(ANS – Rome) – The Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome had the unique grace of welcoming over 400 religious from all over the world who had come to Rome to participate in a pilgrimage “on the road to peace” aimed at renewing the commitment of religious to reconciliation and peace.

The entire schedule was inaugurated today, Saturday, 3 February, at 08:30, with a Holy Mass presided over by His Eminence Card. João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, with very good participation of religious and superiors of the various religious congregations and members of the dicastery.

In his homily, Cardinal João emphasized up on the exceptional nature of experiencing the unique grace that the group had received yesterday with the audience with the Holy Father, Pope Francis. He said that this journey will help everyone to continue and experience the strenuous commitment on the road towards peace.

Taking his cue from the first reading, he said that Solomon expressed his inadequacy -but felt a calling to lead his people, and therefore asked the Lord for wisdom to have an understanding and a merciful heart. He had the desire to ask for wisdom to penetrate the mystery of God and transform relationships with others. The mission of the religious is precisely to aspire for this constant growth in wisdom and service.

Cardinal João commented that the disciples left two by two to carry out this mission and returned tired. Jesus invited them to rest and was concerned first of all with their human needs and then with the needs of the community. Quoting a passage from the Synod, Cardinal João invited everyone to remember and cherish their call and mission, stating: “The charismatic dimension of the Church has a particular manifestation in consecrated life, with the richness and variety of its forms. Its witness has contributed every time to renewing the life of the ecclesial community, proving to be an antidote to the recurring temptation of worldliness. The various religious congregations show the beauty of following the Lord with their unique charisms: some on the path of intense prayer and others on the roads of the world in service and in community living; some in the solitude of the desert and others to be on the frontier of cultural challenges. Consecrated life has more than once been the first to perceive the change in history and grasp the calling of the Holy Spirit. Even today, the Church needs its prophetic role. The Christian community also looks with attention and gratitude at the tried and tested practices of synodal life and discernment in common that communities of consecrated life have developed over the centuries. From them, too, we know we can learn the wisdom of walking together. Many congregations and institutes practice conversation in the Spirit or similar forms of discernment in the course of provincial and general chapters in order to renew their structures, rethink their lifestyles, and activate newer forms of service and closeness to the poorest. In other cases, however, one finds the persistence of an authoritarian style, which makes no room for fraternal dialogue” (Synthesis Report, 10 b).

Finally, Cardinal João urged everyone to ward off the worldliness that has entered into religious life and to take up the path of fraternity and the commitment to build beautiful relationships in a manner that conveys the conviction of the mission inherited from the wisdom and charism of our life together. After the Holy Mass, the participants were divided into seven groups according to the various languages to continue the path of reflection. Groups headed towards various important churches such as the Basilica of St John Lateran, the Holy Steps, the Basilica of St Mary Major, the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, the Church of Quo Vadis, and that of St Sebastian. The entire program is scheduled to include moments like historical-artistic visits to the monuments, time to reflect on the spiritual significance of Consecrated Life, shared testimony from a consecrated person in the world, and moments of personal or community prayer.

It was a really good start to the day this morning to see the large group of consecrated persons setting off on various paths with great enthusiasm and passion. This is one of the excellent efforts made on various fronts to prepare for the Jubilee of Consecrated Life in 2025. All of these groups will meet again in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart for a moment of prayer to close the meeting at the close of the day.