One of the
greatest gifts that God has given us, and there are a lot, is one we might not
think too much about, or might even take for granted. Yet, the impact of what
He has done is summed up beautifully in our second reading. “See what love the
Father has bestowed upon us that we may be called the children of God…Yet so we
are.” Every single one of us, no matter our age, are children of God, that
means that each and every one of us is known by Him individually, that each and
every one of us is loved by Him as a parent loves their child.
That is why, as His children, we are called to follow His Will, to seek out His desire, to find the way in which we can be with Him in eternity.
We call this our vocation, from the Latin vocatio, which means a summons or a call, it is not necessarily our job, but what we feel will, indeed, lead us to holiness, what we know will make us a saint in this life. That is why I am a priest, why Deacon Tony and Deacon Ed are Deacons, why the sisters are sisters, why many are called to become married, and within that many times also called as mothers and fathers and others called to be single, because that state in life, in spite of ourselves, sometimes in spite of what we think, is what God believes is best for us.
And, all of us called, no one is exempt, it is a beautiful privilege to hear the voice of God beckon, and even more amazing if we heed His call. Because, while the primary vocations are to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life, all of us share the same vocation, all of us, as children of God, are, indeed, called to holiness.
That is why the Church, every year, dedicates this Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter, as Good Shepherd Sunday and as World Day of Prayer For Vocations, because, just like anything, we need a reminder, we need to know that we have been called, and we need to live that call because, it is more than just responding to what God wants, it is living the life that God gave us. And, when we live that life, we are content, when we live that life, we are happy, when we live that life, we know that we don’t anything else but what God has given us.
Granted, there will be challenges, there will be struggles, there will be pain, there will be difficulties, but those are merely the stepping stones to Heaven, those are merely the ways in which God asks us how much we truly trust Him, how much we truly love Him, how much we need Him in our lives.
Because a vocation is more than just a call, it is a lifelong process of conforming ourselves, conforming our will to His, running to Him knowing there is no one else, no one better to go to than Him.
In fact, while each person is unique, each person called individually, next month I celebrate nine years of priesthood, and within those years I learned more than anything else what it means to trust Him above all, to find consolation not in the world, but at the foot of the Cross, to know that anyone could have been called (sometimes I ask Him why it wasn’t someone else) but knowing that He calls us not because we are perfect, but, rather, because we are willing to humble ourselves before Him.
To learn, each day, what it means to be called, what it means to be a priest in this day and age, to remember that as I laid on that hard concrete floor, prostrate before the altar, prostrate before God, I laid down my life for the Church, which means I consecrate each host and every host and each and every chalice as if there is nothing better I can do in the world, because truly there isn’t, it means I listen to your sins, hearing not just the worst that our human nature is capable of, but knowing the power and the beauty of mercy and forgiveness.
It means that I not only pick up the phone when the hospital calls or someone is in need, but get there as soon as I can to administer the oil of healing and lay my hands, many times, to assist a soul to eternal life before they close their eyes, one last time, to this very world. It means that even if I don’t know the person whom I am assisting to eternal life, I still mourn with the family at the Wake and at the funeral.
It also means that when a family rejoices as a new Catholic is baptized into the Church, I rejoice as well, knowing that that child is now, as we are, a child of God, washed in the waters filled with the Holy Spirit, cleansed of all sin. And, it means that when a couple has vowed their lives to one another, before the people and before God, that I assist them, knowing that their vocation is to help each other, mutually, to holiness.
It also means that when I am given the special privilege of bestowing the sacrament of Confirmation, I feel humbled to be able to call upon a soul the very power of the Holy Spirit.
Because, if nine years has taught me anything it is that, as Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, a priest is not his own, but, truly no one who pursues the vocation that God has bestowed is truly their own, they are His children, called as they are to be with Him, called as they are to seek holiness, because, all of us, no matter where we are in life, are called equally to live and, indeed, to become saints.
That is why, as His children, we are called to follow His Will, to seek out His desire, to find the way in which we can be with Him in eternity.
We call this our vocation, from the Latin vocatio, which means a summons or a call, it is not necessarily our job, but what we feel will, indeed, lead us to holiness, what we know will make us a saint in this life. That is why I am a priest, why Deacon Tony and Deacon Ed are Deacons, why the sisters are sisters, why many are called to become married, and within that many times also called as mothers and fathers and others called to be single, because that state in life, in spite of ourselves, sometimes in spite of what we think, is what God believes is best for us.
And, all of us called, no one is exempt, it is a beautiful privilege to hear the voice of God beckon, and even more amazing if we heed His call. Because, while the primary vocations are to the priesthood, diaconate and religious life, all of us share the same vocation, all of us, as children of God, are, indeed, called to holiness.
That is why the Church, every year, dedicates this Sunday, the 4th Sunday of Easter, as Good Shepherd Sunday and as World Day of Prayer For Vocations, because, just like anything, we need a reminder, we need to know that we have been called, and we need to live that call because, it is more than just responding to what God wants, it is living the life that God gave us. And, when we live that life, we are content, when we live that life, we are happy, when we live that life, we know that we don’t anything else but what God has given us.
Granted, there will be challenges, there will be struggles, there will be pain, there will be difficulties, but those are merely the stepping stones to Heaven, those are merely the ways in which God asks us how much we truly trust Him, how much we truly love Him, how much we need Him in our lives.
Because a vocation is more than just a call, it is a lifelong process of conforming ourselves, conforming our will to His, running to Him knowing there is no one else, no one better to go to than Him.
In fact, while each person is unique, each person called individually, next month I celebrate nine years of priesthood, and within those years I learned more than anything else what it means to trust Him above all, to find consolation not in the world, but at the foot of the Cross, to know that anyone could have been called (sometimes I ask Him why it wasn’t someone else) but knowing that He calls us not because we are perfect, but, rather, because we are willing to humble ourselves before Him.
To learn, each day, what it means to be called, what it means to be a priest in this day and age, to remember that as I laid on that hard concrete floor, prostrate before the altar, prostrate before God, I laid down my life for the Church, which means I consecrate each host and every host and each and every chalice as if there is nothing better I can do in the world, because truly there isn’t, it means I listen to your sins, hearing not just the worst that our human nature is capable of, but knowing the power and the beauty of mercy and forgiveness.
It means that I not only pick up the phone when the hospital calls or someone is in need, but get there as soon as I can to administer the oil of healing and lay my hands, many times, to assist a soul to eternal life before they close their eyes, one last time, to this very world. It means that even if I don’t know the person whom I am assisting to eternal life, I still mourn with the family at the Wake and at the funeral.
It also means that when a family rejoices as a new Catholic is baptized into the Church, I rejoice as well, knowing that that child is now, as we are, a child of God, washed in the waters filled with the Holy Spirit, cleansed of all sin. And, it means that when a couple has vowed their lives to one another, before the people and before God, that I assist them, knowing that their vocation is to help each other, mutually, to holiness.
It also means that when I am given the special privilege of bestowing the sacrament of Confirmation, I feel humbled to be able to call upon a soul the very power of the Holy Spirit.
Because, if nine years has taught me anything it is that, as Archbishop Fulton Sheen once said, a priest is not his own, but, truly no one who pursues the vocation that God has bestowed is truly their own, they are His children, called as they are to be with Him, called as they are to seek holiness, because, all of us, no matter where we are in life, are called equally to live and, indeed, to become saints.
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