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It’s time to answer the baptismal call

09 Jan 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The gospel story of Jesus’ baptism shows how Jesus answered the call to be the instrument of God’s salvation in the world. With the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, members of the church, made beloved of God by baptism, can rededicate themselves to follow Jesus and proclaim the Good News with their lives. National Vocation Awareness Week, which begins this Sunday, celebrates, in the words of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, or consecrated life in particular. During these days families and the parish community are urged to nurture the faith of their children to prepare them to respond to whatever God’s call is for them.” The VISION Vocation Network, vocation-network.org, offers resources to promote vocations among Catholics of all ages. Source: www.usccb.org and www.thinkpriest.org

baptism vocations baptism of the lord national vocation awareness week vision vocation network

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Too much in debt to take a vow of poverty

26 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus announces in this Sunday’s gospel when he embarks on his public ministry. Many of those who would like to embark on a fulfilling ministry as members of religious communities are stymied because they are carrying an average of $28,000 in student debt. A new study on Catholic vocations has revealed that educational debt is derailing the dreams these young people have to become religious sisters, brothers, or priests. And the problem is likely to get worse: Religious institutes report an increase in the number of inquirers with large educational debt, and national averages show record levels of student debt continuing to rise. The 2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University for the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), finds that seven in ten institutes (69 percent) turned away at least one person because of student loans. In addition, many religious communities ask young people to delay their applications to enter because of educational debt. “For those entering religious life, the expectation is that they be debt-free,” said Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director of the NRVC, “but for graduates in today’s economy, where education costs have risen by 900 percent since 1978, paying off loans can take years to accomplish. The burden of student debt has become a serious problem for religious communities desirous of welcoming younger members.” “Because religious sisters, brothers, and priests are vital to the life of the church and provide great service to society,” Bednarczyk said, “we plan to bring together key stakeholders to develop strategies to ease this significant and growing barrier to religious vocations.” Complete study results are available at nrvc.net. Sources: A news release by the National Religious Vocation Conference (nrvc.net) and a SpiritCitings blog post

vocations educational debt debt center for applied research in the apostolate cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc religious orders student debt

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Too much in debt to take a vow of poverty

26 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus announces in this Sunday’s gospel when he embarks on his public ministry. Many of those who would like to embark on a fulfilling ministry as members of religious communities are stymied because they are carrying an average of $28,000 in student debt. A new study on Catholic vocations has revealed that educational debt is derailing the dreams these young people have to become religious sisters, brothers, or priests. And the problem is likely to get worse: Religious institutes report an increase in the number of inquirers with large educational debt, and national averages show record levels of student debt continuing to rise. The 2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University for the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), finds that seven in ten institutes (69 percent) turned away at least one person because of student loans. In addition, many religious communities ask young people to delay their applications to enter because of educational debt. “For those entering religious life, the expectation is that they be debt-free,” said Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director of the NRVC, “but for graduates in today’s economy, where education costs have risen by 900 percent since 1978, paying off loans can take years to accomplish. The burden of student debt has become a serious problem for religious communities desirous of welcoming younger members.” “Because religious sisters, brothers, and priests are vital to the life of the church and provide great service to society,” Bednarczyk said, “we plan to bring together key stakeholders to develop strategies to ease this significant and growing barrier to religious vocations.” Complete study results are available at nrvc.net. Sources: A news release by the National Religious Vocation Conference (nrvc.net) and a SpiritCitings blog post

vocations educational debt debt center for applied research in the apostolate cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc religious orders student debt

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Mind your own business--ethically, encourages Vatican primer

