Cardinal Tobin: Waiting for God
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Vol. 6. No.12
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
On Saturday, February 1, the Archdiocese of Newark observed the 28th annual World Day for Consecrated Life. As noted in the article below from JerseyCatholic.org, the news site for our Archdiocese, our Consecrated Life Mass has been a beloved tradition since 1997, when it began as part of the first World Day for Consecrated Life. Today, it continues to serve as a joyful celebration for the 52 congregations of religious women and 22 congregations of religious men in our Archdiocese.
In his message for this World Day for Consecrated Life (see selection below), Pope Francis says:
Brothers and sisters, waiting for God is important for us, for our faith journey. Every day the Lord visits us, speaks to us, reveals Himself in unexpected ways and, at the end of life and time, He will come. He Himself exhorts us to stay awake, to be vigilant, to persevere in waiting. Indeed, the worst thing that can happen to us is to let “our spirit doze off”, to let the heart fall asleep, to anesthetize the soul, to lock hope away in the dark corners of disappointment and resignation.
This spiritual principle of waiting for God is especially significant for those of us who have already lived long and productive lives and are now in the final stages of our journey of faith. We may be tempted to look back and regret that we failed to take advantage of many opportunities for spiritual growth. Or we may be impatient to complete this earthly pilgrimage and take our place with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints in Heaven. The Holy Father counsels us to wait for God patiently. We are given the examples of Anna and Simeon in the Gospel reading for the Presentation of the Lord (Lk 2:22–40) as assurances that God’s promises to us will be fulfilled.
Pope Francis goes on to identify two of the obstacles that prevent all of us from waiting patiently for God. These are, first of all, “neglect of the interior life,” and secondly, “adapting to a worldly lifestyle.”
A joyful heart is nourished by adoration. It comes from what the pope calls “the work of the knees and the heart” and by intense prayer that struggles and intercedes, capable of reawakening our longing for God, that initial love, that amazement we felt on the first day of our lives as Consecrated Religious, as ordained clergy, or as baptized Catholics whose vocation is to follow Jesus and proclaim His Good News to all.
The Pope’s second concern—about adapting a secular lifestyle—stems from his observation of the way the world seeks to dominate our daily lives causing excessive anxiety and impatience.
Pope Francis says that “Christian life and apostolic mission need the experience of waiting.” He observes that “Matured in prayer and daily fidelity, waiting frees us from the myth of efficiency, from the obsession with performance and, above all, from the pretense of pigeonholing God, because he always comes in unpredictable ways, he always comes at times that we do not choose and in ways that we do not expect.”
Like Simeon and Anna, we need to wait for the Lord to manifest Himself to us. Then we can truly pray the Nunc Dimittis and allow our Heavenly Father to release us from our earthly obligations as He welcomes us into the Heavenly Jerusalem.
Obedience—defined as openness to the Word of God—is essential for every baptized Christian who seeks to follow Jesus, but it is especially important for women and men who dedicate themselves to the Consecrated Life according to the customs established by the founders of our respective Religious Orders. With the vows of Poverty and Chastity that we Religious women and men take, the vow of Obedience opens up the members of each Religious community to the gifts of the Holy Spirit that flow from the particular charisms of the different Religious Orders.
All of us are called to wait in joyful Hope for the Lord’s promises to be fulfilled in our personal lives and in our world. We are all Pilgrims of Hope who are traveling together on a synodal journey to our heavenly home. But this should not make us complacent or indifferent to the immediate challenges of life as we find it today. On the contrary, because we are Pilgrims of Hope, we are committed to making northern New Jersey—our small area of God’s Creation—better. We are called to help build the Kingdom of God here and now, one day at a time. This requires patience, perseverance, and above all the Holy Hope of Jesus.
On Candlemas Day this year, we blessed the candles that symbolize the Light of Christ. We, too, are called to be the light of Christ in our world’s darkness and signs of hope for the future. Let’s make 2025 a true Year of Hope for all members of the one Body of Christ whether Clergy, Religious, or Lay Faithful. And let’s thank God for the Consecrated Women and Men who are signs of hope for all God’s People.
In the words of Pope Francis, “Let us be restless, let us be moved by the Spirit, like Simeon and Anna. If, like them, we live in expectation, safeguarding our interior life and in conformity with the Gospel, if, like them, we live in expectation, we will embrace Jesus, who is the light and hope of life.” Amen.
