My immensely competitive nature often proves to be both a blessing and a curse.
Most of the impressive feats of my life can largely be attributed to a combination of my overwhelming desire to prove myself and comically poor time management.
Writing sixty percent of my master’s thesis in a day and a half was most definitely a poor life choice, but I still brag about it out of a sense of misguided superiority.

One of the upshots of this regrettable temperament is that I am very goal-oriented.
In addition to the short-term goals around the parish and the long-term vision of making our spiritual home a bulwark of  holiness and encountering Christ, I have a few big-ticket items that I’ve been working towards since ordination. Most of them have to do with fostering vocations and being a mentor to young people discerning their vocations. I won’t be able to fully rest until someone asks me to preach their first Mass, be one of their vesting priests at ordination, or take part in their final profession ceremony as a religious.
 
In addition to being a ridiculous ego trip, promoting vocations to the priesthood and
religious life is an important metric for measuring the overall health of a parish.
Just as healthy marriages are essential for helping our children see how a vocation to matrimony can lead us to holiness, so the witness of priests, deacons, and vowed religious can inspire young men and women to consider a vocation to a
community or Holy Orders. It warms the cockles of my heart to think of the possibility of some of our young people embracing the call of the Lord to serve His Church in this particular way.

There are many things we can do as a parish family to support vocations. Participating in Deacon Matt’s Holy Hours for vocations, fervently praying the vocation prayer at Mass, and being open with our kids about listening
for God’s call in their lives are all essential. In the Gospel today we hear the story of the first apostles abandoning their day to day lives and following the call of the Lord. Prayer helps us to build an initial openness to God’s mission in our lives, but people usually need an additional push to truly consider discerning the religious life.
I can’t count the number of teachers, friends, family members, and friendly parishioners who asked me if I had ever considered the priesthood. I’m a bit slower than most to pick up hints, but the encouragement eventually helped me to
take the leap.
 
While I don’t think it would help to create fruitful ground for vocations if everyone were to start cornering young people and badgering them about their future, I do think a little bit of boldness goes a long way. As we reflect on Jesus’ call to the apostles, this might be a good opportunity for us to thank God for the grace of our own vocation, as well as prayerfully look for opportunities to encourage our sons and
daughters to be open to God’s plan for their lives. As we enter a new decade in our parishes, let’s commit ourselves to praying for vocations, encouraging our families to listen for God’s call, and finding the strength as a community to
respond his plans for us.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McC