08 Apr 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

Jesus of Nazareth “went about doing good,” the newly emboldened apostle Peter proclaims in this Sunday’s post-Resurrection story from the Acts of the Apostles. Business leaders and entrepreneurs should boldly do the same in their own companies, urges a new handbook on business ethics released by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. "Vocation of the Business Leader: A Reflection" is a 30-page primer that spells out the risks of unethical economic strategies and the principles needed for running a sound, moral business. Its aim is to heal the so-called "divided life" of Catholic employers who may practice their Christian values at home and church but not in the company they manage or run. "Dividing the demands of one's faith from one's work in business is a fundamental error which contributes to much of the damage done by businesses in our world today, including overwork to the detriment of family or spiritual life, an unhealthy attachment to power to the detriment of one's own good, and the abuse of economic power in order to make even greater economic gains," the booklet says. The primer was the brainchild of three business educators: Robert Kennedy and Michael Naughton of the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota and Andre Habisch of the Catholic University of Eichstatt-Ingolstadt, Germany. They were among the 40 Catholic business leaders and professors who attended a February, 2011 seminar at the Vatican on Pope Benedict XVI's encyclical Caritas in Veritate ("Charity in Truth") and how its framework for a new business ethic could be applied practically.What was needed, the three professors concluded, was a simple, concise primer that compiled key principles aimed specifically at helping business schools form ethical leaders and guiding business practices worldwide--from mom-and-pop store owners to corporate executives. The booklet is available in English. Source: An article by Carol Glatz for Catholic News Service

benedict xvi caritas in veritate business ethics vocation of the business leader pontifical council for justice and peace robert kennedy michael naughto andre habisch

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Priesthood making a comeback

29 Sep 2013 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s gospel parable, a skeptical Abraham doubts that even a prophet returning from the dead would convince the callous rich to share the wealth. Not many years ago some prophets of doom predicted the slow death of the Catholic priesthood given the dwindling number of seminarians. Yet after decades of gloomy trends it seems priesthood is “returning from the dead”: More men are now enrolled in graduate-level seminaries than in nearly two decades.This year’s tally of 3,694 graduate theology students represents a 16 percent increase since 1995 and a 10 percent jump since 2005, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.Seminary directors cite more encouragement from bishops and parishes, the draw of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and the social-justice-minded Pope Francis, and a growing sense that the church is past the corrosive impact of the sexual abuse crisis that exploded in 2002.Father Mark Latcovich, president and rector of St. Mary Seminary in Wickliffe, Ohio, credits encouraging current seminarians and priests who are “our best recruiters. If they are happy and witnessing their faith and opening their hearts, that enthusiasm and joy is contagious.”Young men today “want to give their life for something that counts. . . . They want to say there must be something true, beautiful, and good. They have discovered the beauty of God,” said Latcovich.Monsignor Craig Cox, rector of St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California, said the upward trend leading to their current record class of 92 graduate seminarians began six years ago. He also cited “a renewal of idealism,” a stronger push for vocations by priests and bishops, and “receding damage” from the abuse crisis. “Ultimately, I believe that the Spirit is at work,” Cox said.Still, new ordinations won’t catch up to the thousands of retirements and deaths of ‘60s-era priests: The total number continues its drop from 58,632 priests in 1965 to 39,600 in 2013. And the number of parishes without a resident priest is still growing—up from 3,251 in 2,005 to 3,554 now.Homily hint: While thoughtful discussion of the future shape of the priesthood continues, it is nice to have some good news to celebrate for a change. Encourage young adults in your community to listen to the yearning in their hearts for a life of meaning and to consider the many options religious life offers to fulfill that yearning and serve the people of God. Source: An article by Cathy Lynn Grossman for Religion News Service

vocations priests center for applied research in the apostolate seminarians mark latcovich craig cox ordinations

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Addressing the union

25 Jan 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s gospel, a determined Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand.” A decidedly upbeat President Obama delivered a strong, ambitious stand in his State of the Union speech Tuesday night, touting a recovering economy and calling on Republicans to “turn the page” and bring about changes aimed at strengthening the middle class. Homily hint: “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” wrote theologian Frederick Buechner. Jesus had a vision, gathered the troops, and got to work on bringing about change. Look around you at the world’s deep hunger and find your calling. For more on the State of the Union address, see: Obama: The State of the Union is strong; Gloom Lifts, and Obama Goes All Out; The State Of The Union: Was It A Good Or Great Speech?

