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各位教友： 剛過去的兩個主日，澳洲教會鼓勵我們為聖召祈禱，提到聖召，我們即時聯想到這是修道式的神修生活，與普通人無關。 作為天主教友，我們應時刻學習細心聆聽天主的召叫，這召叫並非單單是領洗作衪的兒女，學習去愛，去服務，而是運用個人獨特的天賦才華，為成就天國的事業而不斷自我進階，以邁上成聖之路。 其實，聖召本身並不是一份工作、又或是一份職業，聖召是不斷更新自我的靈修生活，孜孜不倦地、窮一生的心力去尋覓天國的道。 再者，聖召來自個人深藏於內心的一份洞悉及內觀，人生的意向，往往需要這份細緻的洞悉及體察，以明辨那決定是否真是天主的意向。這說起來容易，實行起來真不是一件易事，種種個人的執見、友朋的影響及不同的文化風俗，對不少個人的決定均具有深遠的影響力。 或許你早已為自己的人生意向「定了音」，在團體中倡議及鼓勵這份對聖召的回應，尤其是年青人，從而選擇過神修生活，的確需要團體長久的鼓勵及真誠的協助。 在此，我邀請你多為這份珍如拱壁的志向祈禱，願聖神的光燃亮那一顆顆年青的心，慷慨地對聖召作出回應。 主佑， 莫靖龍神父 (此乃莫神父致教友書信之意譯，書信內容以英文為準) |
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Dear Parishioners: For the last two weekends, the church in Australia has been invited to meditate on the gift of vocations. Usually when we hear this word, we immediately think about vocations to the priesthood or consecrated life. Since we see them so far away from where we are in our life choices, we tend to put the thought aside immediately. It is important, however, that as Catholics we dedicate time to meditate on the reality of our own calling. Not only the calling we have received from God to be his children, or our calling to live and love; to holiness and discipleship; to witness and service. Each of us in invited to deeply meditate on the fact that every person is born with a unique package of potential, God-given gifts and talents that are given for self and others. We need to meditate seriously on where and how can these best be nurtured and developed? And most importantly how can I become my best self for the sake of the kingdom? Vocation then, should not awake in us the sense of a job or a career, finding and living our own vocation should be seen as the life-long process of becoming fully alive! The idea of vocation is strongly related to the idea of Discernment. Discernment is a process by which we are helped to come to a decision. This is very important to remember and consider when it comes to making life choices. Discernment then, is about how we can come to a decision that includes our faith and belief systems. It is a process of distinguishing or separating what is of God from what is not of God. This may sound easy at first but when we realise that while many of our impulses come from God, many also come from our own ego, from our culture, and from peer pressure. Maybe in our community most of us had already made our choices for life. However, it is important that we develop communities and societies that nurture the idea on the responsibility to find our own particular calling, we need to encourage future generations to take seriously their live choices, and particularly to encourage younger generations to consider seriously their calling to the priesthood or to consecrated life. I think is important we encourage our children and youth to pray to God for their own vocation and search for this seriously and responsibly. I want to finish this message with an invitation to keep praying to the Lord to illuminate the hearts of many young people to answer with generosity to his calling of love. Peace in Jesus Fernando Montano MG |