VATICAN - Benedict XVI tells the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life: “Monasticism can, for all forms of religious and consecrated life, become a reminder of what is of essential and primary importance for all the baptized: seeking Christ and placing nothing before His love.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - “By virtue of the absolute primacy reserved by Christ, monasteries are called to be which room is given for celebrating the glory of God, where the mysterious yet real divine presence in the world is adored and sung, where there is an effort to live the new commandment of love and mutual service... When monks live the Gospel radically, when people dedicated to an entirely contemplative life profoundly cultivate the nuptial bond with Christ... then monasticism can, for all forms of religious and consecrated life, become a reminder of what is of essential and primary importance for all the baptized: seeking Christ and placing nothing before His love.” This was the focus of the address given by the Holy Father Benedict XVI during the audience held on November 20 with participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The Pope recalled in his address that the Congregation celebrates 100 years of life and activity, and in memory of this anniversary, on November 22, it will hold a Congress entitled “One hundred years at the service of consecrated life.” The Pope continued: “The consecrated are a select portion of the People of God: sustaining and safeguarding their fidelity to the divine call, dear brothers and sisters, is the principal mission that you carry out according to your diverse forms, approved thanks to the experience accumulated in these 100 years of activity.”
The Plenary Assembly has focused its attention this year on the theme of monasticism, and in light of this, the Pope recalled his address to the world of culture, given in Paris, on September 12, 2008, in which he spoke on “the exemplary nature of monastic life in history, and underlined how its aim is both simple and essential: 'quaerere Deum', seeking God and seeking Him through Jesus Christ Who revealed Him, seeking Him by fixing one's gaze on the invisible truths that are eternal, in the expectation of the glorious manifestation of the Savior.”
“The way indicated by God for this search and this love is His own Word", the Pope added, "abundantly present in the books of Sacred Scripture for mankind to reflect upon. The desire for God and the love for His Word are nourished in a reciprocal manner and generate in monastic life the insuppressible demand of the 'opus Dei,' the 'studium orantionis,' and the 'lectio divino,' which is listening to the Word of God, accompanied by the great voices of the tradition of the Fathers and the Saints, and prayer that is oriented and sustained by this Word. The recent Synod of Bishops...invited religious communities in particular, and all consecrated men and women, to make the Word of God their daily sustenance.”
At the close of his address, Benedict XVI pointed out the witness that the Church expects of monasticism in our time: “When someone enters a monastery, they seek a spiritual oasis where they can learn to live as true disciples of Jesus, in serene and persevering fraternal communion, eventually receiving guests as Christ Himself.”
Invoking the intercession of Mary, the Mother of God, so that the communities of consecrated life, especially the monastic ones, may remain faithful to their vocation and mission, the Pope expressed his hope that the monasteries may “increasingly become oases of ascetic life, where the allure of the nuptial union with Christ is felt, and where the choice of the Absolute, who is God, is immersed in a climate of constant silence and contemplation.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 21/11/2008)