APRIL 23, 2026 DEACON MATTEO BERTOZZI
“No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father.”
You see, these words, they might sound at a first reading as a sort of
rebuke. You know, the gospel tells us that Jesus has performed the
miracle of the multiplication of the loaves, and then the people have
followed him, and the first thing they do is to ask him for a sign so that
they may believe in him.
And it sounds very plausible that Jesus is finally bored with these people
who are not believing anything, and so he just says, “Oh, you know
what, like no one can come to me unless drawn by the Father.”
It might sound that way, but we know that Jesus Christ doesn’t just lash
out at people.
And so, what do these words mean?
Why does he say, “No one can come to me unless drawn by the Father”?
You see, these words, they are not a rebuke from God. They’re actually
words of liberation.
Jesus is saying something very important for all of us: that in order to
know God, in order to go towards God, it’s not a matter of effort.
It’s not about getting everything right so that I may earn the right to
know God. No.
It says it’s a process of attraction. It’s God that takes the initiative.
You see, the good news of Christianity is not so much that we can know
God, but it’s primarily that God knows us. And not only He knows us,
but He desires us to be with Him. And so, He constantly calls us.
Easter is the memorial of the fact that when we were all lost, God made
a whole plan to come and get us. It’s God that comes to us. It’s God that
attracts us.
You know, to say, “Unless drawn by the Father,” it underlines that it’s
not simply a matter of intellectual knowledge. You see, what God wants
from us is not so much that we know Him in our brains, but that we love
Him. And so, He calls us.
It’s in the process of discernment of my vocation this has been a constant
theme. When I first heard the call to the priesthood, I really thought that
I was doing something for God.
You know, I experienced God was good with me, and I felt the call, and
even if I wasn’t too sure, I said, “Well, okay, I guess I’ll do it for God.”
But the more I went into discernment, the more I realized it was always
God that was calling me, because He knew that the priesthood was the
best life for me.
You see, it’s God that comes.
In my process of discernment, it was not only about me. It was
fundamental for me, the prayers of other people, my family, my friends,
people who pray for vocations, they have been fundamental. To feel the
support of them really made me understand that God was taking care of
me.
Now we’ll pass through the table of the Eucharist, in which it’s once
again God that comes. Literally, He comes down on the altar and calls
us. He says, “Are you hungry? Are you looking for meaning? Are you
looking for happiness in your life? I will give it to you.”
On this special day, we focus on transitional deacons, those preparing for
priestly ordination.We pray for them, and for all discerning the call to
priesthood, that they may embrace this journey with trust and generosity.
