LITURGY FOR WORLD DAY OF CONSECRATED LIFE

World Day for Consecrated Life - February 4, 2024. Introduction Dear brothers and sisters, we have gathered around the altar to solemnly celebrate the 28th World Day dedicated for the Consecrated men and women. In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted this solemnity for Consecrated Life. This global celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, also called Candlemas day on February 2. This day in a way signifies the presentation of every consecrated woman and man to the Lord. The celebration of this day is shifted to Sunday following the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, in order to emphasize the preciousness of the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church and with the intention the entire parish community can join in to praise and thank the Lord for the marvels the Lord has wrought to each one through our consecrated brothers and sisters. The theme for this year is PILGRIMS OF HOPE ON THE PATH OF PEACE. “What would become of the world if there were no religious?" St. Mother Teresa pointedly asked herself. This impels us to offer unceasing thanks to the Lord, who by this singular gift of the Spirit enriched the consecrated life of men and women. While all the baptized are called to be “religious” in a broader sense of the word, those who have voluntarily chosen to follow Jesus have consecrated their lives to Him. They observe a specific spirituality, often patterned after the life and teaching of the founder or foundress of their Congregation. This special day draws attention to the conscious renunciation they made to leave behind their families and all that is very dear and precious to them, in order to be enraptured by the gaze of Jesus and to be missionaries in different parts of the world. This is their vision and mission. Our Holy Father Pope Francis exhorts the Consecrated persons with this message: “Dear friends, today let us joyfully renew our consecration! Even if at times we experience fatigue and weariness, let us do as Simeon and Anna did. They did not allow themselves to be robbed of the joy of the encounter with the Lord!” We gratefully remember the contributions the consecrated men and women make to the Church in particular and to the society at large. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God's gift of their vocation. We need to appreciate the daring and caring women and men of our world, who by their selfless service are becoming defenders of peace and givers of Life! Let us therefore joyfully celebrate and pray for all our religious men and women, who have served and are serving in our parish with utmost dedication, zeal and selfless love. Vocations to religious life are fast dwindling. So, let us also fervently ask the Lord for the increase of laborers to continue His mission. Penitential Rite Lord! we have failed to be grateful to the services of our Consecrated men and women. Many a time we have taken them for granted; we have not acknowledged their generous ministry. We feel sorry for the times we failed to respect their dignity and sacrifice. Hence we pray.... I confess to Almighty God... Opening prayer Celebrant: God of love and mercy, by the promptings of the Holy Spirit, you have been calling men and women to closely follow your Son Jesus Christ with an undivided heart. Like the Apostles, they have left everything to be with you and to be at the service of your people. They have thus contributed to the renewal of our society. Help them Lord, to continue to build your Kingdom with their various charisms and with their all-embracing love and joyous presence. We make this prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen. Liturgy of the Word Introduction to the first Reading: This first reading, taken from the Book of Prophet Isaiah, contains an overwhelming experience of the prophet in the Temple and his commission and mission. Interestingly, Isaiah’s call comes not in the form of a divine command, but rather in the form of an exclamatory question: “Whom shall I send? Who will go for my mission?” They were not questions even remotely addressed to Isaiah. Rather, God was speaking to the heavenly council, and Isaiah incidentally overhears the conversation. Nonetheless, Isaiah had to reply: “Here am I; send me Lord!” For prophet Isaiah, there was no hesitation and there are no excuses, contingencies, or “what-ifs.” If God’s call for His mission were to comes to us, what would be our response? Let us ponderingly listen to the reading: A Reading from the Book of Prophet Isaiah 6:1-9 Responsorial Hymn: I the Lord of Sea and sky... Here I am Lord! Introduction to the Second Reading: When Christ came into the world, “God does away with all the sacrifices and offerings and puts the sacrifice of Christ in their place.” Yes! Christ replaced these with something simple and profound: “Here I am, O God, to do your Will.” Synod on Synodality repeatedly urges us to listen and to discern God’s Will with the ear of the heart. What is the Spirit telling us today? Let us, in all meekness, remember that it is God’s Will and not ours that we are called to do. Let us meditatively listen to the reading: A Reading from the Letter to Hebrews 10: 5-10 Alleluia, Alleluia: “You were not pleased with burnt offerings. Then I said: Here I am to do your Will, O God”. Alleluia. Gospel Reading: As the scene in the first reading took place in the Temple, we see here too, Simeon was led into the Temple, “moved by the spirit”. The Holy Spirit is the protagonist in