Repost: Augustinian Recollects | On the occasion of the World Day for Consecrated Life, the Prior General, Fr. Miguel Ángel Hernández, has addressed a message to the religious sisters and brothers of the Augustinian Recollect Family.
In it, he draws on the Gospel passage of the Presentation of the Lord, the feast day on which this World Day is celebrated, to emphasize how God reveals Himself in the small, the simple, and in what apparently does not count.
Indeed, he highlights how Joseph and Mary, a humble and simple couple, went unnoticed in the Temple when they presented Jesus and offered the modest sacrifice of two doves. However, he points out that they caught the attention of the Holy Spirit, who prompted the elderly Simeon to come to the Temple to discover in that ordinary child, who was then Jesus, the presence of the Most High God.
He also explains that Simeon was not surprised by this extraordinary event because he was deeply familiar with the Spirit of the Lord. That is why he was not scandalized by His way of acting. This allowed him to discern the Lord's presence in that case.
In this sense, Fr. Miguel Ángel Hernández recalls that St. Augustine used to say, "I am afraid of Christ passing by." In this way, he warned us that Christ constantly passes through our lives, trying to make Himself known in multiple ways. And the Saint feared that we might not realize it when the gentle breeze of the Spirit caresses us, and that we might respond with carelessness and indifference.
He also advocates for the accompaniment courses that the In Imum Cordis school offers to different segments of the Augustinian Recollect Order to help them become familiar with the Spirit of the Lord and learn to detect His presence in their lives and recognize it in their stories.
The Prior General also appreciates the fidelity of the older religious and reminds them that, despite the possible lack of recognition for their work, God rewards that loyalty by revealing His face, as He did with Simeon and Anna. Similarly, he expresses his conviction that witnesses are needed in the Order, even those of advanced age, who are familiar with the things of God and His simple and sometimes perplexing way of acting, and who live their lives with gratitude.
Fr. Miguel Ángel Hernández concludes his message with the hope that the Virgin of Candelaria helps the religious keep the flame of fidelity burning.
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