“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
-Luke 10:2
This text, along with today’s Gospel in which Jesus describes himself as “The Good Shepherd” and the words of the prophet Jeremiah, “I will give you shepherds after my own heart” remind us of the importance to remain ceaseless in prayer that God will send us good and holy priests. Hence the Church has designated today as a World Day of Prayer for Vocations.
We have come to use the term “vocation” (which means “calling”) to describe the various ways in which, in a fairly stable manner, we live out that primary “call” to holiness—namely, our state in life, whether one is called to marriage, consecrated religious life, priesthood, diaconal service, etc. However, priestly and religious vocations probably come immediately to mind due to the dearth of those vocations since the close of the second Vatican Council. I have always pointed out that all true vocations—the living out of our call to holiness in the particular circumstances of our lives—beget vocations, so even as we should pray for priestly and religious vocations, we must also redouble our efforts to pray for truly holy marriages which embody sacrifice and commitment in a way which may become a bold witness to the wider culture which peddles a false “happiness” premised on a selfish “feel good” mentality. Holy marriages, lived in struggle, self-sacrifice and commitment, will beget vocations to religious life and priesthood.
We Must Pray Without Ceasing: 1) that God will continue to call men and women to those special vocations of service in the Church and; 2) that those who have been called will have the courage to answer that call with selfless abandon as they present themselves for formation and growth into the important ministries that will be entrusted to them. Our prayers should be deliberate, constant, and bold, but also accompanied by sacrifice.
But We Must Do More Than Pray!
There is a great story about a woman of tremendous faith who trusted in the words of the Lord who said, “ask and you shall receive”. She was a woman of little means, but of huge generosity. She often prayed that she might win the powerball jackpot and she had lavish plans to donate all the money to her favorite causes, for her parish, for her poor neighbors, for her struggling friends. In fact, she hadn’t given a single thought to what she might do for herself when she finally won the jackpot. One night she died and went to heaven. When she arrived, she was greeted as a woman of great faith and ushered to the throne of the Lamb, where Jesus embraced her and welcomed her to her eternal reward. “Do you have any questions, Mary?” our Lord asked her. “Just one,” she replied, “all these years, I prayed that I might win the jackpot so that I might do a lot of good with the winnings, and I never won…” She started. Jesus looked at her, a bit puzzled, scratched his head and responded, “It is true, Mary, you prayed for may years and we heard your prayers, but we were waiting for you to BUY A TICKET!” This story illustrates the importance of our own action not only in praying for vocations, but also in recognizing signs of a vocation and encouraging young people to consider that God might be calling them to priestly and/or religious vocations. If you even suspect that someone might be called buy God to one of these ministries, then— by all means—TELL THEM!!!
Don’t Be a NIMBY!
“Not In My Back Yard!” is a common refrain used when someone likes an idea, but doesn't like it enough to sacrifice one’s personal hopes for it. When it comes to vocations, this is sometimes the attitude of parents who fear that, if their daughter goes to the convent, or their son becomes a priest, that their prospect for grandchildren or the continuation of the family name is diminished or eliminated! Don’t be that person. Remember, God will not be outdone in generosity!
-Fr. Joseph Totton