Vocations are born within the Church: From the moment a
vocation begins to become evident, it is necessary to have an adequate “sense”
of the Church. No one is called exclusively for a particular region, or for a
group or for an ecclesial movement, but rather for the Church and for the
world. “A sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial
character, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life of God’s
holy and faithful people for the good of all” (ibid., 130). In responding to
God’s call, young people see their own ecclesial horizon expand; they are able
to consider various charisms and to undertake a more objective discernment. In
this way, the community becomes the home and the family where vocations are
born. Candidates gratefully contemplate this mediation of the community as an
essential element for their future. They learn to know and to love their
brothers and sisters who pursue paths different from their own; and these bonds
strengthen in everyone the communion which they share. Vocations grow within
the Church: In the course of formation, candidates for various vocations need
to grow in their knowledge of the ecclesial community, overcoming the limited
perspectives that we all have at the beginning. To that end, it is helpful to
undertake some apostolic experience together with other members of the
community, for example: in the company of a good catechist, to communicate the
Christian message; together with a religious community, to experience the
evangelisation of the peripheries sharing in the life of the cloister, to
discover the treasure of contemplation; in contact with missionaries, to know
more closely the mission ad gentes; and in the company of diocesan priests, to
deepen one’s experience of pastoral life in the parish and in the diocese. For
those who are already in formation, the ecclesial community always remains the
fundamental formational environment, towards which one should feel a sense of
gratitude. Vocations are sustained by the Church: After definitive commitment,
our vocational journey within the Church does not come to an end, but it
continues in our willingness to serve, our perseverance and our ongoing
formation. The one who has consecrated his life to the Lord is willing to serve
the Church wherever it has need. The mission of Paul and Barnabas is a good
example of this readiness to serve the Church. Sent on mission by the Holy
Spirit and by the community of Antioch (cf. Acts 13, 1-4), they returned to
that same community and described what the Lord had worked through them (cf.
14: 27). Missionaries are accompanied and sustained by the Christian community,
which always remains a vital point of reference, just as a visible homeland
offers security to all who are on pilgrimage towards eternal life.
Vocations are born within the Church: From the moment a
vocation begins to become evident, it is necessary to have an adequate “sense”
of the Church. No one is called exclusively for a particular region, or for a
group or for an ecclesial movement, but rather for the Church and for the
world. “A sure sign of the authenticity of a charism is its ecclesial
character, its ability to be integrated harmoniously into the life of God’s
holy and faithful people for the good of all” (ibid., 130). In responding to
God’s call, young people see their own ecclesial horizon expand; they are able
to consider various charisms and to undertake a more objective discernment. In
this way, the community becomes the home and the family where vocations are
born. Candidates gratefully contemplate this mediation of the community as an
essential element for their future. They learn to know and to love their
brothers and sisters who pursue paths different from their own; and these bonds
strengthen in everyone the communion which they share. Vocations grow within
the Church: In the course of formation, candidates for various vocations need
to grow in their knowledge of the ecclesial community, overcoming the limited
perspectives that we all have at the beginning. To that end, it is helpful to
undertake some apostolic experience together with other members of the
community, for example: in the company of a good catechist, to communicate the
Christian message; together with a religious community, to experience the
evangelisation of the peripheries sharing in the life of the cloister, to
discover the treasure of contemplation; in contact with missionaries, to know
more closely the mission ad gentes; and in the company of diocesan priests, to
deepen one’s experience of pastoral life in the parish and in the diocese. For
those who are already in formation, the ecclesial community always remains the
fundamental formational environment, towards which one should feel a sense of
gratitude. Vocations are sustained by the Church: After definitive commitment,
our vocational journey within the Church does not come to an end, but it
continues in our willingness to serve, our perseverance and our ongoing
formation. The one who has consecrated his life to the Lord is willing to serve
the Church wherever it has need. The mission of Paul and Barnabas is a good
example of this readiness to serve the Church. Sent on mission by the Holy
Spirit and by the community of Antioch (cf. Acts 13, 1-4), they returned to
that same community and described what the Lord had worked through them (cf.
14: 27). Missionaries are accompanied and sustained by the Christian community,
which always remains a vital point of reference, just as a visible homeland
offers security to all who are on pilgrimage towards eternal life.
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