Pope
Francis to clergy: vocations, formation, evangelization
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis on Friday called the
vocation to ordained ministry a “treasure hidden in a field.” Recalling
this passage in the Gospel of Matthew, Pope Francis told participants of the
plenary meeting of the Congregation of the Clergy that the ordained need to
“discover” and “bring to light” this treasure which “is not meant to
enrich just anyone.”
Pope Francis said those called to ministry are not “masters” of
their vocation but “administrators” of a gift God has entrusted to them “for
the good of all the people” – “even those who have moved away from religious
practice or do not profess faith in Christ.”
The entire Christian community too is called to care for this
treasury of vocations and to promote and accompany them with affection.
Vocations are a “diamond in the rough,” the Pope said, which
need to be polished with patience and care, so they come to shine among the
faithful. Even today in its formation of priests, the Church, the Pope said,
wants to adopt Christ’s method of teaching through inviting others to “come and
follow me," and "do as I do." Formation is not a one-way
street down which someone transmits theological or spiritual ideas.
Formation accompanies the entire life of ordained ministry, said
the Pope, remarking that priests never cease to be disciples of Jesus although
they may falter or fall as they follow Him. Thus, training must
integrally address the intellectual, human and spiritual dimensions of each
person.
Similarly, every vocation comes with the mission to
evangelize. Evangelization begins, the Pope said, through fraternity and
communion with other ordained ministers and with their Bishop. Such communion
can lead to a powerful missionary zeal, which frees them from the temptation to
seek their own well-being and the approval of others, the Pope added. Thus
freed, they can be motivated by pastoral charity and by the desire to take the
Gospel message out to the most remote suburbs.
Ordained ministers then, need to be aware of “being” priests in
the midst of their flocks - “free from all spiritual worldliness,” conscious
that it is their lifestyle which spreads the Gospel message even moreso than
their deeds. Joyfulness and serenity in priestly vocation sustains one in
moments of fatigue and pain and comes through prayer, the Pope reflected.
Departing from his prepared remarks, Pope Francis said “We need
priests; vocations are missing. The Lord is calling but it’s not enough.
And the bishops, we have the temptation to take without discernment, the young
men who present themselves. This is bad for the Church. Please,
study well the path of a vocation; examine well if that (man) belongs to the
Lord: if that man is healthy, if that man is balanced; if that man is capable
of giving life, of evangelizing. If that man is capable of forming a
family, and of renouncing this to follow Jesus. We have many problems
today and in many dioceses because of this chicanery (it:
inganno) of some bishops to take those who come - sometimes expelled
from seminaries or from religious houses - because ‘I need priests.’
Please, think of the good of God’s people.”
In concluding, the Pope offered his prayers for the plenary as
it examines issues of “great importance.”
(Tracey McClure)
Không có nhận xét nào:
Đăng nhận xét