Lectionary Cycle C, Reflections on Mass Readings — September 30, 2010 at 12:00 am

A Prayer for the Response and Success of Vocations

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Today’s Gospel Reading comes from Luke 10:1-12:

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples
whom He sent ahead of Him in pairs
to every town and place He intended to visit.
He said to them,
“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves his payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you,
go out into the streets and say,
‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet,
even that we shake off against you.’
Yet know this: the Kingdom of God is at hand.
I tell you,
it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day
than for that town.”


In every age of the Catholic Church our priests have been attacked and tempted by Satan. In every age those who have been called to serve God have also been called by Satan to serve themselves instead. Despite the fact that God has never ceased to provide laborers (priests, deacons, religious, and laity) for His Church, we still hear those same old echoes from Satan in our midst calling for lower rather than greater standards; calling for an end to the discipline of celibacy for our traditional Latin Rite priests and calling for the ordination of women. Do we dare ask, ‘What is God calling for?’

One of the great beauties of the all-male celibate priesthood that is that it is one of the most counter-cultural institutions in the whole world. In a global culture that is sinking deeper and deeper into total sexual objectification and purposelessness, the all-male celibate priesthood stands out like a morning rose whose pedals are breaking at the rays of the sun. That God has sustained, protected, purified it for 2,000 years and continues to protect, purify, and protect it is proof of its divine calling and the love that God has for His Church. There is no rational bases to suppose that in this culture that the men showing up to enter seminary should be on the rise, but in almost every country outside of Europe that is the case. If we continue to trust God to take care of His own Church He will. All that each one of us needs to do is respond to our own call and prayerfully assist our neighbors in responding to theirs.


A Prayer for the Response and Success of Vocations
O’ God of all power and might,
Fill your Church up with those you have called to serve your children.
Be hearts of those you have called to be priests so that they might love with a deep sacrificial love.
Be the hands of those you have called to be deacons so that they might serve with humility, strength, and gentleness.
Be the ears of those you have called to religious life so that they might listen to you and know what to pray for and how to pray.
Be the eyes and feet of those you have called to the lay ministry so that they might always see where they are needed and have the perseverance to complete their mission.
Eternal Father, we ask you to send us more laborers in Holy name of your and Beloved Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

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Scripture texts in this blog are taken from the New American Bible with Revised New Testament and Revised Psalms © 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
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