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The Pope’s Evangelization prayer intention for the month of June is Vocations: That the personal encounter with Jesus may arouse in many young people the desire to offer their own lives in priesthood or consecrated life.
Just as marriage is not a career but a vocation, so too is the priesthood and the consecrated life. And just as marriage begins with an encounter that leads to a total gift of oneself to the other, so it is the same for those called to be priests, sisters, and brothers. Their vocations begin with an encounter with Jesus Christ, followed by a deepening relationship that leads to the desire to make a total gift of themselves to him.
In his first encyclical, Pope Benedict XVI wrote that “being a Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with a person.” At the beginning of The Joy of the Gospel, Pope Francis continued this emphasis, writing: “The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.”
Pope Francis wants everyone to experience that joy. He said: “I invite all Christians, everywhere, at this very moment, to a renewed personal encounter with Jesus Christ. No one should think that this invitation is not meant for him or her, since no one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.”
God wants everyone to know his love and the joy that flows from it. This joy spreads and creates a “vocation culture” which opens people to hear God’s call. Our own values and materialistic striving make it hard for young people to hear that sweet call of God.
In this Year of Consecrated Life, we pray for religious vocations this month, we recognize that the seeds of a vocation can only grow in good soil. That soil is our families, parish communities, and schools. It is there that young people will encounter Christ, be moved by his love, and respond by offering their lives in loving service. May our prayers, encouragement, and joy arouse in young people a desire to follow Jesus as brothers, sisters, and priests.
Source: Apostleship of Prayer
