To offer one’s life in mission
is possible only if we are able to leave ourselves behind. On this 52nd World Day of Prayer for Vocations, I
would like reflect on that particular “exodus” which is the heart of vocation,
or better yet, of our response to the vocation God gives us. When we hear the
word “exodus”, we immediately think of the origins of the amazing love story
between God and his people, a history which passes through the dramatic period
of slavery in Egypt, the calling of Moses, the experience of liberation and the
journey toward the Promised Land. The Book of Exodus, the second book of the
Bible, which recounts these events is a parable of the entire history of salvation,
but also of the inner workings of Christian faith. Passing from the slavery of
the old Adam to new life in Christ is a event of redemption which takes place
through faith (Eph 4:22-24).
This passover is a genuine “exodus”; it is the journey of each Christian soul
and the entire Church, the decisive turning of our lives towards the Father.
At the root of every Christian
vocation we find this basic movement, which is part of the experience of faith.
Belief means transcending ourselves, leaving behind our comfort and the
inflexibility of our ego in order to centre our life in Jesus Christ. It means
leaving, like Abraham, our native place and going forward with trust, knowing
that God will show us the way to a new land. This “going forward” is not to be
viewed as a sign of contempt for one’s life, one’s feelings, one’s own
humanity. On the contrary, those who set out to follow Christ find life in
abundance by putting themselves completely at the service of God and his
kingdom. Jesus says: “Everyone who has left home or brothers or sisters or
father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a
hundredfold, and inherit eternal life” (Mt 19:29). All of this is profoundly
rooted in love. The Christian vocation is first and foremost a call to love, a
love which attracts us and draws us out of ourselves, “decentring” us and
triggering “an ongoing exodus out of the closed inward-looking self towards its
liberation through self-giving, and thus towards authentic self-discovery and
indeed the discovery of God” (Deus Caritas Est, 6).
The exodus experience is
paradigmatic of the Christian life, particularly in the case of those who have
embraced a vocation of special dedication to the Gospel. This calls for a
constantly renewed attitude of conversion and transformation, an incessant
moving forward, a passage from death to life like that celebrated in every
liturgy, an experience of passover. From the call of Abraham to that of Moses,
from Israel’s pilgrim journey through the desert to the conversion preached by
the prophets, up to the missionary journey of Jesus which culminates in his
death and resurrection, vocation is always a work of God. He leads us beyond
our initial situation, frees us from every enslavement, breaks down our habits
and our indifference, and brings us to the joy of communion with him and with
our brothers and sisters. Responding to God’s call, then, means allowing him to
help us leave ourselves and our false security behind, and to strike out on the
path which leads to Jesus Christ, the origin and destiny of our life and our
happiness.
This exodus process does not
regard individuals alone, but the missionary and evangelizing activity of the
whole Church. The Church is faithful to her Master to the extent that she is a
Church which “goes forth”, a Church which is less concerned about herself, her
structures and successes, and more about her ability to go out and meet God’s
children wherever they are, to feel compassion (com-passio) for their
hurt and pain. God goes forth from himself in a Trinitarian dynamic of love: he
hears the cry of his people and he intervenes to set them free (Ex 3:7). The Church is called to follow
this way of being and acting. She is meant to be a Church which evangelizes,
goes out to encounter humanity, proclaims the liberating word of the Gospel,
heals people’s spiritual and physical wounds with the grace of God, and offers
relief to the poor and the suffering.
Dear brothers and sisters, this
liberating exodus towards Christ and our brothers and sisters also represents
the way for us to fully understand our common humanity and to foster the
historical development of individuals and societies. To hear and answer the
Lord’s call is not a private and completely personal matter fraught with
momentary emotion. Rather, it is a specific, real and total commitment which
embraces the whole of our existence and sets it at the service of the growth of
God’s Kingdom on earth. The Christian vocation, rooted in the contemplation of
the Father’s heart, thus inspires us to solidarity in bringing liberation to
our brothers and sisters, especially the poorest. A disciple of Jesus has a
heart open to his unlimited horizons, and friendship with the Lord never means
flight from this life or from the world. On the contrary, it involves a
profound interplay between communion and mission (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 23).
This exodus towards God and
others fills our lives with joy and meaning. I wish to state this clearly to
the young, whose youth and openness to the future makes them open-hearted and
generous. At times uncertainty, worries about the future and the problems they
daily encounter can risk paralyzing their youthful enthusiasm and shattering
their dreams, to the point where they can think that it is not worth the effort
to get involved, that the God of the Christian faith is somehow a limit on
their freedom. Dear young friends, never be afraid to go out from yourselves
and begin the journey! The Gospel is the message which brings freedom to our
lives; it transforms them and makes them all the more beautiful. How wonderful
it is to be surprised by God’s call, to embrace his word, and to walk in the
footsteps of Jesus, in adoration of the divine mystery and in generous service
to our neighbours! Your life will become richer and more joyful each day!
The Virgin Mary, model of every
vocation, did not fear to utter her “fiat” in response to the Lord’s
call. She is at our side and she guides us. With the generous courage born of
faith, Mary sang of the joy of leaving herself behind and entrusting to God the
plans she had for her life. Let us turn to her, so that we may be completely
open to what God has planned for each one of us, so that we can grow in the
desire to go out with tender concern towards others (cf. Lk 1:39). May the Virgin Mary protect and
intercede for us all.
From the Vatican, 29
March 2015
Palm Sunday
Francis