20250511 PRIESTLY VOCATIONS FOR THE NEW EVANGELIZATION IS FOUNDED ON PRAYER
11 May 2025, Sunday, 4th Week of Easter (Vocation Sunday)
First reading |
Acts 13:14,43-52 |
'We must turn to the pagans'
Paul and his friends carried on from Perga till they reached Antioch in Pisidia. Here they went to synagogue on the sabbath and took their seats.
When the meeting broke up many Jews and devout converts joined Paul and Barnabas, and in their talks with them Paul and Barnabas urged them to remain faithful to the grace God had given them.
The next sabbath almost the whole town assembled to hear the word of God. When they saw the crowds, the Jews, prompted by jealousy, used blasphemies and contradicted everything Paul said. Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly. ‘We had to proclaim the word of God to you first, but since you have rejected it, since you do not think yourselves worthy of eternal life, we must turn to the pagans. For this is what the Lord commanded us to do when he said:
I have made you a light for the nations,
so that my salvation may reach the ends of the earth.’
It made the pagans very happy to hear this and they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.
But the Jews worked upon some of the devout women of the upper classes and the leading men of the city and persuaded them to turn against Paul and Barnabas and expel them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet in defiance and went off to Iconium; but the disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit.
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 99(100):1-3,5 |
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Cry out with joy to the Lord, all the earth.
Serve the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing for joy.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Know that he, the Lord, is God.
He made us, we belong to him,
we are his people, the sheep of his flock.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Indeed, how good is the Lord,
eternal his merciful love.
He is faithful from age to age.
We are his people, the sheep of his flock.
or
Alleluia!
Second reading |
Apocalypse 7:9,14-17 |
The Lamb will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water
I, John, saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race, tribe and language; they were standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands. One of the elders said, ‘These are the people who have been through the great persecution, and because they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb, they now stand in front of God’s throne and serve him day and night in his sanctuary; and the One who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. They will never hunger or thirst again; neither the sun nor scorching wind will ever plague them, because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water; and God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.’
Gospel Acclamation | Jn10:14 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
I am the good shepherd, says the Lord;
I know my own sheep and my own know me.
Alleluia!
Gospel | John 10:27-30 |
I know my sheep and they follow me
Jesus said:
‘The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice;
I know them and they follow me.
I give them eternal life;
they will never be lost
and no one will ever steal them from me.
The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone,
and no one can steal from the Father.
The Father and I are one.’
PRIESTLY VOCATIONS FOR THE NEW EVANGELIZATION IS FOUNDED ON PRAYER
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ACTS 13:14.43-52; REV 7:9.14-17; JOHN 10:27-30]
Many Catholics today behave like the Jews during the time of St Paul. We take our faith for granted. We are not docile to the Word of God. Instead of appreciating the Word of God and taking to heart what has been proclaimed to us, we are lukewarm and indifferent to the Good News. That is why many of us have only nominal faith in Christ, or at most a ritualistic faith. Our Catholic Faith, which is supposed to give us life to the fullest, is not experienced as such. If our faith is not helping us to live our daily life with purpose, meaning and enthusiasm, then perhaps, we have never really understood the real meaning of the Christian Faith.
This is truly a sad reality. The responsorial psalm says, “Know that he, the Lord, is God. He made us, we belong to him. We are his people, the sheep of his flock.” The irony is that although we are His sheep, many of us do not know that the Lord is God. We do not give Him honour, glory and service. Although we are His sheep, we do not live our lives in such a way that we belong to Him. Is our whole life permeated with the presence of God? Do we consecrate our lives to Him, all our time, talents, resources for His service and glory, by being faithful to our vocation in life?
On the other hand, there are many people in the world seeking to find God. These are the non-Christians. We read in the first reading that when the pagans heard that Paul was ready to preach the Good News to them, they were very happy and “they thanked the Lord for his message; all who were destined for eternal life became believers. Thus, the word of the Lord spread through the whole countryside.” Indeed, Easter is the basis of Christian hope. And we are called to offer Christ as the Hope to the world. We are to offer Jesus as the Good Shepherd to those who seek Him. Jesus says, “I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and no one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one.”
More than ever, we need shepherds after the heart of Christ to lead people to Jesus the Good Shepherd. But it is not enough to be a shepherd to one another. We are called to be the lamb as well. Jesus is not only the Good Shepherd of our souls, leading us and guiding us to the greener pastures of life. Jesus as the Good Shepherd leads us by feeding us. We are called to be the sacrificial victim for the sake of others. We too must use our lives to feed others and nurture them in the faith. The true Shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. This is what the second reading says, “They will never hunger or thirst again …because the Lamb who is at the throne will be their shepherd and will lead them to springs of living water.” We are called to be shepherds by being the lamb of sacrifice. All of us, regardless of our vocation, have the same vocation of love and sacrifice. Giving ourselves to our loved ones is already so difficult at times, what more to give ourselves to strangers or even those whom we do not like. How can we keep on giving especially when we are unappreciated and even rejected?
