J.M.J.
No doubt about it: there is significant interest in
increasing the number of vocations to the Priesthood and the Consecrated Life
on the part of many concerned Catholics throughout the United States and other
countries.
The Most Reverend Robert James Carlson (1944- ), the Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Louis and the
former Chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Vocations, once stated that
on telling Pope Saint John Paul II during the 1993 World Youth Day in Denver
that he was chairman of that vital committee within the National Conference of
Catholic Bishops, the Holy Father remarked, “I pray for vocations in your
country every day.”
The Pontiff, too, cared deeply about the vocations
picture in “the land of the free.”
So many creative initiatives aimed at promoting vocations
have been tried. Some have been successful, others have not. What has been
observed is that vocations to the Priesthood and the Consecrated Life come
expressly from an authentic calling from God and—more often than not—are
nurtured within a supportive family and by the gentle, persistent encouragement
of priests, consecrated persons, friends and/or some important person like a
teacher or employer.
Moreover, the attention paid to attracting more vocations
reminds us of an all-too-forgotten truth: “We are all in this together.” No
longer can any Catholic genuinely claim that the reality of fewer vocations to
the Priesthood and the Consecrated Life does not concern him or her. Each
Catholic has a legitimate, pressing responsibility to pray and work for
additional vocations, knowing well that many parishes no longer have a resident
priest. And each Catholic has a duty to pray and work for holy marriages among
our people.
Young people should be aware that by becoming a
priest, deacon, sister, brother, consecrated virgin or hermit, they not only
respond affirmatively to the divine summons but they also answer the heartfelt
pleas of so many of the faithful for “laborers in the Lord’s vineyard.”
It has been said that the Church in the United States
will receive more vocations when all Catholics perceive the challenge of
increasing vocations as one that affects them personally. Until that day, we will
labor under the burden of insufficient numbers of clergy and consecrated persons.
The clergy and consecrated persons share the burden of
encouraging vocations. If they are holy and happy, then they will stir the
souls of those who are seeking their true calling. By impressing upon their
listeners that they would gladly make the same choice today, the clergy and
consecrated persons foster a love for their respective vocations and perform a
valuable task for the Church of tomorrow by helping to assure plenty of vocations.
The plaguing question of why more vocations are not
forthcoming in our land may perhaps best be answered by glancing at the scene
in countries where more vocations exist. Why do some of these materially
underdeveloped countries experience a boon in vocations to the Priesthood and the
Consecrated Life? Because such vocations are “natural”—they are not out of the
ordinary. It is not unusual for Catholic families in these economically poor
but spiritually rich nations to be the seedbed for a priest or two and a consecrated
person as well.
Sadly, in much of the West, Catholic families boasting
of a priest or consecrated person have gone the way of Catholic families having
four or more children. What was once fairly common is now virtually unheard of.
Yet, there is hope for more vocations.
The old saying has more than a little merit: We should
pray as if it all depended on God and work as though it all depended on us.
With earnest prayer and diligent effort on the part of all Catholics, we can
avoid the gloomy prospect of fewer vocations. The Church of Jesus Christ in the
United States and throughout the world deserves better.
No comments:
Post a Comment