By Father Marty Goetz
Some of us make resolutions like one man I heard about recently. He said to a friend: “There’s nothing like getting up at five in the morning, going for a three mile-run around the park, and taking a brisk shower before breakfast.” His friend asked, “How long have you been doing this?” To which his friend replied: “I’ll start tomorrow.”
If you’re like me, you have made New Year’s resolutions. And if you’re like me, it didn’t take too long for you to break them. Or like our friend in the above story, we tell ourselves: “I’ll start tomorrow.”
But I need you to start today to encourage vocations and to pray for the gift of vocations. A good friend of mine is promoting a “10 and 5” strategy to help get people through the New Year. He says to take 10 seconds five times a day and offer a prayer or thanks to God. It’s that easy to pray for the gift of vocations. And to help you out, I am giving you the prayer that is being used for this year’s National Vocation Awareness Week.
Pray it once a day. Invest 10 seconds a day asking the Lord to bless our diocese with vocations. Invest 10 seconds a day asking the Lord to raise up men and women to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel. Together we can get the message out! Together we can make a difference!
Gracious God, You gift us with your son, Jesus.
At his baptism you affirmed him as your beloved son
and Jesus responded by proclaiming the Good News about your reign.
Help us realize that by our baptism we are each called to continue
the mission of Jesus by proclaiming the Good News.
You call people to married life.
Bless them with love, understanding, and fidelity as they proclaim the Good News.
You call people to the single life.
Bless them with compassion, joy, and dedication as they proclaim the Good News.
You call people to the consecrated life.
Bless them with courage, commitment, and passion as they proclaim the Good News.
You call people to the ordained life.
Bless them with faith, integrity, and zeal as they proclaim the Good News.
May we accept and acknowledge the dignity of our vocation.
Guide those discerning your call and give them the support they need.
Gift us all with open and generous hearts to further your reign here on Earth.
With gratitude we offer this prayer through Jesus and the Spirit. Amen.
(Fr. Goetz is vocations director for the Davenport Diocese. Contact him at (563) 324-1912 ext. 259, or goetz@davenportdiocese.org.)
