Pope Francis’ Message for the 2021 55th World Communications Day strikes a familiar chord not only for one who is committed in the field of communication but also for one who is involved in formation. Reading «“Come and See” (Jn 1:46). Communicating by Encountering People as They Are», I cannot help but connect the Pope’s Message, – who underlines the encounter with real people for who they are and where they are – with what is happening in our vocation promotion activities and in the initial formation that takes place in our communities.
A good number of elements and observations in the Message can be helpful in reviewing and reinventing our vocation promotion. Pope Francis, recalling one of the «first moving encounters of Jesus with the disciples», writes that “come and see” «continues to be essential» and still to be «the method for all authentic human communication», using «every tool» possible, in the example of the «great communicator who was Paul of Tarsus», who lived fully «his faith, hope and charity». More concretely, the Pope adds that in the method “come and see”, the communication should be «clear and honest», the encounter should be very personal – face-to-face, heart-to-heart – in contrast with the impersonal and often times spectacular mediation of the sounds and images that we “encounter” in the Internet, especially social media, but of short-lived impact on the user. Real encounter, the Pope affirms, makes the person remember «newsworthy details» that remain as fresh as when they were «more than half a century later». Regarding communications media, those elements uploaded in the Internet will have life-changing impact on persons only when this «flood of images and testimonies» will not be «manipulated», that is, not «fake news», but rather are borne out of «curiosity, openness, passion» by those «who often risk their lives in carrying out their work».
“Come and see” is still our strategy in our vocation promotion sorties, as we find it in our Formation Iter? Is it simply a slogan or is it an operative commitment? Promoting vocations should be every member’s primary concern that starts with praying for good vocations. Our Blessed Founder said that we ourselves should not be the cause of losing vocations. One «most effective means» of promoting it is to let «the Aspirants themselves» write about it «to their Parents, Parish Priests, former school companions and younger relatives» of their community experience «that they are happy, and extend an invitation to others» (UPS I, 340). However, it is also true that, from our observations and surveys, many of our formands also speak and write about their negative experiences, of «not finding in the community and in our apostolic activities what is shared during vocation promotion», of «not being valued enough for their talents», of «indifference and discouraging examples of some members», of «being left to themselves», of just «running on the four wheels routinely». In coming to us, one of the things young people seek is the «life of fraternity» that they could “see”, “hear” and “touch”. Even those who appreciate enough community life, they still long for more, especially of having more frequent and personal encounters, not formal nor polite ones, or just «for the sake of meeting» and, as Pope Francis writes, to have instead «person-to-person, heart-to-heart encounters». It is much easier to say, “come” on our part but it is much harder to “see” on the part of the seekers the reality expected from us in many of our communities. Pope Francis further invites us that «we need to go and see» people, «spend time» with them, «listen to their stories and to confront reality», the reality of the young who live with us in order to experience who we really are and what we are supposed to do.
Analogous to what the Pope observes with regard to news reporting that «adheres to a standard, often tendentious narrative», some of our vocation promotion contents may have been too idealized, standardized, created in our computers, pirated from social media agencies or directly lifted up from our documents that remain only, in many instances, ideals. An example of it is on «common life» which is one of our basic identities in the Church, a «means for acquiring the virtue of charity through mutual respect, bearing of one another’s burdens, cultivating humility; since “the unity of the brethren is a symbol of the coming of Christ and is a source of great apostolic power”» (Const., Art 6). However, our candidates, on «hitting the streets» and alleys of our communities and apostolic sectors, encountering persons in flesh and blood and «verify certain situations first hand», they find different realities, like those already mentioned above.
We are entering the season of Lent and I am reminded of the last phrase of our Program of Life etched beside the Tabernacle: «Be sorry for sins». To have a real encounter with God, with the young, and to care for the common home – exactly, the community – we are asked to be converted and live the Gospel that is a consequence of our fundamental option and is realized «by entering into a relation with Jesus». If we do not convert our mind from «it has been done always this way in the past», we will not «risk our lives in carrying our work» in communicating with the young of today. Let us aim at the conversion of the heart that makes us witnesses more than simply teachers, «not merely with words, but with our eyes, the tone of our voice and our gestures», and including even our «silence». When will change happen? If not now, tomorrow will be too late!
