Vocational Encounter Journey Being Young Today: What is the Calling For?

 The Little Shepherd Sisters of Boa Vista – Roraima, share the joys of vocational work with young people, which has been taking place in our community: vocational afternoons with young people from the age of 14. These are mixed monthly meetings, aimed at helping them discover God's plan for their lives. They take place in our house, on the last Saturday of each month, with themes related to vocation, within the liturgical season. Young Larissa Victoria Santos Pereira, 19 years old and a Psychology student, left an important testimony for everyone:

Participating in the meetings at the Little Shepherd Sisters' house has been a very good experience for me. In addition to experiencing moments of sharing and prayer, I have learned more about my faith and about the importance of seeking God's will for my life. One of the things that has most marked me was getting to know vocations better and understanding that each person has a special calling. This has helped me reflect more on my future and on how I can serve God and others. The meetings have been a time of learning, growth, and great joy. I am very grateful for everything I am experiencing and learning along this path.

Also in communion with the preparation for the 5th Vocational Congress, which will take place in Aparecida do Norte, the Vocational Animation Service of the Diocese of Roraima planned a year of activities with young people. We, the Little Shepherdess Sisters, are also part of this team and want to share the vocational encounter that took place at the Pope Francis Charity House, located in Boa Vista. It was a very beautiful moment, rich in sharing life, creativity, prayer and silence.

We noticed that the group is growing in self-knowledge and in the discovery of their vocation. The sharing of some of the participants of the encounter confirms the beauty of providing young people with opportunities for fellowship and prayer for their lives: We experienced an afternoon of much interaction, sharing, knowledge and learning. These were special moments to reflect on God's call in our lives and to understand that whatever vocation we are called to, we are all invited to be God's voice in this world. Throughout the meeting, we were led to a greater understanding of ourselves and a deepening of our faith, recognizing that God continues to call and send each one of us on mission. The time to serve God is today. We do not own tomorrow, but we have the present as an opportunity to respond to the Lord's call. May we not postpone what God asks of us now, but may we be willing to proclaim His word and witness His love everywhere.

May Jesus the Good Shepherd teach us to cast our nets into deeper waters and not to be afraid or resistant in vocational work, for life and vocation do not belong to us, but to God, and He certainly takes care of those He calls.

Sr Uezineire Ribeiro, sjbp

Comunità di Boa Vista/RR