This is Vocation Awareness week. In today‟s Gospel story we find Jesus putting his finger on some men in his community, asking them to join him on his path of life. He asks a questions that cuts to the heart of the matter: “What are you looking for?” Maybe Jesus and the guys had already been through the usual questions of casual conversation: “Did you watch the game last night? How‟s everything at work?” Jesus took them deeper: “What are you looking for?” He poses that same question to each one of us. It‟s the right question, the ultimately important question. We want to be part of a higher calling than just taking up space on the planet. In the end, we hope it makes a difference to God and to the world, that I was born, I loved, I worked, I believed, I sacrificed. Christ calls each of us to find our true vocation in which those longings of our heart are fulfilled. Let‟s pray this vocation prayer, especially for our youth and young adults, that they, and all of us will follow Christ and find what we are looking for.
Prayer for Vocations
God of Love, You call us to live in love through the grace of our baptism.
Bless us with the courage to carry out the mission of Jesus. Grant us open and generous
hearts to see the needs of others and to respond with compassion.
May the Church be blest with women and men who are dedicated to you through marriage,
the single life, the diaconate, priesthood, and the consecrated life.
It is in Christ and through Christ that we offer ourselves to you now and forever. Amen