Dear Parish Ministers, Religious Ed Students, Parish Families and Friends,
Pax Christi semper vobiscum!
In June we began our Adoration for Vocations and Solemn Vespers with the intention of praying for priestly and religious vocations. It is scheduled every Sunday at 5:00pm, before the evening Mass. I understand that the Liturgy of the Hours is not something that many are familiar with. It is a public prayer of the Church that is communal in nature like the Mass. It is the prayer of Jesus Christ Himself that transforms the community into His voice in praising God the Father.
We pray for holy vocations because we need ministers who will continue the mission of Jesus Christ. We need the dispensers of His Sacraments. I need your support to promotion of vocations to the priestly and religious life among our families. In the long run, however, our prayer for holy vocations encompasses also “other calls” that God would like us to respond to as members of the Church. Married life, single blessedness and lay consecration are other ways by which one can unreservedly respond to God’s call. However, we are aware that our generation is challenged with life decisions. Many young people these days are unaware of their vocation, or even realize that God has a particular calling for them, because they have no opportunity to listen attentively to His voice in their hearts. The purpose of our communal prayer for vocations is to guide our young people towards prayerful attentiveness so they can hear accurately the voice of God.
Our unified collaboration is needed to achieve this goal. We ought to set aside a little bit of our time for prayer. An hour of attentive listening before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament can surely help many to deepen their relationship with Jesus. This is the sole purpose of our parish-wide Adoration for Vocations. Sunday afternoons are normally a down time for many families. Watching a Sunday football game or reading a book are perhaps common for Sunday recreation. I for myself would rather take a nap to get ready for the evening Mass at 6:00pm. But I believe that a little bit of sacrifice will bring us something quite worthy of our time and energy. I come for adoration because I ask Jesus for priests who can replace me when I have finished what I ought to contribute to His mission.
I offer the following proposal. Would it be possible that participation in our Sunday Adoration for Vocations be assigned to various groups and parish organizations? Each group would have their specific Sunday of prayer. However, each and all are welcome to participate on other Sundays that they are not assigned to according to their willingness and availability. See below for your reference:
First Sunday: Lectors and Ministers of Communion
Second Sunday: First Communion Students, both 1st and 2nd Year
Third Sunday: All Parish Groups and Choir Groups
Fourth Sunday: Confirmation Students, both 1st and 2nd Year
Our parish families are invited to come every and any Sunday they prefer. This is our best response to the command of Jesus Christ:
“The harvest is great, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest.”
(Mt. 9:38-39)
The invocation that we say during our communal prayers is another way of reminding ourselves of our response to the divine command. “Send O Lord, Holy Apostles into your Church.” I hope you decide to come and pray with us on Sunday evenings. Our lives are more meaningful when we realize that what we are doing right now is our response to God’s call to prayer as an investment of grace for our young people.
Sincerely in Christ and Mary,
