VATICAN - PAPAL MESSAGE FOR 41ST WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS: “OUR FIRST DUTY IS TO PRAY TO THE "MASTER OF THE HARVEST" FOR THOSE WHO ALREADY FOLLOW CHRIST MORE CLOSELY IN THE PRIESTLY AND RELIGIOUS LIFE AND FOR THOSE WHOM, IN HIS MERCY, HE CONTINUES TO CALL FOR THESE IMPORTANT CHURCH DUTIES

Saturday, 6 December 2003

Vatican City (Fides Service) – “On the occasion of the 41st World Day of Prayer for Vocations, traditionally set for the 4th Sunday of Easter, the faithful unite in fervent prayer for vocations to the priesthood, the consecrated life and the missionary service. It is in fact our first duty to pray the “Master of the harvest” for those who already follow Christ more closely and for those whom, in his mercy, he continues to call to these important church duties.” Pope John Paul II makes this affirmation in a special message issued in view of the 41st World Day of Prayer for Vocations 2004.
In the second paragraph of his message “Let us pray for Vocations”, the Pope underlines that “the vocation to exclusive service of Christ in his Church in an inestimable gift of divine goodness, a gift to be implored with perseverance and confident humility…Prayer united with sacrifice and suffering is of particular value.
Suffering, lived as completion in one’s own flesh of what is lacking in “Christ’s suffering for his Body which is the Church" (Col 1,24), becomes a most effective form of intercession. John Paul II continues by expressing the hope “that prayer for vocations will be ever more intense... may every Christian community become an "authentic school of prayer", which prays that workers in the vast field of apostolic labour will never be lacking.”
Since the entire Christian community is called to pray for vocations, every minister of Christ must pray with perseverance for vocations: “No one better than he is able to understand the urgency of generational replacement to ensure generous and holy persons for the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments…on the holiness of those called depends the power of their witness, ability to involve others, leading them to entrust their lives to Christ. This is the way to counter the decrease in vocations to the consecrated life which threatens the existence of many apostolic works, particularly in mission countries.”
The message ends with a prayer in which the Pope asks the all merciful and most holy Lord to continue to send workers for the harvest of his Kingdom and to help those called to follow him: “help them, by contemplating your face, to respond with joy to the marvellous mission entrusted to them for the good of your People and all mankind”.(S.L.) (Fides Service 6/12/2003; lines 30 – words 428)


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