Pedagogy of vocation
32. Within this Gospel we search for a
corresponding pedagogy, which is that of Jesus, the authentic pedagogy of
vocation. This is the pedagogy that every vocations promoter or evangeliser
must know how to implement, in order to lead the young person to recognise the
Lord who calls, and to respond to Him.
If the point of reference of vocational
pedagogy is the mystery of Christ, the Son of God made man, there are many
significant aspects and dimensions in his "vocational" activity.
Above all, Jesus is presented to us in the
Gospels much more as formator than as promoter, precisely because He
always works in strictest union with the Father, who sows the seed of
the Word and educates (leads out from nothing), and with the Spirit who accompanies
along the path of sanctification.
These aspects open up particular
perspectives to those who are involved in pastoral work for vocations and are
therefore themselves called to be not only vocations promoters, but, even
before this, to be sowers of the good seed of vocation, and then accompaniers
along the path that leads the heart to "burn", educators in
the faith and in listening to the God who calls, formators of human and
Christian attitudes of responding to God's appeal;(96) and who are
called, finally, to discern the presence of the gift that comes from on
high.
These are the five central characteristics
of vocations ministry or the five dimensions of the mystery of the
call that, from God, arrives at the individual through the mediation of a
brother or sister, or community.
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