this scene. He makes Simeon’s heart burn with desire for God. That is what the Holy Spirit does. We should be asking, as Pope Francis suggests, “Who mostly moves us? Is it the Holy Spirit, or the spirit of this world?” This is a candid question that everyone, especially the consecrated person, needs to ask. The Spirit beckons us to see God in the littleness and vulnerability. Yet, we, at times, risk seeing our consecration only in terms of results, goals and successes. We look for influence, clamor for visibility, for prestige, for numbers. This is a myopic temptation. All of us would do well today to examine our inner motivations and discern our spiritual movements, so that the renewal of consecrated life may come about from thereon. Let us contemplatively listen to the Gospel Reading: Luke 2: 22-32 Points for homily Today we are celebrating the World Day for Consecrated Life. The world often sees it as “a mere waste,” a relic of the past, something reduntant and useless. : When we look at the history of religious life, we find that just a few decades ago religious life was so fascinating to young boys and girls all over the world. It attracted even people from well-to-do families to embrace a life of poverty and service. Francis Assisi and Clare, who ran away from their families to follow the poor Christ, in turn attracted and inspired many men and women to follow suit. The form of religious life has changed in the course of history from monastic, through mendicant to apostolic congregations. Until the middle of the last century, there was no dearth of vocations. The Churches in Europe sent missionaries to the countries in the global South to live and work in the most challenging situations with mission as focus. : But a crisis seems to have set in even much before the Second Vatican Council, around the time of the Second World War. People began asking, not so much about the future of religious life, but rather about the kind of religious life we need in the present times. The Second Vatican Council came at an appropriate moment, thanks to the inspired initiative of Pope Saint John XXIII, who wished to open the windows of the Church to let fresh air come in and blow away the murkier air that was stifling the life of the Church. St. Paul tells the Hebrews: “In the past God spoke to our ancestors many times and in many ways through the Prophets but in these last days He has spoken to us through His Son” (Heb. 1:1-2). The Son of God visits His people continuously in history through several persons and events to liberate them from various bondages and blindness. Pope Saint John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council represent one such event of God’s visitation (Lk. 1:68) to make the Church relevant to our times. : Consecrated life is a gift and a challenge. The religious are a vital and important group of people in the Church.They make a radical choice in their life to be an authentic follower of Jesus of Nazareth. In this age where money, power and sex have become primary values, for someone to choose alternate life of poverty, obedience and chastity is something truly radical in nature and courageous by choice. Being quietly pious and silently holy is not Jesus’ way of life. But having willingly chosen to live a life like Jesus in this way, one has to be prepared to suffer likewise. : When we go through the history of the early Church, we find that Christians were the targets of persecution. Persecution was an integral part of the Christian experience. Many ancient Christians came to believe that "to be a Christian was to suffer." Their deaths were seen as a testimony of the truth of Christianity. God doesn’t call everyone to make the ultimate sacrifice; but the Bible calls all Christians to be prepared to give a defence of the hope within us (1 Pet. 3:14-15). The key to this passage lies in “being ready”. We are in a state of “warfare” (Eph. 6:12-20) and our Lord may call upon any of us to witness to our faith. Today we witness many consecrated people, who are disturbed and challenged by the realities, determined to change the situation by their radical involvement. They become victims of external forces and suffer living martyrdom. It is our wish and hope that every consecrated person will make this commitment her/his own. Let us pray that they may be sensitive to the cry of the people of God, especially to the poor and be progressive witnesses to Jesus of Nazareth through their very presence and ministries so that consecrated life may once again witness a new springtime in our times. Prayers of the Faithful Celebrant: Let us now place before the Lord all our intentions in the form of symbols and pray earnestly for all our Consecrated men and women. Response: Lord, graciously listen to our prayer! Symbol - Shepherd: We pray for those consecrated to God by the vows of Obedience, Chastity and Poverty that they may seek to live their baptismal promises more intensely. May they always receive the grace to persevere in their commitment to the Lord and navigate their flock to the green pastures. Help them to serve as shepherds to the sheep entrusted to their care joyfully and responsibly. We pray to you Lord… Symbol – Ring: Ring is a sign of the permanent bond of love between two persons. Lord! you have chosen and commissioned the consecrated men and women for your service. Help them to intensify their bond with you. Likewise, may they succeed in strengthening the bond between you and your people. Be their strength and courage, solace and support at all times. May they