Vocation, like life, is a path marked by stages, successes and failures. The decisive moment is always the unforeseen encounter with God, in which love rescues us from selfishness, calls us and sends us to our brothers and sisters on a mission of salvation.

The biblical narrative of Abraham’s encounter with God is a paradigm of any encounter: to open our tent to host the Other, the others, in an experience that transforms life and makes us confidants of God and the recipients of a blessing for humanity.

On the way to Damascus, Paul meets the Risen Christ. The impact is such that he becomes blind and experiences a radical change in his life. From opponent and persecutor, he becomes a disciple and apostle of Christ.

The encounters with the risen Christ take place upon the initiative of Jesus Who shows the Christian community how to be His witness in the world. An outstanding example is Jesus’ encounter with Peter who is rescued and given the ability to love and serve.

All the four Gospels describe the last moments of Jesus’ life. But only the evangelist John tells us about a surprise meeting at the foot of the cross: Mary, the apostle John and some women from Galilee are there to experience with Jesus the supreme moment of His life and mission.

In the last encounter, in the upper room, Jesus makes His last will and leaves an inheritance to those who follow Him. The farewell encounter is decisive for those who leave and for those who stay: to live a memory and to witness a person.

The joy of living, the capacity to receive and to be a gift for others are renewed in the encounter with Christ and in listening to His Word; it is at the feet of the Master that the mission is renewed, purifying the dynamism of service and spreading the scent of life.

In the Gospel of Luke we have a narrative of two special encounters where the essence is in the heart’s gaze and in the inner desire to see the face of Jesus. To believe is to recover this ability, this gift of raising our eyes, of fixing our gaze on that of Jesus and of anchoring in Him our desire…

Each day is a new beginning… we return to a path in search of fulfillment and personal happiness. For the Christian, life is a journey following Jesus. He writes the script and the decisive encounters happen, unforeseen, along the way.