P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That Christian men and women, aware of the vocation which is theirs in the Church, may answer generously to God's call to seek holiness in the midst of their lives.
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"Holiness remains more than ever a pastoral urgency" became the clarion call of Pope John Paul II when he inaugurated the Third Millennium. It simply means that every baptised person is called on to be perfect, as the heavenly Father is perfect (Mt. 5:48) in love. Love is therefore the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being.
A Christian's vocation consists in faithfully living the love of God and of his neighbour. It is a love of self-giving because "there is more joy in giving than in receiving" (Acts 20:25). It is a vocation because the initiative comes from God who invites. Holiness is a choice, and every choice brings with it a painful renunciation which without spiritual struggle has no fulfilment. But this seeking for holiness must not be misunderstood as if it entailed a kind of extraordinary life accessible only to a few geniuses of holiness.
The paths to holiness are multiple, and adapted to every person's state and condition of life. To attain this holiness, we are bound to use all our strength, totally and generously, to the extent that it has been given us by Christ, for God's glory and the service of our neighbour in our daily family and working life. This is why the entire Church must pray in unsion asking God that we become aware of our vocation in the Church.
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