Indeed, if we are to live out our vocation as parents, teachers, professionals and workers, we depend on the service of the Ordained Ministry. Even religious life cannot be sustained without the ministry of the priests, since they are called to be teachers of the faith, ministers of the sacraments and leaders of the flock of God. Through teaching, priests help others to know the Lord Jesus; through ministering, especially the administration of the sacraments, the people are fed with the Bread of life, receiving forgiveness and healing through the sacrament of reconciliation. Finally, through the role of shepherding, the priest guides and builds the community into a family of God. Indeed, all other vocations, in the final analysis, are dependent on the priesthood. Our faith cannot grow without the sacraments. Our faith cannot grow without the word of God. The community cannot grow without the priest leading and building the community. The royal priesthood is dependent on the ministerial priesthood for the service of the Good News. However, the ministerial priesthood is dependent on the holiness of the royal priesthood.
Without a believing community, there can be no vocations. If we find that vocations are lacking today, it is because we lack a community of faith where the people are deeply in love with God. Whether the community is growing in faith or not is not seen in how many church organizations we have, or the number of activities we organize, but in the number of vocations we produce. For if your activities are truly reflective of your faith and love for God and His people, then it will be shown concretely in the number of vocations since there will be some among you who will be inspired to serve the Lord totally in the ministry. Hence, Pope Paul VI, when he instituted this Day of Vocation, wrote, “Wherever numerous vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life are to be found, that is where people are living the Gospel with generosity” (Paul VI, Radio Message, 11 April 1964).
The key to giving ourselves to humanity is a deep encounter with the Risen Lord. In the gospel Jesus says, “The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me.” Vocation springs from a personal relationship with the Lord. Pope Benedict reiterates this prerequisite when he wrote that “vocations to the priesthood and the consecrated life are born out of the experience of a personal encounter with Christ, out of sincere and confident dialogue with him, so as to enter into his will. It is necessary, therefore, to grow in the experience of faith, understood as a profound relationship with Jesus, as inner attentiveness to his voice which is heard deep within us.”
Prayer therefore is the key to vocations. We need to pray for vocations. It is significant that Jesus never told His disciples to promote vocations actively. He did not tell them to go out and advertise for more people to join them. Instead He said, “The harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. So, pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send more labourers into the vineyard.” Vocations must come from the Lord. Our task is simply to pray. Why pray?
Firstly, vocation is not a career where you decide what you want to do with your life. Vocation is a call from God. It is God who calls us. We do not choose Him. But we will not be able to hear His voice and be drawn to a personal relationship with Him unless we pray. It is in and through prayer, that we know Jesus in a personal way and at the same time be so inspired to follow His way of life, according to His specific calling in life, regardless whether it is priestly, religious or other vocations. We cannot give what we have not got. Unless, we have recognized Christ as the Good Shepherd and experienced His love, we cannot give ourselves in service to others. Happy priests are those who have founded their faith in Him who loved us first. (cf. 1 Jn 4:19) Young people too will be challenged to serve and give themselves radically to Christ in imitation of Him in giving their lives for the service of humanity and of God.
Secondly, this is because priestly and religious vocations come from a community of faith. Pope Benedict wrote, “This process, which enables us to respond positively to God’s call, is possible in Christian communities where the faith is lived intensely, where generous witness is given of adherence to the Gospel, where there is a strong sense of mission which leads people to make the total gift of self for the Kingdom of God, nourished by recourse to the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist, and by a fervent life of prayer.” (Day of Prayer for Vocations, 2013)
Truly, as Pope Benedict wrote, “Deep and constant prayer brings about growth in the faith of the Christian community.” For this reason, I urge everyone to pray for more vocations. To pray for more vocations ultimately is to pray for the whole Church, including yourselves. For whoever prays will grow in faith and in his or her relationship with God. If the whole community is a praying community, then God will once again be present in their lives. A faith-filled community will give birth to vocations, for among the young people in the community, the Lord will inspire some to give their life for the service of the People of God. Prayer, then, is the key to fostering vocations. If we are lacking in vocations in the Church today, it is because of the lack of faith, and therefore of a personal relationship with the Lord. So, if we do not want to lose our faith in God and allow a secularized world to inculturate us to a life of materialism, without the presence of God and without values, then we need to treasure our faith, protect it and make it grow.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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