MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the account of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, at least three times the Evangelist Luke emphasizes that Mary and Joseph acted in accordance with “the Law of the Lord” [cf.Lk 2:22,23,39], moreover they always appear to be listening attentively to the Word of God. This attitude is an eloquent example for you, men and women religious; and for you, members of Secular Institutes and of other forms of Consecrated Life. The next Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will be dedicated to The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church: dear brothers and sisters, I ask you to make your Contribution to this ecclesial commitment, witnessing to the importance, especially for those who like you, the Lord calls to a more intimate “sequela”, of placing the Word of God at the center of all things. In fact, the Consecrated Life is rooted in the Gospel. Down the centuries, the Gospel – as it were, its supreme rule – has continued to inspire it and the Consecrated Life is called to refer constantly to the Gospel, to remain alive and fertile, bearing fruit for the salvation of souls. This rich tradition attests that Consecrated Life is “deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord” [Vita Consecrata, n. 1] and can be compared to “a plant with many branches which sinks its roots into the Gospel and brings forth abundant fruit in every season of the Church’s life” [ibid., n.5]. Its mission is to recall that all Christians are brought together by the Word, to live of the Word and to remain under its lordship. It is therefore the special duty of men and women religious “ to remind the babtized of the fundamental values of the Gospel” [Vita Consecrata, n.33]. By so doing their witness imbues the Church with “a much – needed incentive towards ever greater fidelity to the Gospel” [ibid., n.3] and indeed, we might say, is an “eloquent, albeit often silent, proclamation of the Gospel” [ibid., n.25]. This is why, in my two Encyclicals as on other occasions, I have not failed to cite the example said by Saints and Blesseds belonging Institutes of Consecrated Life