2023-05-22 18:03:00
May 22, 2023 / 11:03 a.m.
Pope Francis received the members of the Vocationist Family in audience today and asked them, in tune with their charism of offering a “service to all vocations”, to dedicate themselves to evangelization to “help people in spiritual discernment ”.
Prayer, proclamation and mission, these are the three “paths” necessary to take care of vocations, which are so needed today, the Pontiff insisted on Monday, May 22.
Likewise, he urged them to sow, prepare, grow and accompany vocations, based on the example of its founder, San Justino María Russolillo, apostle of vocations canonized in May of last year.
“Prayer – Pope Francis recalled – is the root of all our activity and of all apostolate. The primacy is not of our works, but of prayer. She has the primacy. And for this reason the first question is: Do I pray for vocations?
And it is that, as the Holy Father pointed out, “vocations, especially those of special consecration, are often born that way, in contact with a priest or nun who shows a beautiful humanity. And it is prayer that makes us so. Pray intensely for vocations”.
Later he highlighted the importance of the announcement, because “in the current cultural context we see the need to return to evangelization: announcing the Word, communicating the contents of the faith in a simple and passionate way, and accompanying people in discernment.”
“This is necessary in the Church: that the energies of our apostolate be directed above all to meeting and listening, to accompany in discernment,” he said.
Finally, he underlined the importance of the missionary spirit: “It is about putting into circulation, in the life of the Church, but also in the various spheres of society in which they work, everything that is useful to communicate the joy of the Gospel , to dialogue with young people, to show closeness to families, to enrich human activities, especially those that take place in the field of education”.
“This is also how they will carry out the mission: becoming capable of welcoming, listening, closeness,” he concluded.
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