Wednesday, February 28, 2007

A Prayer for Lent (based on the Prayers for Saumo of the Malankara Syrian Catholic Divine Office and Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18)

We call upon Thee, O! Lord, to assist us in our daily walk with you and toward you. Remind us always of the incredible sacrifice you made for our sins and of your immense love. During this season of Lent, as we unite ourselves to you and your time spent fasting and praying, help us also in our Lenten sacrifices.

Dear Lord, lead us to prayer; help us to unite ourselves with you. Let this time of Lent be a time of renewal in our relationship with you O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Make us worthy to be called your followers. Help us to attend the Holy Mass regularly and receive Jesus into our lives worthily in the Eucharist. Remind us and give us the grace to prepare ourselves for the celebration of the Holy Mass.

As you fasted, so also, teach us to fast. Let our fast be one that is acceptable to you. Help us to remember that in our fasting we seek to imitate you and not bring glory to ourselves. Through our fast also, we pray Lord, that we too may be able subdue our enemies as you did: “With the fast of forty days / Jesus, the Lord, enemies subdued.” May our fasts be like those of Moses and Elijah, who spent forty days praying and fasting on your holy mountain. Through our fasts, purify our hearts and desires, renew our spirit, and make us clean, O! Lord.

Give us the grace to help people Lord. Make us beacons of your love. Help us to help others as you have helped us. Help us to be not as the hypocrites, but do everything so that only you may see it. Remind us that when we do good actions for others, we do them to you, O Lord.; when we don’t do good deeds for others, it is you we are shunning. Help us always to have a pure heart and to give alms with a pure heart.

Help us to do everything for you and for you alone, O Lord. Amen.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Reasons for the reduced number of vocations

The past few decades have seen a dramatic decline in the number of people entering seminary to study for priesthood. One of the exceptions is of course in India and in the African countries where vocations are growing along with the number of the faithful. Why is this happening? Why is it that the number of vocations are being trickled down to almost nothing? Is it a lack of calling from God? Personally, I do not believe that’s true. Here are some possible reasons.

  1. Families are not religious – The foundation of church is the family. Each individual family – consisting of father, mother, and children – make up the church and therefore it is the responsibility of each family to uphold Christian values and live like good Christians. However, in the Western Hemisphere, especially in developed countries, families are crumbling to single parent families. Why does this happen? A family united by God falls apart when they reject God. Of course, this is not true in all cases, however, looking at the current situation, one cannot help but wonder what place God is given in the families of developed nations. The number of atheists and agnostics are rising each day. This is because parents have failed to teach the children about Christianity, its values, and its foundations. Because they failed to complete their responsibility, now the society is crumbling because of godlessness. When families do not teach Christian values, Christianity and the Christian spirit dies in the family, which leads to less and less vocations, which causes less priests to be ordained.

  2. Negative image of Priesthood - Another reason is that priesthood is given a negative image by many because of recent happening. While the happening may or may not be true, it should be noticed only less than 1% of all priests have committed any heinous crimes. Others are leading a model life. Therefore, not only is it unfair to paint every priest with the same brush, but it’s also ridiculous to do so.

  3. Want of a life with freedom and lack of restrictions - Freedom without restrictions has come to become the motto of many teenagers and young adults. They want to engage in substance abuse and promiscuous activities to please the desires of flesh. Priesthood calls for a life of celibacy and humility, which can only be practiced with God’s grace and self-control. Most people today are unwilling to take that path just to enjoy life as much as they can today, without giving a thought about the eternal life, which lasts much longer than 60 or 70 or 90 years. People should learn to overcome the temptations that are present at every corner. This not only helps to be a better person spiritually, but it also provides to become a better human being.

  4. Celibacy seen as “unmanly” - Celibacy is seen as “unmanly” and unnatural. First of all, it takes real men to become celibates. To reject the pleasures and desires of the flesh requires firm self-control and solid determination. Celibacy has never been an unnatural aspect. Yogis of the Himalayas, hermits of Hinduism, monks of Buddhism, and if these are not enough, Jesus himself was a celibate.

  5. Choosing bad role models - Today, teenagers and the youth lack good role models. To them, their heroes include actors, singers, and celebrities who have money but not personal happiness or satisfaction. This has to change. As was popular in the old days, saints and the common people who lead a good life should be modeled. This will surely increase the spirituality in the populace.

  6. Unappreciated life of a priest - Priesthood is often seen, and truthfully so, as an unappreciated way of life. In this world where people search for fame and glory, to live for others seems like a strange idea. However, the happiness and satisfactions the priest receives while holding the Holy Eucharist in their hands or after helping someone by listening to them cannot be achieved through any other ordinary means. Priesthood calls for sacrifice; to lay down your life for the well being of others. Even if the job is unappreciated, it is to a priest that a person goes to when they are in trouble. It is not the prestige of the job that counts, but the effects it has on others.

If these obstacles can be overcome, the number of people who listen to their vocations will increase. Religiousness in families will increase making the family stable. The society will become a model to others. Prayer, too, also plays an important role. Prayer is a necessary for the growth of vocations. Please pray for vocations.