The Comboni Missionaries in Rome Celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord

The three Comboni communities of the Generalate in Rome – Curia, Students and Comboni Year of Ongoing Formation - , the community of the Comboni Missionary Sisters and some friends joined to celebrate the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the Day of Consecrated Life.

It was an occasion to thank the Lord for the religious and missionary vocation and to pray for all those men and women whom God has called to be, in the Church and in the world, signs of the radical following of Jesus, faithful witnesses to the Gospel, announcers of the values of the Kingdom, and prophets of the new and final city.

At Lauds, referring to the reading from the letter to the Hebrews, it was stressed how Jesus came to free those who were enslaved and, therefore, religious are called to continue this mission of liberation, particularly as Comboni Missionaries, following the example of Saint Daniel Comboni.

Fr. Enrique Sánchez González, Superior General of the Comboni Missionaries, presided over the evening Eucharist which began with the blessing of candles and the procession to the altar. In his homily, Fr. Enrique offered a reflection on the consecrated life and on the religious and missionary life, emphasizing and developing four elements of the section of the Gospel of Luke for the day of the Presentation of the Lord in the temple: The action of Mary and Joseph in offering their son to the Lord; the great and only desire of Simeon of seeing the Christ before dying; the presence of Anna in the temple, serving God night and day; and the light – Christ – who reveal himself to the world.

The Superior General concluded by referring to the many confreres whom he has met in his visits to the Comboni provinces. “I have had the grace to meet many confreres who are true signs and witnesses as persons called and consecrated, who often live in difficult situations of violence and dangers. And I have found them serene. I have seen many missionary men and women alike who have this sole desire to offer their lives serving God and His people. Comboni Missionaries enlightened by the same light and the same Spirit who revealed salvation to Simeon,” said Fr. Enrique.

“I have had the grace to meet many confreres who are true signs and witnesses as persons called and consecrated, who often live in difficult situations of violence and dangers.
And I have found them serene.” (Fr. Enrique)