One of the virtues of this remembrance, he said, is a "joyful self-awareness" which recognizes, like John the Baptist, that Jesus is the Messiah and we are simply his servants, called to both follow Jesus' example and continue his work of service to others, which is "the source of our joy."
Another aspect of this remembrance is what Francis referred to as "the time of the call," meaning the first moment in which God's call to their vocation was felt.
In his Gospel, John remembers the exact hour in which his life changed by meeting Jesus, saying "it was about the tenth hour," the Pope said, adding that a single encounter with Jesus "changes our lives, it establishes a 'before' and an 'after'.
He urged attendees to remember the day when they first realized that "the Lord expected something more of us."
If this moment is forgotten, "we forget our origins, our roots," he said, "and by losing these basic coordinates, we lose sight of the most precious part of our lives as consecrated persons: the Lord's gaze."
"We do well to remember that our vocations are a loving call to love in return, and to serve," he said, and quoting the Book of Deuteronomy, said that "if the Lord fell in love with you and chose you, it was not because you were more numerous than the others, for you are the least of peoples, but out of pure love!"
Pope Francis also pointed to the influence of popular piety on the vocational call, noting that in Peru, where colorful processions and large Masses marking special feast days are common, expressions of this piety "have taken on the most exquisite forms and have deep roots in God's simple and faithful people."
Because of this, he told those present "not to forget, much less look down on, the solid and simple faith of your people. Welcome, accompany and stimulate their encounter with the Lord."
"Do not become 'professionals of the sacred' by forgetting your people, from whose midst the Lord took you. Do not lose your remembrance and respect for those who taught you how to pray," he said, explaining that to remember the moment of one's call is to celebrate Christ's entry into their lives.
Remembrance, joy and gratitude, are the three "weapons" that best defend against "all vocational pretense," he said, because "grateful awareness enlarges the heart and inspires us to service."
Francis then reflected on the "contagious joy" of one's vocation, which he said is another virtue of the "remembrance" he spoke of.
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Pointing to the day's Gospel, he noted that Andrew, who was one of the disciples of John the Baptist that followed Jesus on that first day, returned home after spending time with Jesus and told his brother Simon Peter what he experienced, saying "we have found the Messiah."
"Faith in Jesus is contagious; it cannot be restrained or kept within," he said, explaining that Andrew begins his mission with those closest to him by "radiating joy," prompting those around him to also follow Jesus.
Joy, he said, "is the surest sign that we have discovered the Messiah" and is constantly present in the hearts of the apostles.
This joy is meant to be shared and so opens us to others, he said, adding that in the "the fragmented world in which we live, a world that can make us withdrawn, we are challenged to become builders and prophets of community."
No one is saved alone, he said, stressing that isolation and fragmentation are not things that happen only "out there" in the world, but "divisions, wars and isolation are found within our communities, and what harm they bring us!"
Jesus sends his disciples to build communion and unity, however, often times the opposite happens, and "we go about this by displaying our disunity and, worse yet, trying to trip each other up," Francis said, explaining that to build unity "does not mean thinking everyone is the same, or doing things always the same way."