by SECAM
Meditation: The Call of the First Disciples
Mark places the call of the first disciples at the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He shows as well that the disciples were associated from the beginning of the mission of Jesus. To follow on his footsteps, the future apostles give up their nets, their jobs.
The call of the first disciples invites us to meditate on the call addressed to all the baptized, but especially the youth. It is first of all the call of all to the Christian life, to follow Jesus. This call is radical for everyone.
But it is also about the diversity of vocations, either in the life of the laity or in the various forms of consecrated life. Priestly life and the consecrated life are a service and a sign at the heart of the Church that requires conversion. In convening for October 2018, a Synod on the theme: “Youth, Faith and Vocational Discernment’’, Pope Francis is calling on all young people to a radical attachment to Christ. In fact, the vocational journey is first of all this call that Jesus addresses to all, to follow him on the path of the Christian life, of conversion. Benedict XVI already emphasized its radicality.
Continuous Meditation: The Youths – the Future of the Church and Society
Dear youths, solicitations of all kinds: ideologies, sects, money, drugs, easy sex, violence …, can tempt you.Be vigilant: those who make these proposals want to destroy your future! In spite of the difficulties, do not be discouraged and do not give up your ideals, your application and your diligence in human, intellectual and spiritual formation! To acquire discernment, the necessary strength, and the freedom to resist these pressures, I encourage you to put Jesus Christ at the center of your life through prayer, but also through the study of the Holy Scriptures, the practice of the Sacraments, formation in the Social Doctrine of the Church, as well as your active and enthusiastic participation in church gatherings and movements. Cultivate in you the aspiration towards fraternity, justice and peace. The future is in the hands of those who know how to find strong reasons to live and to hope. If you want it, the future is in your hands, because the gifts that the Lord has deposited in each of you, shaped by the encounter with Christ, can bring authentic hope to the world.
(Benedict XVI, Africae Munus, 63)