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All the baptized are active subjects of evangelization. And “we must beware of the mentality that separates priests and laity, considering the former as protagonists and the latter as executors, pursuing the Christian mission as one people of God, lay and pastors together”. The Pope’s reflection in the Message for the 59th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, celebrated next Sunday, is based on this emphasis.
“Called to build up the human family”, the theme of the nomination and intervention of Francis, who affirms that the word “vocation” should not be referred to “only those who follow the Lord on the path of a particular consecration”, because “Every human being, even before living the encounter with Christ and accepting the Christian faith, receives a fundamental vocation with the gift of life: each one of us is a creature willed and loved by God, for whom we had a unique and particular thought “. And this divine spark must develop throughout life, “contributing to the growth of a humanity animated by love and mutual acceptance”.
That is, “we are called to protect one another, to build bonds of harmony and sharing, to heal the wounds of creation so that its beauty will not be destroyed”. To become one family in the beautiful common house of creation, in the harmonious diversity of its elements. Into this great common vocation fits the special call that “God addresses to us, reaching our existence with his love and directing it towards its ultimate goal”. It is the look of the Lord that reaches us, that calls us, the Pope adds, it is a matter of accepting that look. When we do that, our life changes. And everything becomes “vocational dialogue, between us and the Lord, but also between us and others”.
An intensively lived dialogue that “makes us more and more what we are”: in the vocation to the ordained priesthood, to be instruments of Christ’s grace and mercy; in the vocation to consecrated life to be a praise to God and a prophecy of a new humanity; in the vocation to marriage, to be a mutual gift and generator and educator of life. Indeed, in every vocation and ministry in the Church, which calls us to see others and the world through God’s eyes, to serve good and spread love, with works and words”.
So when we speak of “vocation”, the Pope adds, “it is not just a matter of choosing this way of life or that, of attuning one’s existence to a particular ministry or following the charm of the charism of a religious family, or a movement or a church community; it is about fulfilling God’s dream, the great plan of brotherhood that Jesus had in his heart when he prayed to the Father: “Let all be one” (Jn 17:21). Every vocation in the Church and, more broadly, in society contributes to a common goal: to bring to life that harmony of many and varied gifts that only the Holy Spirit can bring to life among men and women.
However, it is necessary to allow God to work on us to bring forth the seed of holiness that we carry within us. As Michelangelo Buonarroti said of the sculptures: “Each block of stone has a statue inside and it is up to the sculptor to discover it”.