Here are some snippets:The reduced birthrate also contributes to the diminishing of vocations to a special consecration. The life of the Catholic faithful is suffering the effects of the unbridled quest for material goods and the fall in religious practice, which discourage making courageous and demanding Gospel choices.
Therefore, as the Holy Father
Benedict XVI has written: ‘Precisely in these times of ours we know
very well how those who were invited first “say no”. In effect,
Western Christians, that is the new “first invited”, now in large
part withdraw; they do not have time for the Lord.’1
However much the pastoral
ministry for vocations in Europe and in the Americas is organized and
creative, the results obtained do not correspond to the efforts made.
Nevertheless, along with the difficult situations, which one must
look at with courage and truth, there are some signs of recovery,
above all where clear and challenging proposals of Christian life are
offered.
1
Benedict XVI, Homily
for the Mass with the Members of the Bishops’ Conference of
Switzerland (7 November 2006), original
text in Insegnamenti,
11-2 (2006), 573.
The saying "no" is not a happy situation. Those who know and say no will ever be happy in anything they attempt. God invited them and He created them to do a certain thing in this world, as the prayer noted the other day on this blog. A vocation is not a job, it is who we are.
Another section reads: The family
remains the primary community for the transmission of the Christian
faith. It can be seen everywhere that many priestly vocations are
born in families where the example of a Christian life in keeping
with its calling and the practice of the evangelical virtues give
rise to the desire for complete self-giving. Care for vocations
presupposes, in reality, a strong family pastoral ministry.
In should be added that often the
question of vocations to the priesthood is sparked in boys and young
men as a result of the joyful witness of priests.
I am so happy with this part, as for years I have said that vocations begin in the family. Strong Catholic families, more vocations, and weak Catholic families, less vocations.
Also, good examples of priests provide an essential dimension to young men deciding to be priests.
In reality, priests are often
witnesses to being dedicated to the Church, to the capacity for
joyful generosity, to adapting humbly to the different situations
where they find themselves working. Their example gives rise in
others to the desire to undertake great commitment in the Church and
the wish to give one’s life to the Lord and one’s brethren.1
In a special way, a powerful attraction for the young is exercised by
the commitment of priests to people hungry for God, for religious
values and in a general condition of great spiritual poverty.2
1
“The service of love is the fundamental meaning of
every vocation, and it finds a specific expression in the priestly
vocation” (Pastores dabo vobis,
n. 40: AAS 84
[1992], 725).
2
“Your enthusiasm, your communion and your life of
prayer and generous ministry are indispensable. It can happen that
you feel weariness or fear as you face the new demands and problems,
but we must trust that the Lord will give us the necessary strength
to do what he asks of us. He - let us pray and we are sure - will
never let vocations be lacking if we implore him with prayer and at
the same time are concerned to seek and foster them with a fervent
and imaginative youth and vocations ministry, which can reveal the
beauty of the priestly ministry” (Address
of His Holiness Benedict
XVI, Meeting at Assisi with Clergy and Men and Women Religious in
the Cathedral of Saint Rufinus, 17 June
2007, original text in Insegnamenti
III-1 [2007], 1138).
Another point made is that volunteer work in the Church and community can foster vocations. I know some seminarians who said they discovered their vocation when they helped people and found out that in their hearts they had a great desire to serve, not as social workers, but as ministers of the sacraments. The document addresses the problem of priestly busyness. The role of the priest is not that of social worker but of Christ in the world, alter Christus.
Another point made is that priests have been placed outside the society, by ideology, of course, but by secularism and the misunderstanding of celibacy. This is huge in Protestant countries, and in highly secularized societies where celibacy is seen as either weird or not of value.
Another aspect that goes against a
priestly vocation is the gradual marginalization of the priest in
social life, with the consequent loss of his relevance in the public
sphere. Furthermore, in many places the choice of celibacy is
questioned. Not only a secularized mentality, but also erroneous
opinions within the Church bring about a lack of appreciation for the
charism and the choice of celibacy. Furthermore, it is impossible to
draw a veil of silence over the grave, negative effects of
inconsistency and scandal caused by unfaithfulness to the duties of
ministerial priesthood such as, for example, in the case of sexual
abuse. This creates confusion in young men, even though they may
otherwise be open to responding to the Lord’s call.
The actual life of priests, drawn
into the whirlpool of exaggerated activism with its consequent
overload of pastoral work, can cloud and weaken the shine of priestly
witness. In this situation, encouraging young men in their personal
spiritual journeys and offering them spiritual accompaniment offer
fruitful opportunities for suggesting or discerning a vocation, and
especially a priestly vocation.
I shall continue this in another post....