6_wherevergodwantsus_eng


6_wherevergodwantsus_eng

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FLASH
Salesian Youth Ministry Animation
Number 6. July 2024
Wherever God wants us
Accompanying the first
vocational dreams
Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende
Youth Ministry General Councilor
YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR
Salesiani di don Bosco SEDE CENTRALE SALESIANA

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Wherever God wants us
Accompanying the first
vocational dreams
Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende
Youth Ministry General Councilor
1 A vocational call in the form
of a dream
[a] No dream is trivial. Dreams are import-
ant and have always characterized a part of
human life. In ancient times it was believed
that dreams allowed us to communicate with
the supernatural. Today, science says that
they manifest the depths of our personality.
There is not much distance between the two
ideas: God is indeed at work in the depths of
human beings. The Israelites believed that
dreams revealed divine messages, prophecies
and visions; those who were able to interpret
them enjoyed great prestige.
Today we also speak of daydreams, the
dreams we cultivate without necessarily sleep-
ing and that could characterize our future. But
have we ever wondered what it means to
dream? Haven’t we all daydreamed, thus
stirring our hearts and our future?
Don Bosco’s evocation of the nine-year-old
dream is found in the Memoirs of the Oratory,
one of his most personal writings. The man-
uscript of this work was drafted from 1873-
1875 and completed in the years 1877-1879.
It is an inspiration for understanding the first
supernatural call felt by a young man. In his
own words:
“When I went to Rome in 1858 to speak
to the Pope about the Salesian Congrega-
tion, he asked me to tell him everything that
had even the suggestion of the supernatu-
ral about it. It was only then, for the first
time, that I said anything about this dream
which I had when I was nine or ten years old.
The Pope ordered me to write out the dream
in all its detail and to leave it as an encour-
agement to the sons of the Congregation.”
Fortunately, looking at the experience of
the birth of Don Bosco’s vocation can help us
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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Accompanying the first vocational dreams
3
better understand this call that “remained
deeply imprinted in his mind throughout his
life.” How many experiences, whether in the
form of a dream or real, have remained deep-
ly imprinted in our biography?
Don Bosco’s account takes the form of ped-
agogical teaching. In other words, if we pho-
tograph this moment, the dream contains, at
its core, enough potential to have a better under-
standing of how to accompany young people
on their vocational journey.
[b] The first thing that we notice is that the
dream is a “literary genre” that allows us to
transform something ordinary, whether it hap-
pened or not, into something extraordinary,
in the eyes and ears of those who hear it. In
the autobiographical account of Don Bosco’s
vocational call there are simple expressions of
a boy who wants to study, to become a priest,
who wants to be with his friends, to help them,
to do them good and to teach them catechism.
The episode points out to him: the field of
work (wild animals, a symbol of abandoned
and endangered young men); the education-
al method (not with beatings, but with gen-
tleness and charity); the qualities of the edu-
cator (humble, strong and robust); the Teach-
er and his help (the Virgin, his mother); and
the fruits (meek and happy lambs).
Many young people do not know that God
has a dream for each one of them, a cus-
tom-designed project. Behind God’s dream
there is always enormous joy. The secret
of the much-desired happiness is precise-
ly the meeting and correspondence of two
dreams: ours and God’s.
Hence the significance of dreams in the
world of youth: in them lies their happiness.
This is why it is important to accompany these
first calls that open the way to a life project
and its accomplishment. The conclusion is
clear: to stop dreaming leads to a vocational
deficit.
2 Vocation is a game of grace
and freedom
We exist and live with decisions and changes
[a] There are many ways to live our existence,
but only a few of them make a person great
and leave us with a sense of fulfilment. They
deal with the choices and changes we make
and that guide our lives and actions. It is not
our qualities that define us, but our choices.
Since “time is greater than space” (Evangelii
Gaudium, 222), we must initiate and accom-
pany processes of vocation animation, and
not impose paths. And these are processes of
people who are always unique and free. In this
adventure of discovering one’s vocation, we
do not need strong emotions, but humble cer-
tainties that help to make sensible and coher-
ent decisions. The importance of this fact is
strengthened by the fact that in deciding
(often these are small decisions) we make
choices and grow because we orient our life
and give it a direction.
