JOURNEYS OF LIFE
The painting on the front cover entitled “The disciples of Emmaus” reflects our journey of hope. Jesus not only walks with us, but gives us the wisdom to perform our ministries and opens our eyes to see Him in the people that we are serving.
VOCATION PAGE
VOCATION AS A JOURNEY
BY FR RAUL TABARANZA
THIS WORLDWIDE edition is about “Journeys of life”- such as journey of catechesis, of beauty in art and many more. I want to focus on the journey of vocation, especially to religious life, and in particular, the Comboni way of life.
Religious ‘vocation’ (from the Latin word “vocare”) is a call from God to serve Him in the world through a specific way of life. It is a personal invitation, and therefore it requires a personal response. It is important for a candidate to know that this is “a call that is intended for me”. It is not self-evident or automatic for someone to become a religious missionary. Our life is a journey, it grows, and growth needs time. It is not a career, but a way of life, and specifically according to the charism of the founder.
God has a plan for each one of us and every journey of vocation is unique. When Jesus called His disciples, He made them feel that they were important, that He needed them, and that He could count on them. The disciples faced exactly what their Master was facing. Behind the struggle of each of our vocation journeys, there is a hidden joy that is sometimes invisible to the human eye. “We know that we are loved by God because we are not mere numbers for Him, but persons – because it is certain that it is HE who calls us.” (Pope Francis, www.s-ms.org/en)
The journey of the Comboni way of life is also a long process. It starts as an individual call, but once we join forces, the individual journey becomes a communal one, where we live as a family. We have pillars of formation: studies, community and spiritual life, spiritual direction, personal and community prayers, pastoral life and other commitments which we honour and practice throughout the journey.
We come from different races, languages, cultures and traditions, and sometimes we find this challenging in our communal lives, but we also feel intently the call of Jesus to live in unity and communion. We model our lifestyles according to those of the Trinity, where there is a spirit of communion and collaboration.
In the third week of December, our Summer Vocation Workshop will take place in Benoni where we will continue to reflect on each participant’s journey. Some have expressed their own fears and apprehensions, but they have been assured of our constant accompaniment and support. We pray that they may find the true meaning of their lives as they journey with us.
VOCATION IS A DIALOGUE
VOCATION IS a gift to commitment, and the call is always a divine initiative. On our side, we only have to respond to God’s call. Our response to priesthood or to religious life is born not just out of our faith, but also out of a personal dialogue with the Lord. The theme for this issue of Worldwide, is “Dialogue and Mission” with its different faces. I will focus on dialogue in vocation.