Homily given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo
Bishop of Broken Bay
National Vocations Awareness Week 2025
4 August 2025
As we gather on this 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, our hearts are drawn once again to the beauty and challenge of the Gospel. And today, our celebration takes on an added richness, as we begin National Vocations Awareness Week, a time of special reflection, prayer, and encouragement around the many ways God calls each of us to live lives of meaning, service, and holiness.
Let us begin by reaffirming what is first and most fundamental: the universal call to holiness. This call is not reserved for the saints in stained glass, or for those in religious habits, or those who stand behind altars. No, the call to holiness is given to all, to the whole People of God, by virtue of our baptism. You and I are called to be holy. Children and grandparents, single and married, religious and ordained, rich and poor, all are invited to live as holy sons and daughters of the Most High God.
But what does holiness look like in real life? We might think holiness is something lofty, unattainable, even otherworldly. But holiness begins with very simple, daily decisions.
As Saint Paul tells us today in his letter to the Colossians: “Let your thought be on heavenly things, not on the things that are on the earth.”
Holiness is not about escaping the world but bringing God into the heart of our world, into our homes, our workplaces, our relationships.
My dear people, allow me to offer two practical examples of what holiness can look like:
Forgiveness in our families: A holy person is not someone who never fails, but someone who forgives and asks for forgiveness. A mother who offers patient love to a rebellious child, a spouse who chooses reconciliation over resentment, a friend who keeps showing up even when it is hard, these are holy lives.
Time spent in prayer and silence: Even five or ten minutes a day to pause, to thank God, to ask for help, to sit with His Word, this shapes the heart of a disciple.
Holiness does not begin in the clouds. It begins in the quiet moments of surrender to the love and mercy of God.
These are not unreachable ideals. They are doable, human, and deeply spiritual. And they are signs that someone is seeking the things that are above.
Jesus, in today’s Gospel from Luke, gives us the parable of the rich man who stores up treasures but forgets the true treasure, relationship with God. His life is full of possessions, but his soul is empty. It is a striking reminder that a successful life is not necessarily a holy life. A full bank account does not always mean a full heart. Holiness means being rich toward God. That richness looks like mercy, trust, humility, and generosity. It looks like a life poured out in love.
Among the many ways God invites us to live lives of holiness, this week we focus especially on the call to Sacred Orders, the diaconate and the priesthood, and to the Consecrated Life. These vocations are not separate from the universal call to holiness; they flow directly from it.
Baptism is the first call. From it springs every other vocation. And the ordained life is a particular way of answering that call, a life lived in service, accompaniment, and spiritual leadership. To be a priest or deacon is not to be better than anyone else, it is to be called to serve, to stand with the people of God, to be a shepherd who walks with, listens, blesses, and leads.
This week, one week out of fifty-two, we ask the whole Church to pray in a special way for vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
I urge each of you, my sisters and brothers, especially those of you who teach, who mentor, who accompany young people, please, pause and invite. Encourage them to ask the question: "Could God be calling me to this life of holiness?" Even the question itself is holy.
I also speak to the young people here today, and those who might be quietly wondering. If God is calling you to be a priest, a deacon, or a religious, God will give you the grace to respond. Do not be afraid. The Lord never calls us to anything that does not ultimately fulfill our deepest purpose.
This week is a graced moment for our Church. Through the sacred liturgy, the proclamation of the Word, and the witness of countless faithful lives, we are reminded that God is always present, always inviting us into deeper communion with the Blessed Trinity.
Might we support one another in answering the call to holiness. Together can we pray for and encourage those discerning a vocation to the priesthood or religious life. And let us not grow tired of preaching, teaching, and living out the truth: We are all called to be holy.
May Mary, Mother of the Church and Star of the Sea, pray for us. Amen.