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Parent's Guide to Vocations
An Introduction
As Catholics, we believe
that God has a special plan for everyone. Life is not
a random haphazard existence; rather there is special
meaning and purpose to life. The meaning of life is a
question that philosophers and scholars have debated for
years. As people of faith, we believe that we are called
to know, love, and serve God. All people are called to
holiness (that is our common baptismal call), but then
God calls each of us to live out our lives in specific
and meaningful ways. For many that ultimately means to
marry and raise a family; for some it means living a good,
holy, single life in the world; for still others it is
a call to live as a priest or religious. As a parent,
you want what is best for your child, but (obviously since
your call from God was not priesthood) are not sure what
to do if your son mentions this possibility. What should
I say or do? Even if they never mention it, is this something
that you ought to bring up for them to consider? Whatever
the case, this section is for you!
- A
few thoughts to consider
- Balancing
Interfering with Interfacing
- Career
vs. Lifetime Commitment
- Sometimes parents are
reluctant to encourage their sons to consider priesthood,
not because they don’t want him to make a difference
in the world, but rather because they see the lifestyle
connected with it as limiting. After all can’t
they make a difference in the world and still have a
family? A priest dedicates himself to a life of service
to God’s people. By living a celibate life, the
individual is free to respond to people’s needs
without being torn between commitments to a nuclear
family and the larger family of God. A commitment to
priesthood forever makes sense. Consider this, in priesthood,
at ordination; a man is changed—forever. In the
Sacrament of Holy Orders, a priest is ordained to act
in the person of Christ Jesus. A priest cannot put on
and take off this identity any more than Jesus could
be just a spokesperson for God, nine to five, until
retirement. A priest promises to dedicate himself to
the service of God’s people forever (good times
& bad!) Just as Christ is always faithful to us,
so must we remain faithful to him.
An important Reminder:
Don’t forget
to check out our other sections for parents on this website!
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