Forty days after his birth, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to offer him to the Lord as prescribed by the law of Moses. This is an episode that fits within the perspective of the People of Israel's special consecration to God. Life is a great gift of God, to be always welcomed with thanksgiving. If last Sunday I was concerned about the absence of values that threatens our society, today I would like forcefully to recall one of these basic values which must be absolutely recovered if we do not want to fall headlong into the abyss. I am referring to the sacred value of life, of every human life, from its origin in the mother's womb to its natural end.
Love inspires the culture of life, while selfishness inspires the culture of death.
The words of the holy old man express the longing that pervades human history. They express that waiting for God, that universal desire, unconscious perhaps, but ineffaceable, that he would come to meet us so that we might be able to share in his life. Simeon embodies the image of humanity striving to grasp that ray of light which renews all things, the seed of life that transforms all old age into everlasting youth. In this context, the Day for Consecrated Life that we are celebrating today for the first time takes on a special significance. For some time the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple has brought together in diocesan communities the members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, to show God's People the joy of unreserved commitment to the Lord and his kingdom.