Our Lord sent out seventy-two, whom He sent ahead of Him in pairs to every town and place Our Lord intended to visit. Jesus said, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the Master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”
Our Savior wanted the people to be ready to receive Him as Messiah and the announcement of the Gospel, which is why more disciples were needed to proclaim the kingdom of God. In every generation God provides the spiritual needs of the people by vocations to the priesthood because God’s flock needs shepherds to guide them.
The diocese of Wichita has a number of priests, while other dioceses do not. Our diocese is known for three aspects that draw vocations: Perpetual Adoration Chapels, Stewardship and Orthodoxy. Dioceses with these three elements have an abundance of vocations. But those who do not have adoration, stewardship or faithful priests-- have few vocations.
Eucharistic Adoration provides a place for many to come to Jesus for one hour a week, to receive graces from the Savior to live lives of charity and to be Christian witness and evangelizer in the world. In prayer young men hear the voice of Jesus calling Him to follow Him.
From adoring Jesus in the Eucharist, they are impelled to live lives of Stewardship using their gifts of time, talent and treasure-- out of love of God and to help their neighbor, especially the poor.
Priests are to imitate Jesus, who was poor, celibate, humble, prayerful, sacrificial, proclaim the truth of the Gospel and be loyal to His Church.
Our Lord wanted His disciples to be detached from the world and trust God to take care of all their needs. That’s why He said, “Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals and greet no one along the way.” He did not want them to be bogged down by material things. He wanted them to live lives of poverty, in imitation of Himself, who was so poor, He was laid in a manger in Bethlehem at His birth and had no place to lay His head as an adult. He was buried in a stranger’s tomb.
He never married and expected His disciples to abandon their family and promised those who do would be rewarded in heaven. Priests sacrifice not having a wife and children to be unhindered in serving God’s people.
Our Lord’s humility is seen by way of emptying Himself on the Cross. His body and blood were given up for us that we may have life and have it more abundantly. Priests are to be humble witnesses of sacrificial love willing to lay down their life for their sheep.
Just as Jesus spent time in a lonely place to pray, priests spend time with Jesus in prayer before His true presence in the tabernacle or in Eucharistic Adoration, for their they come to the feet of the Master and learn from Him on how to care and tend their flock entrusted to them.
And Priests are to be Jesus in the world, to bring about the kingdom of peace, through the sacraments and through their preaching and teaching of the Gospel and so are faithful and loyal to the Church. When priests faithfully proclaim the truth about Jesus and His Church’s teachings and fearlessly “rock the boat” when needed, the people are nurtured by truth, to help them to live authentic Christian lives.
Parents have an obligation to help their children obtain heaven. They do that first by their good example, by helping their children to live out their Christian faith, by teaching their children about God and the Church and to help them make moral decisions in their life, so as to avoid sin and to practice virtue.
Parents can help their child achieve the plan in their life. God has chosen for them to help them to get to heaven. If God is calling a boy to become a priest someday, parents should support them in their decision, because by responding to God’s call, it will be surest way for the young boy to get to heaven. Parents, don’t be afraid to ask your sons to pray about whether or not he has a call to the priesthood. Many times, parents, family and friends can at times see something within them that causes them to think that perhaps he may have a vocation. There were times in my life, I had people who told me they thought I had a vocation to the priesthood, but at the time, I myself did not see it, that is until years later.
O Mary, Mother of Priests, pray for priests and for more vocations to the priesthood, especially in those areas which need them the most.
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