September 29, 2024 - Pastor Message
December 21, 2024VOCATIONS (cont.)
VOCATIONS (cont.)
“I implore you, brothers, through the mercy of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God, your correct obedience. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may test what is the will of God, what is good and well-pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:1-2).
Continuing our reflection on vocations, each person’s call from God to love and serve him in the ways that fulfill their God-given given purpose and so bring them true happiness and peace in this life and eternal joy in the next, we looked last week at the different kinds of vocations, from the most general call to all people, to our particular state in life, whether married or celibate, religious, priests, deacons, or dedicated single persons, and even our forms of work. Hopefully from these reflections we learned that we all have vocations from God and that he never stops calling all of us to the fullness of life he has destined for us, each in our own way. God creates us for our vocations, and only in serving our vocations will we know the fullness of life.
Our first task in life then is to listen for his call so that we can follow it. That sounds like it should be easy - if God creates us for a particular purpose, wouldn’t he just let us know what it is? The answer is YES! He calls us all the time. The problem is that we don’t always listen. Using the phone analogy again, it is like having our phone in our pocket in a loud and crowded restaurant. It could ring and ring and we’d never hear it because it is drowned out by the other noise and distractions around us. To hear the phone ring, we need to step out from the noise and the crowd and take it out of our pocket. So it is with our vocations.
To hear God’s call for us, we need to step out from the noise and distractions of our lives. That means first and foremost we need a healthy spiritual life, taking the time each day to go away by ourselves “to a deserted place and rest a while” with God (Mark 6:31). The particular forms our prayer may take are not as important as that we truly take that time to pray, to turn off the noise and distractions and idle ways we waste so much of our time, and lift our minds and hearts to God. Ask him what he wants for your life, rather than asking for what you want, which, let’s be honest, is what we normally do in prayer, and spend some time reflecting on his Word in Scripture, especially the gospels. Ask him to shine the light of his love and truth on your mind and heart to show you the way he has marked out for you, and then ask him for the grace to say, with the Virgin Mary, “I am your servant, Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
An important part of prayerfully discerning our vocations is growing in self-knowledge. Ask God to give you insight as you reflect on and give thanks for the gifts he has given you, your talents, your interests, your healthy and holy relationships, and above all your faith. Ask him to show you the needs of the Church, the community, our country, and our world. Then spend time reflecting with God on where your gifts and the needs of others meet. That is a good place to start seeking your vocation. Finally, remember that God calls us, whatever our vocation, as part of a community of faith whom God constantly calls to hear and follow him. Tune in next week when we look at the role the Church has in our vocational discernment, and keep praying and listening for God’s call in your life!
Fr. Marc Stockton
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