On this 4th Sunday of Easter, the Church places before us the image of Jesus as “Good Shepherd”: “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me.” We are invited to pray for vocations: that all Christians may hear and generously respond to Christ’s invitation to respond to God’s call to life and love, to discipleship and holiness, to service and mission. We pray that each of us may discern our “name”: the unique and personal way in which God is calling us to live our deeper identity. And finally, we pray for particular vocations at the service of the church: in marriage and generous single life; in the many forms of consecrated religious life, and in the ordained ministry of deacons, priests and bishops. Next weekend, our diocesan vocation director, Fr. Gerry Westphal, will preach on this important subject at all of our Masses.

In 2002, when I was involved in vocation ministry at the national level, I helped organize international gathering on “Vocation – Gift of God, Given for God’s People.” I remember how much hard work was involved, but most of all, I remember the enthusiasm and the sense of hope. We talked about the call to honour all vocations; about the shift from a paradigm of “recruitment” to one based in personal conversion, individual and ecclesial discernment, and commitment to the Church’s mission in the world. We identified the challenge of fostering a “vocation culture” in the church by a “preferential option” for youth and young adults, focusing our outreach in the areas of prayer, evangelization, experiences of community and service, spiritual mentoring, and personal invitation. Finally, we challenged each other to live our own vocations with passionate commitment, so that with credibility and conviction, we could say to the next generation: “God asks for your whole life. Give it!”

Jesus makes the same challenge to us today. Every one of us has a vocation: you are called and gifted, unique and irreplaceable. What is the name by which God calls you? What are your deepest desires? What concrete needs do you see in the world around you? How are you called to share the gift of yourself: in loving relationships, in meaningful work, building up the church and the world? In our positive response to these questions, the present “vocation crisis” has the potential to become for each of us a graced opportunity: that of rediscovering and reclaiming our unique personal vocation, in the church and for the world.