My brothers and sisters: In this month of May, Pope Francis invites us to pray for the formation of religious and seminarians; so that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.For better and for worse, priests, religious sisters and brothers often take up leadership positions in their respective ministries. Becoming credible witnesses to the Gospel is arguably the most important criteria for their own leadership to be credible. What good is our church ministry when our lives do not reflect the life of Jesus Christ? We may think that their formation has very little to do with us, but the opposite is true. We have an important role to play in helping our priests, sisters, brothers and seminarians to grow in their vocation. It means that we need to start treating them as fellow human beings. Do not put us on a pedestal and treat us as if we are gods; rather, invite us out for a coffee, accept our limitations, but let us know when we are not being credible witnesses to the Gospel, and challenge us to be better. We need to hear it. Watch previous Pray with Pope Francis videos here.
