Vatican City, Mar 26, 2020 / 08:00 am
Pope Francis urged Catholics to cling to Christ and pray for the courage to say "yes" to God in his call for vocations. Acknowledging that discerning God's plan is a daunting task, the pope said that trust in the Lord can overcome our fears.
"When we are called to leave safe shores and embrace a state of life – like marriage, ministerial priesthood, consecrated life – our first reaction is often … disbelief. Surely, this vocation is not for me! Can this really be the right path? Is the Lord really asking me to do this?" Pope Francis said in his message for this year's World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
The pope said that Christ knows all of the "questions, doubts and difficulties that toss the boat of our heart" and said it is important to remember that the Lord is always present, "ever at our side even amid stormy seas" with the reassurance: "'Take heart, it is I; have no fear.'"
"Every vocation brings with it a responsibility," he said. "The Lord calls us because he wants to enable us, like Peter, to 'walk on water', in other words, to take charge of our lives and place them at the service of the Gospel, in the concrete and everyday ways that he shows us, and specifically in the different forms of lay, priestly and consecrated vocation."