Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, presented, in his homily for the Eucharistic celebration of the General Meeting of the Work of Shalom, held last Saturday (21), six important points about the call of God. The cardinal further emphasized:
“Dear brothers and sisters, I hope that each of you will always keep in your hearts the joy of having encountered Jesus and of having found in him the “Light that shines in the darkness” and that each of you will have the courage to follow him on the path which He showed or will show you in the future.”
1 – The Lord also sends us some “signs”
In first place, knowing how to discern the “times of life”. You may have heard that at the moment when John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus realizes that the forerunner’s mission is over and now his begins. This is a very important first point. Jesus understood that the time of the “hidden life” had ended and that the time of the public mission had now begun. So he left Nazareth, his family, his affections, moved to Capernaum and began his ministry in Galilee. So too for us. The Lord also sends us some “signs” so that we realize that one season of our lives is coming to an end and another is beginning. Therefore, we must decide and leave behind what belongs to the past to embrace the call that the Lord shows us. We cannot wait indefinitely!
2 – At the origin of every call there is God’s initiative
A second aspect. The call comes because “the Kingdom of God is at hand” (cf. Mt 4:17), as Jesus himself announces. The presence of God among us, through his Son made man, is precisely the new and unexpected reality that changes life and inspires every Christian vocation. At the origin of every call is not voluntarism, but the initiative of God who is present and brings change and newness to people’s lives.
3 – Conversion brings peace, serenity and inner joy
A third point. Jesus says: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Mt 4:17). To enter the Kingdom it is always necessary to convert, that is, to question oneself, to leave behind old ways of thinking and acting, and above all sins and everything that is contrary to God. Sometimes it also means giving up on certain life projects. To be converted means, ultimately, to free oneself and adhere to Christ, to his will, to his way of seeing things. And we adhere to what He wants from us, to our vocation. Although tiring, conversion brings peace, serenity and the inner joy of having found the right path.
4 – Lord can make his voice heard
A fourth point. The Gospel shows us how the call of the first four disciples came suddenly and unexpectedly, and it came right in the midst of the hectic events of life: while “casting” their nets or while “repairing” them. The same thing happens to us. We cannot wait for a moment when we have no commitments, when life is as if “on hold”, to start following the Lord. In the midst of our occupations and concerns the Lord can make his voice heard and it must not be drowned out by the daily round of our activities.
5 – Every call is first and foremost an invitation to become a disciple
A fifth point. Every call is first and foremost an invitation to become a disciple: “Follow me!” (Mt 4,19), and from this derives a task, a mission that Jesus himself entrusts to us. It is Jesus himself who makes us capable of the task incumbent upon us: “I will make you fishers of men”, he says to his first Apostles. No one can endow himself with capacities that exceed our strengths. Nobody can think of being a good father, a good mother, a good evangelizer, a good priest, by his own strength. And it’s also important to reflect on the fact that the Lord always calls us to something beautiful and great, which exceeds our expectations and everything we did in our past life. Peter and Andrew were catching fish and were called to catch people and take them to the luminous house of the Kingdom, so many people who were dispersed, unable to get out of their darkness, a wonderful mission that Jesus also entrusts to you!
6 – We must trust in Jesus who calls us
One last point, as Jesus himself did when he left Capernaum, the first disciples left everything – the boat and their father – and followed him. When the call becomes evident, when it seems clear and aimed precisely at us, we must trust Jesus who is calling us and leave aside all occupation, affection and security and begin to follow Jesus along a path whose itinerary we do not immediately know. We don’t know where this will lead us, but it will certainly be something great that will make us happy and will be a great blessing to many others.
Read more | Learn about the first day of Cardinal Farrell’s visit to the heart of the Shalom Work