Vatican City, 7 December 2015 (VIS) –
“The Church, mother of vocations” is the theme of the 53rd World
Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be held on 17 April 2016, the fourth
Sunday of Easter. In the text, signed in Vatican City on 29 November,
first Sunday of Advent, the Holy Father comments that every vocation
in the Church originates with Jesus' compassionate gaze, and he
emphasised that the call of God is heard through community mediation.
The vocational path
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,
It is my great hope that, during the
course of this Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, all the baptised may
experience the joy of belonging to the Church and rediscover that the
Christian vocation, just like every particular vocation, is born from
within the People of God, and is a gift of divine mercy. The Church
is the house of mercy, and it is the 'soil' where vocations take
root, mature and bear fruit.
“For this reason, on the occasion of
the 53rd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I invite all of you to
reflect upon the apostolic community, and to give thanks for the role
of the community in each person’s vocational journey. In the Bull
of Indiction for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, I recalled the
words of the venerable Bede, describing the call of Saint Matthew:
'Miserando atque eligendo'. The Lord’s merciful action forgives our
sins and opens us to the new life which takes shape in the call to
discipleship and mission. Each vocation in the Church has its origin
in the compassionate gaze of Jesus. Conversion and vocation are two
sides of the same coin, and continually remain interconnected
throughout the whole of the missionary disciple’s life.
Blessed Paul VI, in his exhortation
Evangelii Nuntiandi, described various steps in the process of
evangelisation. One of these steps is belonging to the Christian
community, that community from which we first received the witness of
faith and the clear proclamation of the Lord’s mercy. This
incorporation into the Christian community brings with it all the
richness of ecclesial life, particularly the sacraments. Indeed, the
Church is not only a place in which we believe, but it is also an
object of our faith; it is for this reason that we profess in the
Creed: 'I believe in the Church'.
The call of God comes to us by means of
a mediation which is communal. God calls us to become a part of the
Church and, after we have reached a certain maturity within it, He
bestows on us a specific vocation. The vocational journey is
undertaken together with the brothers and sisters whom the Lord has
given to us: it is a con-vocation. The ecclesial dynamism of the call
is an antidote to indifference and to individualism. It establishes
the communion in which indifference is vanquished by love, because it
demands that we go beyond ourselves and place our lives at the
service of God’s plan, embracing the historical circumstances of
His holy people.
On this day dedicated to prayer for
vocations, I urge all the faithful to assume their responsibility for
the care and discernment of vocations. When the Apostles sought
someone to take the place of Judas Iscariot, St. Peter brought
together one hundred and twenty of the brethren; and in order to
chose seven deacons, a group of disciples was gathered. St. Paul gave
Titus specific criteria for the selection of presbyters. Still today,
the Christian community is always present in the discernment of
vocations, in their formation and in their perseverance.
Vocations are born within the Church.
From the moment a vocation begins to become evident, it is necessary
to have an adequate 'sense' of the Church. No one is called
exclusively for a particular region, or for a group or for an
ecclesial movement, but rather for the Church and for the world. 'A
sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial
character, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life of
God’s holy and faithful people for the good of all'. In responding
to God’s call, young people see their own ecclesial horizon expand;
they are able to consider various charisms and to undertake a more
objective discernment. In this way, the community becomes the home
and the family where vocations are born. Candidates gratefully
contemplate this mediation of the community as an essential element
for their future. They learn to know and to love their brothers and
sisters who pursue paths different from their own; and these bonds
strengthen in everyone the communion which they share.
Vocations grow within the Church. In
the course of formation, candidates for various vocations need to
grow in their knowledge of the ecclesial community, overcoming the
limited perspectives that we all have at the beginning. To that end,
it is helpful to undertake some apostolic experience together with
other members of the community, for example: in the company of a good
catechist, to communicate the Christian message; together with a
religious community, to experience the evangelisation of the
peripheries sharing in the life of the cloister, to discover the
treasure of contemplation; in contact with missionaries, to know more
closely the mission ad gentes; and in the company of diocesan
priests, to deepen one’s experience of pastoral life in the parish
and in the diocese. For those who are already in formation, the
ecclesial community always remains the fundamental formational
environment, towards which one should feel a sense of gratitude.
Vocations are sustained by the Church.
After definitive commitment, our vocational journey within the Church
does not come to an end, but it continues in our willingness to
serve, our perseverance and our ongoing formation. The one who has
consecrated his life to the Lord is willing to serve the Church
wherever it has need. The mission of Paul and Barnabas is a good
example of this readiness to serve the Church. Sent on mission by the
Holy Spirit and by the community of Antioch, they returned to that
same community and described what the Lord had worked through them.
Missionaries are accompanied and sustained by the Christian
community, which always remains a vital point of reference, just as a
visible homeland offers security to all who are on pilgrimage towards
eternal life.
Among those involved in pastoral
activity, priests are especially important.In their ministry, they
fulfil the words of Jesus, Who said: 'I am the gate of the sheepfold
… I am the good shepherd'. The pastoral care of vocations is a
fundamental part of their ministry. Priests accompany those who are
discerning a vocation, as well as those who have already dedicated
their lives to the service of God and of the community.
All the faithful are called to
appreciate the ecclesial dynamism of vocations, so that communities
of faith can become, after the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
like a mother’s womb which welcomes the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The motherhood of the Church finds expression in constant prayer for
vocations and in the work of educating and accompanying all those who
perceive God’s call. This motherhood is also expressed through a
careful selection of candidates for the ordained ministry and for the
consecrated life. Finally, the Church is the mother of vocations in
her continual support of those who have dedicated their lives to the
service of others.
We ask the Lord to grant to all those
who are on a vocational journey a deep sense of belonging to the
Church; and that the Holy Spirit may strengthen among Pastors, and
all of the faithful, a deeper sense of communion, discernment and
spiritual fatherhood and motherhood.
Father of mercy, Who gave Your Son for
our salvation and Who strengthens us always with the gifts of Your
Spirit, grant us Christian communities which are alive, fervent and
joyous, which are fonts of fraternal life, and which nurture in the
young the desire to consecrate themselves to You and to the work of
evangelisation. Sustain these communities in their commitment to
offer appropriate vocational catechesis and ways of proceeding
towards each one’s particular consecration. Grant the wisdom needed
for vocational discernment, so that in all things the greatness of
Your merciful love may shine forth. May Mary, Mother and guide of
Jesus, intercede for each Christian community, so that, made fruitful
by the Holy Spirit, it may be a source of true vocations for the
service of the holy People of God”.
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