A candlelight procession opened the Mass in St. Peter's Basilica in celebration of the Feast of the
Presentation of the Lord as well as the World Day of Consecrated Life. The candles from the procession are blessed to symbolize Christ as the light of the world.
Established by Pope John Paul II, the World Day of Consecrated Life is a day of recognition and prayer for the role that consecrated life holds in the Catholic Church. At a time when this number of men and women is declining globally, Pope Francis expressed his gratitude during his homily for those who are consecrated.
But the Pope also used his homily to emphasize the importance of waiting for God. He said that at times, humanity has lost the ability to wait and that this happens first by neglecting interior life and second by adapting to a worldly lifestyle.
POPE FRANCIS
Are we still capable of waiting? Are we not at times too caught up in ourselves, in things and in the intense rhythm of daily life to the point of forgetting God who always comes?
It is necessary then to recover the lost grace: to go inside, to return, through an intense interior life, to return to the spirit of joyful humility, of silent gratitude.
The Mass was attended by countless consecrated men and women from around the world. And the Pope closed his message by highlighting the necessity of waiting for God and always being open to His unpredictability.
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