Peter on the Shore: Foreword
This book is not meant to be a complete treatise on the abstract matter of vocation. The theology it contains is of a practical nature, and when it gets into theory it is only as an aid towards your responding to God. What God wants to do with your life is too beautiful to bury under a surfeit of theory.
There are many passages of scripture that can enlighten, hearten and warn us about the Lord's call, and there are also common objections that we, our families or our friends come up with as regards vocation. This book is simply a selection of the most typical of both, along with some personal reflections.
You have obviously had some reason to read this far, some reason to pick up the book in the first place, perhaps you are looking for help to make up your own mind, or you want to understand and encourage a relative or friend who feels a vocation. Perhaps you are seeking help to open your heart to accept your son's or daughter's vocation, or maybe you are one of the many members of the Church concerned about the apparent lack of vocations we are suffering, and you want to see if you can do something about it.
Whatever your reasons, I hope that some good comes of your reading. I hope especially that in some way it will give you the means to encourage a new vocation to serve Christ exclusively in total consecration.
It goes to you with my prayers, and remember, if you help even one young man decide to follow Christ as his priest, or one young woman to become his Bride and consecrate her life to him, you will have done something immensely valuable for souls, and beautiful for God.
Every good work that person does during his life will be in a very true sense your good work too.
God bless.