“May God who began his work in you bring it to completion.” In the liturgy of priestly ordination, immediately after the candidate’s promise of obedience, the Bishop pronounces this phrase which is taken from Paul’s letter to the Philippians (Phil 1, 6). In a very essential way, a great truth is underlined: one does not choose to become a priest, but one accepts a call; we say “yes” to a project that God had already thought of, since the foundation of the world. And this applies to all vocations: from the religious or missionary one to the matrimonial one. Isn’t this also good news? The Creator has written in our hearts a fruitful, fulfilled and joyful future: in freedom man must adhere or reject. If he pronounces his “here I am” he will realize himself, with all the efforts and errors typical of humanity, if he lifts his heels and follows another path he will always feel a mixture of restlessness and nostalgia in his heart.
This is a fact of faith that gives us a liberating tranquility: if God wanted me to be a priest, a nun, a missionary, a husband, a father, a wife, a mother, he will also give me the strength to withstand trials, failures, betrayals, failures, misunderstandings. If he really wants me here and has brought me this far, he certainly will not abandon me in the near future, but will continue to give me the strength to face adversity and the evil caused by others or by sin. It is clear that the believer must do everything possible to remain faithful, fruitful, proactive, but with the awareness that God is at his side and will never allow one of his children to succumb. This does not mean being safe from problems, adversities, difficulties, but they will never be so great as to be able to question the response given to God after a robust and prayerful discernment.
Many young people today are so angry and rebellious because, fundamentally, they do not feel that they belong to anything: to no affection, to no history, to no project and all their energy and energy of life, instead of using it for good, they discharge it into violence and aggression.
“He who remains in me, and I in him, bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing”. The words that Jesus gives us on this fifth Sunday of Easter leave no room for doubt: he is the polar star of our life, he is the foundation of our humanity, he is the fruitfulness of our work, he is the driving force of our action, he is the profound identity of our being.
I was struck by the testimony of a priest friend of mine: “My faith is small and poor, but I cannot think of myself outside of Christ”. The same is true for me: my adherence to Him continually wavers, my sin often makes me succumb, my doubts continually suffocate me, but I cannot think of my life outside of Christ: I will never fully reach Him, but I know that far from him I would only be lost, unhappy, incomplete. I cling to Him to at least understand the power and strength of love.
In today’s Gospel I am struck by his incessant invitation: “remain in me”! How beautiful: I don’t have to conquer or deserve anything, I am already immersed in the love of God, my only effort is to “stay”! To “stay”, however, we must first of all “recognize” that we are invested with so much attention and care by our Lord! We need eyes that penetrate the depths of everyday life and this particular view is given to us only by intense and fervent prayer, by a spiritual life that is not banal, but rigorous, carefully planned, I would say almost meticulous!
A second aspect that emerges from the Master’s words is the drama of our freedom: it is we, we alone, who choose whether to be fulfilled or incomplete, happy or painful, happy or sad. Being with Him or without Him will make the difference! If we choose to remain in him, difficulties, suffering, perhaps even failures will not be avoided, but we will not be alone in facing them: Christ will allow us to experience these moments not as cuts, but as pruning! And the winemaker prunes the branches not to eliminate them or make them suffer, but so that they are even more fruitful. I say this with trembling: suffering, trials and adversities if experienced with Christ humanize even more and offer people a different, more authentic, more compassionate, more forgiving view towards others and reality. Ultimately, even love, like every vocation, requires pruning: if we only look at what love (or vocation) takes away from us then we will always be unhappy and frustrated, vice versa if we focus our attention on what offers then we will truly gain a fulfilled life. And with Him it will be eternal.
