Ingredients of SaFa vocation animation 4

Trust in God in the midst of vocation animation.

As Christians we are not only agents of evangelization but also the means to awaken vocations in others. However, anyone who feels called to vocation promotion must have a great trust in God in order to be able to do it.                             

God is the first vocational animator and it is He who calls, who enables, who does the potter's work in hearts. His plans are always good; God does not call prepared people, but He prepares those He calls. God is the master of the harvest and we are only instruments He uses to gather the fruits. Many times we have to surrender and be aware that we cannot do it alone, and that walking hand in hand with Him everything is possible, being a simple instrument of His love and for this we must be in tune with His will, trust in Him and give ourselves completely.

Every human being has a mission, and in that sense the mission is not only one of joy. We must bear in mind that suffering is also part of the journey. Faith in God is the basis and at the same time the driving forces that can make us overcome obstacles. There are times of disappointment and there are times of little fruit for the work we are trying to do, sometimes it seems a dry subject, but trust in God makes us feel that this will pass too.                                                                                                                            

Trust in God is to be aware that the source and the engine of life is Him, it is trusting in His plans, having certainty in the providence of God who is good and He always wants good for His children. Trust in God must not weaken, as it is the key element in achieving favorable results, even if they do not appear in the first attempts, we must continue to bet, insisting today and always. In this sense, the words of Brother Gabriel resonate when he said: "if this is God's work, He will know how to make it prosper".

That is why it is important to be committed and to make a concrete effort in our work, always being certain that God is the one who causes the seed to be born and to grow in each person, being clear that vocation is a mystery that we will understand as we go along, and being clear that God's plans are different from our plans, knowing that God lives in us and we live in Him, with the confidence of the baptized, in dialogue with Him, in discernment as a person and as a community, learning, seeking formation, praying with faith to see reality well and seeking above all His Will, "we do our part and let God act".

We must also trust in God's power and mercy, convinced that God loves us and wants us well to encourage others to do the same. God has to be the support and guide for any vocational work, so that each person is involved for God in his or her intimacy. We must trust that He is always supporting and guiding us on a daily basis, knowing that we are elements of His mediation. God never fails, so trust in Him must be complete. Without this trust a vocation languishes. Trust is the key element in order to achieve favorable results, even if at times it may seem that there is no success in the first attempts. However, we must continue to gamble, to insist, today and always.

This confidence must be nourished daily with prayer for one's personal vocation and for the vocation of those we accompany, entrusting to God the works, the efforts and the lack of answers and results as well.  Prayer unites us daily to God and helps us and gives us the strength to move forward, convinced that without Him nothing can be achieved.

Finally, we must bear in mind that prayer strengthens our confidence and makes us more instruments of God. Prayer is the food that always gives strength to face the events of life, with love, fidelity, dedication, having God as support and sustenance, at the service of the mission and with total dedication.

Prayer is always important, that is why Brother Gabriel said that "prayer is the cornerstone of our Institute". During his life he placed all his vocational work in God's hands, with the conviction that He is the source of every vocation.  That is why we must pray with conviction, asking for the work to bear fruit one day, asking the Holy Spirit to help us in personal and community discernment, praying and being patient in waiting for the fruits, to see the reality well and to seek above all the will of the Father. Prayer unites us daily to God and every day we must keep in mind that without Him we cannot achieve our goal.  We do our part and let God do His.

To believe in God's providence is the key factor of vocational animation, followed by trust, hope and prayer.