Marking the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the annual celebration of the World Day for Consecrated Life, Pope Benedict XVI asked members of religious orders to help laypeople draw closer to the Bible.The pope said that, as the Catholic Church prepares for the October world Synod of Bishops on the Bible, consecrated men and women should help other members of the church learn to pray with the Bible and to draw direction for their lives from the Scriptures.
At the foundation of each religious order, there was a strong inspiration from the Gospel, the pope said Feb. 2, joining the religious in St. Peter's Basilica after they had celebrated Mass.
"The Holy Spirit draws some people to live the Gospel in a radical way and to translate it into a more generous form of discipleship," he said.
"Following Christ without compromise, as proposed by the Gospel, has been the ultimate and supreme rule in religious life throughout the centuries," the pope told the religious.
The pope asked the consecrated men and women to "nourish your day with prayer, meditation and listening to the word of God. You who have familiarity with the ancient practice of 'lectio divina' (praying with Scripture) should help the faithful appreciate it in their own daily lives."
Pope Benedict prayed people would learn to look at the good works performed by religious and realize that the word of God can have similar power in their own lives.
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