October 16, 2024

By Father William Muench
NCC columnist

Recently, I was asked to be part of a panel discussion for the Parish Youth Group reflecting on vocation. On the panel were priests, deacons, religious sisters, a married couple, a single person. We were to discuss our vocation in life and how we found it. It was a great evening. I must admit I learned much more than I gave.

During that evening, I was reminded of many things that had truly influenced many of my decisions. One of the priests spoke at length about prayer and how important it was for him to recognize the importance of prayer while he was a child. He shared with us how his mother and father made prayer important in their family.

Prayer – we use familiar words in our praise of our God. I remember that along the way I learned the importance of taking some time during prayer for silence. I was taught that this was a great time to listen for the Lord’s message to me, a message meant just for me. I remembered how I became aware of the Holy Spirit’s inspirations – God guiding me and leading me and transforming me for my vocation.

On that recent evening, I remembered many experiences that truly showed me the way. I have mentioned to you before that I attended a public high school. Each week, we, Catholics went to a nearby Catholic Church for a religious education program. I remember that one of our teachers, a religious sister, had a real influence on my vocation to become a priest.

She had encouraged me to read some of the writings of Thomas Merton. As you may remember, Thomas Merton was a convert to the Catholic Church and then was led to become a Trappist monk and then to be a priest. I remember being challenged by all that I read. Merton certainly led me to consider and to pray about following the vocation as a priest.

I have no doubt that during that time of discernment I prayed and certainly listened to God, to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, more than I suspect. I now know that the messages of the Lord certainly influenced my decisions. I know now that I must continue to listen, taking time in prayer to listen for the Lord to reach me. Even as I celebrate Mass, I hope to listen to the Lord. I know the Lord wants to guide me and to show me where I am needed today.

Today I want to again pass this message along to you. I want you to make certain that you add some silence to your prayer time. Listen to the Lord who has many messages for you. Whether you are young or older, make this a precious opportunity for yourself. This will be a transforming time for you.

I would like to share with you a prayer written by Father Edward Hayes in his book, “Prayer for the Domestic Church.” He begins, “Blessed are you, Lord Our God for the Gift of Hearing.” “In the fullness of our person, we praise you Lord Our God, because you are a God of ten thousand gifts. With open ears, we take in the joy of music, the delight of poetry and the simple songs of daily life. For all of these blessings, we are filled with gratitude. We rejoice that you have given us a third ear, the ear of the heart, the ear of the soul, with which we may listen to silent sounds, to the silent sound of your divine heart. Help us, Lord, by quiet prayer and times of silence, to open that third ear and to heal the other two of all noise. We are thankful for those people who teach us how to listen: for poets, musicians, parents, prophets and teachers. Grateful are we for that long line of holy people, who teach us for the echo of your divine voice. Blessed are you, Lord, our God, for the gift of hearing. Amen”