On Monday, Pope Leo XIV received a group of Discalced Carmelite Sisters from the Holy Land, as well as members of the Sisters of Saint Catherine, Virgin and Martyr; the Salesian Missionaries of Mary Immaculate; and the Sisters of Saint Paul of Chartres, who are in Rome for their respective General Chapters.
Taking inspiration from the common trait of “courage” that marked their foundations, Pope Leo offered a reflection on a verse from the book of Proverbs: Who can find a valiant woman? Her price is far greater than pearls.”
Fidelity from Christ
The answer, he said, is found in the history of their congregations, in the many “strong and courageous … extraordinary women” who initially answered God’s call and who paved the way for later generations who, “following Christ, poor, chaste, and obedient, continued the work, at times even to the point of martyrdom.”
Pope Leo recalled the fidelity – which comes from Christ and is rooted in “asceticism, prayer, devotion to the Sacraments, and intimacy with God and His Word” – that forms the basis of their consecrated lives, whether contemplative or active.
If, in an “immanentist” world, this seems like an other-worldly “spiritualism,” the works of the various Congregations, due entirely to “the strength that comes from God,” show their relevance in the world.
The Holy Father went on to encourage the religious to embrace humility, placing their strength in Him, and remaining close to God precisely in order to return to the sharing in the work of God in daily life.
The world needs generous women
That dynamism, the Pope said, can be seen in the founders and earliest members of their respective congregations – Regina Protmann, Marie Gertrude of the Precious Blood, Marie-Anne de Tilly (with Father Louis Chauvet), Saint Teresa of Avila, and the hermits of Mount Carmel – all “intimately united to God, and therefore consecrated to His service and to the good of the whole Church.”
This, Pope Leo said, “is the legacy you have received, and which makes your presence here so significant.”
And he insisted, “Indeed, in our day, too, there is a need for generous women.”
The witness of the Carmelites
Before concluding his address, Pope Leo singled out the Discalced Carmelite Sisters of the Holy Land, highlighting their “watchful and silent presence in places sadly torn apart by hatred and violence,” their “testimony of trusting abandonment to God,” and their “constant prayers for peace.”
“We all accompany you with our prayers,” he said, “and through you, we, too, draw near to those who suffer.”
