“Vocation has never been separated from suffering”: Religious in Guinea-Bissau Urged to Persevere amid Trials

He noted that perseverance should not be understood as the absence of suffering but as the willingness to continue the journey despite hardships.

“God did not promise His disciples an easy mission, but He did promise His constant presence to those who remain faithful to the Gospel,” the Catholic Bishop said.

He further warned that fear of difficulties can obscure the true meaning of Religious vocation and urged the newly professed friars to renew daily their commitment through prayer, service, and fidelity.

“The commitment you have made is a free response to God’s love and must be renewed daily,” he said.

The Capuchin Bishop noted that Religious Life finds its fullest meaning when rooted in complete trust in God.

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“It is precisely this trust that enables Religious to remain steadfast in times of crisis, overcome difficulties, and continue serving the Church with joy, humility, and hope, even when the path becomes demanding,” he said.

He went on to describe vocation as an ongoing process through which God transforms those He calls, insisting that the Lord seeks willing hearts rather than perfect individuals.

“The Lord is not looking for perfect people but for hearts willing to be shaped by His grace and placed at the service of the Gospel,” Bishop Quematcha said.

Warning against excessive reliance on personal abilities, knowledge, or achievements, he reminded the faithful that the strength of Consecrated Life comes from God’s transforming action.

“Jesus did not look only at what people were at that moment, but at what they could become. Christ called simple and limited men, making them witnesses of the Gospel through the power of divine grace rather than through their natural abilities,” he said. 

Bishop Quematcha encouraged the newly professed Religious to entrust every step of their vocation to God, saying that the mission of Consecrated Life bears lasting fruit only when lived in complete dependence on the Lord.

“Religious must understand that vocation does not consist in relying on one’s own strength but in allowing God to guide every step of their journey. The mission bears fruit only when Religious place their talents, knowledge, and abilities entirely at the service of God and the Church,” he said.