Around 150 consecrated people of different ages, backgrounds and contexts reflected through conferences, workshops and spaces for dialogue and prayer on the circumstances in which vocational and youth pastoral plans are developed today.
The central question is, in itself, challenging and even provocative, especially when directed toward community dialogue: “What happens when God answers us?” Those of us who share daily prayer, do we realize that God answers precisely when we dare to listen together, to examine our paths and plans, to allow ourselves to be challenged as a community?
God never ceases to speak to our communities, through his various presences, supported in their endeavors by so many people who sustain them and help us interpret what the Spirit whispers in the depths of our hearts. Our communities are not only welcoming spaces, but true theological spaces where God speaks to many today. Are we truly aware of this?
Evaluating our youth ministry resonated strongly within me. We take for granted that what we’ve always done is still valid, but does it truly address the needs, wounds, and hopes of young people today? An honest assessment, free from nostalgia and anxiety, based on truth, is one of the most authentic ways to hear God’s response. Perhaps it’s not about inventing things, but about allowing reality to challenge us, speak to us, confront us… and evangelize us.
Let us also examine our vocational ministry. Models that worked in other times, contexts, or countries may not necessarily bear fruit here and now. Each situation is unique, with its own challenges. Let us learn to embody our identity with creativity, humility, attentiveness, and evangelical boldness. Let us dare to use new languages and spaces, new ways of accompanying those who are vocationally discerning.
Vocation ministry is not the sole responsibility of the promoter or a specific team, nor of an isolated ministry. Vocation awakens where young people see fraternity, joy, consistency, prayer, and service: that is, in vibrant communities. We are all responsible for spreading a culture of vocation through our way of living, loving, serving, and believing. Each of us, from our own place, is a mediator of God for others.
After the conference, I have more questions than answers, but also more peace: I have confirmed that God never stops answering; are we listening carefully? Growing in faith, both personally and as a community, means walking together, discerning together, making mistakes together, starting over together… Even in the midst of our weaknesses, God continues to call, continues to dream, and continues to welcome us through our charism and spirituality.
I am grateful for this shared reflection. I hope we can build communities where vocations arise naturally as a fruit of the witness of a life dedicated to prayer, fraternity, and profoundly evangelical faith. When God answers, He almost always does so through concrete faces, real stories, and communities that believe He never ceases to work in the hearts of young people.
“Lord, our God, let the cry of your voice reach many…”
