The Catholic Church celebrates next Sunday the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, with a motto that stems from a question that Pope Francis asks young people in the Exhortation Christus vivit: ‘Who am I for?’ It is not so much about asking what are they going to be ?, but rather, who are they going to be for? A brave proposal that today may not be very popular or attractive to young people, but that holds in itself a promise of meaning, and therefore of happiness. Other alternatives that are born and die in one’s own heart, and only think of the particular good, they cannot even imagine.
Perhaps someone thinks that as a result of the shortage of vocations the Church is on the campaign trail, but the truth is that this need to pray and ask God to send vocations has always been there, and the words of Jesus himself in the Gospel of Lucas thus testify: “Pray and pray to the owner of the harvest to send workers to his harvest.” They will always be few, they will always need more.
The question is addressed in a particular way to young people, because they live in a special moment in which they are called to make the great decisions that will mark their existence, but not only, the question we all have to ask ourselves, and in more than an occasion, because we have all been created to love, and we must recognize that sometimes this ideal of love is diluted until it practically disappears. We change it for a pragmatism that in practice produces in us an existential void. Is this not contradictory to you? As we think only of ourselves, our life gets poorer and poorer.
We are living a year dedicated to Saint Joseph, in which we are invited to know and deepen his testimony. Pope Francis tells us about him in his message for the day for vocations. There he tells us that an existence lived like that of Saint Joseph from vocation, is capable of “generating and regenerating life every day.” Saint Joseph accepted the dream that God had about him, a dream that is none other than loving giving our time, qualities and life. Will we be able to do it too?
Jesus asked us to pray tirelessly for vocations, and this is the most important thing we can do. But, in addition, we must work to build communities where the Word of God is proclaimed and listened to, growth in faith is formed and accompanied, where the witness of consecrated life is not lacking, people walk alongside married couples, and help each other. to families in the education of their children … I believe that as long as we have communities where people live like this, it will be easier for vocations to emerge.
– .
