What Is Our Vocation in the Church?

"You can give any type of reasons imaginable to demonstrate your loyalty to Jesus, but will fall short of the mark if you do not center your loyalty on love for Jesus. The only reason that can logically justify our remaining Christians is love for Jesus. We believe in Jesus because we love him. We obey Jesus, and keep his commandments because we love him."

"The persuasive power of the message also depends on the credibility of its messengers. Indeed, the new evangelization starts with us, with our lifestyle. The Church today does not need part-time Catholics but full-blooded Christians."

"Dear friends, throughout your life follow the path of the Church, which I have often said is the path of humanity! Keep firm in faith, strengthened in hope, united in love."

"If one does not find God there is no answer to the truest and deepest desires of the human heart, and life becomes a tangle of compromises and inner tensions. ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life’ (Jn. 6:68)."

"To everyone, proclaim Christ who is the only fully satisfying answer to human expectations."

"How can we build the Church? Here, the passage from the First Letter of Peter comes to our aid, which we heard at the beginning. St. Peter states that Christ is the "living stone" (1 Pt 2:4), he is the one who gives life with his Holy Spirit, so that all those who accept him also become "living stones", builders of a "spiritual house" (cf. Ibid., 2:5). Addressing the first Christians, the Apostle reminds them of this wonderful and mysterious vocation: "You are the chosen race, a own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" Dear young people, commit yourselves to "being" the Church. For this reason enter increasingly into communion with Jesus: through the liturgy; catechesis, fraternal life in the community. Rediscover your Baptism as a reality that continues to be active in your life each day. Deepen your belonging to Christ through the sacraments of Reconciliation and the Eucharist. Be proud to be part of the Church and be involved in her great mission. Humbly and generously take part in the life of the parish and of the various associations and movements to which you belong. Work so that they will grow in fraternity and missionary commitment and that their membership may increase to include others of your age. Thus you will make your communities work sites of peace and unity where a future of solidarity is built, which will also benefit our own nation."

"Break down the barriers of superficiality and fear! Recognizing that you are ‘new’ men and women, regenerated by the grace of Baptism, talk with Jesus in prayer and while listening to the Word; experience the joy of reconciliation in the Sacrament of Penance; receive the Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist; welcome and serve him in your brothers and sisters. You will discover the truth about yourselves and your inner unity, and you will find a "Thou" who give the cure for anxieties, for nightmares and for the unbridled subjectivism that leaves you no peace."

‘Let yourselves be ‘formed’ in the school of Jesus. In the Church and in the various environments of your daily existence, become credible witness to the Father’s love! Make it visible in your choices and attitudes, in your way of accepting people and placing yourselves at their service, in faithfully respecting God’s will and his commandments.’

‘We have just heard the Apostle Paul say to Timothy, his young fellow evangelizer: ‘Train yourself for devotion’ (1 Tm. 4:7). These are important words for every Christian, for everyone who truly seeks to follow the Lord and to put his words into practice. They are especially important for you, the young people of the Church. And so you need to ask yourselves: What training am I doing in order to live a truly Christian life?’

‘Each one of you belongs to Christ, and Christ belongs to you. At Baptism you were claimed for Christ with the Sign of the Cross; you received the Catholic faith as a treasure to be shared with others. In Confirmation, you were sealed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit and strengthened for your Christian mission and vocation. In the Eucharist, you receive the food that nourishes you for the spiritual challenges of each day.’

‘Dear young people, your journey does not end here. Time does not come to a halt. Go forth now along the roads of the world, along the pathways of humanity, while remaining every united in Christ’s Church!

‘Continue to contemplate God’s glory and God’s love, and you will receive the enlightenment needed to build the civilization of love, to help our brothers and sisters to see the world transfigured by God’s eternal wisdom and love.
‘Forgiven and reconciled, be faithful to the Baptism which you have received! Be witnesses to the Gospel! As active and responsible members of the Church, be disciples and witnesses of Jesus Christ who reveals the Father! And abide always in the unity of the Spirit who is the giver of life!’