Pope Benedict XVI on Friday addressed the participants in the general assembly of
the Union of Superior Generals and International Union of Superior Generals. Speaking
to the Superior Generals in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall, Pope Benedict XVI reflected
on the previous two assemblies, which focussed on the future of religious life in
Europe. The Holy Father said that considering religious life means rethinking the
very meaning of vocation, and seeking God.
The Holy Father said: Seek
God in the brethren that He gave you, with whom you share the same life and mission.
Seek Him in the men and women to which you are sent to offer them the gift of the
Gospel. And seek Him in particularly in the poor – the first recipients of the Good
News.
The Pope encouraged them to always be passionate seekers and witnesses
of God, and to be a living Gospel.
The Holy Father went on to discuss fraternity
as another fundamental aspect of religious life, saying that it is what most young
people seek when approaching their vocation. He called on the Superior Generals to
be masters of discernment in their positions, to help their communities recognize
what is from the Lord and what is not. Without discernment, the Pope said, consecrated
life is in danger of giving in to individualism, consumerism and materialism – criteria
of this world that cause the fraternity to fail.
Finally, the Holy Father highlighted
the importance of mission. He said that mission, supported by a strong experience
of God and a robust training and life in community, is key to understanding and revitalizing
consecrated life. The Pope urged the Superior Generals to renew their presence in
the Areopagus of today and to announce, as St. Paul of Athens did, the “unknown” God.