In his message for the 46th World Day of Prayer for Vocations (Sunday, 3 May), Pope Benedict XVI stressed that there are two components in every vocation: the divine initiative and the human response. These are the two contributions to a “vocational dialogue”, he added, which has its perfect model in the Eucharist, in which we can contemplate the faithful response of Christ to the free initiative of the Father.

Emphasising the role of priests in perpetuating the mystery of salvation in the Mass, the Pope remarked that “The awareness of being saved by the love of Christ … cannot but arouse within them a trusting self-abandonment to Christ who gave his life for us. To believe in the Lord and to accept his gift, therefore, leads us to entrust ourselves to Him with thankful hearts, adhering to his plan of salvation. When this does happen, the one who is ‘called’ voluntarily leaves everything and submits himself to the teaching of the divine Master; hence a fruitful dialogue between God and man begins.”

The vocation to the consecrated life also entails this “intertwining of love between the divine initiative and the human response,” the Pope said. Many men and women, he affirmed, were so attracted by Christ that they “have left families, possessions, material riches and all that is humanly desirable in order to follow Christ generously and live the Gospel without compromise, which had become for them a school of deeply rooted holiness”.

“The witness of these our brothers and sisters, in contemplative monasteries, religious institutes and congregations of apostolic life, reminds the people of God of “that mystery of the Kingdom of God is already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization in heaven” (Vita Consecrata, 1).

Throughout his message, Pope Benedict urged the faithful to turn to prayer and to be optimistic in doing so. The exhortation of Jesus to his disciples, “Pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Mt 9:38), the Pope said, has a constant resonance in the Church.

“Pray! The urgent call of the Lord stresses that prayer for vocations should be continuous and trusting. The Christian community can only really “have ever greater faith and hope in God's providence” if it is enlivened by prayer.”

“Dear friends,” he concluded, “do not become discouraged in the face of difficulties and doubts; trust in God and follow Jesus faithfully and you will be witnesses of the joy that flows from intimate union with him. Imitating the Virgin Mary whom all generations proclaim as blessed because she believed (cf. Lk 1:48), commit yourselves with every spiritual energy, to realise the heavenly Father’s plan of salvation, cultivating in your heart, like her, the ability to be astonished and to adore him who is mighty and does “great things”, for Holy is his name (cf. Lk 1:49).