ARCHBISHOP MALCOLM'S PASTORAL LETTER & COMMENTARY

To read Archbishop Malcolm's Pastoral letter for Vocations Sunday click here

FR RON JOHNSON'S NOTES ON ARCHBISHOP MALCOLM'S PASTORAL LETTER

(You can contact Fr Ron either by telephoning the Parish of St Charles and St Thomas More in Aigburth on 0151 727 2493 or email  )

In his pastoral message for Good Shepherd Sunday, the Chair of the National Office for Vocation, Archbishop Malcolm McMahon, has affirmed the value of being a good listener in order to hear God’s call to holiness.

“One of our modern problems is that our world is very noisy, and it is often difficult to hear our own voices and thoughts in the surrounding din, let alone the words of others,” he writes. “One situation that can occur is we find ourselves on set paths in life, and it is not easy to change direction even if we want to do just that. Commitment to our families and other responsibilities block our ears and we just carry on as before.”

Good Shepherd Sunday is the day chosen for ‘Vocations Sunday’ and is celebrated this year on Sunday, 21 April.

Saint John Henry Newman teaches that God has a definite purpose for each and every one of us, but Archbishop McMahon is keen to highlight the huge value of priests, nuns and monks to the Church:

“There is no doubt that the church needs priests to celebrate the Eucharist and other sacraments, and Religious to offer a living witness to the values of the Kingdom of God. Without them, we would be a very impoverished Church.”

But how can we work out whether God is calling us to a particular vocation? The Archbishop of Liverpool suggests women and men should ask whether their vocational journey is likely to bring them contentment:

“One simple test is whether following a particular path in life gives us joy. If we are happy and content, or at least think we will be, then it is worth giving it a try. I am not saying that we should be deliriously happy all the time but there should be an underlying knowledge that we have chosen the right path in response to God’s call.”

Archbishop McMahon is quick to point out that although discerning a vocation involves a leap of faith, it is not a leap into the unknown:

“Just as there are risks in getting married, no matter how much we prepare for it, so there are risks in offering yourself for priesthood and religious life. In all cases we have examples of happy and fulfilled people living their vocation.”

Quoting Pope Francis, he proposes two pillars of Catholic life that can help people interpret God’s call – serving others and spending time before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.

“Adoration is a special kind of prayer which helps us shirk off everything except that one person who is important to us – Jesus Christ. Pope Francis’ second point was to steer us towards service of others. In serving others, giving ourselves to other people in response to different needs, we undoubtedly find Jesus.”