World Day of Prayer for Vocations
Excerpts from Pope Benedict XVI's 2008 Message
Since 1963, "Good Shepherd Sunday" has been designated as World Day of Prayer for Vocations and this year it is celebrated on 13 April 2008. Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, has chosen the theme for his annual message as "Vocations to the service of the Church-mission." He reminds us that the Risen Jesus gave the command to the Apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 28,19), assuring them: "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28, 20).
The Second Vatican Council said: "The Son, therefore, came, sent by the Father. It was in him, before the foundation of the world, that the Father chose us and predestined us to become adopted sons. To carry out the will of the Father, Christ inaugurated the kingdom of heaven on earth and revealed to us the mystery of that kingdom. By his obedience he brought about redemption."
Early in his public life, during his preaching in Galilee, Jesus chose some disciples as his nearest collaborators in the messianic ministry. Precisely because they are sent by the Lord, the Twelve are called "Apostles", called to go along the roads of the world announcing the Gospel as witnesses of the death and resurrection of Christ. Saint Paul, commented that these are men and women who, as Luke writes in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, "have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ" (15, 26).
At the beginning, what moved the Apostles was always "the love of Christ." As faithful servants of the Church, docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, innumerable missionaries, throughout the centuries, have followed in the footsteps of the first disciples. The Second Vatican Council notes: "Although every disciple of Christ, as far in him lies, has the duty of spreading the faith, Christ the Lord always calls whomever he will from among the number of his disciples, to be with him and to be sent by him to preach to the nations (c.f. Mk 3, 13-15)"
Among the persons who dedicate themselves totally to the service of the Gospel, there are, in a special way, priests, called to preach the Word of God, administer the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, and who are committed to help the least, the sick, those who are suffering, the poor, and those who experience hardship in areas of the world where there are, at times, many who even today have not had a real encounter with Jesus Christ. A special thanks must be given "to those priests who work faithfully and generously at building up the community by proclaiming the word of God and breaking the Bread of Life, devoting all their energy to serving the mission of the Church. Let us thank God for all those priests who have suffered even to the sacrifice of their lives in order to serve Christ. Theirs is a moving witness that can inspire many young people to follow Christ and to expend their lives for others, and thus to discover true life.
There have always been many men and women in the Church who, inspired by the action of the Holy Spirit, choose to live the Gospel in a radical way, professing the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. This multitude of religious men and women, belonging to innumerable Institutes of contemplative and active life, plays "the main role in the evangelization of the world."
As regards these apostles of our times, the Servant of God Paul VI said: "Thanks to their consecration they are eminently willing and free to leave everything and to go and proclaim the Gospel even to the ends of the earth. Truly the Church owes them much."
In order that the Church may continue to carry out the mission entrusted to her by Christ, and that there will never be a lack of those who preach the Gospel and who are badly needed by the world, it is necessary that Christian communities do not fail to give both children and adults a constant education in the faith. It is necessary to maintain alive in the faithful an active sense of missionary responsibility and a shared solidarity with the peoples of the world. The gift of faith calls all Christians to cooperate in the work of evangelization. This awareness must be nourished by preaching and catechesis, by the liturgy, and with a constant formation in prayer. It must be increased with the practice of welcoming others, by charity and spiritual accompaniment, by reflection and discernment, as well as by pastoral planning in which the care of vocations plays an integral part.
Only in a spiritual soil that is well cultivated can vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life flourish. In fact, the Christian communities, which live the missionary dimension of the mystery of the Church in a profound way, will never be inward looking. Mission, as a witness of divine love, becomes particularly effective when it is shared in a communitarian way, "so that the world may believe" (c.f. Jn 17, 21). It is for the gift of vocations that the Church prays everyday to the Holy Spirit. As at its beginning, gathered around the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Apostles, the community of the Church learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new apostles who will know how to live in themselves that faith and that love which are necessary for the mission. And today we too must all implore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
While I entrust this reflection to all the Church communities, so that they may make it their own, and, above all, so that they may draw inspiration from it for their prayer, I encourage the commitment of those who work with faith and generosity in the service of vocations, and with all my heart I send to educators, catechists and to all, especially young people on their vocational journey, a special Apostolic Blessing.
(Reprinted from Serra Club Newsletter)