Feeding the spiritually hungry, gathering up the fragments, making sure nothing is lost.  In today’s Gospel these are things we might reflect upon especially when we give consideration to the vocation of priesthood.

I have served in one of our largest parishes in the Archdiocese of Toronto, and in my current role as Director of Vocations I visit parishes everywhere.  What edifies me constantly is the great love and thirst the faithful have.  To hear what God offers them, to receive what the Lord offers them as spiritual food in the Eucharist.  As priests, most of us take it seriously to make sure that they are given the spiritual food they are looking for. Only by God’s grace and by ordination, Jesus allows the priest to provide the spiritual food at all.  It’s also important that priests in the role of Jesus Christ needs to “gather up the fragments”; not wasting what’s given as spiritual nourishment is also part of good stewardship.  The good use of our gifts given to us by God and this is an important part of priestly ministry.  God gave us His Son; His Son gave us Himself (in the Eucharist and through His Word).  If we piece together God’s action throughout history to this day and everything our Lord Jesus left us with (the Eucharist, confession, the priesthood) and gave us the Great Commission to see to it that nothing be lost.

All vocations are special.  All vocations contribute to the building up of the Church and bringing Christ into the world.  In this day and age we need to speak more about the priesthood.  Today’s Gospel is a powerful one when it comes to what priests do.  We are blessed to have men stepping forward willing to give their lives for the Lord and be His priests, let us pray for them today and often.