Vocation Homily,

Vocation Homily for the 4^th Sunday of Easter

 (St. Damian’s Parish – Bundoora)

Seminarian: Dong Chau Tran

Ø  Dear Fr. Vincent, brothers and sisters in Christ, especially all the young people attending this Mass.

First of all, I would like to thanks Fr. Vincent, for allowing me to share with you about vocations, especially the vocation to the priesthood and religious life.

What do we mean by the word “vocation”? The word vocation comes from the Latin “vocare”, which means to call.

It is the divine call by God to follow a certain path of action in life, especially with regard to the choice of a state in life.

In the today’s Gospel, Jesus declares that he is the “gate of the sheepfold”; the one who leads his sheep through the gate to safety. If we are his, we will listen, for Jesus says, “I know my own and my own know me”. (John. 10:14)

The today’s Gospel also makes it very clear that, Jesus is the necessary gateway through which we gain entry. He is the Good Shepherd that leads us to an everlasting life.

We also know the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who calls us and leads us through the Church. It is the universal call of God to all to a life of grace and union with God, especially through the ministrations of His priests who seek to imitate Him. Every priest is called to be a man of God who serves others by leading. “I come to serve but not to be served.” Said Jesus.

Ø  Now, I want to share with you a little bit about my own vocation.

 My name is Dong Tran, I was born in 1982. There are six children in my family, two boys and three girls and I am a youngest person. My father used to work as a high school principle and my mother works on the farm. They are both retired.

 I fully believe that my vocation comes from God, because He said to his disciples that: “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.” (Jn. 15:16) Furthermore, I think, I am a lucky man because I have grown up in a family of traditional catholic and I am very grateful to my parents who helped me to develop my early vocation. By the way, my parents taught me how to love God and neighbor “Love your God and love your neighbor as yourself.” and they often brought me to the Church especially was on the Sunday mass. Step by step I have been growing up in God’s grace and understanding more about religious vacation.

 When I finished the university in Vietnam, 2005. I have made a decision to enter the Hanoi Archdiocese Seminary.

When I told my friends, they were shocked with my decision to join the seminary.

I later learnt that most of my friends who didn’t know much about Jesus struggled very hard with my idea of becoming a priest. They just wanted to know ‘why I want to give up everything and follow Christ’.

I smiled and told them: “I give up everything to follow Christ because I love the life of Jesus. He didn’t promise the disciple the life of glory but he wanted to share his life with them.”

The good shepherd Sunday it is important time to remind ourselves that the source of all vocations comes from the family. Parents play very important role in nurturing their own children to be examples of “generous fidelity to Christ”.

With this in mind, I would like to ask all of you to pray for all the young men and women, who are attending this Mass, will hear and answer the call of the Good Shepherd.

Please remember that the Church needs you; the world needs you; and we all need you. You are the light of the world and the life of the Church. Let’s to be silent and taken a question: Can the Church survive without priests?  The completely answer that: no, because there are no priests, no Eucharist and the Church will die.

As Jesus said to his disciples: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” (Lk. 10:2)

And lastly, if anyone who has any questions about the vocation to the priesthood and religious life, you can either see Fr Vincent or myself after Mass.

I have also left some pamphlets and prayer cards at the back of the church for anyone who is interested in this vocation.(if have)

Let’s conclude my talk for tonight (or this morning). I would like to use the message of the Holy Father when he addresses to the people of Melbourne during his visit in 1986, he says: “If the Church is lacking in priests, Jesus is lacking… A community poor in vocations impoverishes the Church. A community rich in vocations enriches the whole Church”.

Thank you for listening and God bless you all.