Having come down from the mountain, Jesus summoned those whom He wished and chose them in order to be with Him, to have them at His side and knowing their background, trained them and taught them to live according to His example and gave authority so that they might carry on the mission which he had received from His Father.
All of us are called by God to “listen to” and obey Him. But for some Christ has appointed to be apostles, others as prophets, as evangelists and teachers. So too those who are “anointed and consecrated…” This is envisaged in the very life of Jesus, as at the beginning of his ministry, in the synagogue at Nazareth, Jesus announces that the Spirit has Consecrated him to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to captives, to give sight back to the blind, to set the oppressed free, to declare a year of favour from the Lord.
Perhaps, the post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata underlines: “In the image of Jesus the Beloved Son “whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world” those whom God calls to follow him are also consecrated and sent into the world to imitate his example and to continue his mission. Fundamentally, this is true of every disciple. In a special way, however, it is true of those who, in the manner that characterizes the consecrated life, are called to follow Christ “more closely” and to make him the “all” of their lives”.
Given the situation the changes taking place in society and the decrease in the number of vocations are weighing heavily on the consecrated life in some regions of the world. The apostolic works of many institutes and their very presence in certain local Churches are endangered. For Consecrated persons are called to be a leaven of communion at the service of the mission of the Universal Church by the very fact that the manifold Charisms of their respective Institutes are granted by the Holy Spirit for the good of the entire Mystical Body, whose up building they must serve.
These three aspects – listening, discerning and living – were also present at beginning of Jesus’ own mission, when, after his time of prayer and struggle in the desert, he visited his synagogue of Nazareth. There, he listened to the word, discerned the content of the mission entrusted to him by the Father, and proclaimed that he came to accomplish it “today”.
This “today” that Jesus proclaimed assures us that God continues to “come down” to save our human family and to make us sharers in his mission. The Lord continues to call others to live with him and to follow him in a relationship of particular closeness. He continues to call others to serve him directly. If he lets us realise that he is calling us to consecrate ourselves totally to his kingdom, then we should have no fear! It is beautiful – and a great grace – to be completely and forever consecrated to God and the service of our brothers and sisters.
