We are well into Lent. Almost half way through... Do we need a little motivation to stay faithful to the disciplines which we are imposing on ourselves; those gestures of faith which are intended to draw us to Christ?
Prayer and fasting for vocations just might be the motivation we need! Have you offered up prayers during the time you would normally be eating? Can you offer your pain whether self-imposed or given by your circumstances to God for holy priests and religious. I hope so. Suffering by itself is meaningless, but we can offer it for the salvation of souls, for the holiness of our families and for vocations. This way our lenten sacrificial sufferings can take on a lot of meaning!
A cardinal of the Church recently remarked: “We do not have a vocational crisis. We have a human crisis.” The problem is not simply that we don’t have enough priests and religious. The problem is that we live the majority of our life without God. You know as well as I that our culture does not support our belief in God, our vive Dieu. We are living in a time of much amusement and little meaning. We need to recall that He is present. He is there at your work, in your home, everywhere you go. The pressure of our culture is just the opposite! Our culture tells us we are self sufficient, self motivated, and selfish. These are lies which, like any lie, can only take us so far... and in fact we will always be frantically searching for pleasure and amusement in the midst of these lies.
God will call who he wills. But it is certainly within all our vocations to foster an environment full of goodness: devotion, culture, family, food and fun. Each of our homes can become a local culture where Christianity, where Catholicism is fostered. Think of it this way: in the Middle Ages monks invented beer for Fridays in lent because they couldn’t eat meat but still need sustenance to work in the fields. Now if that is not a connection between devotion, culture, family, food and fun, I don’t know what is! We Catholics need to reclaim all those traditions and ways of living that enrich our lives. Yes especially during Lent. We are to fast greatly, but always with that cheer in our hearts, that joy of knowing what this world is for, knowing that we are making our way to an eternal feast, and we best prepare!
Another way of saying this is: If ever we celebrate Saint Patrick’s day without devotion, culture and family - without true friendship with God and neighbor - then the food and the fun end in meaningless pleasure seeking, foolishness and drunkenness. But if God is present, if our devotion runs high, and if our friendships are formed around a culture which aims at high heaven, then Ah! what a Feast it is! Fasting and feasting, Lent to Easter, our life to heaven, every life to his or her vocation!
Prayer and fasting for vocations just might be the motivation we need! Have you offered up prayers during the time you would normally be eating? Can you offer your pain whether self-imposed or given by your circumstances to God for holy priests and religious. I hope so. Suffering by itself is meaningless, but we can offer it for the salvation of souls, for the holiness of our families and for vocations. This way our lenten sacrificial sufferings can take on a lot of meaning!
A cardinal of the Church recently remarked: “We do not have a vocational crisis. We have a human crisis.” The problem is not simply that we don’t have enough priests and religious. The problem is that we live the majority of our life without God. You know as well as I that our culture does not support our belief in God, our vive Dieu. We are living in a time of much amusement and little meaning. We need to recall that He is present. He is there at your work, in your home, everywhere you go. The pressure of our culture is just the opposite! Our culture tells us we are self sufficient, self motivated, and selfish. These are lies which, like any lie, can only take us so far... and in fact we will always be frantically searching for pleasure and amusement in the midst of these lies.
God will call who he wills. But it is certainly within all our vocations to foster an environment full of goodness: devotion, culture, family, food and fun. Each of our homes can become a local culture where Christianity, where Catholicism is fostered. Think of it this way: in the Middle Ages monks invented beer for Fridays in lent because they couldn’t eat meat but still need sustenance to work in the fields. Now if that is not a connection between devotion, culture, family, food and fun, I don’t know what is! We Catholics need to reclaim all those traditions and ways of living that enrich our lives. Yes especially during Lent. We are to fast greatly, but always with that cheer in our hearts, that joy of knowing what this world is for, knowing that we are making our way to an eternal feast, and we best prepare!
Another way of saying this is: If ever we celebrate Saint Patrick’s day without devotion, culture and family - without true friendship with God and neighbor - then the food and the fun end in meaningless pleasure seeking, foolishness and drunkenness. But if God is present, if our devotion runs high, and if our friendships are formed around a culture which aims at high heaven, then Ah! what a Feast it is! Fasting and feasting, Lent to Easter, our life to heaven, every life to his or her vocation!
