11 th Sunday – Year A

12 th June 2005

S: Good morning, today we’re on about vocation and especially the need to look constantly for creative ways to respond to God’s love for us.

B: Our word of life for today comes from Matthew’s Gospel, “ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest”. This phrase is sometimes seen as exclusively promoting vocations to the priesthood and religious life. This may have been true in the past – but we live in a very different world today – a world in which our understanding of the word vocation has changed enormously .

S: I think we do need to see God’s hand working in so many ways outside the formalized liturgies of our churches. I see it myself in the lives of the young people that I work with. They’re big into 24 hour Fasts for Trocaire, Environmental issues, world poverty, hampers for the poor, all sorts of social and peace issues. Surely this is the hand of God at work. Surely these are the new labourers of today and tomorrow. People often speak of the crisis in the fall of vocations to the Priesthood and Religious life – and while it is true that the numbers have gone down, this is only true in the context that they were unnaturally high. For me the real crisis will come about if we fail to be creative, imaginative and constructive in offering a place for these good young people to express themselves.

B: Speaking of discovering God in your life through creative and imaginative ways, one young man Chris O’ Donnell was ordained in Adare Parish Church last weekend by Bishop Donal Murray. By all accounts it was a wonderful occasion and we’d like to send Chris and his family our very best wishes and congratulations. Seamus you were at the Ordination and First Mass

S: Yes, I was and I was also at the first Match! It was a wonderful two days of celebrations for the village of Adare and it was a great privilege to be present and watch Chris being ordained. The ordination was a most moving ceremony – and of course Chris added his own casual style to the two days of events.

His first blessings after the First Mass took literally hours and hours – the people just seems to come from everywhere. I think he was standing for over five hours giving first blessings. I would say the poor man was exhausted after the few days. Of course the First Match didn’t help – now in case you didn’t know the All Priests Team “The God Squad” won that First Match 5 – 3 against Adare United. One priest said to me on the side line – Jeeee Seamus, I didn’t think it was going to be this serious. But it was great sport – and the good mood was help on by some priceless comments from on and off the pitch – The charity match was in aid of a children’s shelter in Kenya. Thanks to Chris and all his family, the people of Adare, the clergy and the local soccer team for a most wonderful weekend.

B: Our reflection this morning is taken from Chris’ ordination booklet and is The Prayer of Thomas Merton’.

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going,

I do not see the road ahead of me.

I cannot know for certain where it will end.

Nor do I really know myself,

and the fact that I think I am following your will,

does not mean that I am actually doing so.

But I believe that the desire to please you

does in fact please you.

And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.

I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.

And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road

though I may know nothing about it.

Therefore I will trust you always,

though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death,

I will not fear,

For you are ever with me and you will never leave me

to face my fears alone.

S: You’ve been listening to "Just a thought" with Seamus Madigan...

B: and Brenda Cribbin. We can be contacted by e-mail on smadigan@limerickdiocese.org. If you would like your own copy of this reflection you can download it by clicking on www.limerickdiocese.org

Or we can be contacted through the Limerick Diocesan Offices at 66 O’Connell Street.

S: We look forward to your company next week, so take care...

S & B: Bye

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