Sincerely yours in Christ the Redeemer,
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Archbishop of Newark
Jubilarians Honored at Annual Mass for Consecrated Life
The Archdiocese of Newark celebrated World Day for Consecrated Life on Saturday, Feb. 1, with a special Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart. Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R., Archbishop of Newark, presided over the liturgy, which honored men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving God and the Church.
Established by Pope St. John Paul II in 1997, the annual observance recognizes the vital role of religious life. This year’s celebration coincided with the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, symbolizing how those in consecrated life reflect Christ’s light in the world.
Religious sisters, brothers, and priests from various congregations gathered for the Mass, which highlighted their commitment to prayer, ministry, and witnessing Gospel values.
“We can be hopeful, we can be patient, and we can persevere because, in an incomplete way, we know (Christ),” Cardinal Tobin said during his homily. “All of us as consecrated people… are following Jesus. Our daily task is to know him, to know his Cross, which is our only hope… And because we see Jesus, the abundance of limitless love that is poured out in our hearts – for that reason, hope certainly will not disappoint.”
As part of this jubilee year, the Archdiocese—home to 52 congregations of religious women and 22 congregations of religious men—emphasized renewal and gratitude for religious life. During the liturgy, religious men and women celebrating milestone anniversaries were recognized by Sister Patricia Wormann, OP, Delegate for Religious, and received a gift from Cardinal Tobin.
The Mass also served as a time to pray for vocations and encourage young people to consider religious life. A reception followed, allowing jubilarians and members of religious communities to continue the celebration in fellowship.
Click the link for the video and photo gallery: https://jerseycatholic.org/jubilarians-honored-at-annual-mass-for-consecrated-life
A Message from Pope Francis: Words of Challenge and Hope
(A selection from the Holy Father’s Message for The World Day for Consecrated Life)
Brothers and sisters, waiting for God is also important for us, for our faith journey. Every day, the Lord visits us, speaks to us, reveals Himself in unexpected ways, and, at the end of life and time, He will come. He Himself exhorts us to stay awake, to be vigilant, to persevere in waiting. Indeed, the worst thing that can happen to us is to let “our spirit doze off,” to let the heart fall asleep, to anesthetize the soul, to lock hope away in the dark corners of disappointment and resignation.
The first obstacle that makes us lose the ability to wait is neglect of the interior life. This is what happens when weariness prevails over amazement, when habit takes the place of enthusiasm, when we lose perseverance on the spiritual journey, when negative experiences, conflicts, or seemingly delayed fruits turn us into bitter and embittered people. It is not good to ruminate on bitterness, because in a religious family, as in any community and family, bitter and “sour-faced” people are deflating, people who seem to have vinegar in their hearts. It is necessary, then, to recover the lost grace: to go back and, through an intense interior life, return to the spirit of joyful humility, and silent gratitude. This is nourished by adoration, by the work of the knees and the heart, by concrete prayer that struggles and intercedes, capable of reawakening a longing for God, that initial love, that amazement of the first day, that taste of waiting.
The second obstacle is adapting to a worldly lifestyle, which ends up taking the place of the Gospel. Ours is a world that often runs at great speed, that exalts “everything and now,” that is consumed in activism and seeks to exorcise life’s fears and anxieties in the pagan temples of consumerism or in entertainment at all costs. In such a context, where silence is banished and lost, waiting is not easy, for it requires an attitude of healthy passivity, the courage to slow our pace, to not be overwhelmed by activities, to make room within ourselves for God’s action. These are lessons of Christian mysticism. Let us be careful, then, that the spirit of the world does not enter our religious communities, ecclesial life, and our individual journey; otherwise we will not bear fruit. The Christian life and apostolic mission need the experience of waiting. Matured in prayer and daily fidelity, waiting frees us from the myth of efficiency, from the obsession with performance, and, above all, from the pretense of pigeonholing God, because He always comes in unpredictable ways; He always comes at times that we do not choose and in ways that we do not expect.
Brothers and sisters, these questions are for us, for each of us, for our communities, and for the Church. Let us be restless; let us be moved by the Spirit, like Simeon and Anna. If, like them, we live in expectation, safeguarding our interior life and in conformity with the Gospel, if, like them, we live in expectation, we will embrace Jesus, who is the light and hope of life.
My Prayer for You
Please join me in praying the 2025 Jubilee Prayer:
Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom. May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel. May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally. May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven. May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth. To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever. Amen.