On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, the Daughters of Jesus join the universal Church in celebrating the gift of the call. As Pope Leo XIV reminds us in his message for this year, vocation is not a human project, but a transforming encounter with the Love that precedes us and launches us into mission.
In his words for this day, the Pope reminds us that vocation is above all a: “discovery of the free gift of God that blossoms in the depths of the heart of each one of us”. He also adds a fundamental key to understanding it: “it is never an imposition… but a project of love and happiness”.
These words resonate strongly when we contemplate the life of Antoñita, our young Blessed. In her we see how this gift was accepted with simplicity and trust, turning into a life of total dedication.
God’s dream: Our common goal
In the Determination of the GCXIX (N. 25) we are invited to encourage vocation ministry. Our commitment is to help each young woman to clarify the dream that God has for her life, with the conviction that this dream can be fully realized as a Daughter of Jesus.
Under the shelter of Antoñita: Companion on the road
The vitality of our charism is reflected in the faces of those who have said “yes” and today are going through their first stages in the Congregation. In this journey, they are not alone. They count on the intercession of Blessed Maria Antonia Bandrés (Antoñita), patroness of the Daughters of Jesus in initial formation.
Antoñita, with her dedicated youth and deep joy, teaches us that vocation is a trusting abandonment into the hands of the Father. Her life is a reminder that holiness is possible through simplicity and daily commitment to the Kingdom.
Today, April 27, on his feast of “passing over to the Father,” we place our sisters in initial formation under his special protection:
A space for prayer
We invite you to join us in our prayer. Pause, silence your heart and ask the Lord of the harvest to continue to raise up generous hearts.
We would especially like to invite you to pray:
- For those who are in the process of discernment
- For young women in initial training
- For new vocations that dare to respond generously to the challenges of the future.
Good Father God,
who continues to call and sow life in the heart of the world,
awaken also today courageous and generous young people
who want to follow Jesus with joy and freedom.
Give birth in many hearts
to the desire for a life dedicated, fraternal and full of meaning;
a life that cares, accompanies, brings peace and joy
where hope is most needed.
Encourage and strengthen vocations with simple hearts,
capable of listening to your voice in the midst of the noise,
to walk with others, to love without measure
and to serve with audacity in the peripheries of the world.
Like Antoñita, may we know how to live with an open heart, trusting fully in God and placing our lives at the service of others.
