A universal call to holiness and love
Homily
All of us are called into a vocation by the Lord. God speaks to us in our hearts and through others. There is a universal call to holiness and to love. We are called by love, to love, by the One who is love. Vocations are called forth from our families. Are we willing to give our sons and daughters to God. What is our response if the Lord is stirring our hearts towards a vocation to the priesthood and religious life?
The Lord can heal the wounds that parents and children inflict on each other. We are disciplers of our children, just as Jesus discipled his disciples. We become like the people we spend time with. The more we spend time with those who are disciples of Christ the more we will become like disciples.
Fr. Steve refers to the sheets at the exits that have seven blessings for parents to pray over their children, one for each day of the week. Parents do well to form their children by example, but also to give their children freedom. Parents are often worried that their kids will mess up and so they often resort to defensive parenting, parenting out of fear, and trying to apply more and more control. If we are free to reject God, we are also free to receive his embrace.
As parents we should model forgiveness for our kids, giving and asking forgiveness within our homes. It is important for parents to apologize to their kids for offenses against them. We should heal as we’ve been healed. This is the mystery that we have been called into, and that God wants us to call others into by our witness and our words.
Post-communion comments
In his remarks to the congregation after communion, in addition to some announcements about upcoming events, Fr. Steve quoted from the beginning of the letter of James, chapter 3 regarding the taming of the tongue. In this connection, he then went on to refer to President Trump’s recent disparaging statements about certain foreign countries, asking us to pray for the president.
Fr. Steve then read out some of the prayers of blessing from the handout, and invited us to pray them over our children, to form them, to forgive them for their faults and seek forgiveness from them when we fail. Lastly, he urges us to support and pray for any of our children who may be attracted to the vocation of the priesthood or religious life.