Vocation state of the union president obama life calling

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Invitation by example

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Studies confirm that vocations to priesthood and religious life depend on personal invitation. When fewer priests report inviting young men to consider priesthood, for example, the number entering seminary seems to decline. There is, however, another, perhaps even more important factor: Vocations also depend on inspiring example and personal witness more than simple invitation. That may seem obvious, but it is an often overlooked factor. Young people are looking for qualities of dedication and approachability and a sense of peace and contentment more than simply being asked to consider a life as a priest, sister, or brother—or as a lay ecclesial minister, or any particular life calling for that matter. That may suggest that the most we can do to lift up vocations in the next generation, whether vocations to religious life and church service or simply as faithful followers of Christ, will be in how effectively we witness to who we are rather than what we do. This conclusion comes out in studies of the clergy. When priests are asked to rate themselves in terms of what they do and the pressures they feel, the result often shows low morale or division. When they are asked the same question in terms of priesthood or their sense of themselves, the result is typically one of high satisfaction and contentment. The question for vocation and for building a church of high commitment may well be in how we can effectively integrate the two. © 2010, Bryan Froehle. Originally posted 7/04.

Authors Bryan Froehle

vocations religious life

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Vocation awareness: Discerning one’s life vocation today

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Identity is the crucial issue of our time. We cannot inherit it, we have to make it. In that sense we do indeed construct our reality. But as the African maxim says, “I am because we are.” No personal sense of identity is formed on one’s own. Just as shame is a primordial social emotion—there is no shame without reference with others—so, too, is identity fundamentally social. And what is identity if not another way of saying one’s purpose? The connection with vocation is clear. In the past the world was relatively more sociocentric and the individual person was buffered, surrounded by social “mirrors” others and the larger culture offered. Vocation was more clearly given: God’s purposes could be more readily seen in reflection from the other. Not so in these more opaque times: Exposed as individuals, less embedded in relational contexts, we are more likely to struggle with vocation. We cannot see ourselves definitively as one way and not the other. We shift in and out of focus for ourselves and are open, even at astonishing late ages in life, to holding onto an odd claim that we can somehow change into something entirely different from what we are. At any rate, many refuse to make final commitments precisely because they cannot convince themselves that one identity is enough or even possible. It is not that courage is lacking; it is that in a time of heightened individualism it takes much more courage than ever to embrace an identity or commit to a vocation. For identity and vocation, only a definitive embrace from the depths of conviction and trust will do. When we pray for vocations this month, whether church vocations, marriage, or any major life decision, we need to pray for communities that can truly give the gift of courage to those in discernment. © 2013, Bryan Froehle.

Authors Bryan Froehle

Discernment identity vocations

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Vocations to consecrated life: Community needed

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Vocations to consecrated religious life in the context of a religious institute are always a vocation to a community. A vocation to a spouse is different. Both are vocations within communities, but the second is fundamentally to a person. In a one-to-one relationship the other always has veto power. One person can abandon the other at any time. A community is different: There is no unilateral veto power. Even if a person decides to leave, the community continues. It is not for nothing that there are periods of postulancy and novitiate to get to know the community. Obedience is founded on this communal reality far more so than the personal power of an abbot, abbess, or other religious superior. After all, such a voice is ultimately only legitimate through the community, not on her or her power alone. That accounts for the beauty of religious life. Rather than the intimacy and mutual self-giving of a spousal relationship, consecrated religious life lived within religious institutes is self-surrender to a necessarily unequal relationship between one person and a larger community of persons. In this way a relationship with a religious community is truly eschatological, pointing to the perfection of when we will be all in all. It participates in the cosmological "sign-value" of what it means to be church and live within the Body of Christ. © 2013, Bryan Froehle.

