Pray for Vocations
February 12, 1995
Brother John Raymond
I remember hearing about a very interesting homily given by a
priest during the Sunday Mass. After reading the Gospel the priest
stepped down from the pulpit and went to sit in the first pew. At
first everyone thought maybe Father didn't feel well and needed to
sit down. As minutes ticked away people started to squirm in their
pews, of course this could happen even under normal homily
circumstances. Father didn't seem to be moving from his seat. One of
the ushers finally got up the nerve to ask Father if he was all
right. He responded that he was fine. He then proceeded to stand up
and go to the pulpit. The people in church were on the edge of their
seat waiting to hear what Father was going to say. He very simply
explained that if they didn't pray for and encourage vocations to
the priesthood going to church would be as they had just experienced
- silence because of no priest. Father's homily may have seemed a
bit dramatic but it sure drove a hard lesson home to his listeners.
We may be tempted to think that our parish will always have a
priest. But the sad reality is that more and more parishes do not. I
had one woman write to me that her church has no priest. Instead of
Mass they have what is called a Communion Service. I recently read
that in England one parish is under the care of a permanent deacon
because of no priest. The parish church in our town has become a
mission church with a priest only coming from the next town for the
Sunday Masses. So it can happen to our parish.
Now this is not to say that there are no vocations - there are
plenty in other countries. When I was in Colombia a regional
seminary had 120 students with 70 more interested for the coming
year. But besides a few countries and dioceses in the western world
vocations for both the priesthood and religious life are facing a
serious shortage. Now we probably can think of a million reasons for
this shortage - I certainly don't have room to list that many here.
But three key thoughts come to my mind from my experiences in places
where there is an abundance of vocations:
1. Almost nobody is talking about and encouraging vocations in
parishes or schools. Countries with vocations very aggressively send
seminarians and others to talk with young people about a vocation.
They also invite them for a short weekend experience at the seminary
or religious house.
2. I remember someone saying one time that there is never a
shortage of people being called by God but a shortage of people
saying, "Yes." In other countries people are responding to God's
call.
3. Finally, and of course very much related to this column,
people praying for vocations. At a seminary I visited with many
vocations they had a special holy hour once a month specifically
dedicated to vocations.
We can help with all three of these key points. Regarding the
first point maybe we can encourage someone we know to consider a
vocation - it really can make a difference. The second point can't
be helped, unless we are being personally called, except by the
third point - prayer. Our prayers for vocations can obtain the grace
of a vocation for someone or change a person's "No" to a "Yes." Who
knows, maybe someone in your immediate circle of family and friends
could become a priest or religious. One mother did a holy hour every
day for her sons to have vocations and all five of them became
priests!
We should make vocations part of our intention in the Holy Mass,
when receiving Holy Communion, praying the Holy Rosary, etc. Oh, and
by the way, put in a couple of prayers for my Order, The Monks of
Adoration.