Vocation Awareness Week with Fr. Michael Greco
A priest prays before a monstrance. (NTC/Ben Torres)
Fourth in a series: Father Michael Greco, JCL.
Q. What is the best part of being a priest?
There are so many wonderful things about being a priest, it's hard to choose just one. But, I would say that, in general, the best part is every day being able to share the Gospel, the good news of what God is doing in Christ, with so many people. This happens in various ways: in preaching, in counseling, in the confessional, in conversations, at the sickbed, through the liturgical words and actions, and in many other ways. Being constantly immersed in this Gospel, challenged to appropriate it more myself and sharing it with others as light and strength for them is something for which I am so grateful.
Q. How can parishioners encourage vocations?
First of all, pray. Vocations to the priesthood and religious life come from God, so we must ask God for them. Looking at my own vocation, it is a great mystery. So many of the things we think of as contributing to vocations were not part of my experience: for example, I was never an altar server, my family didn't have close relationships with priests, there was no one priest I looked up to, and I didn't attend Catholic school. And yet, God gave me a vocation nonetheless. It is a mystery.
Secondly, no one will give their whole lives to serving the Church, if they don't believe in the mission of the Church with their whole hearts, if it is not the most important thing in the world to them. So, though it sounds very simple, I believe one of the best things we can do to encourage vocations is to fall in love with Christ, with the Gospel, and with the mission of the Church to proclaim Christ and the Gospel to the world, and for our parish communities to be places where this love spreads like fire.
Please pray for all parents, that they may instill a positive regard for the priesthood and religious life as lifetime paths for their sons and daughters.
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