The vocations of apostles, such as Saint Andrew, and their successors, our priests, are to draw us to Christ. But in many corners of the globe, including the Philippines, Brazil and in the United States, the Church faces a dire shortage of priests even as the Church on this planet numbers beyond one billion.
What's at stake? No priests, no sacraments, no Church. "Who's going to give the sacraments for the next generation?" one priest asks in a powerful video called "Fishers of Men."
This 18-minute video was produced by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Vocations and Priestly Formation. If your family hasn't seen this video - our two sons watched it during CCD class last year - please do.
And as we pray the Christmas Novena together, let's reflect on whether we're raising our sons to realize, as one priest in the video puts it: "it's not natural to be a priest; it's supernatural."
