‘Choose from our homes’

Guest columnist 

I remember that as a young child I was intrigued by a prayer that was prayed at the conclusion of the rosary before Mass. I did not realize at the time that it was a prayer for vocations. I just remember the phrase, “choose from our homes those who are needed for Your work.” Little did I know that that prayer was about my family and me. 

Growing up, my family was a typical Catholic family. We attended Mass regularly and prayed before meals. My brothers and I attended the parish Catholic school, the same one from which our parents graduated. Mom was a part of the Council of Catholic Women and a member of Christian Mothers. Dad was a Eucharistic minister and a lector, worked at all the parish functions, and taught in the Catholic school. Looking back, I see that our family life revolved around church and school. Yet it didn’t feel forced or over-the-top — it felt natural. 

I credit my parents for laying the foundation for my vocation. Their example of faithfulness and fidelity to the church, along with the service they did, and sending me to a Catholic school were the seedbed of my vocation. Often, when asked about my upbringing and living my Catholic faith in my family I say it was “no big deal.” I mean that in the same way that breathing is no big deal. Yes, we need it to live (so it is a big deal) but we don’t think about it every moment, we just do it (so it is no big deal). That was how we lived our Catholic faith in and outside of our home. It was what we did and who we were, day in and day out. 

In Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis said that “the joy of love experienced by families is also the joy of the church.” In other words, the life of the family is reflected in the life of the church and the life of the church is reflected in families. There is a connection. God has a big job for his church in our world today. And this job needs families up to the task and who are willing to do their part. 

When, in our Diocesan Vocation Prayer, we pray “choose from our homes those who are needed for Your work,” do we mean it? How would you respond if your son or daughter came to you and said they were considering a vocation in the church? Would you welcome and foster a vocation in your family? 

Vocations to the consecrated life or the priesthood, much like happy and holy marriages, are the fruit of healthy Christian communities, and often they find their start at home. If, in our homes, we are faithful to the Gospel, attending Mass, being people of prayer and service, while helping young people and giving them the freedom to discern God’s call, then we should not be surprised when we see vocations arise in our homes. 

So, the next time you say “choose for our homes those who are needed for Your work,” really pray those words. Open your hearts to the possibility of a vocation in your home. Encourage your children to pray those words. And who knows, God just might choose from your home! 

Benedictine Sister Lisa Maurer is vocation director at St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth.