Not only to pray, to seek
Vocation does not arise from nothing
Sometimes it seems that vocations—to the priesthood, to marriage, or to consecrated life— arise out of nowhere, as if God called in secret without anyone else having a part.
But it is not so: God calls through concrete faces, living communities, people who truly care.
Therefore, it is not enough to pray for vocations. We have to seek them.
Pray, yes… but with eyes open
Jesus said it clearly: “The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Mt 9:37-38).
That prayer is not passive or theoretical. It is a call to make us ourselves collaborators of God, those who help others to discover their path.
To pray for vocations means to look around: at the young people in your parish, your friends, the one who serves with joy, the one who listens with patience, the one who lives the faith with coherence.
When you see someone like that, do not keep silent. It may be time to ask, with simplicity and trust:
“Have you ever thought that God might be calling you to something more?”
Sometimes a question like that, posed by a priest, a catechist, or a believing friend, can awaken a sleeping vocation.
Each one seeks the holiness of the other
Vocation is not a private matter. We are all responsible for the holiness of the other.
A layperson who encourages, a mother who prays, a priest who proposes, a community that accompanies… all take part in the birth of new vocations.
The world needs good spouses, good priests, good consecrated women. And that begins when someone dares to look with faith at the qualities of the other:
“He would be a devoted father.”
“She could be a great sister.”
“He has the soul of a shepherd.”
It is not about labeling, but about recognizing God’s action in people and helping them discern it.
Point out, accompany, pray
Look attentively. Write in your heart the names of those who convey joy, hope, service.
Accompany them with your friendship, with your prayer, with your example.
And pray each day:
“Lord, let each one discover their path, and may we know how to accompany one another in discernment.”
A vocation born in community
No vocation flourishes in isolation. It arises in a community that prays, that listens, that walks together.
Synodality—this walking together—is not only a pastoral method: it is the very way in which God calls.
Each vocation, each story, is the fruit of a people that accompanies, proposes, and sustains.