In his Message for the Day of Prayer for Vocations on May 11th, the Pope specifically invites young people to trust in a God who never disappoints: “Injustices towards the weak and poor, the indifference of selfish wealth, the violence of war threaten the good life plans that they nurture in their hearts. Yet the Lord does not abandon in insecurity, but wants to awaken in each person the awareness of being loved.”

Antonella Palermo – Vatican City

Offering life generously. This is the premise that Pope Francis clarifies from the beginning of his Message, dated today from the Policlinico Gemelli, for the 62nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations on May 11th, encouraging everyone to embark with hope on the inclination they feel called to internally. Every vocation in the Church, he affirms, whether lay or ordained ministry or consecrated life, is “a sign of the hope that God nourishes for the world.”

READ THE FULL MESSAGE

God Does Not Disappoint or Abandon

Faced with the uncertainty towards the future experienced by the new generations, the attitude suggested by the Pontiff is that of trust in Providence, in that “God who does not disappoint.”

They often experience uncertainty about job prospects and, more fundamentally, an identity crisis that is a crisis of meaning and values, and that digital confusion makes even more difficult to navigate. Injustices towards the weak and poor, the indifference of selfish wealth, the violence of war threaten the good life plans they nurture in their hearts. Yet the Lord, who knows the heart of man, does not abandon in insecurity, rather, wants to awaken in each person the awareness of being loved, called, and sent as a pilgrim of hope.

Wise Guides and Adequate Spaces are Needed

Welcoming, discerning, and accompanying the vocational journey: these are the key words of the pastoral commitment that, according to the Pope, needs to be strengthened with the help of the Holy Spirit, of which it is necessary to feel co-protagonists. The invitation is to know the lives of young saints and blesseds who “have lived the vocation as a journey towards full happiness, in relationship with Jesus alive.”

It is about being for them people capable of listening and respectful welcoming; wise guides in whom they can trust, ready to help and attentive to recognize the signs of God in their journey. I therefore urge promoting the care of the Christian vocation in the different areas of life and human activity, favoring each person’s spiritual openness to God’s voice. For this purpose, it is important that educational and pastoral itineraries provide adequate spaces for accompanying vocations.

Every Vocation is a Response to the Need for Consolation

“The silence of prayer is essential to read the call,” Francis reminds us. The important thing is to consider every vocation not so much as self-assertion but as a “free and conscious” response to a service. In this light, the call needs to be discovered with communal help. Vocation is never a treasure that remains closed in the heart, but grows and strengthens in the community that believes, loves, and hopes, the Successor of Peter emphasizes.

Those who listen to God’s call cannot ignore the cry of many brothers and sisters who feel excluded, wounded, abandoned. Every vocation opens the mission to be the presence of Christ where light and consolation are most needed. In particular, the lay faithful are called to be the “salt, light, and leaven” of the Kingdom of God through social and professional commitment.