Inviting, Encouraging, and Assisting with Discernment: The Catechist's Role in Promoting Vocations to the Priesthood

"Behold, the Lamb of God!" Following Christ's baptism, the Gospel of John recounts how John the Baptist recognizes Jesus walking by and proclaims, "Behold, the Lamb of God!" Two of the Baptist's disciples, including Andrew, immediately follow Jesus and ask him, "Where are you staying?" to which the Lord replies, "Come and see." And "so they went … and stayed with him that day" (Jn 1:35-39). The passage beautifully illustrates the "dynamism of vocation" and the process of discernment among the first disciples of Jesus. Specifically it offers a paradigm for the manner by which Christ invites men to share in the grace of priestly ministry. Through the instrumentality of "prophetic witnesses," the Risen Jesus-who "continues working even now" (cf. Jn 5:17)-attracts new generations of "workers" into the harvest (Lk 10:2) and extends his gracious invitation to follow him into the "fields." In our own day, the Risen Christ continues to call men after his own heart to proclaim the Gospel and to feed, heal, and sanctify his people by the sacraments. So it should not be surprising that in each emerging generation there are those whose hearts are stirred by the invitation. Catechists and religion teachers, who are privileged to encounter and to instruct youth, should expect to see, and will invariably notice, particular young people who exhibit signs of being called. They will also see qualities, whether obvious or more intangible, that beg to be recognized for the sake of the one called and for the good of the Church. For many young men today, a catechist may, by God's design, play the role of John the Baptist in pointing out to them the Lamb of God and in awakening within them the gift of faith. The Experience of Being Called What is the experience of a man "being called" to follow Jesus as a priest? Well, there are as many differences in experience as there are "unique" souls. St. John of the Cross says, "God leads each one along different paths so that hardly one spirit will be found like another in even half its method of procedure." (Incidentally, our awareness of each soul's uniqueness and God's manner of communicating to it should instill in us a certain awe and respect toward those we assist and encourage, whether we do so as priest, religious, or catechist.) Notwithstanding the uniqueness of each man's experience, what is true for each man's experience is his growing fascination with the person of Jesus Christ and a heightened sense of Christ's particular love for him. This sense of particularity in the awareness of Christ's love can arise very early in one called to priesthood. I remember distinctively my summer Bible school classes at age 5 and listening attentively to the many stories of the Old Testament-the call of Abraham, the call of Samuel, the courage of David and Esther-that stirred my young imagination. The living Person of Jesus and his offer of friendship in the Gospel was made present to me through the joyful storytelling of my first grade teacher, Sr. Pat Hogan, O.P. of the Sparkill Dominicans, as well as through the witness of my parents' prayer at their weekly Charismatic Renewal meetings in my local parish, St. Gregory Barbarigo in Garnerville, NY. This saying is true: "Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses." Confirmed by the example of those whom I revered-my parents, my teachers, parish priests and religious, and devout parishioners-I very quickly made their enthusiasm toward Jesus my own and I soon moved from an observer to a worshipper. Fascination with the goodness and beauty of Jesus beckons the one called to seek deeper intimacy with Jesus in prayer and often corresponds with a growing interest in the Eucharistic Presence and the sacramental life of the Church. Just as Andrew and the other disciple are moved to inquire of Jesus, "Where are you staying?" so, too, the one called to priesthood glimpses his deepest truth reflected in the Lamb of God and hungers to better know him. The call narratives in the Scriptures (especially in the Gospels) resonate within, appealing for a personal response to the solicitous love of Jesus the Good Shepherd. At the core of discerning a vocation lies the fundamental questions: How is God calling me to give of myself for love of God and love of others? How is Jesus calling me to reveal his heart to the world? For the future priest, Christ's invitation to "come and see" appeals to his freedom and dilates his heart, impelled as he is by the example of Christ's boundless love, to likewise minister for the sake of the Gospel and to become an "ambassador for Christ" (cf. 2 Cor 5:20).