Each of us are called to “behold the Lamb of God.” This invitation which is given at each Mass prior to our reception of the Eucharist invites us to behold Jesus. We are also called to behold Jesus through each moment of our everyday life. One way in which we do this is to embrace our vocation in life and thus to assist others in coming to embrace their own vocation. Responding to our vocation is to chase after the Kingdom of Heaven.
We should all be praying for an increase of vocations within the Church. When I tell you to pray for vocations it is easy to think about priests and the consecrated life. We must also remember that marriage is a vocation and thus pray for the youth of our parish that they may in time enter into good and holy marriages which are entered into as a response to this call which comes to us from God.
The home is the primary place where children will receive their upbringing in the faith. For this reason it is very important for families to promote vocations. The Church is very much so in need of more priests, more who will enter into consecrated life, and more who will enter into marriage. How often does your own family promote these realities?
Without priests there cannot be the Eucharist nor the mercy of God found in the Sacrament of Confession. We are very much so in need of priests. Without those in consecrated life we miss out on their example of holiness. We are very much so in need of consecrated religious. Without men and women joining together in marriage society would begin to fall apart for the family is the building block of society. We are very much so in need of good and holy marriages.
The verse to our Responsorial Psalm is very difficult: “Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.” If we are to do the will of God that means that we need to put our own will to death. It means that we will pursue what God demands of us even if we are afraid and unsure of ourself. God does not call the perfect to be priests, but time and time again He calls ordinary people like you and me. Thus a vocation to the priesthood, religious life, or marriage is made up of ordinary people who are called to pursue holiness in their everyday life.
God called out to Samuel in our first reading. God also calls out to each of us and hopefully in time we allow ourself to discern the voice of God which is being made present within our life. Hopefully we can respond as Samuel did: “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
We live in the midst of a world which is filled with so much noise and thus it becomes near impossible for us to listen to the voice of God. We need to enter into silence and from here we need to listen for God’s voice. Prayer before and after Mass in the silence of the Church is a way to discover God’s voice, coming to the silence of the Blessed Sacrament chapel is a way to discover God’s voice, turning off the television or phone and entering into the silence of prayer is a way to discover God’s voice.
