Two popes who became saints inspire discernment

Popes John XXIII	John Paul II

Two Popes were canonized on Divine Mercy Sunday, the first Sunday following Easter. Popes John XXIII and John Paul II received the title “saint” as a testament to the holiness of their lives.

For those who are discerning their vocations, both popes have given inspiration, encouragement and wisdom. Be sure to pray and ask for their intercession, for all the young men and women considering what God may be calling them to do in the midst of the Church to help build his kingdom.

In his 1959 encyclical on St. John Vianney, Sacerdotii Nostri Primordia, Pope John XXIII said, “We cannot help turning our paternal spirit in a special way to young people; we embrace them with a warm love and remind them that, in them, the Church rests great hopes for the years to come.

“The harvest indeed is great, but the laborers are few. How many areas there are where the heralds of the Gospel truth are worn out by their labors and waiting eagerly and longingly for those to come who will take their place. There are peoples who are languishing in a miserable hunger for heavenly food more than for earthly nourishment. Who will bring the heavenly banquet of life and truth to them?

“We have complete confidence that the youth of our time will be as quick as those of times past to give a generous answer to the invitation of the Divine Master to provide for this vital need.”

In his book “The Meaning of Vocation” Pope John Paul II said, “Ask yourselves, young people, about the love of Christ. Acknowledge his voice resounding in the temple of your heart. Return his bright and penetrating glance, which opens the paths of your life to the horizons of the Church’s mission.

“It is a taxing mission, today more than ever, to teach men the truth about themselves, about their end, their destiny and to show faithful souls the unspeakable riches of the love of Christ. Do not be afraid of the radicalness of his demands, because Jesus, who loved us first, is prepared to give himself to you, as well as asking of you. If he asks much of you, it is because he knows you can give much.”