A Beacon Of Light… Can We Hear The Voice Of The Lord Calling?

By FR. RICHARD D. BRETON JR.

(Editor’s Note: Fr. Richard D. Breton Jr. is a priest of the Diocese of Norwich, Conn. He received his BA in religious studies and his MA in dogmatic theology from Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Conn.)

• + + A few years ago Verizon Communications advertised their cellular service with the tag phrase: “Can You Hear Me Now?” Their intention was to make people believe they were the best cellular carrier because you could hear them everywhere. The commercials would depict people in the strangest and most obscure places asking the question, “Can You Hear Me Now?” Humorous as it may be, this is a very important question for our times. Can we hear the voice of the Lord calling?
  The readings for Sunday Mass of January 17 are a reminder to us that God is calling. The First Reading from the Book of Samuel invites us to consider God’s calling in our lives. So often we expect the call of the Lord to be something dramatic, or even a mystical moment. Saints and mystics of the Church have experienced this profound moment, but most of us will hear the Lord’s call in the ordinary comings and goings of daily life.
  The Prophet Samuel heard the call of the Lord during the night. After retiring for the night, Samuel heard someone calling his name. He thought it was Eli; twice Eli said it wasn’t him. A third time Samuel heard someone calling his name and finally he recognized the Lord and said: Here I am Lord!
  Many of us, like Samuel, are distracted by the world and fail to recognize the voice of the Lord. This is especially present in those who are discerning a vocation. The push and pull between living a worldly life versus a life dedicated to Christ causes many to abandon the Lord’s call.
  I have known many men, young and old, who have felt a calling to either religious life or the priesthood but have been dissuaded because of losing their earthly identity. Sometimes it can also be due to the peer pressure of family and friends encouraging them to consider a more prestigious and financially secure profession.
  I often think about my vocational journey and how grace filled it was. I was about four years old when I discovered the seed of my vocation. I remember leaving Mass one Sunday and telling my parents I was going to be a priest. Like most parents, they acknowledged my young desire but thought I would change my mind and choose something else. I think I surprised them because my entire childhood was devoted to helping the seed of my vocation to grow.
  I must confess, my vocational seed was watered most frequently by my maternal grandmother. She was very special to me. She was deaf and I spent all my free time at her house doing chores and helping her around the house. Whenever I would stay over her house, we always would watch the Mass on television. After a while I began “saying” my own Mass while the priest was on TV. I would set up a TV tray and used the top of the saltshaker to make little round hosts. I would use cranberry juice to resemble the wine used at Mass. My imitation vestments were my bathrobe, with the belt around my neck like a priest’s stole. I would even use my grandmother’s Bible as the Lectionary at Mass.
  Interestingly, my grandmother never heard a word I said, but she always encouraged my vocation. My chalice given to me by my parents is in memory of my grandmother and is inscribed on the base with these words: “To Reverend Richard D. Breton, Jr. in Memory of Viola B. Lequin — Love Mom & Dad.” Every time I celebrate Mass using that chalice, I am reminded of the love, prayers, and support my grandmother showed in watering the seed of my vocation. Thankfully I had my grandmother to guide me through the path of my early vocational years.
  What about those who are discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? Where do they find the support and assistance needed to discern their vocation? This can be found in many ways. First and foremost, a religious vocation is nurtured within the family. The family is the breeding ground for religious vocations. Why? Because it is in the family where the faith is first introduced. It is in the family where children learn to know Jesus.
  It is sad today, however, that the deterioration of family life has led to a decrease in vocations. This is not to say that all is lost; consequently, the Lord uses many other means of planting the vocational seed. In years past, the Catholic school was another breeding ground for vocations. I had the privilege of receiving a Catholic elementary school, college, and seminary education. I was able to further enhance my vocation by this interaction. Unfortunately, there has been a decline in the number of children attending Catholic schools either because of the cost, or because of the decline in schools available.

A Sense Of The Sacred

Without these institutions to foster vocations, once again we are left with another dilemma, where do we go from here?
With the lack of the family encouraging vocations, compiled with the loss of the great educational institutions that once fostered vocations, we are left wondering: How do we nurture future vocations? To even consider this question, we must reflect on the current dilemmas surrounding the Church.
First, we must recognize that the clergy abuse scandal has thrown a big “wrench” in our ability to attract future vocations. This isn’t impossible, but it does make it more of a challenge.
Second, we need to re-establish a sense of the sacred. Recently my parish had an evening of fellowship geared toward the younger crowd of twenty to thirty-five-year-old parishioners. In our discussions it was interesting that these young adults are craving a more traditional experience of Catholic faith. They are looking for better liturgies as well as a renewal in truly Sacred Music.
Many have sought out nearby celebrations of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass as allowed by the promulgation of Summorum Pontificum — that is the 2007 apostolic letter by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, allowing the celebration of the Tridentine Mass of 1962. Those seeking religious vocations want to experience an authentic Catholic faith, not the frequently watered-down faith since the 1970s. They want the “nuts and bolts” of the faith as part of their lives. They are tired of their encounter with man and want to meet the Divine!

Hear The Call

We need to challenge bishops, priests, and our parishes to return to an authentic evangelization of the faith. I am always reminded of the great phrase of Pope John Paul II when he said: “Now is the time for a new evangelization of the faith.” We need to heed this advice and evangelize in new and exciting ways without compromising the Deposit of the Faith.
Confronting this challenge head-on requires the participation of everyone. This includes the Church, the Holy Father, bishops, priests, and the laity alike. Each has a distinct responsibility in promoting vocations. As far as the Church, her responsibility is to continue leading all of us to the heavenly Kingdom. The Church is divinely instituted by Christ and is perfect in every way and the gates of the netherworld will never prevail against her.
As for the Pope, bishops, and priests, they need to get their heads out of the sand and look at what is really happening. Some members of the Church’s hierarchy have their eyes closed and do not see how many vocations have been lost because of indifference when dealing with the moral issues of our times and a lack of interest in real change.
But there are truly wonderful shepherds and priests who fight daily to expose the great beauty of the faith in all its wonders and are often ridiculed and cut down their superiors. As far as the laity is concerned, they are co-workers with the bishop and priests and should seek to cooperate with them.
So often I see what looks like a bullfight happening in our parishes. In some places the lay faithful are the toreador and the priest the bull. There is a constant battle for who is in control. We need to recognize that the priest is the spiritual father who leads us. The faithful in turn must follow. Sometimes these roles are reversed and cause great discontent in our parishes.
The work of vocations is everyone’s responsibility. Each one of us has the power to encourage young people to say yes to the Lord’s call. Sadly, there are some who openly discourage religious vocations. We need more priests and religious hearing the call of the Lord to be like Samuel and say: “Here am I Lord, I come to do your will.”
Don’t be afraid to encourage young people to say yes because we need them now!
In closing we call upon the intercession of our Blessed Mother, Mary, the Mother of Jesus, to inspire those who have been called to imitate her fiat and say yes to whatever the Lord has in store for them. The rewards are eternal!