicariate: many friars and nuns who have responded to God's call. Most of the priests who work in our Apostolic Vicariate are consecrated people. In addition, there are over 50 consecrated sisters who live and work in our parishes, direct our schools, organize catechesis, and are available to help families in need.
Even in recent days I have received news of some young people from our vicariate who are entering religious institutes to consecrate themselves forever to God. Let us thank the Lord for the gift of their vocation.
Much more than the things they do, consecrated persons are important and essential to the life of the Church for their testimony: a life totally consecrated to the Lord, to the praise of God and to charity.
In this way their particular vocation reminds all the people of God that life is a vocation, life is a call from God to respond to his love and to collaborate in building the kingdom of God. Not only the friars and nuns, all the faithful have a vocation to holiness, a vocation to be friends of Jesus and to live the Gospel every day, in the family, at work, at school and in society.
Dear catechists, I invite you to spread a new mentality, a new way of thinking: a culture of life as a vocation. Through the catechism I invite you to communicate and witness to our young people that Christ is the answer to the desire for happiness that dwells in the heart of every man and woman.
Announce to our young people that life is a vocation, life is a response to a call of love. Communicate to them with conviction that no one is born into the world by chance, we are all wanted and loved by God, and we are part of his plan of love.
Help your children to discover their vocation and their mission, the one that God has prepared for them, may be in marriage, or in the ministerial priesthood or in consecrated life. There is nothing more beautiful than following Jesus and giving one’s life for the kingdom of God.
May Mary, Mother of God, guard you dear catechists, in your precious mission, protect you and keep you always united to Jesus.