The fruit of accompaniment is not deciding
between “yes” and “no.” In the end, personal
responses must be oriented toward a “yes” to
something. Seeking God’s will for me in an
authentic way must lead me to accept a yes,
a positive response to a life project.
[b] “Feeling a calling” toward something and
choosing it means perceiving oneself as invit-
ed by a reality of value that gives meaning
to one’s life. It goes without saying that in life,
choosing, dreaming, and deciding are things
that involve taking responsibility for the con-
sequences of that choice. This produces anx-
iety, discomfort and even fear, especially when
fundamental issues such as which university
to choose, which world of work to explore, or
which state of life to assume are at stake.
Among the most repeated expressions in
biblical texts is undoubtedly “do not fear”
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FLASH • July 2024 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana
(about 41 times in the Old Testament and 27
in the New Testament). Predominantly spo-
ken by God or one of his messengers, it intro-
duces, in most cases, a vocational call. That
is, a call to carry out a life project that totally
involves the person receiving it. What is inter-
esting is that a sense of bewilderment often
overwhelms the recipient of the message.
At times, fear turns into resistance to fac-
ing one’s dreams for fear of failure, of not
being good enough, of the judgment of oth-
ers, of betraying the expectations people have
placed on us. In other words, it is the vertigo
of reconciling desires for the future and the
uncertainty of the present.
Jeremiah implores, “Ah, Lord God! I know
not how to speak; I am too young” (Jer. 1:6);
Isaiah reacts in the same way,” Woe is me; I
am doomed! For I am a man of unclean lips,
living among a people of unclean lips; yet my
eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts”
(Isaiah 6:5), and many others. They all mea-
sure the enormous disproportion that exists
between what God demands and the reality
in which the person finds himself, and this
makes him tremble.
Jesus repeatedly invites us not to be afraid,
not to be paralyzed by the vertigo of deci-
sions, because in God’s eyes we are worth a
great deal and as a Father he is concerned
about us and takes care of us.
[c] In other words, the greatness of God’s
plan for young people makes them feel inad-
equate and never prepared for it. “I was only
nine years old,” wrote Don Bosco, “who was
asking me to do something impossible? The
Turin saint gradually came to understand his
dream of 1825. Only in 1846 did Don Cafas-
so advise him to give credence to his dreams
as part of a divine plan for the benefit of souls.
As in this case, we too should accompany
young people so that they do not doubt the
effectiveness of the Lord’s promise that
enables them to “reach for the stars.”
This is what the strength of youth consists
in: possessing the ability to dream so big that
one can withstand even the greatest disappoint-
ments. It is the strength of an age made to
dream of the great things for which one came
into the world, regardless of what others will
say, the fear of taking risks or the temptation
to give in to others.
How many times, as at the end of the nar-
ration of Don Bosco’s 9-year-old dream, have
we been offered different interpretations of
what we dream? In Don Bosco’s case, his fam-
ily members interpreted his dream from dif-
ferent perspectives: from defeatism (his broth-
er Joseph), from his grandmother’s scepticism
(who knows if it was a child’s desire, a small
burst of generosity) or, lastly, from hope (his
mother, “perhaps you will become a priest”).
Like Mother Margaret, Pope Francis says
that “Young people are not meant to
become discouraged; they are meant to
dream great things, to seek vast horizons,
to aim higher, to take on the world, to
accept challenges and to offer the best of
themselves to the building of something
better.” (Christus Vivit, 15).
We are all present in God’s dream
[a] God calls us by name because he loves
us. The disciples are called by name one by
one, a distinctive sign of their uniqueness.
In this call they experience a deep and inti-
mate relationship with Him, they feel loved;
and it is precisely because of this love, which
is the result of such a special relationship,
that the disciples make the decision to follow
Jesus. They do so in a radical way, through
the involvement of the whole person, with-
out ulterior motives, thus causing a turning
point in their livers. This irreversibility of the
response to Jesus’ call is the beginning of
God’s plan, the mission which each person
is called to take part in.
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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Accompanying the first vocational dreams
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Each young person, moreover, is precious
not only because God loves them, but also
because he created them: there is a plan for
each one. Vocation is understood, in an inter-
pretation based on faith, as the process of per-
sonal choice that leads to a choice. In the case
of St. John Bosco, the 9-year-old dream accom-
panied him throughout his life, motivated him,
and compelled him to think and act. From the
perspective of faith, this process is an act of
faith in which “choosing” means “being cho-
sen” by God, associated with others and pro-
tected in the faithfulness of the one who, by
his grace, anticipated our response.
