Rome, February 2, 2026

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

Missionaries of Hope in the Footsteps of the Redeemer

YEAR DEDICATED TO MISSION

The Lord sends us as Missionaries and Pilgrims of Hope to a Wounded World

Lk 4:16-19, Mk 6:7-12, Lk 9:2-6, Ps 130:7 Const. 1-20, St. 01-020

Message on the occasion of the World Day of Consecrated Life

Dear Confreres and Formandi,

1. On the 2^nd of February we celebrate the liturgical feast of the Presentation of the Lord (cf. Lk 2:22-38), popularly known as Candlemas or Our Lady of Light. On this date, the Church commemorates in a special way the Day dedicated to Consecrated Life. In the Congregation, many confreres have taken their vows on this day, and in various communities, this celebration is an occasion for the renewal of religious vows.

2. The feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple is marked by great simplicity and profound beauty. It is a particularly illuminating key to understanding the dynamics of consecration and mission. The same Lord who is humbly presented to the Father, in fulfilment of the Law, is the One who sends us today, not as possessors of his Kingdom, but as his servants and witnesses. Sent as missionaries and pilgrims, we are called to walk with a wounded world, bringing not easy solutions, but the presence of the Light that Simeon recognized in his arms. Just as Mary and Joseph offered Jesus to the Father and to the world, so too are we sent to offer our consecrated life as a sign of hope on the way: a hope that does not ignore the wounds of history, but rather traverses them with compassion, fidelity, and trust in the One who is the salvation prepared for all peoples.

3. The Presentation of the Lord is marked by an encounter of covenants between the human and the divine, in which the promise finds its fulfilment in simplicity. Simeon and Anna, two figures marked by fragility (old age and widowhood) and perseverance, represent a faith that knows how to wait, a hope that perseveres, a wisdom that discerns, a witness that proclaims, and a memory that contemplates and welcomes the newness of God.

4. The action of Mary and Joseph is deeply paradoxical and theologically revealing: while offering only a pair of pigeons, an unmistakable sign of their poverty, in accordance with the Law (cf. Lk 2:24; Lev 12:8), they present the Child Jesus in the Temple, the offering par excellence, the One who belongs to God from all eternity. In the extreme simplicity of the sacrifice permitted to the poor, the superabundance of the divine gift is revealed: the eternal Son is given to the Father and to the world without reserve. In that silent gesture, Jesus is presented as the light to enlighten the nations, inaugurating an economy of salvation in which God’s greatness is recognized in the humility of the little ones and in the radical gift of himself.

5. This celebration reminds us, through memory and the heart, that consecration is a gift received from the Lord. One day we were presented to Him in our Baptism, and on the day of our profession, we freely said, “Here I am” (cf. Is 6:8; 1 Sam 3:4-10; Gen 22:1, 11; Ex 3:4; Ps 40(39):8-9; Heb 10:5-7). In this sense, our consecration is not an event of the past, but an offering that is renewed every day. It is realized in a very concrete way in our encounter with God, in community life, in mission alongside the poorest and most abandoned, in our human frailties, in persevering fidelity over time, in constancy in prayer, and in our missionary availability (cf. Lk 2:36-38).

6. Simeon proclaims Jesus as the Light of the nations. From this perspective, and recalling Communicanda 1/2024, “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:14), Redemptorist consecrated life, at the service of the Redeemer’s mission, is called to reflect that light, not to obscure it or keep it to itself. Today, more than ever, that light must shine. In contexts marked by wars, hatred of others, profound individualism, aporophobia, weariness and aging of consecrated life itself, scarcity of vocations, and fear, we are called to continue to shine with hope, for our light comes from the Light that never goes out…

7. I think that Simeon’s attitude resonates today as a strong and demanding challenge to our consecrated life. He calls us to enter courageously into those contexts of crisis of faith, where silent or declared atheism is experienced ad intra and ad extra, and where consecration runs the risk of being reduced to a mere functional role, indistinguishable from that of a social organization. Faced with these scenarios, we can ask ourselves: what witness are we offering to today’s world? What sign of God remains visible in our lives?

8. The scene of the Presentation of the Lord does not allow us to remain neutral. It confronts us directly with two decisive aspects of our consecration: first, what we present to the Lord today: our choices, our structures, our way of life, our mission. Second, what we are capable of seeing and contemplating in the reality that surrounds us. Moreover, it questions us about how we react to what we see: with accommodation or with prophecy, with fear or with hope, with closed-mindedness or with renewed commitment. Simeon’s response resonates eloquently: “Now, Lord, you can let your servant go in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before all peoples, a light to enlighten the nations and the glory of your people Israel” (Lk 2:29-32).

9. Redemptorist consecrated life is called to be a sign of hope when hope seems exhausted, to remain faithful when the fruits are scarce, and to discern God’s action in concrete history, especially where life is wounded, forgotten, and discarded. It is precisely in these places that the authenticity of our consecration is measured, for it is to these realities that we have been sent in the name of the Redeemer. In this sense, there is no consecration without mission. If consecration does not move us, disturb us, and send us forth, it runs the risk of becoming sterile, reduced to a mere task to be accomplished. Therefore, as Redemptorist Missionaries, we were consecrated to proclaim abundant redemption, not as an abstract discourse, but as a life given, a presence in solidarity, and a word that liberates, with a charism that is renewed without losing its essence.

10. Fidelity to the charism is not to be confused with the mere preservation of forms or structures. It requires courage to let go off what no longer generates life, freedom to transform structures, methods, and languages, and an evangelical audacity to respond to the signs of the times, remaining firmly rooted in the Gospel. Only in this way will our consecration continue to be a living prophecy and concrete hope in the heart of the world. Simeon, contemplating the newness of salvation before him, withdraws so that it may come to pass.

11. On this day, I express my deep gratitude to each confrere for his “here I am,” pronounced and renewed daily in the various places where the Congregation is present, and for all the generous service rendered to the poorest and most abandoned, making the Lord visible in the many “temples of the world.” I invite each one to remember with gratitude his own vocational journey, to recognize the value of the daily “here I am” and to give thanks to the Lord for the journey travelled to date, with all that it has entailed: joys, challenges, crosses, and missionary fruitfulness. I wish you all renewed courage, faithful perseverance, and a serene and confident heart to carry forward the mission of the Redeemer. I encourage our young men in formation, in a special way, not to be afraid to say their “here I am” day after day and, with evangelical courage, to consecrate their lives to the Lord in the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer.

12. May we, through our consecrated Redemptorist life, truly be apostles of robust faith, sustained by joyful hope, animated by ardent charity, and by a burning zeal that springs from a personal encounter with the Redeemer. Free from all presumption about ourselves and rooted in constant prayer, may we be apostolic men, genuine sons of St. Alphonsus, who joyfully follow Christ the Saviour, participate deeply in his mystery, and proclaim him with evangelical simplicity of life and word. Through self-denial, let us always remain available for hard work, taking on our mission without reservation, so that through our dedicated existence, Christ’s abundant redemption may reach everyone, especially the poorest and most abandoned (cf. Const. 20). And, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, let us always cross over to the other side… (cf. Mk 4:35; Communicanda 2/25).

13. May Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help, totally consecrated to God, together with our Saints, Martyrs, and Blesseds, encourage us in our consecration, sustain us in our daily fidelity, and help us to persevere to the end. Amen.

Fr. Rogério Gomes, C.Ss.R

Superior General

Original: Spanish