PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

OUR PRIMARY DUTY

Our primary duty is to pray to the "Lord of the harvest" for those who already follow Christ very closely in the priesthood and religious life, and for those whom He in His mercy continues to call to such important ecclesial service.

COURAGE AND GENEROSITY

Numerous families become little "centacles" of prayer, helping young people to answer the divine Masters call with courage and generosity.

INSISTENCE AND TRUSTING HUMILITY

The vocation to serve Christ alone in His Church is an inestimable gift of the divine goodness, a gift to implore with insistence and trusting humility.

ALWAYS MORE OPEN

The Christian must be always more open to this gift, careful not to waste "the time of grace" and "the time of visitation" (cf. Lk 19:44).

SPECIAL VALUE

Prayer joined to sacrifice and suffering is of special value.

DECISIVE VALUE

The Eucharist is at the center of all prayer initiatives. The sacrament of the Altar holds a decisive value for the birth of vocations and for their perseverance...

AUTHENTIC SCHOOLS OF PRAYER

May all Christian communities become "authentic schools of prayer", where one prays that laborers may not be lacking in the vast field of apostolic work.

CONSTANT SPIRITUAL ATTENTION

It ... becomes necessary that the Church accompany with constant spiritual attention those whom God has called...

PRIESTLY PRAYER

It must ... be the concern of every minister of Christ to pray with perseverance for vocations. No one better than he is able to understand the urgency of a generational exchange that guarantees generous and holy persons for the proclamation of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments.

A PRAYING PEOPLE

May the Holy Spirit make the entire Church a praying people who raise their voices to the Heavenly Father to implore holy vocations to the priesthood and to the consecrated life.

FAITHFUL AND JOYFUL WITNESSES

Let us pray so that those chosen and called by the Lord be faithful and joyful witnesses of the Gospel, to which they have consecrated their existence.

(Source: Message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations, May 2, 2004, issued November 23, 2003)