All life choices, of any kind and at any
age, are a response to a calling, an unde-
served gift, not another effort. It obeys
happiness. Vocation is a choice (of God) for
our happiness, a response on our part to
feel loved. And love is oxygen, giving life,
generating and regenerating life. It dou-
bles our lifespan: it is possible for every-
one to live a better life.
Indeed, everyone’s life has a wonderful
meaning, but it must also be said that the life
God has dreamt for us does not correspond
to a life of prestige or social prominence. Only
a dreamer like Don Bosco could inspire oth-
ers to leave everything behind to dedicate their
lives, without recognition or glory, to the ser-
vice of the poorest youth.
[b] This is why we often need to recharge
our strength and courage. These come from
perseverance in the difficult moments in
fulfilling our dreams: pain is the chisel that
brings the work of art out of the wood. Dia-
monds are formed in the depths of the earth,
subjected to unimaginable pressures and tem-
peratures. This means that we should not dis-
card anything of our experiences, for there is
grace in everything, even in what we have not
yet understood and, consequently, have not
yet benefited from.
God’s dreams do not come true automati-
cally like “magic.” The real secret to fulfilling
our dreams is an enthusiastic desire. We truly
achieve our goals not when we avoid difficul-
ties, but when we learn to face them without
shortcuts. Confidence, patience, moderation,
perseverance, the ability to change--these are
all ingredients that enable us to cooperate in
the fulfilment of the great dream God has for
each one of us. Ultimately: it would obviously
be rash not to understand that vocation can-
not be discovered by anyone from the outside.
The dynamic of encountering the Lord is
precisely this: seeking, following, dwelling.
These are also the essential attitudes for know-
ing and living love. Love is sought with desire;
we have to follow it by roads which are some-
times tiring and full of contradictions, but if
we follow it, we eventually come to know it
and we remain and dwell in it.
3 Serving young people in
the place where they allow
themselves to be encountered
by God
The Salesian Congregation is a young eccle-
sial family in vocational age. It would be a
grave error to silence or underestimate the
vocational proposal; we believe that God con-
tinues to call! Vocation is something that con-
cerns every person and every Christian. It is a
term with a single root and broad horizons.
Vocation gives direction to life, it facilitates
experiencing otherness, and does not have a
restrictive sense referring only to those who
follow the Lord on the path of consecration.
The question is: What is my contribution to
the world?
Our Salesian charism contains in its depths
sufficient potential to generate a broad voca-
tional proposal to the new generations. This
is both a gift and a challenge. Obviously, it
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FLASH • July 2024 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana
implies that the quality of accompaniment and,
as the flip side of the coin, vocational discern-
ment be treated with care: vocational accom-
paniment must truly be an orientation so that
the person may discover and realize the
authenticity of the call.
In vocation animation and the service
of accompaniment no one is excluded.
Every baptized person has been called by
the Lord to give their life in different ways.
But choosing a consecrated vocation
requires a good deal of discernment and
maturity of motivations. It is a life proj-
ect whose goal is not only temporal
well-being, nor the satisfaction of doing
something worthwhile, and not even the
desire to have a clear conscience. It accom-
panies believers who are totally dedicat-
ed to the service of the Gospel, who receive
a call from the Lord, devoting themselves
“full time” to the mission of the Church,
which they have received from Christ.
For this reason, vocational dreams carry with
them a promise and a mission, but they also
need a path of interpretation, purification and
clarification.
Where should we begin? What are the crite-
ria for accompanying young people who feel a
vocational call? What is the itinerary of the jour-
ney? It is the pilots’ task to identify the coor-
dinates over which one flies, and toward which
one should head. The ground we have flown
over in the initial vocational accompaniment
is already known, but it needs to be rethought
in today’s time and space.
Let us focus on this vocational pedagogy
from three coordinates that could be drawn,
like a Cartesian plane, to interpret in which
direction we should move. We can say that
the accompaniment of those called is under-
stood as an itinerary that pivots on a CONTEXT
(correspondence to grace), an ACCOMPA-
NIST (listening to God who calls in a medi-
ated way) and an ACTION (discernment).
Every vocational dream is woven and built lit-
tle by little around these three elements.
A relationship focused on a context: one’s
own vocational process
[a] It is rare for someone to have a well-struc-
tured spiritual life at the beginning of their
vocational journey. Normally, the young per-
son has several valid motivations: service to
others, especially the poorest; a commitment
to youth; a flair for the liturgy; an example to
be imitated from a priest or a community; sig-
nificant experiences that set in motion all the
inner forces (a spiritual retreat, a joyful cele-
bration, a youth meeting, etc.). This mix of
motivations is normal at the beginning ... but
it must be accompanied by a minimal expe-
rience of faith, an underlying spiritual attrac-
tion, an “inclination of the heart” (Christus Vivit,
294) that is felt even though it cannot be ful-
ly defined or explained.
The key question is: among these differ-
ent motivations, is there any sign that has
anything to do with God? Is there any expe-
rience, any inner spiritual restlessness, a
desire or an intuition of God? In the expres-
sion of the motivations, does theologi-
cal life appear with simplicity or is it
something fictitious?
In Don Bosco’s words, “One must choose
what one has most at heart, most adapted to
one’s physical and moral strength, accepting
advice from pious, learned and prudent peo-
ple.” However, “they must all start from one
point and tend to the same center, who is God”
(G. Bosco, Letter June 17, 1879, in Epistolario
III, p. 476).
This core, which is already present in a young
person’s personality can be cultivated, puri-
fied and liberated, but it cannot be “discov-
ered” at a later time.
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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Accompanying the first vocational dreams
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[b] The accompaniment of early dreams is
a relationship centered on the “historical voca-
tional process” that the young person goes
through until a decision is made. This unin-
terrupted process brings lucidity and motiva-
tional strength to the youth; but most impor-
tantly, they likely have already had an expe-
rience of God that has enabled them to
perceive their call in some way (not that it
is already clear; but, with their difficulties and
doubts, they have made the first decision to
allow themselves to be helped).
The vocational experience begins with the
phenomenon we can call “astonishment.” It
is, therefore, a process in which at first there
is perplexity, something unique happening
in the person, something that comes from
outside, not as a result of personal initiative.
Isaiah experiences a profound sense of full-
ness (Isaiah 6:1-5): the train of the garment
fills the temple, everything is filled with smoke,
all the earth is filled with glory, man is over-
whelmed! He does not even know how to inter-
pret it. The young man is presented with
inner experiences or resonances (“lights”
and “motions,” mentioned in Christian tradi-
tion) that must be deciphered to recognize
the Lord’s voice and distinguish it from oth-
er dissonant voices.
God’s irresistible presence is not coercive,
but one of fascination and attraction: “I am
not dragged to God, but drawn” (cf. Jn. 6:44)
by his love. Even in an incipient way, it must
be perceived that it is the God of Jesus -- incar-
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FLASH • July 2024 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana
nate and committed -- who attracts and not
the many other “gains” one can imagine by
following the Lord along this path.
For this reason, today one of the important
tasks of accompaniment is to serve the per-
son in the place where they allow them-
selves to be encountered by God. It is He
who knows each person by name, who acts
in each one of us in a unique and unrepeat-
able way.
Someone important pronounces or even
shouts our name out loud. In any case, it is
undeniable that we are all called, it is true, but
we are not all called in the same way.
[c] To become aware of this, we are faced
with the need to work on the inner life in
which God dwells. This is not an easy task.
Therefore, educating to interiority, to a con-
templative look at life and teaching a faithful
interpretation of reality to discover God’s voice,
face and trace in history and in our history,
are inevitable challenges.
This initial “inner feeling” is already a sign of
calling. The Lord does great things with sim-
ple means. Then, it will be necessary to dis-
tinguish whether there is a dynamic of voca-
tional authenticity. On the one hand, the
awareness of the call; on the other hand, the
presence of vocational motivations. The set
of psychic forces that impel one to act con-
sistently with the call and to maintain a deci-
sion: “what I want and why I want it.” Valid
and authentic motivations, together with an
awareness of the call, drive the young per-
son to embrace the vocation in a responsi-
ble, dynamic and constantly improving way.
Vocational maturity is ultimately decid-
ed by an act of faith. However, it is import-
ant to remember this. Only from here are some
opposite extremes held together: the certain-
ty of being called and the awareness of one’s
inadequacy; the feeling of losing one’s life and
finding it in an unimaginable way; the great-
ness of one’s aspirations and the weight of
one’s limitations and miseries; God’s grace and
human nature; God who calls and the one who
is called who responds.
The realism of our early vocational
dreams may manifest itself in this uncer-
tainty, but an out-of-the-ordinary dream
requires an out-of-the-ordinary faith.
Respectful mediation that favors a
“personal encounter”
[a] An accompanying relationship favors a
“personal encounter,” a tool to which close
attention must be paid. Our goal must be not
only to get to know the spiritual person, but
also to integrate and unify their personal his-
tory. This aspect is not always given explicit
attention, but it is of enormous importance
in order to understand the meaning of voca-
tional accompaniment.
The first sensitivity or attention to the per-
son is to listen to them. They give themselves
to us with their words. The sign of this listen-
ing is the time I dedicate to young people. It is
not a question of quantity, but that “others
may feel that my time is their time” (Christus
Vivit, 292). They must feel that I listen to them
unconditionally, without taking offense, with-
out being scandalized, without getting irritat-
ed, without getting tired.
This listening is what the Lord practices
when he walks with the disciples of Emmaus
and accompanies them for a while on a road
that was going in the opposite direction from
the right one (cf. Lk 24:13-35). Slowly one
gets far: accompaniment must be personal-
ized and gradual, adapted to the situation and
the rhythm of the young person.
The enemy of the initial vocational journey
is ignoring the depth of the heart. We are all
experts in deception, of the “traps laid by
the evil spirit” (Christus Vivit, 293): compul-
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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Accompanying the first vocational dreams
9
sions, obsessions, disproportionate reactions,
wounds and cracks. If all these things are not
worked out in personal dialogue, they grad-
ually become craters that prevent us from
moving forward because they devour all our
efforts.
We must help young people catch the oscil-
lations of their “inner seismograph” in the field
of human maturity, which, as we know, acti-
vates or hinders the action of grace. Our Lady’s
concern for John’s human formation - “Make
yourself humble, strong and robust” - is well
rooted in vocational accompaniment from the
very first steps of his vocational journey.
It can be said that in all authentic voca-
tional dreams there are certain basic com-
ponents such as gratitude, openness to
transcendence, questioning the meaning
of life, availability, trust in oneself and oth-
ers, awe before beauty and selflessness.
These components are certainly the basis
of any vocational approach. And, along with
them, the elements that foster the knowledge
and appreciation of God’s personal call, of the
forms of Christian life, as well as the abilities
to come to choose one of these forms, in free-
dom.
In this sense, a great deal of work needs to
be done to achieve some personal stability with-
out dependency. Identity is always an ambiv-
alent process involving many tensions; how-
ever, it is necessary to be able to manage one’s
relationship with family, money or power. A
minimum of physical, emotional, mental and
social autonomy that allows the young per-
son to make concrete decisions, conscious
and free choices. We must accompany these
processes and help young people verbalize
the inevitable tensions, questions and con-
flicts in this area.
[b] Relationships structure the vocation-
al journey, not only as a path of maturation
of one’s human identity, but also of one’s faith
identity (the believer, the disciple). In Don Bos-
co’s vocational maturation process, some rela-
tionships have played a crucial role:
–  he cannot understand his inner life with-
out the providential and major presence of
Mother Margaret, his mother, who with sim-
plicity and determination was able to accom-
pany his personal and religious growth;
–  his experience with Don Calosso, the “faith-
ful friend of the soul” (he says in Memoirs
of the Oratory), offered him the opportuni-
ty not only to rebalance the tense family
situation, but also allowed him to meet a
worthy priest with whom he established a
personal relationship that left a positive mark
on him;
–  the role of friends in the life of the adoles-
cent and young Don Bosco was assumed
and integrated into his formative process;
–  during his formative experience at the
Convitto (residence for priests), Don Bosco
discovered devoted priests who distin-
guished themselves for science and apos-
tolic devotion. Amongst these stood out
Don Cafasso, his first spiritual director. This
wise priest accompanied his formation,
counselled him in moments of discernment,
was his confessor and proposed a series of
pastoral experiences that enriched his life;
–  ultimately, the entire family network of
Valdocco consisted in establishing relation-
ships through which he built his being a
priest and his being an educator.
[c] It can then be said that for Don Bosco
the seminary was not a closed world, given
that external reference points, such as the sit-
uation of needy youth in a wounded society,
played an increasingly active role in the dis-
covery of his vocation. Contact with the youth
was a moment of lucidity and grace. We can
say that in this experience the youth helped
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FLASH • July 2024 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana
him to discern the strength and relevance of
his own vocational project.
In conclusion, love for the Salesian mis-
sion among young people and the abili-
ty to love and give oneself is a visible
vocational criterion: gratuitous commit-
ment to others, especially the poorest and
most abandoned, spontaneous service
beyond one’s own well-being or interest in
the world of youth.
Today vocational awareness requires young
people to have “breaking experiences” that bring
them into contact with exclusion and vulnera-
bility. These are not single, unconnected pro-
posals. They are golden opportunities to redi-
rect life in the perspective of faith and in the
key of evangelical generosity. The world of
poverty and pain becomes an effective “loud-
speaker” that serves as a vocational wake-up
call. Indeed, it has become a critical area for
the discovery of one’s vocation: contact with
these worlds fosters the awakening of such
sensitivity and the understanding of life in
terms of gratitude and service.
[d] In this context, in order to know, verify
and accompany the suitability of the young peo-
ple we accompany, it is necessary to ensure
their readiness to learn. This involves a realis-
tic assessment of their abilities and possibili-
ties, but also an open readiness to change. One
of the most important questions is: do they want
to grow, are they willing to engage in a process
that implies allowing themselves to be chal-
lenged? Passivity, lack of transparency and a
distinctly defensive personality are not the best
attitudes. Positive signs, on the other hand, are
flexibility, creativity, openness to novelty and
dialogue and reflection on their experiences.
It is reasonable to think that narcissists -
those who tend to isolate themselves from
others, to worry excessively about themselves
and to use others for their own ends - are inca-
pable of giving a free and unselfish vocation-
al response. It is extremely dangerous to act
in the logic of self-centeredness, a device that
leads a person to be governed by the calcula-
tion of interests and whose only goal is to seek
the maximum benefit for themselves. The ego
is not only the starting point, but it is also often
the end point, the parameter used to mea-
sure all the other realities.
An action aimed at “vocational
discernment”
Discernment can be defined as the exercise
that enables us to find meaning in the diverse
and fragmented events of our existence. We
are constantly faced with situations, events,
and relationships and we sense that some-
thing is missing; we cannot understand exact-
ly what, we cannot find answers, we lack clari-
ty. It is precisely this lack that gives rise to and
triggers discernment.
Therefore, the starting point is the aware-
ness of a lack of meaning. This lack can be
interpreted in positive terms as a desire. We
embark on a path of discernment because
we wish to find an answer that we do not
have. Those who claim to have everything
clear or under control will never leave room
for desire and will never embark on a path of
discernment.
[a] Moreover, this topic is part of a more
concrete reality: discernment requires time,
authenticity and patience. Therefore, we can
understand why discernment is not fashion-
able. People, including young people, prefer
to rely on spontaneity, but spontaneity is nev-
er authenticity. We are authentic when we rec-
ognize the winds blowing on our boat and
decide how to use them to go where we have
chosen to go. If, on the other hand, we allow
ourselves to be pushed by the winds, without
recognizing or using them, we will end up on
beaches we have not chosen or even crash on
the rocks.
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2 Pages 11-20

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2.1 Page 11

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Fr. Miguel Ángel García Morcuende • Accompanying the first vocational dreams
11
It is worth recalling that, just as the parable
of the wheat and the weeds teaches us (cf.
Mt. 13:24-30), at first the two plants are sim-
ilar; we have to wait to see what takes away
life and what gives it. The same applies to us:
we must look within ourselves and gradually
become aware of what comes from God and
the “weeds” that do not come from Him. But,
at some point, there will be enough clarity for
us to decide, and at that time we have the
responsibility to do so.
[b] We cannot understand God’s dream
for each one of us without entering into a
dialogue with Him. Often, in order to discov-
er who we are, we prefer to take refuge in
unknown and distant places.
If God is “intimior intimo meo” (Augustine),
those who live superficially are not human-
ly prepared to accept the free gift of his
call. Activism and the overuse of stimuli
that stifle the capacity for silence and rec-
ollection are some of today’s attitudes and
behaviours that hinder or delay entering
into that depth, where God is discovered
as the You who invites us with a call.
In every vocational process we have an obli-
gation to offer spaces where young people can
experience silence and an encounter with Jesus
Christ. Elijah (1Kings 19:9-14), in his life full of
zeal for the Lord, was like a mighty wind and a
consuming fire. His word was a sharp sword.
He travelled throughout the land where he lived,
thundering and threatening. He had accom-
plished many things. He had destroyed the
altars of idols; He had brought the Jewish peo-
ple back to an authentic religious experience;
he had not stopped even before the mighty.
He seeks God in order to be recognized by Him.
And God denies him. He tells him: you are a
fire, an earthquake, a mighty wind. Remem-
ber: I am not there. They are your actions, not
mine. God adds to his prophet: I am in a gen-
tle breeze, which you do not even notice.
Dreams, plans, endeavours, programs and
adventures… these are beautiful, important
and precious things. They represent a piece
of ourselves, but it is only when we coura-
geously return to the truth of ourselves that
we experience God’s presence.
[c] This is why it would be naive to think
that all prayer is Christian prayer. Prayer is
a manifestation of theological life; it is not sim-
ply preparing an environment with pictures,
lighting candles, listening to music and con-
centrating, or the like. All these are necessary,
but they are not the substance of prayer. Prayer
is an attitude of dispossession, of letting God
be the center of my life.
As mentioned above, it is important to dia-
logue with the Lord to get to know His timing,
not to waste inspirations for good, or accept
His invitation to grow. In this sense, how
important it is to achieve habitual familiarity
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2.2 Page 12

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12
FLASH • July 2024 YOUTH MINISTRY SECTOR Salesiani di Don Bosco • Sede Centrale Salesiana
with the living Word of the Gospel. Having a hun-
ger for God is not a matter of biblical culture.
It is about seeing one’s life from God’s point
of view. The Word of God is always the source
of all vocational growth.
The vocational reading of the Word of God is
fundamental. It involves initiating our young
people into a daily, ongoing experience of per-
sonal and group prayer with the Word. It will
necessarily have to be an accompanied and
guided activity, especially at the beginning.
The encounter with the Word completes
evangelization of the heart. Thus, it is not suf-
ficient to purify my interiority, but it is neces-
sary to “repopulate” it with the life and values
of the Gospel. What good is reading art histo-
ry books if I have never been to a museum, if
I don’t know how to listen to and appreciate
a piece of music?
4 “This is your field; this is
where you must work”
The 9-year-old dream invites Don Bosco to a
vocation lived with passion, sparing no effort
and without calculation; the educator-pas-
tor’s attachment and dedication to his peo-
ple is not measured by quick responses
(“not with beatings”), but is linked to the
affection which binds him to people (“but
with gentleness”).
Young people are enthusiastic dreamers.
In fact, they are the dreamers par excellence.
And we have a duty to awaken this capacity
within them. To do so, dreaming a positive
future today requires a good dose of lucid and
effective hope, ingredients that are becom-
ing harder to find in our environment. In oth-
er words, dreams must turn into plans,
because if they remain only dreams, they will
disappoint us.
Being called is the premise of being sent
and leads there irrevocably. Among the var-
ious cases, let us dwell on the story of Jonah,
recounted in his short four-chapter book. It
is a captivating story full of surprises (the
storm, the fish that eats Jonah, the castor bean
plant that dries up). It is an educational nov-
el, a parabolic tale, but also an icon: we are
called to reinterpret our lives considering this
particularly provocative parable in the early
stages of the vocational dream.
Jonah is disoriented, bewildered and full of
fears. God shows him his errors in perspec-
tive; especially when he thinks only of him-
self and not others, without extending his gaze
to the great city. Only in the horizon of caring
for those who are far away does one’s voca-
tion acquire meaning and value.
Our young people are right there, at
the gate of the city of Nineveh, in order
to enter with passion and solidarity, com-
panions of the vocation of all men, or to
remain waiting for who knows what.
The attitude of “going forth” must be under-
stood as a restlessness that the Holy Spirit plac-
es in those who have been called to leave
behind their own comfort zone. It is the call
to shake off the dust that has stuck to our feet
and that is not part of the essence of the mis-
sion to which we are called. To look at the beau-
ty of heaven without losing sight of the earth.
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