Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Pope Benedict's Address for World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Pope Benedict released the English translation of his address for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations which is this weekend.

I find it impressive, but he speaks of the prayer for "number and quality". I honestly do not remember any other papal document being as blunt about the necessity of both, but this is of course a little thing. His Holiness Benedict XVI has made this a passion - of priests and bishops being of high-quality.

He writes, too, that one who responds to a vocation of the priesthood or religious life is responding to the call of Christ in the same way that the first followers, the fishermen, did. These vocations are to the service of the Church as communion. One particularly striking quote ties all the themes of Pope Benedict's writings of recent:

Whoever places himself at the service of the Gospel, if he lives the Eucharist, makes progress in love of God and neighbour and thus contributes to building the Church as communion. We can affirm that the "Eucharistic love" motivates and founds the vocational activity of the whole Church, because, as I wrote in the Encyclical Deus caritas est, vocations to the priesthood and to other ministries and services flourish within the people of God wherever there are those in whom Christ can be seen through his Word, in the sacraments and especially in the Eucharist.

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