WALKING BY FAITH TOGETHER | The Catholic Exponent
MOST REV. DAVID J. BONNAR
Bishop of Youngstown
We are a Church with many windows. It is not just the dazzling-stained glass windows that adorn our church buildings where images of the saints come alive thanks to the light of the sun. No, every person is a window reflecting the light of Christ.
Every February, we celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life with the whole Church. This year, parishes throughout the United States will be observing this day of prayer for those in consecrated life on the weekend of February 5 and 6.
I want to thank the women and men in consecrated life for answering God’s call. Their vocation is a true gift to the Church for which we should all be grateful. In so many ways, even in brokenness, they are a window that reflects the light of Jesus Christ.
This annual observance of consecrated life flows from the Feast of the Presentation, which was celebrated on February 2nd. On the Feast of the Presentation, the Church customarily blesses candles it uses throughout the year. The candles remind us that Christ is our light and that we are to reflect that light.
When Pope St. John Paul II instituted the World Day for Consecrated Life in 1997, he wanted the world to know that consecrated life is synonymous with the light. Let us never tire in praising God for those in this life, for they are a reflection of the light of the Christ and give us a glimpse of heaven by their lifestyle.
This local Church of Youngstown is blessed to have many beautiful windows of men and women who faithfully radiate the light of Christ. Please some of their stories in the pages of this week’s The Catholic Exponent.
