WHAT IS MY ROLE IN MY CHILD'S VOCATION?
RESOURCES FOR PARENTS
YOU CAN TRUST
YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER
The plan God has for your son's life is one full of freedom and meaning. We know that God desires our good and has made us both to love and be loved. Your son's vocation, whether it is the priesthood, religious, or married life, is part of God's desire to love and care for your son.
Discernment is the process of actively seeking God's will for one's life. It is personal and unique. But your son doesn't have to do it alone. In fact, God often uses family and community to reveal his will.
While a young man's vocation is God's decision, parents play an important role and have a moral responsibility to create a supportive home environment in which a decision about a vocation is made. The response to God's call is made with family and among friends who indicate through what they say and do whether they value and support a religious vocation-- a vocation that is a life of service to God and his people.
GOD HAS ENTRUSTED YOU, AS A PARENT, WITH THE RESPONSIBILITY OF TEACHING YOUR SON THAT GOD SHOULD BE THE BIGGEST INFLUENCE IN HIS LIFE
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GOD IS FAITHFUL
TO HIS CHILDREN
The role of family is expressed in the prayer of the Church at the end of the Baptismal Liturgy-- "...parents should, by their word and example, be the first preachers of the faith to their children. They should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each of them...fostering with special care any religious vocation." Through prayer, a Christ-centered home, and with sympathetic and honest support, families can create a climate in which the grace of God can work freely. Parents should seek help along the way from a priest of other trusted advisor.
In faith, parents need to understand that their son's true happiness depends on their generous response to God's call and that God is never outdone in generosity and love. "God is faithful and he will not let you be tested beyond your strength." (1 Cor 10:13)
