Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Hanoi (Fides Service) - Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, on a pastoral visit to Vietnam this morning 30 November, celebrated the feast of Saint Andrew with students and teaching staff at Hanoi major seminary. Reflecting in his homily on the Gospel account of how Jesus called Andrew and the other apostles, Cardinal Sepe said: “Each of us present here today has received a vocation and has listened to Jesus’ call to follow him and to recognise him as the source of life. We are called to enter into an intimate friendship, a personal relationship with him … we are called to put Christ at the centre of our life”. And he stressed the need to be faithful to the call “to love God in work, in studies, in the joys and sorrows of life and to reject anything which may separate us from Jesus”, adding that fidelity is built on humility, prudence, sincerity, charity, brotherhood, on a spirit of mortification and on prayer.
“The Lord demands that our heart be pure, detached, joyful, generous, in love with Him, with his word and his life” the Cardinal said, underlining that love of God leads seminarians to devote time, heart and intellect to preparing to become ‘fishers of men’ and lead as many as many men and women as possible to God and to the Church. “The goal of intellectual, human, spiritual, pastoral and missionary formation at the seminary is to help you become good evangelisers and shepherds” the Cardinal said urging the seminarians to acquire “a clear and deep lying mission awareness which will make you able and ready to work to proclaim Jesus Christ to the many non Christians in Vietnam who have yet to hear about Jesus and his Gospel”. Lastly, speaking of the mission which awaits them, the Cardinal reminded the future priests that although sent by their respective bishops in the name of the local Church, they belong to the universal Church and must therefore be in communion of love and obedience with the Supreme Pontiff, and all the bishops and priests”.
After Mass during an informal meeting with the seminary students and teaching staff and Cardinal Sepe remarked on the nature and mission of the priesthood and the importance for future priests of human and spiritual formation. Since “he is called to prolong the presence of Christ, the one high priest” - he said - a priest must acquire through prayer and meditation a correct understanding of the vocation to the priesthood which is not a calling of “social or cultural promotion”. If well lived the time at the seminary will prepare the seminarian to become a member of the community of priests: the priesthood is in fact a service to build “a Church which is communion in view of mission”.
Cardinal Sepe ended his address reminding the students of the urgency of mission saying that whole peoples and important areas of culture are waiting to be evangelised, in Vietnam many have yet to hear of Christ: “This is why - the Cardinal concluded - a missionary mind and heart are among the most important goals of your formation”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 30/11/2005, righe 39; parole 527)
