"During these weeks of Lent, let us make space for the prayer of silent adoration, in
which we experience the presence of the Lord, like Moses, like Elijah, like
Mary, like Jesus. Have we noticed that we have lost the sense of worship? Let
us return to worship. Let us lend the ear of our hearts to the One who, in
silence, wants to say to us: 'I am your God – the God of mercy and compassion,
the God of pardon and love, the God of tenderness and care… Do not judge
yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let my love touch
the deepest, most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your own
beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of, but will become visible to you
again in the light of my mercy.'"
--Pope Francis, Homily, February 14, 2024
“With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God
gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to
bind up the nation’s wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle
and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a
just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.”
--Abraham Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865
“'A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people
Israel'” (Luke 2:32). With these words Simeon describes the Messiah of the
Lord, at the end of his hymn of blessing. The topic of light, that
reechoes the first and second songs of the Servant of the Lord in Isaiah (cf. Is 42:6; 49:6), is vividly present in this liturgy.
It was in fact opened by an evocative procession, in which the Superiors
and General Superiors of the Institutes of consecrated life represented
here took part and carried lit candles. This sign, specific to the
liturgical tradition of this Feast, is deeply expressive. It shows the
beauty and value of the consecrated life as a reflection of Christ’s
light; a sign that recalls Mary’s entry into the Temple. The Virgin
Mary, the Consecrated Woman par excellence, carried in her arms the
Light himself, the Incarnate Word who came to dispel the darkness of the
world with God’s love."
--Benedict XVI, Homily, February 2, 2013