In his first message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, Pope Leo XIV is urging young people to make space for interior silence to listen to the Lord.
Writing in a message published 25 March, the pope said discernment begins with silence to “hear what the Lord desires for our happiness. Citing St Augustine, he said, ‘”Do not go outside yourself. Return within yourself. Truth dwells in the inner person.'”
Pope Leo emphasised that “a vocation entails an intimate dialogue with the One who calls and invites us to respond, despite the deafening noise of the world, with true joy and generosity.”
Ways to create space to listen to the Lord’s voice, he said, include making time for Eucharistic adoration, spending time each day meditating on the Bible, doing works of charity, and participating fully in the sacramental and ecclesial life of the Church.
“Dear young people, listen to this voice!” he said. “Listen to the voice of the Lord who invites you to a full and fruitful life, calling you to put your talents to use and to unite your limitations and weaknesses with the glorious cross of Christ.”
The World Day of Prayer for Vocations will take place on 26 April this year.
