Pope Benedict: The Lord's call is a gift, not merited
Pope Benedict XVI on Friday evening celebrated Vespers with students from the Pontifical
Universities in Rome, which began their academic year in October. Students from around
the world attend these Church-run institutions, which offer degrees in Philosophy,
Theology, Canon Law and other disciplines. During his homily, the Pope gave some reflections
on priestly ministry, since many of the students at the Pontifical Universities are
priests and seminarians.
In his remarks, Pope Benedict drew attention to the
activities of the Pontifical Work for Priestly Vocations, which is celebrating its
70th anniversary and the US-based Serra Club, one of the largest organizations
in the world devoted to promoting vocations to the priesthood.
The Holy Father
underlined three main points: the desire to collaborate with Jesus in spreading the
kingdom of God; the fact the priestly vocation comes from grace and not merit; and
the attitude of service. He said the call to priestly ministry is an “encounter with
Jesus and being fascinated by him, overcome by his words, his gestures, his own person.”
He
added the clergy “must never forget …the Lord's call to ministry is not the result
of special merit, but is a gift to be accepted…according to his will, even if it does
not correspond to our desires for self-realization.”
“The Pope spoke as a father
and with a very friendly tone to all the seminarians and priests who were gathered
in St. Peter’s Basilica,” said Father Robert Gahl, Associate Professor of Ethics at
the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. “He challenged them to grow in their
personal with Jesus, and he challenged not to seek human ambition or human success,
but rather to seek the Cross of Jesus Christ.”
Father Gahl said Pope Benedict
XVI has also given the students an example of this in his own life.
“To everyone
its evident that Cardinal Ratzinger did not desire to be elected Pope, it was the
last thing he wanted, and yet he accepted it as the will of God. He really laid down
his life for the Church.”
Listen to the full interview by Charles Collins
with Father Robert Gahl: