Pope Leo XIV received at the Vatican a pilgrimage of altar boys from France. During the meeting, the Pontiff surprised them by the clarity of his message: he encouraged them to be attentive to the possibility that God might call them to the priesthood, without fear of considering their vocation from childhood.
The gesture is significant in a context in which the secularism of certain sectors presses to remove religion from school life, even going so far as to present the transmission of the faith to children as a supposed "abuse of conscience". At the same time, for decades there has been a growing tendency among some Christians to delay baptism so that their children can make their own decisions as adults, and there are many believing parents who avoid offering their children and adolescents a demanding Christian life.
Having a prayer life from a young age
It would seem that by going to Mass on Sundays and going to confession from time to time one is already leading a great Christian life. However, the Pope invited those present to dedicate "time to speak with Jesus in the depths of your heart and to love him more and more. His only desire is to be part of your life, to enlighten it from within, to become your best and most faithful friend. Life becomes beautiful and happy with Jesus. But He waits for her answer. He knocks at the door and waits to enter: "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to his house and dine with him and he with me" ( Apocalypse 3, 20).
The Pope's words showed great enthusiasm as he added: To be "close" to Jesus, He, the Son of God, and to enter into His friendship! What an unexpected destiny! What happiness! What consolation! What hope for the future!".
Only Jesus Christ saves
After explaining that God loves each one of us, he encouraged the young people to have contact and intimacy with him, stressing that Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us, "because only He has the power to do so - He is God Almighty - and because He loves us". The proof that God loved us is that He died on the cross for each one of us. "And the Church, from generation to generation, carefully preserves the memory of the Lord's death and resurrection, to which she bears witness, as her most precious treasure. She preserves it and passes it on by celebrating the Eucharist, which you have the joy and honor of serving. The Eucharist is the treasure of the Church, the treasure of treasures."
Leo XIV did not seem to be concerned about the enthusiasm of age or the lack of maturity of his listeners to ask themselves the great vocational questions: "Also I hope that you will be attentive to the call of Jesus to follow him more closely in the priesthood. I speak to your consciences of enthusiastic and generous young men, and I will tell you something that you must hear, even if it worries you a little: the lack of priests in France, in the world, is a great shame! A shame for the Church!".
Before taking his leave, the Pope encouraged the young people to discover the greatness of the priestly vocation: "May they, little by little, Sunday after Sunday, discover the beauty, the happiness and the necessity of such a vocation. What a wonderful life is that of the priest who, at the center of each of his days, encounters Jesus in such an exceptional way and gives him to the world."
