120,000 young people from the neocatecumenal road in vocational encounter with Kiko Argüello in Tor Vergata

Some 120,000 young people from the Neocatecumenal road participated on Monday, August 4, Ars Cura Day, in a vocational meeting in which Kiko Argüello, one of his initiators; and the other two members of the international team: María Ascension and Fr. Mario Pezzi.

The meeting, held in Tor Vergata – the same place where Pope Leo XIV presided over the vigil and closing mass of the jubilee of young people with more than one million souls – was chaired by Cardinal Italian Baldassare Reina, vicar of the Pope for the diocese of Rome. Together with him there were five other purple and about 30 bishops.

According to the website Of the Neocatechumenal road, the meeting was held in a party and communion atmosphere, with young people from about 50 countries in Europe, 30 countries in America, 11 countries in Africa and 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Oceania.

After the greeting of Cardinal Reina, accompanied by 100 priests from seminars Mother of the Redeemer From the Neocatecumenal road, the Virgin Mary icon entered the great stage to preside over the match along with a great crucifix. A photo of Carmen Hernández, La Sierva de Dios Español was also placed, who also initiates the Neocatecumenal road, now present in 138 countries of the world.

Ascension then spoke about San Juan María Vianney, the priest of Ars; and then move on to the readings of the day, in which the Gospel of St. Matthew (Mt 9,35-10,1) pointed out that “Mies is a lot, but the workers are few. I pray, then, to the owner of the Mies who sends workers to his mine.”

“What is the deepest desire of God? Giving you the gift of the Holy Spirit, of his life, of his happiness. But to give you this gift, God needs your freedom, because as Saint Augustine remembers: ‘God, who created you without you, will not save you without you,'” said Kiko Argüello in turn.

Looking at the crucifix, he said later: “I invite you to look at this cross: this is the image of freedom. The cross is the image of freedom. Here is a man who has delivered for you, who will make you free to give yourself to others and to stop offering everything yourself. How can you receive today the Holy Spirit? If you accept that you be crucified with Christ.”

The initiator of the Neocatecumenal road later reflected on the call that Jesus made to Peter, and his response to the Lord, his love for the path of holiness.

“The vocational call”

In this type of meetings, Argüello encourages to move forward to those who believe they can have a vocational call, priesthood or consecrated life, in what neocatechumenals call “the vocational call.”

“First the boys, 5,000 have risen!, And then the girls, 5,000 were built!, And they have been directed to the box to receive the blessing of the cardinals and the bishops. This first call will later be verified and matured in the different vocational centers,” says the website of the neocatechumenal road.

To conclude the event that has lasted about three hours, Cardinal Reina told the young people: “After hosting the keigma aspire to the greatest things, holiness.”

“That this is the response to the call of Pope León. The Lord has addressed us this invitation, the Lord calls us all holiness. Always let the Word of God, because God does not take away anything to our happiness,” he added.

Finally, the cardinal stressed that “for some of you today a path to happiness opens, to a full, full of God, full of happiness.”