When we pray for vocations we tend to think of the Vocation of Priesthood, of those men that Our Lord Jesus Christ instructed them to “do this in memory of me“. Two thousand and twenty four years has passed and we can track all our Popes from today all the way to St. Peter, hence Jesus.
However, we forget to stop for a second and think about the vocation of the women in the Church. And no, in no way I’m referring to women becoming priests. That is out of the picture.
I’ve always talked about our vocation as wives and mothers and throughout the life of Maronite Mum page I wanted to encourage and help all women who are wives and mothers to fulfill their role in a Christian way and not in the way the secular life tells us. Our Mission as Mothers is in so many ways diminished, understimated, depreciated and look down upon, against the glories of a University Degree, a Career and a big salary. Also, it seems to be some sort of “glory” in marrying someone considered a “good catch”. We are (and our youth) bombarded with this in all corners: TV, School, Social Media… and even at home.
We as parents have a duty to raise our children and provide for them everything necessary for their upbringing. We need to provide shelter, food, education, and so on. It is a duty of care: that is a must. However, it is also our duty to raise them IN the Lord, IN the Faith. Not lukewarm faith, but The FAITH. The Faith that our Saints had. The faith that St. Monica had that changed her son. The faith that St. Zelie had that raised St. Therese of Lisieux. The Faith that all the Saints’ parents had.
But, are we willing to do so?
Don’t say yes, just yet.
I’ll ask you again: are we willing to give up our children and returned them to the Lord? Are we willing to not see our son because he decided to become a Priest or a Monk and we might not see them ever again because their Mission in the Church might take them somewhere far? Are we willing to give up seeing our daughthers dressed in white walking towards the Altar to her husband and instead give her to the Lord to serve Him in the vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience?
Have you ever stopped and thought about St. Charbel’s mum? Or St. Rafqa’s? St. Faustina’s? St. Rita’s?
The Catholic Church NEEDS VOCATIONS. And no, you can’t CREATE a vocation; it is something inexplicable that is given to a person by God through the Holy Spirit by discerning actively in His Call. God calls them individually. But what YOU can do as a Father or Mother is NOT to destroy it, not be the stone were your child will stumble in his way to the Lord. That is the TRUE surrender to the will of God. He will ask us about our actions.
“And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’” Matthew 25:40
Our Lady did it. She Surrender her only and dearest Son in the Cross. And, then, dedicated her life to be in prayer and supporting the development of our Church. In silent and with true love.
We, as mothers, like Our Lady, don’t want to see our children suffer in any way, or to be away from us in any way, but in the perfect Surrender to the will of God there is peace in the certainty that the ways of the Lord are greater and better than our one… even if I we can’t see it now.
Like I said, the Church needs vocations both in Priesthood and Religious life. Let us pray for one another, for our Children to grow and be what God has written in heaven, and that may the Lord grant US -parents- the wisdom to raise our Children in the Faith truly trusting that HE will take care of them, no matter what vocation they are called to and it’s written in heaven.
God bless you and your family,
Liza, a Maronite Mum
Maronite Mum 