VOCATION: GRACE AND MISSION

 VOCATION: GRACE AND MISSION

Pope Francis noted in his speech for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2023 that God's call to a certain vocation entails the mission to offer one's life to others.

THERE IS NO VOCATION WITHOUT MISSION

“God's call,” the pope explained, “includes a sending.” There is no such thing as a vocation without a mission. If we do not share the new life we have discovered with others, there can be no satisfaction or complete self-realization.

The 60th World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be held on April 30, also known as Good Shepherd Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Easter. In 1964, Pope Paul VI established the yearly event as Vocation Sunday.

Pope Francis stated, 'This day is a beautiful chance for everyone for remembering with awe that the Lord's invitation is grace, a total gift, and at the same time a commitment to bring the Gospel to others,' He made a point of highlighting how the Church's vocations whether lay, priestly, monastic, or consecrated life, all work in concert to create a beautiful symphony. These roles are "joined together in 'going forth' to radiate throughout the world the new life of the kingdom of God."

DIVINE SEED THAT SPRINGS UP

When Pope Francis stated about the motivation for a vocational call, that the Holy Spirit sometimes operates in unexpected ways. He remembered how, on his way to a school celebration on September 21, 1953, "Pope Francis was led to stop by a church and go to confession, that day changed his life and left a mark that has endured to the present day,"

However, God's call to a certain profession is frequently revealed gradually: "in our encounter with situations of poverty, in moments of prayer, when we see a clear witness to the Gospel or read something that opens our minds. When we hear God's message and feel as if it is being addressed directly to us, in the counsel of a fellow brother or sister, at times of sickness or suffering... God demonstrates limitless creativity in all the ways He summons us."

Pope Francis equated vocation to a "divine seed that springs up in the soil of our existence, opens our hearts to God and to others so that we can share with them the treasure we ourselves have found."

MY CALL IS LOVE

According to the pope, love is an essential element of vocation as well. “This is the fundamental structure of what we mean by vocation: God calls us in love and, driven by gratitude, we respond to him in love. We begin to view ourselves as brothers and sisters of one another, and we realise that we are cherished sons and daughters of the one Father.” Pope Francis used the example of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus, who said: “At last, I have found my calling: My call is love. Indeed, I have discovered where I belong in the Church. I shall be loved in the Church's heart, my Mother.”

The pope stated in his message that each member of the Church serves in line with their charisms, with the common mission being "to give ourselves in love."

COMMUNION WITH PEOPLE AND GOD

As a prophetic indication of God's kingdom, he added, consecrated men and women "who are completely committed to God for the sake of their brothers and sisters" are another manifestation. Priests, bishops, and deacons are "placed at the service of preaching, prayer, and fostering the communion of the holy people of God."

Pope Francis stated in the Letter to the Ephesians of St. Paul: "The apostle Paul sets before us a wonderful horizon: In Christ, God the Father "chose us before the foundation of the world to be holy and faultless in his sight in love." According to the good pleasure of his will, He intended us for adoption as His children via the person of Jesus Christ. "These words," he said, "allow us to witness life at its most complete: God has 'conceived' us in his image and likeness and desires us to be his sons and daughters." We were formed by, for, and with love, and we were built for love."

Pope Francis remarked, "Throughout our lives, this call, which is part of the fabric of our being and the secret of our happiness, comes to us in ever new ways through the work of the Holy Spirit. It enlightens our minds, strengthens our wills, amazes us, and sets our hearts on fire."

CONCLUDING PRAYER 

Pope Francis ended his address with a prayer composed by St. Paul VI for the inaugural World Day of Vocations, which took place on April 11, 1964.

“O Jesus, divine Shepherd of souls, you called the apostles and made them fishers of men. Continue to draw to yourself ardent and generous souls from among the young, in order to make them your followers and your ministers. Give them a share in your thirst for the redemption of all… Open before them the horizons of the entire world… By responding to your call, may they prolong your mission here on earth, build up your Mystical Body, which is the Church, and be ‘the salt of the earth’ and ‘the light of the world’” (Mt 5:13).

 

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