In the first reading at Mass this weekend, we have the calling of the young Samuel by God who responded to the Lord’s call with the words: ‘Speak Lord your servant is listening’. The following extracts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church encourage parents to speak to the children in the home about the concept of vocation that God has given to them from their baptism.
‘It is in the bosom of the family that parents are by word and example . . . the first heralds of the faith with regard to their children. They should encourage them in the vocation which is proper to each child, fostering with special care any religious vocation…..Parents have the mission of teaching their children to pray and to discover their vocation as children of God.35 The parish is the Eucharistic community and the heart of the liturgical life of Christian families; it is a privileged place for the catechesis of children and parents’ (CCC 1656, 2226).