Today, April 26, the Church celebrates the LXIII World Day of Prayer for Vocations, convoked by Pope Leo XIV, a privileged occasion to reflect on the gift of God's call and to accompany especially young people in their vocational discernment.
In his message for this day, the Holy Father proposes a profound look at vocation understood as an interior journey, where each person is invited to discover "the free gift of God that blossoms in the depths of the heart". In this context, he stresses that to follow Christ is to enter "the path of a truly beautiful life", since Jesus himself presents himself as the "beautiful Shepherd", the one who gives his life and reveals the love of God.
The Pope insists on the need to cultivate interiority as a privileged space for listening to the call, recalling that "only those who stop, listen, pray and accept his gaze can say with confidence: 'I trust, with him life can be truly beautiful'". From this profound experience a vocation is born, which does not arise from an abstract idea, but from a living encounter, since "every vocation, in fact, arises from the awareness and experience of a God who is Love".
This intimate knowledge of God opens the heart to trust, an indispensable attitude for responding generously to his call. Thus, the vocational journey is understood not as something immediate or definitive from the beginning, but as a living reality that grows and transforms over time, since "vocation... is not a static goal, but a dynamic process of maturation".
These words resonate with special force in the tradition of the Society of St. Teresa, which tomorrow, April 27, celebrates the Virgin of Montserrat, a key figure in the life and vocation of Enrique de Ossó.
It was precisely at the feet of "La Moreneta" where St. Henry found his vocation. This encounter profoundly marked his life and his mission, making the Virgin a constant reference in his faith journey. It was there that he celebrated his first Mass, consecrated the Society in 1881 and sent the first sisters on their apostolic mission.
The closeness of the two celebrations - the feast of Our Lady of Montserrat and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations - offers a unique opportunity to renew our commitment to listening to God.
Today, 150 years later, the Teresian family continues to walk under the protection of the Moreneta, welcoming the Pope's invitation to stop, listen and trust, so that each vocation may mature and bear abundant fruit in the Church and in the world.
