Pope Francis: The greatest joy for every believer is to respond to God's call

Pope Francis said on Sunday that great joy is found when one offers one's life in the service of God's call.

“There are different ways to carry out the plan that God has for each of us, which is always a plan of love. … And the greatest joy for every believer is to respond to this call, to offer all of himself at the service of God and his brothers and sisters ”, said Pope Francis in his Angelus address on January 17.

Speaking from the library of the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the pope said that every time God calls someone it is "an initiative of his love".

"God calls to life, calls to faith and calls to a particular state in life," he said.

“God's first call is to life, through which he makes us persons; it is an individual calling because God doesn't do things in set. Therefore God calls us to faith and to become part of His family as children of God. Finally, God calls us to a particular state of life: to give ourselves on the path of marriage, or that of the priesthood or consecrated life ”.

In the live video broadcast, the pope offered a reflection on Jesus' first meeting and calling of his disciples Andrew and Simon Peter in the Gospel of John.

“The two follow Him and that afternoon they stayed with Him. It is not difficult to imagine them sitting asking Him questions and above all listening to Him, feeling their hearts inflame more and more as the Master spoke,” he said.

“They feel the beauty of the words that respond to their greatest hope. And suddenly they discover that, even if it is evening, ... that light that only God can give bursts into them. … When they go and go back to their brothers, that joy, this light overflows from their hearts like a rushing river. One of the two, Andrew, tells his brother Simon that Jesus will call Peter when he meets him: “We have found the Messiah”.

Pope Francis said that God's call is always love and should always be answered only with love.

"Brothers and sisters, faced with the call of the Lord, which can reach us in a thousand ways even through happy or sad people, events, sometimes our attitude can be one of rejection: 'No, I'm afraid" - rejection because it seems contrary to ours aspirations; and also fear, because we consider it too demanding and uncomfortable: “Oh I won't make it, better not, better a more peaceful life… God there, I'm here”. But God's call is love, we must try to find the love behind every call and respond to it only with love, ”he said.

“At the beginning there is the encounter, or rather, there is the 'encounter' with Jesus who speaks to us of the Father, makes us know his love. And then the desire to communicate it to the people we love arises spontaneously in us too: "I have met Love". "I have met the Messiah." "I met God." "I met Jesus." "I found the meaning of life." In a word: “I have found God” “.

The Pope invited each person to remember the moment in their life when "God made himself more present, with a call".

At the end of his address at the Angelus, Pope Francis expressed his closeness to the population of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, which was hit by a strong earthquake on January 15.

“I pray for the dead, for the wounded and for those who have lost their homes and jobs. May the Lord comfort them and support the efforts of those who have pledged to help, ”the pope said.

Pope Francis also recalled that the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" will begin on January 18. This year's theme is "Remain in my love and you will bear much fruit".

“In these days, let us pray together that Jesus' desire may be fulfilled: 'May all be one'. Unity is always greater than conflict, ”he said.