Pope John Paul II on his vocation.

The late Pope John Paul II will be beatified on May 1st next, the second Sunday of Easter (Divine Mercy Sunday). The video above, through the words of John Paul, reminds us of the centrality of Jesus Christ in the vocation of those whom he calls to serve him. In preparation for the upcoming beatification, there are some very good resources available online. There is an excellent facebook page http://www.facebook.com/vatican.johnpaul2 and YouTube has many videos to view at http://www.youtube.com/giovannipaoloII

Pope John Paul had much to say during the years of his pontificate on the subject of vocations. Here are some quotable quotes:

"In the hidden recesses of the human heart the grace of a vocation takes the form of a dialogue. It is a dialogue between Christ and an individual, in which a personal invitation is given. Christ calls the person by name and says: "Come, follow me." This call, this mysterious inner voice of Christ, is heard most clearly in silence and prayer. Its acceptance is an act of faith."

"Do not be slow to answer the Lord’s call! From the passage of the Book of Exodus read to us in this Mass we can learn how the Lord acts in every vocation (cf. Ex 3:1–6, 9–12). First, he provokes a new awareness of his presence—the burning bush. When we begin to show an interest he calls us by name. When our answer becomes more specific and like Moses we say: "Here I am" (cf. v. 4), then he reveals more clearly both himself and his compassionate love for his people in need. Gradually he leads us to discover the practical way in which we should serve him: "I will send you." And usually it is then that fears and doubts come to disturb us and make it more difficult to decide. It is then that we need to hear the Lord’s assurance: "I am with you" (Ex 3:12). Every vocation is a deep personal experience of these words: "I am with you."

It is also important to remember that the life, ministry, words and the death of John Paul II have inspired many men and women to follow their vocation as priests and religious. When he is beatified, we can expect that many will ask through his intercession, for guidance and discernment and will follow the Lord in the path of service.