always reveal the love of Christ to those they encounter and continue to enrich our world by their dedicated lives of prayer and mission. We pray to you Lord… Symbol- Constitution Book: Constitutions contain guidelines to steer us to preserve the Charism and the Vision of our particular Congregation and to transmit this spirit to our followers in every age. May we interpret them in the light of the signs of the times. May we ever remain faithful to the inspiration and mission of our Founders and the Congregation, with utmost eagerness and urgency. We pray to you Lord... Symbol - Step: “I have called you by name and you are mine; when you pass through the water I will be with you; when you walk through the fire, you shall not be burnt.” With these assurances, you have sent us, your consecrated men and women, to be your messengers of mercy. Help us, O Lord to be rooted in you and to be ever vigilant and willing to serve the poor and the needy with compassion. We pray to you Lord… Symbol – Hands: Our Loving Lord, as we place this symbol before you, we pray for all those who are discerning their vocation in life, particularly those whom you are choosing to consecrated life. May they be committed in carrying forward the legacy their elders and predecessors have bequeathed in building your Kingdom. We also remember all those who actively support the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. May they see the fruit of their efforts in a rich harvest of vocations. Give to all those who are aspiring to enter religious life the wisdom and discerning grace to respond to your call generously. We pray to you... Symbol- Dove: Dove is a symbol of peace. Lord, may we all be instruments of peace and forgiveness. By placing this symbol before you, we beseech your intervention in the lives of various groups of people who have become a threat and disturbing elements to our peaceful coexistence in this world. We surrender them to you so that they may listen to your voice that entreated Paul on the way to Damascus, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” and be converted as agents of peace. We pray to you Lord… Bread: As we offer this bread which will soon be the Body of your Son Jesus Christ, we bring before you the Leaders of the Universal Church. We pray for our Pope Francis, our Archbishop Anil Couto, our Auxiliary Bishop Deepak Tauro and all the Priests of our Parish. Nourished by your Body, may they be able to witness your values and build your Kingdom of peace and fraternity. We pray to you Lord.... Wine: Lord, as we bring this gift of wine to this sacred table, we pray for our parents, formators, collogues and benefactors. Through their sacrifice and timely guidance, we have sustained our beautiful vocation. Continue to bless them with good health. May they experience your peace, protection and care. We pray to you Lord.... Let us pray: Our Loving and Living God, we thank you for this beautiful day dedicated to our Consecrated brothers and sisters. This day is the day of grace and blessing to all of them who have generously opted to serve in our Archdiocese of Delhi for your mission. Increase your laborers, inspire the youth and create an urge in their hearts to set apart their lives for serving in your vineyard. May they realize that their vocation is not accidental or co-incidental but providential and that it is not a mere chance but it is your choice! Let there be a renewal of interest in vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. May all the priests and religious be re-energized and lovingly re-commit themselves to your service on this day. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord, Amen. Prayer over the Offerings. May the offering made with exultation by your Church be pleasing to you, O Lord, we pray, for you willed that your Only Begotten Son be offered to you for the life of the world as the Lamb without blemish. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. Post Communion Prayer Celebrant: Ever loving Father and Mother, as the Gospel presents Simeon as a simple man, righteous and devout, these our dear consecrated brothers and sisters are simple men and women who caught sight of the treasure worth more than any worldly riches and earthly fortunes. And so they left behind whatever was precious to them until then, fell in love with your Son Jesus and joyously followed seeing everything in Him. May they cherish this gift and embrace it with all their heart and remain faithful to it until their last breath. May they overcome all evils and every temptation the present ultramodern world throws at them. May they be comforted in their sorrow, sickness and loneliness. May they enjoy good health and peace of mind. We make our prayer in the precious name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen. Let us bow our heads to receive God’s solemn blessing: Celebrant : May you, who have said ‘Yes’ to God’s call, be embraced by Christ’s love and follow Him courageously in the light and power of the Holy Spirit with hope... Amen! : May you, who are of great importance for the Church and the society, live the precious gift of vocation, always striving upwards toward God, energized by the appreciation and support of all the brothers and sisters around them... Amen! : The Lord who has accomplished great things in your life, continue to assist you with the intercession of Mother Mary to return to your sources, to take stock of your lives and confirm your commitment to continue your mission in the Church… Amen! May Almighty God bless you...