It seems clear that God is not listening

The editorial of the July/August issue of Reality, published by the Irish Redemptorists, carries an interesting editorial on the death of vocations to priesthood and religious life.

In the last paragraph acting editor Gerard Moloney writes:

Meanwhile, religious leaders continue to ask for prayers for vocations, even though it seems clear by now that God is not listening.

Perhaps God’s silence is sending a message.

The old clerical modal of church is dying.

Priesthood and religious life as we knew it are coming to an end. We need to imagine a radical new way of being church in the 21st century. 

Even though it may seem like we are peering through a glass darkly, we need to trust that God will show us a way forward.