Embracing Our Vocation

 - January 6, 2016

 

This Sunday we celebrate the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. It also marks the beginning of National Vocation Awareness Week, in which the Church invites all Catholics to pray for the renewal and strengthening of all Christian vocations: to marriage, to single life, to the many forms of consecrated life, and to ordained ministry as bishops, priests, and deacons. These “states of life” take root in the fundamental Christian vocation we all share by virtue of our baptism: we are “God’s beloved children, in whom the Father is well pleased.” Concretely, this means that we are called to life and love, to holiness and discipleship, to share in the mission of Christ: bringing about the Kingdom through the generous sharing and stewardship of our gifts and talents.

We sometimes hear of a “vocation shortage” in the Church. Yet God never stops calling! We all have a vocation, for God calls each of us by name. The choices we make are our way of responding to the call given to us in baptism and confirmation. The challenge is not to find out whether you “have” a vocation; it is to identify and respond to the vocation you already have.”

Please keep the prayer below and pray it throughout the week – and beyond. As we pray for a flourishing of vocations in our local Church, may we be faithful to our own!

Prayer for Vocations
Loving and Generous God, You call us by name and ask us to follow You. Help us to grow in love and service of our Church as we experience it today. Give us the energy and courage of Your Spirit to shape its future. Grant us faith-filled leaders who will embrace Christ's Mission of love and justice. Bless the Church of Montreal, and our Parish of St. Monica, by raising up dedicated and generous leaders from our families and friends who will serve Your people:
as Priests and Deacons, as Sisters and Brothers,
as Committed Lay Ministers, in Marriage and in Single Life. Inspire us to know and love You better, and open our hearts to hear Your call and give it a generous response. We ask this through Christ our Lord. AMEN!!