I was received very graciously by Fr Richard Carter and his parishioners at St Joseph's, Pudsey today and yesterday evening. I was preaching on vocation to the priesthood. I go around just about every parish in the diocese preaching on this theme as part of an ongoing programme. Today's Epiphany readings were very helpful: all practising young Catholics know what it is to search for God as the wise men searched the sky. I suggested Christian vocation means being prepared to leave everything and being desirous of only one thing: finding Christ. It occurred to me afterwards - all my best thoughts happen after the event - that the truly radical thing is to be a wholehearted Christian. Charity, self-sacrifice, discipline of life, prayerfulness: these are expected of us all. The priest's job is simply to help the community of the faithful to become that powerful sign which will draw the peoples to Christ. St Joseph's is a very well organised parish. Before Mass, all the altar servers, readers and extraordinary minsiters of holy communion gather in the sacristy and the members of each group in turn read out a prayer that they may fulfil their specific roles well and that their service may have an effect on their lives. I have never come across this before: I found it profoundly encouraging. Here we all are before one of the Masses.
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