Vocation and Mission Are Inseparable

April 13, 2008. Today, on all continents, ecclesial communities ask the Lord for numerous and holy vocations to the priesthood, to consecrated life and the mission, and to Christian marriage, as they meditate upon the theme: Vocations at the service of the Church-mission. 

This year the World Day comes amid preparations for the Pauline Year, due to begin on June 28th, to celebrate the two thousandth anniversary of the birth of the Apostle Paul, missionary par excellence.

He therefore represents a model for all Christians, in particular for missionaries for life, that is, for those men and women who dedicate themselves totally to proclaiming Christ to the many people who do not now know Him: this is a vocation that preserves its whole validity.

This missionary service is carried out in the first place by priests, who dispense the Word of God and the Sacraments and, through their pastoral charity, show everyone, especially the sick, the weak and the poor, the healing presence of Christ, sometimes confirming their faithfulness to Christ with the sacrifice of their own lives, as happened yesterday for the two religious killed in Guinea and Kenya.

Let us pray for constant increase in the ranks of those who decide to live the Gospel radically through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. They are men and women who have a prime role in evangelization, united by a single goal: that of testifying to God's primacy over all, and spreading His Kingdom in all areas of society. 

Christian matrimony is also an important missionary vocation: husband and wife are called to live the Gospel in the family, in the workplace, and in the parish and civic communities where they offer their valuable contributions.

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