Vatican
City, 21 April 2013 (VIS) – At the end of the Mass celebrated in
the Vatican Basilica for the ordination of ten deacons, the Holy
Father appeared at the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace to pray the Regina Coeli with the faithful gathered in St.
Peter's Square.
The
Pope explained that the fourth Sunday of Easter is characterized by
the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, citing the four verses that contain
“Jesus' entire message”. “My sheep hear my voice; I know them,
and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given
them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the
Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (Jn 10:27-30).
“Jesus
wants to establish a relationship with his friends that reflects the
one he has with the Father: a relationship of mutual belonging in
complete confidence, in intimate communion.” To express this it is
necessary to use the image of the sheep who recognize the voice of
the shepherd and follow him. “The mystery of the voice is
suggestive. Already at our mother's breast we learn to recognize her
voice, and that of our father. By someone's tone of voice we can
perceive love or contempt, affection or coldness. Jesus' voice is
unique! If we learn to distinguish it, He guides us on the path of
life, a path that even overcomes the abyss of death.”
However,
referring to his sheep, Jesus also says: “My Father, who has given
them to me. This is very important. It is a profound mystery that is
not easy to understand. If I feel attracted to Jesus, if his voice
warms my heart, it is thanks to God the Father who has put this
desire for love, for truth, for life, for beauty within me. And Jesus
is all this completely. This helps us to understand the mystery of
vocation, especially of the call to a special consecration.”
“Today
there are many young persons in the piazza,” the pontiff observed.
“I want to ask you, has there been a time when you have heard the
Lord's voice, who through a desire, a restlessness, has invited you
to follow him more closely? … Youth needs to put its high ideals
into action. Have you thought of this? … Ask Jesus what He wants of
you and be courageous! … Behind and before each vocation to the
priesthood or the consecrated life there is always someone's strong
and intense prayer: a grandmother, a grandfather,a mother, a father,
a community. This is why Jesus said 'ask the master of the
harvest—that is, God the Father—to send out labourers for his
harvest'. Vocations are born in prayer and from prayer. Only in
prayer can they persevere and bear fruit. I would like to emphasize
that today is the 'World Day of Prayer for Vocations'. Let us pray in
particular for the new priests of the Diocese of Rome who I had the
joy or ordaining this morning. … And let us call upon the
intercession of Mary, who is the Woman of the 'Yes'. She said 'Yes'
her entire life. She learned to recognize Jesus' voice from when she
carried him in her womb. May Mary, our Mother, help us to always know
better Jesus' voice and to follow it, to walk in the path of life.”
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