Vocation Programs Not Effective

[TeresaBenedicta]

I found this article to be an extremely good read: [url="http://hprweb.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=265:why-vocation-programs-dont-work&catid=34:current-issue&Itemid=1"]Why Vocation Programs Don't Work[/url]

A nice, provocative title, no?

Anyways, I think the author makes an excellent point.

I still think the vocation programs are super important, especially because they [i]do[/i] help those who are at the "discipleship" stage. But evangelization is such a wider problem than we often think it is, and it is certainly and imperatively linked with vocations.

[cruciatacara]

Thank you for posting that excellent article. I was particularly happy about this statement...

[quote]
Youth groups that are filled with disciples and are about making new disciples are youth groups that allow their young people an opportunity to fall in love with Jesus.[/quote]

I think that sums up what should be the focus of all parish activities - "falling in love" with Jesus.

[CatherineM]

I don't know what they are doing different here, but I spent some time looking at the graduation pictures from year's past today. 15 years ago, there were maybe one priest/MDiv graduate a year. Now there are many, plus many graduations from those in orders-basilian and franscican.

[Chamomile]

This is basis of the Gospel:

[font="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"][quote]Once people come to know Jesus, repent of their sin, experience conversion, and become disciples, they will naturally draw others to follow him too, in whatever vocation they are called.[/quote][/font]

When the first Apostles were called, they went and found others. Jesus didn't physically seek out and find Peter - it was brother, Andrew, who went and found Peter, who told him, "We have found the Messiah." This was after Andrew followed Jesus and "stayed with Him" - after He had experienced Jesus Himself.

Peter responded to his brother's invitation, and Jesus gave him a new name, a new vocation - to be the head of His Church.

I'd say discipleship is pretty important!

[Ephrem Augustine]

Discipleship is not a word I heard very much growing up Catholic. In my youth ministry, a handful of kids were selected to be youth leaders. Thats was the first time discipleship was emphasized. I thought it was amesome, it reminded me of Jedi, Ninjas, Samurai, Knights, Warriors, and many other amesome men with weapons training for something amesome. Discipleship only made my faith experience way more attractive, then being vaguely accepted by some amorphous God who is love or whatever or something like that but really only accepts us because God must not because God actually loves us or anything. Calling me disciple brings out more of me then just calling me child.

[Chamomile]

[quote name='Ephrem Augustine' timestamp='1297230903' post='2210501']
Discipleship is not a word I heard very much growing up Catholic. In my youth ministry, a handful of kids were selected to be youth leaders. Thats was the first time discipleship was emphasized. I thought it was amesome, it reminded me of Jedi, Ninjas, Samurai, Knights, Warriors, and many other amesome men with weapons training for something amesome. Discipleship only made my faith experience way more attractive, then being vaguely accepted by some amorphous God who is love or whatever or something like that but really only accepts us because God must not because God actually loves us or anything. Calling me disciple brings out more of me then just calling me child.
[/quote]

I think you're right - we are both children of God and disciples of Jesus. If we forget one or the other, if one aspect of our relationship is overemphasized or not even spoken about at all, we don't get that opportunity to grow and to bring others to Christ. In the article, it focused on teaching young people to pray. This is where they will first encounter that "amorphous God who is love," and once they know Him, they can go find others. But both elements do need to be there.

I especially like that you said it reminded you of 's and other "a.wesome men with weapons training for something a.wesome"! That's a way to get young men involved (I think tnavarro was looking for something like this awhile ago with his apostolate). Currently, I'm reading a book that talks about the evangelization of Ireland by St. Patrick, and it points out the relationship between the Irish's violent warrior past to the idea of "taking Heaven by force" and being warriors for the Kingdom of God. I somewhat shy away from parellels to war and violence when talking about Faith, but the imagery is clearly there in Scripture, and we are in constant spiritual battle. This is probably something that would really speak to many young people today and be counter-cultural to the senseless violence in reality and in the media.