Father,
in the name of Jesus,
through the power of your Holy Spirit,
we pray that you inflame the hearts of men
with courage and trust
and the desire to labor for your kingdom
as Jesuits.
We ask you
through the intercession of Mary, our mother,
St. Ignatius and all your saints,
to bless the Society of Jesus
with bountiful vocations
that it may continue to serve your church
with passion and zeal.
May your will be done. Amen.
Ah, I do pray that you get great men, or good men, to become Jesuits.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I hear of prayers for vocation to priesthood, I just know that some women are called, and not accepted.
So vocation Sunday is always a day of great sadness for me. Not that I want to be a priest. But I know some women who do...
Thus it seems to me that the Spirit and the Blessed Virgin Mary are answering prayers but not the way wanted...
Thank you, Claire. We do need quality men who are open to growth and ready to find God in all things - especially in the lives of the people of God.
ReplyDeleteI hear you about Vocation Sunday. We are often at a loss at what to say to the 51 percent of the world's population. For many, it is not realistic or attractive to become a religious sister.
At least in the Jesuits, we are doing much to cultivate a growing family of quality women and men who are part of our family. These people are formed in the Exercises as we are. We try to give them solid experiences of Ignatian formation. The hunger and desire is strong. We want to be there to help them as best we can even though we don't have the answers.
I have a greater awareness of Mary's role in our lives after seeing the great devotion Ignatius had to her.
Know that you are a valued part of our Jesuit and Ignatian family and that we are happy to have you as a daughter of Ignatius.