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Pope Benedict XVI- Message- Vocations |
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI
45th World
Day of Prayer for Vocations
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Vocations at the Service
of the Church on Mission
Dear brothers and sisters,
1. For the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, to be celebrated on 13
April 2008, I have chosen the theme: "Vocations at the service of
the Church on mission." The Risen Jesus gave to the Apostles this
command: “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 Church is missionary in herself
and in each one of her members. Through the sacraments of Baptism
and Confirmation, every Christian is called to bear witness and to
announce the Gospel, but this missionary dimension is associated in
a special and intimate way with the priestly vocation. In the
covenant with Israel, God entrusted to certain men, called by him
and sent to the people in his name, a mission as prophets and
priests. He did so, for example, with Moses: “Come, - God told him -
I will send you to Pharaoh, that you may bring forth my people … out
of Egypt …when you have brought forth the people out of Egypt, you
will serve God upon this mountain” (Ex 3: 10 and 12). The same
happened with the prophets.
2. The promises made to our fathers were fulfilled entirely in Jesus
Christ. In this regard, the Second Vatican Council says: “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” (Dogmatic Constitution "Lumen Gentium," 3). And Jesus
already in his public life, while preaching in Galilee, chose some
disciples to be his close collaborators in the messianic ministry.
For example, on the occasion of the multiplication of the loaves, he
said to the Apostles: “You give them something to eat” (Mt 14: 16),
encouraging them to assume the needs of the crowds to whom he wished
to offer nourishment, but also to reveal the food “which endures to
eternal life” (Jn 6: 27). He was moved to compassion for the people,
because while visiting cities and villages, he found the crowds
weary and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (cf. Mt 9: 36).
From this gaze of love came the invitation to his disciples: “Pray
therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his
harvest” (Mt 9: 38), and he sent the Twelve initially “to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel” with precise instructions. If we pause
to meditate on this passage of Matthew’s Gospel, commonly called the
“missionary discourse”, we may take note of those aspects which
distinguish the missionary activity of a Christian community, eager
to remain faithful to the example and teaching of Jesus. To respond
to the Lord’s call means facing in prudence and simplicity every
danger and even persecutions, since “a disciple is not above his
teacher, nor a servant above his master” (Mt 10: 24). Having become
one with their Master, the disciples are no longer alone as they
announce the Kingdom of heaven; Jesus himself is acting in them: “He
who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him
who sent me” (Mt 10: 40). Furthermore, as true witnesses, “clothed
with power from on high” (Lk 24: 49), they preach “repentance and
the forgiveness of sins” (Lk 24: 47) to all peoples.
3. Precisely because they have been sent by the Lord, the Twelve are
called “Apostles”, destined to walk the roads of the world
announcing the Gospel as witnesses to the death and resurrection of
Christ. Saint Paul, writing to the Christians of Corinth, says: “We
-- the Apostles -- preach Christ crucified” (1 Cor 1: 23). The Book
of the Acts of the Apostles also assigns a very important role in
this task of evangelization to other disciples whose missionary
vocation arises from providential, sometimes painful, circumstances
such as expulsion from their own lands for being followers of Jesus
(cf. 8,1-4). The Holy Spirit transforms this trial into an occasion
of grace, using it so that the name of the Lord can be preached to
other peoples, stretching in this way the horizons of the Christian
community. These are men and women who, as Luke writes in the Acts
of the Apostles, “have risked their lives for the sake of our Lord
Jesus Christ” (15: 26). First among them is undoubtedly Paul of
Tarsus, called by the Lord himself, hence a true Apostle. The story
of Paul, the greatest missionary of all times, brings out in many
ways the link between vocation and mission. Accused by his opponents
of not being authorized for the apostolate, he makes repeated
appeals precisely to the call which he received directly from the
Lord (cf. Rom 1: 1; Gal 1: 11-12 and 15-17).
4. In the beginning, and thereafter, what “impels” the Apostles (cf.
2 Cor 5: 14) is always “the love of Christ”. Innumerable
missionaries, throughout the centuries, as faithful servants of the
Church, docile to the action of the Holy Spirit, 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 [cf. Mk 3:
13-15]” (Decree Ad Gentes, 23). In fact, the love of Christ must be
communicated to the brothers by example and words, with all one’s
life. My venerable predecessor John Paul II wrote: “The special
vocation of missionaries ‘for life’ retains all its validity: it is
the model of the Church's missionary commitment, which always stands
in need of radical and total self-giving, of new and bold endeavours”.
(Encyclical "Redemptoris Missio," 66)
5. Among those totally dedicated to the service of the Gospel, are
priests, called to preach the word of God, administer the
sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation, committed
to helping the lowly, the sick, the suffering, the poor, and those
who experience hardship in areas of the world where there are, at
times, many who still have not had a real encounter with Jesus
Christ. Missionaries announce for the first time to these people
Christ’s redemptive love. Statistics show that the number of
baptized persons increases every year thanks to the pastoral work of
these priests, who are wholly consecrated to the salvation of their
brothers and sisters. In this context, a special word of thanks must
be expressed “to the 'fidei donum' 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 the
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” (Apostolic Exhortation "Sacramentum
Caritatis," 26).
6. There have always been in the Church many men and women who,
prompted 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 men and women religious, belonging to
innumerable Institutes of contemplative and active life, still plays
“the main role in the evangelisation of the world” ("Ad Gentes,"
40). With their continual and community prayer, contemplatives
intercede without ceasing for all humanity. Religious of the active
life, with their many charitable activities, bring to all a living
witness of the love and mercy of God. The Servant of God Paul VI
concerning these apostles of our times 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.
They are enterprising and their apostolate is often marked by an
originality, by a genius that demands admiration. They are generous:
often they are found at the outposts of the mission, and they take
the greatest of risks for their health and their very lives. Truly
the Church owes them much” (Apostolic Exhortation "Evangelii
Nuntiandi," 69).
7. Furthermore, so that the Church may continue to fulfil the
mission entrusted to her by Christ, and not lack promoters of the
Gospel so badly needed by the world, Christian communities must
never fail to provide both children and adults with constant
education in the faith. It is necessary to keep alive in the
faithful a committed sense of missionary responsibility and active
solidarity with the peoples of the world. The gift of faith calls
all Christians to co-operate in the work of evangelization. This
awareness must be nourished by preaching and catechesis, by the
liturgy, and by constant formation in prayer. It must grow through
the practice of welcoming others, with charity and spiritual
companionship, through reflection and discernment, as well as
pastoral planning, of which attention to vocations must be an
integral part.
8. Vocations to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated
life can only flourish in a spiritual soil that is well cultivated.
Christian communities that 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 community, “so that the world may
believe” (cf. Jn 17: 21). The Church prays everyday to the Holy
Spirit for the gift of vocations. Gathered around the Virgin Mary,
Queen of the Apostles, as in the beginning, the ecclesial community
learns from her how to implore the Lord for a flowering of new
apostles, alive with the faith and love that are necessary for the
mission.
9. While I entrust this reflection to all the ecclesial communities
so that they may make it their own, and draw from it inspiration for
prayer, and as I encourage those who are committed to work with
faith and generosity in the service of vocations, I wholeheartedly
send to educators, catechists and to all, particularly to young
people on their vocational journey, a special Apostolic Blessing.
From the Vatican, 3 December 2007
BENEDICTUS PP. XVI
[Italian original translated by the Holy See]
© Copyright 2007 -- Libreria Editrice Vaticana
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