VATICAN - On the 13th Day of Consecrated Life, the Pope tells religious that imitating Saint Paul in following Christ, is “the best way to respond fully to your vocation of special consecration in the Church”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – On the afternoon of Monday, February 2, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple and 13th Day of Consecrated Life, Cardinal Franc Rode, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, presided a Mass for the members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life in Saint Peter's Basilica.
“I give thanks to my God at every remembrance of you, praying always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil 1:3-5): with these words, in the setting of the Year of Saint Paul, the Pope addressed the religious gathered in Saint Peter's Basilica, recalling that “in this greeting to the Christians of Philippi, Paul expresses his affectionate memory of those who personally live the Gospel and work to make it known, uniting care for their interior life to the work of the apostolic mission.”
The Holy Father continued: “in the Church's tradition, Saint Paul has always been recognised as father and master of those who, called by the Lord, have chosen to dedicate themselves unconditionally to Him and His Gospel. Various religious institutes have taken the name of Saint Paul and have received their specific charismatic inspiration from him. It could be said that for all the consecrated, he repeats his frank and affectionate invitation: 'Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.' (1 Cor 11:1)...Imitating him by following Jesus is the best way to respond fully to your vocation of special consecration in the Church.”
From Saint Paul we learn that “we can live a lifestyle that expresses the substance of a consecrated life inspired by the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. In the life of poverty he saw a guarantee that the Gospel would be announced gratuitously. At the same time, such a life is an expression of real solidarity towards brothers and sisters in need...Paul is also an apostle who, accepting God's call to chastity, gave his heart to the Lord in an undivided manner, in order to serve his brothers with greater freedom and dedication...As for obedience, we can observe that fulfilling God's will, under daily pressure because of his anxiety for all the churches, "inspired, shaped and consumed his life, making it a sacrifice agreeable to God."
Another fundamental aspect of the consecrated life of Paul that the Pope focused on is the mission: “He was entirely for Jesus in order to be, like Jesus, for everyone. ... In him, so closely bound to the person of Christ, we recognize a profound capacity to unite spiritual life and missionary activity. In him, these two dimensions support one another. And thus, we could say that he belonged to that group of 'mystical builders,' whose lives are a blend of contemplation and action, open to God and brethren, in order to carry out an effective service to the Gospel.”
Lastly, citing the recent Instruction on “The Service of Authority and Obedience,” Benedict XVI expressed his hope that the Year of St. Paul may further encourage the consecrated to “welcome the witness of St. Paul, meditating daily upon the Word of God through the faithful practice of 'lectio divina'...May the Apostle help you to accomplish your apostolic service in and with the Church, with an unreserved spirit of communion, making a gift of your charisms to others and bearing witness to the greatest charism of all, which is charity.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 3/2/2009)