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Today's readings reflect on
God's call to follow him and proclaim his word to others. In the reading
from 1 Samuel we hear about Samuel's call when he was just a young boy.
Sometimes God's call occurs when we are very young. There is a stirring
in the heart of the young to devote themselves to God's cause for the
rest of their lives. For others, like the apostles in John's gospel, the
call comes later in life. Discipleship was a second career for all of
the apostles. Whether young or more mature, vocations need
encouragement.
Anyone struggling with a vocation needs the support of a community of
faith. "Is God really calling me to be a priest or deacon,
religious brother or sister?" These questions are perfectly normal and
need to be answered by anyone who feels the tug of the Lord in their
life. When I was a boy growing up in St. Kilian parish there was a
wonderful community of daily Mass people who often expressed their
interest in my success in the high-school seminary at Quigley South.
Their support made it clear to me that there was a community which
supported and encouraged my call to the priesthood.
When youngsters ask questions about the faith or our religious
practices, each of us has the opportunity to support vocations in our
own family and community. A vocation to a life of religious service is
very countercultural today. When I was teaching in the high-school
seminary I would often hear parents say, "I would never discourage my
son from entering the priesthood." I suppose those parents thought that
they were being supportive. I would respond that if their youngster had
expressed an interest in becoming a doctor or a lawyer would they just
not discourage them, or would they enthusiastically encourage them?
We live in interesting times for our church and for our society. In many
ways we are loosing our connectedness to family and the community around
us. Priesthood and religious life are all about serving the community of
the church. As God gifts us with people who hear that call we must
encourage them to respond with generous hearts and our fullest support.
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