Pope Francis invites young people to “listen to and follow Jesus, and
to allow yourselves to be transformed interiorly by his words” in his
Message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is marked on
May 11.
“A vocation is a fruit that ripens in a well cultivated
field of mutual love that becomes mutual service, in the context of an
authentic ecclesial life,” writes Pope Francis. “No vocation is born of
itself or lives for itself. A vocation flows from the heart of God and
blossoms in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of
fraternal love.”
The full text of the Message is below
Vocations, Witness to the Truth
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1.
The Gospel says that “Jesus went about all the cities and villages...
When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were
harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to
his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few;
pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his
harvest’” (Mt 9:35-38). These words surprise us, because we all know
that it is necessary first to plow, sow and cultivate to then, in due
time, reap an abundant harvest. Jesus says instead that “the harvest is
plentiful”. But who did the work to bring about these results? There is
only one answer: God. Clearly the field of which Jesus is speaking is
humanity, us. And the efficacious action which has borne “much fruit” is
the grace of God, that is, communion with Him (cf. Jn 15:5). The prayer
which Jesus asks of the Church therefore concerns the need to increase
the number of those who serve his Kingdom. Saint Paul, who was one of
“God’s fellow workers”, tirelessly dedicated himself to the cause of the
Gospel and the Church. The Apostle, with the awareness of one who has
personally experienced how mysterious God’s saving will is, and how the
initiative of grace is the origin of every vocation, reminds the
Christians of Corinth: “You are God’s field” (1 Cor 3:9). That is why
wonder first arises in our hearts over the plentiful harvest which God
alone can bestow; then gratitude for a love that always goes before us;
and lastly, adoration for the work that he has accomplished, which
requires our free consent in acting with him and for him.
2.
Many times we have prayed with the words of the Psalmist: “It is he who
made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his
pasture” (Ps 100:3); or: “The Lord has chosen Jacob for himself, Israel
as his own possession” (Ps 135:4). And yet we are God’s “possession” not
in the sense of a possession that renders us slaves, but rather of a
strong bond that unites us to God and one another, in accord with a
covenant that is eternal, “for his steadfast love endures for ever” (Ps
136). In the account of the calling of the prophet Jeremiah, for
example, God reminds us that he continually watches over each one of us
in order that his word may be accomplished in us. The image is of an
almond branch which is the first tree to flower, thus announcing life’s
rebirth in the springtime (cf Jer 1:11-12). Everything comes from him
and is his gift: the world, life, death, the present, the future, but —
the Apostle assures us — “you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor
3:23). Hence the way of belonging to God is explained: it comes about
through a unique and personal relationship with Jesus, which Baptism
confers on us from the beginning of our rebirth to new life. It is
Christ, therefore, who continually summons us by his word to place our
trust in him, loving him “with all the heart, with all the
understanding, and with all the strength” (Mk 12:33). Therefore every
vocation, even within the variety of paths, always requires an exodus
from oneself in order to centre one’s life on Christ and on his Gospel.
Both in married life and in the forms of religious consecration, as well
as in priestly life, we must surmount the ways of thinking and acting
that do not conform to the will of God. It is an “exodus that leads us
on a journey of adoration of the Lord and of service to him in our
brothers and sisters” (Address to the International Union of Superiors
General, 8 May 2013). Therefore, we are all called to adore Christ in
our hearts (1 Pet 3:15) in order to allow ourselves to be touched by the
impulse of grace contained in the seed of the word, which must grow in
us and be transformed into concrete service to our neighbour. We need
not be afraid: God follows the work of his hands with passion and skill
in every phase of life. He never abandons us! He has the fulfilment of
his plan for us at heart, and yet he wishes to achieve it with our
consent and cooperation.
3. Today too, Jesus lives and walks
along the paths of ordinary life in order to draw near to everyone,
beginning with the least, and to heal us of our infirmities and
illnesses. I turn now to those who are well disposed to listen to the
voice of Christ that rings out in the Church and to understand what
their own vocation is. I invite you to listen to and follow Jesus, and
to allow yourselves to be transformed interiorly by his words, which
“are spirit and life” (Jn 6:62). Mary, the Mother of Jesus and ours,
also says to us: “Do whatever he tells you” (Jn 2:5). It will help you
to participate in a communal journey that is able to release the best
energies in you and around you. A vocation is a fruit that ripens in a
well cultivated field of mutual love that becomes mutual service, in the
context of an authentic ecclesial life. No vocation is born of itself
or lives for itself. A vocation flows from the heart of God and blossoms
in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of fraternal
love. Did not Jesus say: “By this all men will know that you are my
disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35)?
4. Dear
brothers and sisters, this “high standard of ordinary Christian living”
(cf John Paul II, Apostolic Letter Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31) means
sometimes going against the tide and also encountering obstacles,
outside ourselves and within ourselves. Jesus himself warns us: the good
seed of God’s word is often snatched away by the Evil one, blocked by
tribulation, and choked by worldly cares and temptation (cf Mt
13:19-22). All of these difficulties could discourage us, making us fall
back on seemingly more comfortable paths. However, the true joy of
those who are called consists in believing and experiencing that he, the
Lord, is faithful, and that with him we can walk, be disciples and
witnesses of God’s love, open our hearts to great ideals, to great
things. “We Christians were not chosen by the Lord for small things;
push onwards toward the highest principles. Stake your lives on noble
ideals!” (Homily at Holy Mass and the Conferral of the Sacrament of
Confirmation, 28 April 2013). I ask you bishops, priests, religious,
Christian communities and families to orient vocational pastoral
planning in this direction, by accompanying young people on pathways of
holiness which, because they are personal, “call for a genuine ‘training
in holiness’ capable of being adapted to every person’s need. This
training must integrate the resources offered to everyone with both the
traditional forms of individual and group assistance, as well as the
more recent forms of support offered in associations and movements
recognized by the Church” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 31).
Let us
dispose our hearts therefore to being “good soil”, by listening,
receiving and living out the word, and thus bearing fruit. The more we
unite ourselves to Jesus through prayer, Sacred Scripture, the
Eucharist, the Sacraments celebrated and lived in the Church and in
fraternity, the more there will grow in us the joy of cooperating with
God in the service of the Kingdom of mercy and truth, of justice and
peace. And the harvest will be plentiful, proportionate to the grace we
have meekly welcomed into our lives. With this wish, and asking you to
pray for me, I cordially impart to you all my Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 15 January 2014