Authors Bryan Froehle

vocations Consecrated life Community

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Follow the call to find Christ

Funeral, Sacrament-based, Holy Day, Holiday, Special Occasion - Sample homilies to be adapted for your use

Occasion: Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Readings: Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12 EPIPHANY: It means a "manifestation of God." In today's language, we use this word to describe an "aha moment"—a fleeting glimpse of insight in the midst of the everyday thoughts that come and go. In Matthew's beloved tale of the three astrologers from the East, we travel to Bethlehem in search of the child who would save us all. The beautiful truth contained in this passage is that our entire lifetime is a series of "epiphanies"—a continuous flow of revelations strung together by grace. We literally spend our lives finding the Christ in the most unexpected places and allowing those encounters to shape us and lead us forward in the spiritual journey to God who is the fullness of love revealed in that stable so long ago. The saints among us have always had an easier time finding Christ. These friends of God seem to see with new eyes, as the gospel writers did, through the lens of the Resurrection. Francis and Clare found Christ in all creation. Benedict and Scholastica found him in the Word and in community. Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac found him in the poor. And, more recently, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta found him in the dying and destitute. But what about the rest of us? We are spiritual works in progress. Sometimes, we know Christ when we see him. Often, we need time to reflect on our experience. We need to look in the rearview mirror, as it were, to know that we have been visited. Most days, we simply keep on moving, carrying gifts we're largely unaware of, believing that the meeting place lies far ahead of us in death. Nothing could be further from the truth—from the Good News that Christ is risen and lives among us here and now. As we celebrate this mystery of the "epiphany of the Lord," the church asks us to consider vocation. Within this mystery lies the essence of vocation—of God's call to each and every one of us. As we celebrate this mystery of the "epiphany of the Lord," the church asks us to consider vocation. Within this mystery lies the essence of vocation—of God's call to each and every one of us. Too often these days, we narrow the conversation around vocation to holy orders or consecrated religious life. As so many parishes, here and around the world, go without the celebration of the Eucharist, we cannot dismiss the finger of the Spirit pointing to the centrality of the Eucharist in the life of the redeemed and to the primacy of calling forth from among us those whose lives reflect something of Jesus to the rest of us. It is, therefore, the responsibility of the people of God to encourage and celebrate the priestly vocation in whomever it is found. Consecrated religious life—sisters, brothers, and priests who seek God in community and are inspired both by the gospel and by the good zeal of a founder—is as old as the church. It is a good life—wholesome and holy—for those who are called to live it. Religious are a minority within the church, and properly so. We are meant to be a mustard seed, a pinch of yeast leavening the dough. We are meant to suggest a way that is different from the world's way of living and offer spiritual support to the laity and to the hierarchy—to the church universal on its way to glory. That said, there are as many vocations in this assembly as there are people. The vocation of every Christian is to seek Christ and love Christ—in the husband, in the wife, in the children, in the elderly parent, in the friend, the lover, and in the enemy. We're called to seek him out in the Word of God proclaimed in the Sunday celebration—in the bread and wine that strengthen us for pilgrimage—and in the people behind and around this altar. Today's gospel could not make our true calling any clearer. We are to follow the star that goes ahead of us, the Word of God and the wisdom of the church. We are to go wherever it leads us—and especially where we would rather not—until it comes to a standstill where Christ rests, waiting for our "aha moment." And when we see Christ, the prophet Isaiah says, our hearts shall throb and overflow. We will bow in awe as the astrologers of old and open the coffers of our hearts. In that moment of recognition, we will give him every gift we have. May this sacred meal of Word and wheat and wine open our eyes to the real presence of Christ among us and make us ever grateful for the trail of epiphanies that will, if we allow them, lead us all to holiness.

Authors Vicki Ix

holy day/feast Epiphany Isaiah 60:1-6 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 vocations

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