1. Vocations blossom in the good soil of faithful people
Lord of the Harvest,
Bless young people with the gift of courage to respond to your call.
Open their hearts to great ideals, to great things.
Inspire all of your disciples to mutual love and giving—
for vocations blossom in the
good soil of faithful people.
Instill those in religious life, parish
ministries, and families with the confidence
and grace to invite others to embrace
the bold and noble path of a life
dedicated to you.
Unite us to Jesus through prayer and sacrament,
so that we may cooperate
with you in building your reign of mercy
and truth, of justice and peace. Amen.
PRAYERS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
2. The baptized to take the path that leads to holiness
Jesus, Son of God,
in whom the fullness of the Divinity dwells,
You call all the baptized to " put out into the deep",
taking the path that leads to holiness.
Waken in the hearts of young people the desire
to be witnesses in the world of today
to the power of your love.
Fill them with your Spirit of fortitude and prudence,
so that they may be able to discover the full truth
about themselves and their own vocation.
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 the sign among their brothers
of Your presence which renews and saves.
Holy Virgin, Mother of the Redeemer,
sure guide on the way towards God and towards neighbour,
You who pondered his word in the depth of your heart,
sustain with your motherly intercession
our families and our ecclesial communities,
so that they may help adolescents and young people
to answer generously the call of the Lord.
Amen.
3. Jesus, open the minds and hearts of young people
Lord, Jesus Christ, Good Shepherd of our souls, you who know your sheep and know how to reach man's heart, open the minds and hearts of those young people who search for and await a word of truth for their lives;
let them understand that only in the mystery of your Incarnation do they find full light;
arouse the courage of those who know where to seek the truth, but fear that what you ask will be too demanding;
stir the heart of those young people who would follow you, but who cannot overcome doubts and fears, and who in the end follow other voices and other paths which lead nowhere.
You who are the Word of the Father, the Word which creates and saves, the Word which enlightens and sustains hearts, conquer with your Spirit the resistence and delays of indecisive hearts; arouse in those whom you call the courage of love's answer: "Here I am, send me!" (Is 6:8).
Virgin Mary, young daughter of Israel, support with your motherly love those youths to whom the Father will grant that they hear his voice; protect those who are already consecrated. Let them repeat with you the yes of a joyful and irrevocable gift of self. Amen.
4. Holy Family, open the heart of every family to the faith
O Holy Family of Nazareth, community of love of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, model and ideal of every Christian family, to you we entrust our families.
Open the heart of every family to the faith, to welcoming the word of God, to Christian witness, so that it become a source of new and holy vocations.
Touch the hearts of parents, so that with prompt charity, wise care, and loving devotion they be for their sons and daughters sure guides towards spiritual and eternal values.
Stir up in the hearts of young people a right conscience and a free will, so that growing in "wisdom, age and grace", they might welcome generously the gift of a divine vocation.
Holy Family of Nazareth, grant that all of us, contemplating and imitating the assiduous prayer, generous obedience, dignified poverty and virginal purity lived out in your midst, might set about fulfilling the will of God and accompanying with far-sighted sensitivity those among us who are called to follow more closely the Lord Jesus, who "has given himself for us" (cf. Gal 2:20). Amen!
5. Mary and the “yes”that gives meaning to existence
O Virgin of Nazareth,
the "yes" spoken in youth marked your
existence and it grew as did your life itself.
O Mother of Jesus,
in your free and joyful "yes"
and in your active faith so many generations
and so many educators have found inspiration
and strength for welcoming the Word of God
and for fulfilling his will.
O Teacher of life,
teach young people to pronounce the "yes"
that gives meaning to existence
and brings them to discover the hidden "name" of God
in the heart of every person.
O Queen of the Apostles, give us wise educators,
who will know how to love young people and help them grow,
guiding them to the encounter with Truth which makes one free and happy.
Amen!
6. Serving God satisfies the heart
Mary, humble servant of God Most High, the Son to whom you gave birth has made you the servant of humanity.
Your life was a humble and generous service.You were servant of the Word when the angel announced to you the divine plan of salvation.
