Father General in Hungary: God Confirms Our Choice of Vocation with His Peace
From 25 - 30 May, Father General Arturo Sosa will be visiting the Hungarian Province of the Society of Jesus.
On the first day of his visit, Father Sosa met with young people who are in the process of searching for their vocation. In the discussion that followed, Father General spoke with young men aged between 17 and 30 about discerning one’s vocation, the specific nature of the Jesuit calling, and the fears that often accompany this journey. Father Sosa emphasized the importance of prayer and reflection in discerning one’s vocation, reassuring the group that it is normal to experience doubts and uncertainties along the way.
During the Holy Mass, the youth choir of the Jesuit Church of the Sacred Heart in Budapest sang a Creole Mass, accompanied by a Venezuelan soloist.Father General reflected in his homily that our faith does not offer ready-made solutions that are the same for everyone seeking answers about how to plan and live their lives. Instead, it offers suggestions on how to understand life in order to live it in a meaningful and full way, leaving it up to each person to discover what is best for them. He highlighted four such suggestions.
The first is that there is a God who calls us into existence, into life, because He loves us. Life, therefore, comes from a call. Life is a vocation. The second is that we must strive above all to love – and love means listening and responding, responding actively, and making choices. The third important suggestion for living our lives well comes from Jesus’ promise. “The Holy Spirit will teach you everything and remind you of all that I have said to you”, Father General emphasized. The fourth suggestion is that God confirms our choice of vocation with a very clear gift: He leaves us His peace.
“We are not alone in shaping the vocation that is our life. We are not alone when we listen to what God tells us through the Holy Spirit. Yes, they will be the words of Jesus, in whom God chose us before the creation of the world. They will be the words that Jesus spoke to his disciples when he was with them on earth. But they will be spoken to us in this time and in this context in which we live. This is why St Ignatius tells us to seek God in everything: in the world around us, in the events we witness, and in our hearts that react and long – so that we may hear the words that call us to a particular life here and now”, said Father General in his homily.
After the Mass which was attended mainly by university students and young adults, an informal discussion took place in the church hall with about 50-80 young men. They had the opportunity to ask Father General questions. Among other things, the young people asked about what his everyday life is like and what he would do if he had a free afternoon. The conversation also touched on how one can recognize their vocation, what the essence of the Jesuit vocation is, what challenges Jesuits face today, and what difficulties are involved in a Jesuit calling.
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