Following in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi

Today is Good Shepherd Sunday.  It is also known as Vocation Sunday.  We all have a vocation, a calling from God, by which He wants us to live our lives.  Many people are called to the marriage state and others to the single life.  But today I want to limit the word vocation to the priesthood and the religious life as a brother or sister.

We all know that priests, brothers and nuns have become scarce.  But the world needs an increase of them.  Why?  To continue doing God’s work of helping to find Him and their way to Heaven. 

When I was given the gift of being Christ’s priest, I looked upon it as such a privilege that my ambition was to inspire two young men to follow in my footsteps and one day replace me.  I would like to think that this is the ambition of every priest.  I know I have influenced young girls to be nuns, but as far as I know I have not inspired any young men to become a friar.  The fault could be mine.

My vocation is a dual vocation.  God has not only called me to be His priest but to be a Capuchin Franciscan friar, following in the footsteps of Francis of Assisi.  It is my belief that of all men not one followed Christ more closely than this Saint.  He was truly another Christ.  There were two sentiments that shine forth so brightly in the life of Francis - his wanting to lead us to His Father and showing love and mercy especially to sinners, the poor and the marginalized.  These are the sentiments I have tried to embrace throughout my 61 years as a priest.  So when I ask God for two men to follow in my footsteps, I hope they will have seen these qualities reflected in my life. If that is not so, then may God forgive me.

I strongly believe in those Biblical words, “Many are called and few are chosen.”  God calls many young men to be His priests and brothers, but there are other vocations like marriage or a career that can look more appealing.  From a purely human perspective I can understand that.  But what about the spiritual dimensions?

Today I would like to advertise the priesthood that God has been given to me.  The greatest gift is the privilege of saying Mass.  Can there be anything greater than to take bread and wine in your hands and changing them it into the Body and Blood of Christ.  That has to be the greatest miracle that takes place on our earth every day.  And then the priest has the privilege of giving Jesus to people to be the food of their souls.

How wonderful is the power God gives His priest to administer the Sacraments.  To think that pouring water over the head of a child and saying the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” enables that child to be reborn as a child of God, original sin having been washed away from the infant's soul and he or she becomes a member of the Catholic Church.

I wish I could convey to you the happiness a priest experiences after hearing the confession of a person who has strayed from God’s love for many years and has come to repent in the confessional.  It is impossible to measure the satisfaction a priest receives when he knows the relief and the joy he has brought to a penitent from the words he recites, “I forgive you all your sins…”

What a privilege it is for a priest to be the official witness of the Church when a man and woman marry each other: together they are committing themselves to helping each other to live lives that will be pleasing to God.

Think of the joy a priest gets when a person nears the end of their life and he is the one chosen to send them on their final journey to God.

Not everyone is loved and liked.  But a priest experiences the love of so many people.  A priest enjoys closeness to children and young people without the responsibility of providing for them. And they can frequently bring peace to the elderly and infirm.

You will never find a starving or a homeless priest.  God provides a roof over his head and food on his table.  And in his old age he will always be looked after.

How wonderful it is to think that for most of the days of his life a priest shares the same roof as His God and Master ever present in a tabernacle nearby.  What it is to have that close proximity with God - the Creator of sun and moon, Earth and the planets, the wonders of the natural world, the beauty of music and of art, architect of the greatest human achievements, and so much more.  I walk with Him every day, speak to Him throughout the day, work for Him every day and, I hope, inspire many of the people I meet to do the same. 

For me the greatest vocation on Earth in life has to be the priesthood.

On behalf of Jesus I invite young men to offer themselves to God as priests or brothers, and young women as nuns.  He will never abandon you but will share His blessings with you in abundance if you are committed to doing His will ... in this world and the next.

Please visit my website at https://fatherfrancismaple.co.uk/