The list of professions
Father and son read the newspaper together with emotion. The boy was sitting on his father’s lap, who was happily telling him the news one by one.
Suddenly, an advertisement appeared in block letters: HERE IS THE COMPLETE LIST OF PROFESSIONS ACCORDING TO THE MOST RECENT SURVEYS. The child, with a bright and excited face, began to read one by one: engineer, firefighter, dentist, politician, soccer player,… His finger caressed the surface of the paper while he reviewed the names. The term. He turned his big eyes towards his father and, with a gesture of anguish painted on his face, went over each of the professions mentioned again: architect, farmer, policeman, lawyer, tennis player,… going faster and faster. .
After he had gone through the list two or three times, his father stopped him by commenting: “Don’t keep looking for more in the list, son; the priest does not appear».
There is no doubt: the priesthood seems to be out of fashion. It is demonstrated by this little anecdote that I heard a few years ago. We may be surprised that “the priest does not appear on the list”, but many times we ourselves do not want him to appear. And yet, how much we need the priest in our world! They make God present in our world in a tangible way in the Holy Mass and through them we can be forgiven by the sacrament of confession. Also, how many works are carried out with incredible sacrifices all over the world!: missions, hospital care, charitable services among the most needy, just to mention a few.
Therefore, how timely is the message that our beloved Saint John Paul II left for the XLII World Day of Prayer for Vocations, which is traditionally celebrated on the IV Sunday of Easter.
In his lines, he invited to row out into the deep -according to Christ’s invitation to Saint Peter- and not to be afraid. In addition, he moves the rug of our ego so that we know how to “open our hearts to the action of grace and let the word of the Redeemer act with all its force.”
To young people, as always, he dedicates special affection and his words resonate paternal: «Dear boys and girls, trust him, listen to his teachings, look at his face, persevere in listening to his word. Let him guide your search and your aspirations, your ideals and the desires of your heart.
Where on my list does the consecrated life occupy? Do I know how to value it? I hope that we, like the child in the story, know how to listen to the words of this Father who tried to help us and still does from Heaven. Above all, let us make the priesthood and consecrated life find an echo in our environment, always valuing them and encouraging them to grow. The world urges you to take it into account.
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