Fourth Sunday of EASTER 2009

+ WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS +

This is the 46 th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Pope Benedict has written a letter to mark this day (full text can be found on www.vatican.va) The Pope lays stress on the fundamental importance of not losing hope and urges us to go on praying that labourers respond to the call to leave all and go into the Lord’s vineyard. In a strong plea not to lose heart, Pope Benedict writes:

“The Lord freely chooses persons of every culture and of every age and invites them to follow him according to the mysterious plan of his merciful love”.

When the Pope speaks of the ‘mysterious plan’ of Our Lord’s merciful love in freely choosing people I understand to what he is referring. When I left home to ‘try’ my vocation with the Passionists I was eighteen years of age. School was over and I had choices to make about what came next in my life. There were so many things I wanted to do – see the world, get a good job, one day get married and so much more. If God was not calling me to be a Passionist it would be possible for me to go on to do other things. At that stage I had no idea whether God was calling me or not. In those distant days I was considered a ‘late’ vocation. Many of those who joined the same day as I did had been at the minor seminary from their early teens. I had no clue when I was 13 what I wanted to do; it was difficult enough at 18!

I thought all the decisions were mine. I had no idea that God had ‘a mysterious plan of his merciful love’ with my name on it. Everyone reading these words is being asked to pray for guidance and examine God’s ‘mysterious plan’ that has only your name on it. Many will be called to be His witnesses in the world through the love and beauty of marriage and perhaps the blessing of children. Others will be called to the single life. Others will start off with such great hope and dreams to find that the relationship doesn’t work out. A few will be asked to consider entering consecrated life and living as a witness to the Kingdom by professing vows. Some males will be asked to become priests to preach the Word and celebrate the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist. God has not stopped calling in His mysterious way.

Church history, distant and recent, shows that there are shadows of failure and sin that have darkened the beauty of priesthood and religious life. There is no other response to these than to honestly acknowledge such failures and the enormous damage done. Pope Benedict does not gloss over this but courageously put forwards this strong call:

“Dear friends, do not become discouraged in the face of difficulties and doubts. Trust in God and follow Jesus faithfully and you will be witnesses of the joy that flows from intimate union with Him”.

Maybe a future Passionist parish priest of St Joseph’s is here at Mass reading this!

Aidan Troy (Aodahán, C.P.)