Vatican City, Jul 5, 2010 / 08:20 am
Meeting with youth on Sunday afternoon while on a pastoral visit to Sulmona, Italy for the 800th anniversary of the birth of Saint Pope Celestine V, the Pope answered important questions regarding vocations. It is in your personal relationship with the Lord brought about through prayer that you can know your path on earth, he told the young people.
The Holy Father hosted an afternoon encounter with the young people of the area in the city's cathedral, the crypt of which contains the remains of St. "Panfilo" and St. Peter Celestine. Two youth delegates asked him how young people should live out their vocations and how they can be "in the world but not of the world."
The "secret of the vocation" Benedict XVI told them, "is in the capacity and in the joy of distinguishing, listening and following His voice."
In order for this to happen, he explained, we must "habituate our heart to recognizing the Lord, sensing him as a person that is 'close to me' and 'loves me'."