You were servant of the Son, giving him life and remaining open to his mystery. You were servant of Redemption, standing courageously at the foot of the Cross, close to the Suffering Servant and Lamb, who was sacrificing himself for love of us.
You were servant of the Church on the day of Pentecost and with your intercession you continue to generate her in every believer, even in these our difficult and troubled times.
Let the young people of the third millennium look to you, young daughter of Israel, who have known the agitation of a young heart when faced with the plan of the Eternal God.
Make them able to accept the invitation of your Son to give their lives wholly for the glory of God.
Make them understand that to serve God satisfies the heart, and that only in the service of God and of his kingdom do we realize ourselves in accordance with the divine plan, and life becomes a hymn of glory to the Most Holy Trinity. Amen.
7. Send laborers to the harvest
We turn to you, Lord, in trust!
Son of God,
sent by the Father
to the men and women of every time and
to the men and women of every time and
of every part of the earth!
We call upon you through Mary,
your Mother and ours:
may the Church not
lack in vocations,
especially those dedicated in a
special way to your Kingdom.
Jesus, only Saviour of mankind!
We pray to you for our
brothers and sisters who have
answered "yes" to your
call to the priesthood,
to the consecrated life and
to the missions.
May their lives be renewed day by
day, to become a living Gospel.
Merciful and holy Lord,
continue to send new labourers
into the harvest of your Kingdom!
Assist those whom you call
to follow you in our day;
contemplating your face,
may they respond with joy
to the wondrous mission
that you entrust to them
for the good of your People
and of all men and women.
You who are God and live and reign
with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever. Amen.
8. Let resound your sweet invitation
Lord Jesus, once you called the first disciples in order to make them fishers of men. Continue to let resound today Your sweet invitation: "Come and follow me."
Grant to young men and young women the grace of responding promptly to Your voice. Sustain our bishops, priests and consecrated souls in their apostolic work. Give perseverance to our seminarians and to all those who are fulfilling an ideal of a life of total consecration to Your service.
Enkindle in our communities a missionary zeal. Send Lord, workers into Your fields and do not let mankind be lost because of a lack of pastors, missionaries and people dedicated to the cause of the Gospel.
Mary, Mother of the Church, Model of Vocations, help us say "Yes to the Lord Who calls us to collaborate in the Divine Design of Salvation." Amen.
OTHER PRAYERS
9. Strengthen me to respond to your call each day
Gracious God,
You have called me to life
and gifted me in many ways.
Through Baptism You have sent me
to continue the mission of Jesus
by sharing my love with others.
Strengthen me to respond to
Your call each day.
Help me to become all You desire of me.
Inspire me to make a difference in
others' lives.
Lead me to choose the way of life
You have planned for me
either in the calling to give myself totally
in marriage to sanctify my spouse, my children and the community,
or in a vocation to celibacy
to sanctify hundreds of souls
in the service of the entire Church.
Open the hearts of all to listen
to Your call.
Fill all with Your Holy Spirit that
we may have listening hearts and
the courage to respond to You.
Enkindle in my heart
and the hearts of others the desire
to make the world a better place
by loving you
with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind and all our strength. Amen.
10. Accept your challenge to build the kingdom
Creator God,
Life is your gift to me,
Through Baptism you invite me to share
the gift of my life in service to others.
Be with me as I choose each day to show
Your presence in our world.
Give me the courage and generosity to
respond to Your love, to Your call.
I pray for those who serve you
with total love in marriage or in celibacy.
Open the minds and hearts of many other
men and women that they may accept
Your challenge to build the Kingdom.
Loving God, you have made me in Your image and likeness,
and for this I shall praise You forever.
Through baptism Your invite me to serve as Your son Jesus served.
I offer You this day all that I have and all that I am
in union with His saving cross.
Father, in the power of the Spirit,
You send us forth to build up Your kingdom.
I pray especially for those whom You are calling
to serve you with total dedication in celibacy.
Help them to hear and answer Your call to discipleship.
The harvest is plenty, but laborers are few.
Please provide for us men and women
who will help to gather in a great harvest of souls.
I make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Titles
were added to facilitate identification.
Sources: (1) Vatican Website and (2) USCCB website on Prayers for Vocations (slightly modified)
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