October 6, 2024 - Pastor Message
December 21, 2024VOCATIONS (cont.)
VOCATIONS (cont.)
“You however are the Body of Christ and members of it. Some indeed God places in the Church first as apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then those called to mighty deeds, gifts of healings, assistance, leadership, kinds of languages. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all called to mighty deeds? Are all called to gifts of healing? Are all to speak languages? Are all interpreters?” (1 Corinthians 12: 27-31).
We conclude our reflection on vocations this week by looking at the role of the Church in hearing and answering God’s call. While God calls each of us personally to love and serve him according to his will for us, we are all part of a larger reality we call the Church, the body of believers God has called together to share his saving love and mercy with the world.
Like St. Paul’s analogy of the one body with many, unique parts, we are all one in the Church, sharing “one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:5). But just as each part of the one body has its own, special role, whether it’s the brain, the heart, the foot, and so on, so too does each of us in the Church. Only when all the parts, with all their unique roles, work together as one does the whole body of believers achieve its full potential and achieve its shared vocation.
We need to remember this vital connection between our individual vocations and our shared vocation as members of the Church. Every Christian vocation serves the one vocation, or mission, of the Church, each in its own way. When discerning our vocation, then, we need to keep in mind the needs of the Church and how God is calling us to love and serve others as members of the Church. This is most clear when discerning our vocation regarding our state in life, marriage or celibacy, holy orders, religious life, or dedicated single life. All of these vocations are vocations of service in, to, and through the Church. In fact, Christ made marriage and holy orders sacraments in the Church, so central are they to the Church’s mission; this takes nothing away from the importance of the other vocations as all are ways we are called to serve God and neighbor, all working together as one in the Church.
The connection between our individual vocations and the Church’s mission also means that we can only hear and answer God’s call for us in union with and in ongoing prayer and conversation with the Church. The Church plays a crucial role in our own vocational discernment, particularly through the shepherds of the Church, our bishops, our pastors, and others called to Church leadership. In addition to the grace of holy orders, they often have a broader perspective, getting to know the members of the Church and the needs of her mission in ways others may not, enabling them to see more clearly where God might be calling each of us to use our gifts to meet those needs.
If you would like to meet to discuss your vocation, please feel free to reach out to me as your pastor. Vocations aren’t just for priests and religious. We are all called by God to love and serve him, each in our own way, and only by listening for his call and answering it with our lives will we find the true and lasting joy our hearts hunger for. Pray for all vocations, and know I pray for you and yours.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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