PRAYER SERVICE FOR VOCATIONS
Suitable for parish Holy Hour, Vocations group
Please photocopy as required.
Opening Hymn-
Spirit of the Living God
(or other suitable hymn to the Holy Spirit)
Opening Prayer:
Lord with the gift of courage
we can do all manner of things
in service of you.
You desire we listen to the voice of your Son
And so discover the truth about you.
He is the gate which you have opened
That we may enter in and out
and be saved.
Help young men and women discover
in priesthood and consecrated life
His voice and share the fullness of life you promise.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Scripture Reading:
John 10:6-10
Jesus said to the disciples, "I am telling you the truth: I am the gate for the sheep. All
others who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
I am the gate. Those who come in by me will be saved; they will come in and go out and
find pasture. The thief comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come in
order that you might have life---life in all its fullness.
Reflection:
We all know that the voice of truth is often unheard. At best it is treated as naivety and
foolishness. Yet it is the gentle voice of truth that penetrates the heart and reaches the
soul.
There an unusual story of an old man who ran through the streets of a city crying out
“Power, greed and corruption. Power, greed and corruption” and for a time people were
riveted on this single-minded, open-hearted person.
But then eventually everyone went back to work, some only slightly hearing his
suggestion, others clearly were annoyed. However his cries in the street continued.
One day a child stepped in front of the wailing figure.
“Elder” said the child, “don’t you realize that no one is listening to you?” “Of course I
do, my child,” the Elder said.
“Then why do you shout?” the child inquired as if in disbelief. “If nothing is changing
around you, your efforts are useless”.
“Ah, dear child, these efforts are never useless,” the Elder said. “you see, I do not shout
only in order to change the people, I shout so that they cannot change me.”
QUIET PRAYER.
(suitable reflective music may be included here)
A Decade of the Rosary from the mysteries of Light would be suitable here
Gateway to the Father,
you desired that all be saved and pass through you into the fullness of life with the
Father. Thank you for so great a gift. Though in weakness I do not fully realise the
future you have planned, speak again to my heart and mind that in listening to you I
may follow wherever you may call me.
[We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Gate to the Father. Amen.] PAUSE
Gateway to the Father,
no one can be like the thief or robber and steal from you your originality. Therefore
help us to offer you as a real model for our young people. Help us show our young
children your uniqueness and so teach them to learn of their own uniqueness. May our
teenagers discover joy in finding you, the new gateway to life and love with the Father.
[We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Gate to the Father. Amen ] PAUSE
Gateway to the Father,
guide those called to family life or lives as priests and religious to share your life with
us. May their lives and actions reveal your face to our communities and youth. Give
them courage in the message they bear to us about you. Help them not to be afraid but
be authentic witnesses of hope, and come to recognise more and more how strong is the
attraction in young people to the values of the Spirit.
[We ask this is the name of Jesus, our Gate to the Father. Amen PAUSE
Prayers of the Faithful:
Response: Hear our prayer
Celebrant: God of Truth, you Son is our Gateway to you. You have opened our ears to
hear your call through Jesus your Son. Listen now to the prayers of your people
gathered here in your name:
1. We remember our Pope, our bishops, and all who share in the leadership ministry of
the Church:
May Pope Benedict, George our Bishop, and all the Bishops of the world, continue to
serve our Church with courage. May they speak the truth and so inflame the hearts of
men and women to more readily welcome Christ’s demanding message, stamped as it is
with the mystery of the Cross. (Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
2. We remember those who lead the nations of the world:
May they never be disturbed by falseness or mislead by untruth. May they work to
avoid all who come only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. Instead let them put out into
the deep in order to find unity, peace and service of each other and build a world that
values ‘life in all its fullness’.
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
3. We remember those who are parents and teachers:
May these who are entrusted by God to guide young people on the path to holiness be
an example of generous fidelity to Christ. We pray they help our young to discern their
path and to become true friends of Christ
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
4. We remember those women and men who are, at present, serving you as priests and
religious:
May they witness to Christ our gateway to the Father helping us, the people of God, to
come in and go out and find pasture. May our priests be true gatekeepers, filled with joy
and salvation, eager to share their treasure with us all.
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
5. We remember those who are currently searching for their vocation in life:
May they listen to the voice of the Father speaking in Jesus today. May Mary the
Mother of God who said “Do what ever he tells you” inspire them to trust their future
to him with confidence and without hesitation.
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
6. We remember those whom you are inviting to the vocations of family life, of
consecrated life and ordained ministry:
Fill them with the Holy Spirit and give them fortitude and prudence, so that they may
be able to discover the full truth about themselves and their own vocation.
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
7. We remember those who have died (............ names):
May they rest in peace entering through the new gateway of the Father.
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
8. We pause to remember our own special needs (e.g. Mothers ...Mothers' Day etc):
(Pause) We pray:
Hear our prayer
Celebrant: Father, we ask that you will hear all our prayers: those we have spoken, and
those deep in our hearts. We pray you will carry every prayer of this community to the
father, who calls every baptized Christian to listen to your voice and so enter into peace.
All: Amen.
ALL: Our Father….
Final Prayer:
Jesus our Saviour,
sent by the Father to reveal His merciful love,
Give to your Church the gift
of young people who are ready to put out into the deep,
to be signs among their brothers
of your presence which renews and saves.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Final Hymn: ‘A New Commandment’, hymn No 133 in Liturgical Hymns Old and New
(or other suitable hymn)
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