Vocation Easter Message: Sharers in His Resurrection
Dear young men considering religious life and the priesthood,
St. Eugene de Mazenod, the founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, describes his joy at his first Easter celebration as a seminarian at Saint Sulpice:
“What a ravishing ceremony for Christians, how the heart was bursting, what joy as one joined with the whole Church of heaven and earth to celebrate the glorious Resurrection of Our Saviour.
After journeying with him through the sad event of his Passion, after weeping over the torments that our sins made him endure, how consoling it is to see him rise triumphant over death and hell, and what gratitude must fill our hearts at the thought that this good Master has really willed to make us sharers in his resurrection, destroying the sin that is in us and giving us a new life.” (Letter to his mother, 4 April 1809, EO XIV n 50)
It is indeed a great joy and blessing that Christ made us “sharers in his resurrection”, “giving us a new life”! At the Easter Vigil, the darkness of the church is broken when the Paschal Candle is brought into the church with the acclamation “Christ our Light!” This is a fundamental message of our Christian faith: Christ is risen, He is alive and He is our light guiding us on the journey of life!
Discovering this light is a journey of discernment. Have you considered becoming an Oblate missionary, as a priest or brother? You will have the opportunity to witness the risen Christ through your missionary commitment in an apostolic community, reaching out to the poor and marginalized of our society, and being an ambassador of the radical hospitality that Christ offers. “Awareness of our own short-comings humbles us, yet God’s power makes us confident as we strive to bring all people – especially the poor – to full consciousness of their dignity as human beings and as sons and daughters of God.” (OMI Const. 5) Will you consider the calling?
So wherever you are on your journey, embrace the message of Easter today! May the light of Christ shine in your life, guiding you on this journey of faith. Just as the first community of Christians did, we strive to live in words and action, being witnesses to the Easter message, “We have seen the Lord!”
Blessed Easter to all!
On behalf of the OMI Lacombe Canada Vocation Team,
Fr. Jarek Pachocki, OMI
Vocation Director
OMI Lacombe Canada – Vocation Team contact info:
