Advertisement Columban MissionariesColumban Missionaries Would you like to advertise on ICN? Click to learn more.

Viewpoint: Are we listening to the Holy Spirit?

  • Jo Jacques

Greg Tricker - Holy Fool

Greg Tricker - Holy Fool

Year after year we are encouraged to pray for and support financially vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. And then on the other hand it is quietly remembered as an aside that we each have a vocation to the single life, the married life, we are each called by God to be fully ourselves.

The cry for vocations to the ordained priesthood makes me wonder if we are listening properly to the Holy Spirit. Should we not be praying for the flowering of the vocations of the baptised? And should we not be paying for the necessary support and formation required to be Christians in the world?

As baptised Christians we are called to be witnesses to our faith. As Catholics many of us only see and meet our fellow Catholics at Sunday mass. The majority of our time is so often spent in a world with no knowledge of God.

Our ordained priests spend the majority of their time with Catholics - with parishioners who come to their parish for help, pastoral care, assistance with the sacraments and of course, the everlasting completion of forms.

The rest of us are living in a world with no knowledge of God. The colleague who has lost a father, who has a sick child, turns to us for their pastoral care. So often you hear someone say 'I don't believe, but I know you do - will you pray for me, my father, my friend' I have had phone calls from people knowing I am a person of faith and asking to lean on that faith.

In our day to day living most of us carry our faith lightly. But we have a faith which people recognise. And we don't need to wear our outward sign of that - a cross or a badge - it is seen in our way of living.

This vocation to be witness in a world which knows not God is a very risky witness. You can be abused, you can be ignored, you are so often undervalued, and that's just by the church. But it is a very powerful call by God to be present in the world. It is a powerful call by God to have the courage to say - 'I'll pray for you.'

And this courage bears fruit. You gain more courage to say - 'prayer works, I know'. And this touches people. Each one of us can only respond through personal experience, so my experience of the power of prayer gently shared supports and strengthens others. Perhaps one day they may try it and find that prayer is a real communication with the God they haven't yet dared to know. Until then we must just recognise our quiet place in their journey of faith.

And it is not just requests for prayer that are asked of us. People really want to know - what is Ascension Day - why Ash Wednesday and what happens when you go to a funeral. It is important not to treat that question lightly, just someone making conversation. People don't know - they really want to know.

Our society has lost the base knowledge of Christianity, and those we meet want to know more. This is where I sense we are not listening to the Holy Spirit and the message about vocations. We worry about finding and training men for the ordained priesthood. But perhaps we should be equipping the humble Christian with the knowledge and skills to be the witness in the world. Is each person being given the resources to answer the questions of the colleague, the person on the bus who asks the question! Are we nurturing the humble Catholic with accessible retreats and days of prayer? I suggest we should recognise that this work is as important as training a man for the priesthood, and should therefore become a part of the parish financial and spiritual commitment.

It is the ordinary person in the world whose vocation should be supported and nurtured. From this, I am sure, would emerge the men and women needed for the ordained priesthood and religious life. If we had the courage to listen to the Holy Spirit and empower our own communities the effect on the communities of unbelievers around us could be immense.

We are encouraged in our parishes to pray for vocations to the priesthood and to the religious life. But do we in our parishes pray for each other as we live our everyday lives in places where our Catholicism is challenged and questioned. And do we spend our collection moneys on empowering the baptised with the knowledge and skills they need to be Catholic in our world.

As we take our knowledge and love of God into our offices, schools and hospitals we would bring hope to our world. Our society is lacking in hope, the dispirited attitude of so many is the complete opposite to the believer who knows that we have hope in an ever loving, ever-merciful Father who, we are taught has a place for us in heaven. Daily we meet people with little or no faith, who are searching for a meaning in their lives, who look to us to share that faith. As Catholics we are recognised as people of hope, this hope we can offer others. We know that we are loved for ourselves by our everlasting Father; and we can offer this love to those around us. We are seen as people of love.

Everyone we meet has problems at the moment, emotionally, physically, financially; there is a despondent air around us. Perhaps our real task today is to be prepared to be people with faith, hope and love for all those around us, and I believe that the Holy Spirit is calling each one of us to be that people.


Adverts

Mill Hill Missionaries

We offer publicity space for Catholic groups/organisations. See our advertising page if you would like more information.

We Need Your Support

ICN aims to provide speedy and accurate news coverage of all subjects of interest to Catholics and the wider Christian community. As our audience increases - so do our costs. We need your help to continue this work.

You can support our journalism by advertising with us or donating to ICN.

Mobile Menu Toggle Icon