Proclaiming the Gospel Today
And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:15.
The task of every Christian disciple is to share the Good News of the Kingdom to every creature. This call is not for the few, but for all. God has given us the spirit of adoption by which we cry out from the very depths of our souls: “Abba,” for He has called us sons (Romans 8:15). Through the gift of this spirit, we receive the whole inheritance of the First Born Son: “…but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our God” (I Cor 6:11).
Christ has endowed us with this spirit of adoption through the sacraments. Today, the Church is in need of good men who will follow the example of Our Lord by acting as Shepherds, lifting up the rest of the faithful by extending to them the immeasurable graces of the sacraments, strengthening them and accompanying them in the work of proclaiming the Gospel. In an age that doubts, that seems to exist in a perpetual state of fear and anxiety, we need men who are confident in their faith and willing to lay down their lives for their sheep, despite any obstacles, for the sake of saving souls.
Over the last year, I have had the pleasure of serving the Diocese of Richmond as Vicar for Vocations and working side-by-side with both the newly ordained, Father Anthony Ferguson and Father Julio Reyes, as well as the 23 men presently in formation. I have been impressed with their joy, their fidelity to the Church and their eagerness to spread the Gospel. They are men of generous hearts and humble spirits. Although they could have chosen so many other paths for their lives, they have chosen to draw close to Our Lord to discern whether He has called them to His Sacred Priesthood in the Diocese of Richmond.
To follow Jesus Christ is a joy; to dedicate the whole of one’s life to proclaim His Sacred Name and to invite others to share in the treasures of Holy Mother Church is a great honor.
What would it take for you to choose a new path in the midst of today’s uncertainties?
Please know of my daily prayers for your discernment and those of our seminarians.
St. Joseph, St. John Vianney, St. Vincent de Paul, ora pro nobis!
Fr. Capuano
Vicar for Vocations