This week the Church in the United States celebrates National Vocation Awareness Week; a week that the Bishops have set aside in which all Catholics are asked to pray for an increase in vocations. Cardinal Sean O’Malley of Boston who is the current chairman of the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life and Vocations said that, as Catholics, “it is our responsibility to encourage young people to be generous in their response as they discern the possibility of a call to service in the Church.”

As we begin this week, it is fitting that the Gospel reading from Mass this morning was on the call of the Apostles: Simon, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus asked all of them to leave everything they possessed behind to “Come after me.” Sometimes we don’t understand or we can’t clearly see where the Lord is calling us. In these instances, we must put all of our trust and hope in the Lord , asking Him to show us the path He wants us to follow that will best serve the church.

On other occasions, we clearly hear where the Lord wants us to go and we are fearful to respond to his call. In these times, it is important to remember the life of Mary, who, though filled with fear at the message of the angel declaring her to be to virgin Mother of God, answered with a yes. Let us not forget that, in Mary’s time, women who were not married and became pregnant were literally stoned to death. However, despite all of this uncertainty, Mary trusted that God would take care of her. Read the rest of this entry »

Over the last couple of years, the number of seminarians throughout the United States has been growing tremendously. Those men who begin the discernment process are entering into a conversation with God that most young men never open themselves up to because they are afraid of going against the grain of society. There is a lot of noise out in the world that tells these young men that they can do whatever they want, whether it pertains to relationships, drugs, alcohol, etc. When the young men enter seminary, this noise does not stop; in fact, the noise seems to get louder.

The biggest challenge seminarians face today is the act of giving their entire self over to the will of God. This is difficult for any Christian to do because it requires us to leave everything we have known in order to follow Christ. However, this does not come without reward. In The Meaning of Vocation, John Paul II writes: “Do not be afraid of the radicalness of his demands, because Jesus, who loved us first, is prepared to give himself to you, as well as asking of you. If he asks much from you, it is because he knows you can give much.”

Being a seminarian (in actuality, even being a Christian) is counter-cultural! Often times people wonder what drives a young man to enter the seminary. The common questions include: “Don’t you want to get married and have children? “Don’t you want to have a  successful career and make a lot of money?” All of these questions make the discernment process more real because these are questions the seminarian MUST face. While in the seminary, a seminarian must practice a life of celibacy, prayer, and relative simplicity. In this modern, materialistic world, these are not always easy.

This generation of seminarians are facing problems that previous generations never had to deal with. Television and movie screens depict a life of sexual freedom and pornography has taken over the internet, making it more difficult for young men to live truly chaste, celibate lives. Young men are torn between following their desires and impulses or following the plan God has in store for them. In order to do this, we need to set aside time to develop a deeply personal relationship with God. However, a relationship with God grows in silence. With modern society becoming increasingly “connected” as a result of Blackberry devices, iPhones, iPods, MP3 players, WI-FI connectivity, etc., listening to God in the silence is even more of a challenge.

Every young man who is discerning God’s will for their lives has to deal with each of these challenges. The minute we believe we have conquered our struggles, a disaster strikes and we fall miserably. However, there is hope! We can all take an example from the lives of the saints. Even the saints had difficulties overcoming the challenges that faced their time. When they thought they had persevered in their struggles, they fell back into a life of sin. The only difference is that they knew how to pick themselves up. Through the Sacrament of Penance we can return to a life of following God’s will for us. All we have to do is approach God, continually opening ourselves to his healing love.

“Confidently open your most intimate aspirations to the Love of Christ who waits for you in the Eucharist. You will receive the answer to all your worries and you will see with joy that the consistency of your life which he asks of you is the door to fulfill the noblest dreams of your youth.” — John Paul II, The Meaning of Vocation

No matter what God calls us to do with our lives, he awaits for us to pick up our cross and follow him. “Take heart young people! Christ is calling you and the world awaits you! Remember that the Kingdom of God need your generous and complete dedication…Act like those fisherman who, called by Jesus, immediately left everything behind and became fishers of men.” (JPII–The Meaning of Vocation)

Over the last several months, the contributors to Susurrationes Spiritus have been coming up with unique ways to reach those young people who are discerning the Lord’s call to Diocesan Priesthood. Until now, we have neglected to mention anything about religious orders, which has been a disservice to some. So, today, Susurrationes Spiritus expands its coverage to include vocations information for Religious Orders. In the near future, a new page will be added to the site to include contact information for various orders within the United States, including the Passionists, Dominicans, etc.

We cannot do this without your help! If you would like to help us in this endeavor by providing us with contact information for various religious orders, please email info@susurrationes.com.

From Zenit:

NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, SEPT. 14, 2009 (Zenit.org).- A couple of years ago, when Benedict XVI visited with some students, two of them asked him a question that could have come from anyone, Catholic or non-Catholic alike.

They asked: “Is there someone or something by means of which we can become important? How is it possible to hope when reality negates every dream of happiness, every project of life?”

I think many people share these questions. The poor, the elderly, the sick, the immigrant, the stay-at-home parent or the 9-to-5 worker — nobody wants to be dispensable or to feel worthless or trapped. Unfortunately, many people feel that way in different areas of their life. And I think it’s a dangerous symptom that we can’t overlook. It’s a symptom that something about our culture is so unhealthy that its people lose hope.

But although the two students asked what seemed to be a secular question, the only good cure is returning to one’s original vocation: the call to love.

Often, when speaking about youth and the future of the Church, people bring up the “vocation crisis.” However, in order to respond to the crisis it is vital that we respond in a way that underscores the underlying sameness of the vocations.

However different each vocation is — priesthood, marriage, consecrated life — they each have the same goal. All are different manifestations of the vocation we all have in common: the vocation to love.

Each vocation requires a total gift of self. Each vocation endures for a lifetime. Each is a path on a journey by which we become more like God who is love. Each has a component that is loving toward each other, manifesting God’s love.

Read the rest of this entry »

Do you believe that the Lord is calling you to do something with your life to help build up the kingdom of God? Do you believe that calling is to the Priesthood of Jesus Christ? Here are a few words of advice.

Simply relax…just take a step and begin to get involved; start with your own parish. Become an active, participating member of your parish community, attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist frequently. Begin to fashion how you live your life according to the Beatitudes. All of us have our own extraordinary talents; share them with others.

Open up the conversation…talk to your pastor or a priest you feel comfortable with sharing the movements of your own heart and chat with them about what you are experiencing in your life. Join a prayer group that brings people who are experiencing something similar together so that you begin to see, you are not alone in your experiences.

Look for resources…many times, your Diocesan Vocations office website lists other sites that may be helpful for those discerning a call from the Lord. There are plenty of resources on the internet and support is available. Don’t be frightened to call the Vocations Office and speak with the Vocation Director. A phone conversation or talking over lunch does not mean that you are signing up for the seminary!

Finally, pray! Continue to bring your experience to prayer. Sit before the Blessed Sacrament and ask the Lord to show you what He wants you to do with your life. He will reveal the answer to you. However, it may take a little time, so do not get discouraged if you do not hear back from Him immediately. Everything happens in due time. Be patient.

For the next few posts, Whispers of the Spirit introduces a series on the role of the family in vocations. All vocations grow in silence. When young men are considering the priesthood, the first people they tell are their family members and the people they trust the most. It is the duty and responsibility of the family unit to support and encourage their children to follow the Lord’s call.