Vocations

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you,

a prophet to the nations I appointed you. “Ah, Lord GOD!” I said,

“I know not how to speak; I am too young.”

But the LORD answered me, Say not, “I am too young.”

To whomever I send you, you shall go;

whatever I command you, you shall speak.

Have no fear before them, because I am with you

to deliver you, says the LORD.

Then the LORD extended his hand and touched my mouth, saying,

See, I place my words in your mouth!

Jermiah 1:5-8

In the beautiful 139th Psalm we hear that God made us, giving us our very existence, and knitting us together in our mother’s womb. God loves us so much and brings us all into creation to know love and serve Him in this life so that together with the angels and saints we might sing his praises forever, enjoying the beauty of His face, in Heaven. He calls us all to holiness, but each of us in different ways, because as the 139th Psalm says God knows us, who we really are at the core of our being, better than we know ourselves. We are all a mystery to ourselves, and following God’s plan for us is the way to reveal the mystery of who we are, and who God is.

Our Vocation, or calling from God, is God’s plan for each of us. A vocation is not a job that you can take on or quit, but an identity that we retain even if we forsake the responsibilities that come with it. In general God calls us all to be holy, to become Saints, His sons and daughters, and citizens of Heaven–this is the Universal Call to Holiness. More specifically God calls us to states in life. The Church recognizes three states in life:

Marriage is the natural state of life for human beings. In the vocation to marriage men and women learn to love each other like God loves us, in a way that is passionate, self-sacrificing, and creative. Through Marriage, especially but not exclusively as parents, men and women model their entire lives on God by becoming fruitful and participating in God’s gift of creation, especially as the human parents of God’s children. Marriage is a natural institution created by God at the beginning of creation for the good of men and women, however, our Savior takes this good vocation and turns it into something great making it into a sacrament through which the very life of God flows into the world. When two baptized Christians enter into marriage freely, making a lifelong commitment to grow in holiness together, we believe that their marriage becomes more than just the joining of two people in a contract, but a symbol of the new covenant between Christ and the Church and a chosen font of God’s grace which flows into the world through the share life of the married couple. In fact, the result of marriage, the family, has been called the domestic Church because it is really in the family that the life and mission of the Church begins. Marriage is a vocation, a calling from God, and therefore should not be entered into lightly and without considerable prayer and discernment. Sacramental Marriage is difficult, in fact almost impossible, without the presence of Christ at the center of the family. Like all vocations when lived well God promises that it will lead to our sanctification, holiness, and happiness.

Celibate Life is very different from being single. The celibate life is a chosen life of dedication to God, rather than to a human spouse. In this vocation men and women learn to love by practicing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience in loving service to God and our neighbors. Celibate life takes on many forms. Its earliest form was the order of Widows and Virgins spoken of in the New Testament. The idea of hermits, found already in the story of Elijah in the Old Testament, developed in the 3rd and 4th century followed quickly by monastic movements which desired to live hermitic discipline with the assistance of a community. Following the development of male monastic communities, communities of women monastics or nuns, were created. Finally in 12th and 13th century the idea of religious life we are most likely familiar with, that of active religious or friars who live religious lives following the three evangelical counsels while working in the world with the poor and the lame came into being. Celibate life today is often lived today through membership in religious communities as monks and nuns who live completely apart from the world focusing their lives on prayer, work, and study; or as religious brothers or sisters who live in the world often focusing their energy on prayer and service to the poor and needy. However, celibate life can also be lived out individually by hermits and consecrated virgins and privately by anyone who is convinced that God is calling them to this way of life.

Check out Oprah’s interview with the Domincan Sisters of Mary

Check out part 2 of this video on the priesthood at YouTube

Priesthood, like the celibate life, is a supernatural kind of life, taken on by men who are called by God and the Church to grow in holiness, learning to love by being a sacrament of Christ’s presence in the midst of the Church. Priests are called to be servants of the Word and stewards of the mysteries of Christ. In this vocation, men dedicate their entire lives to preaching the word of God, and administering the Sacraments of Jesus Christ, most particularly offering up the Sacrifice of the Altar. Priests are chosen from among men because they are meant to be images of Christ who is an image of the Father. As Jesus says, he that sees me sees the Father also. We call priests father because hopefully by their holy life, particularly their fatherly instruction and concern, we may see in them Jesus Christ who shows us the Father. Priesthood, like the celibate life requires many sacrifices. Of course, all vocations require sacrifices, as married Catholics, particularly ones with small children, will tell you! In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church a vocation to the priesthood usually includes the acceptance of the gift of celibacy, a gift which allows a man to keep an undivided heart. However, for each and every sacrifice any Catholic makes Jesus repays us a hundred times. For the priest this repayment comes in the great privilege of being able to participate in so many people’s lives, as they walk down the path to holiness.

It is important to remember that God has a very specific plan for each of us that is unable to be categorized. As St. Paul says there are many gifts, but still one Spirit, one Baptism, one Faith, and one Lord. Each of us is called to a very specific role in God’s creation–and all human happiness, including our own, is tied to our playing that role. It might not seem grand or important, maybe we are called to be a good friend to someone who, in turn because of our influence, will become a great saint and change the whole world. No one is insignificant in God’s plan, so don’t sell yourself or your vocation short. God’s plan for you is the key to your happiness and essential to the happiness of the whole world. So stop and take a moment to ask God what it is He has planned for you. So often we plan our whole lives without any input from God–just remember, we can’t blame Him for our unhappiness if we never asked His advice!

So how do we listen to God’s call? How do we hear our vocation? St. Paul gives us the answer: pray always! We are made to be in constant conversation with God, and it’s only because of sin that this conversation is so hard. Praying always doesn’t mean praying endless “Our Fathers” and “Hail Marys,” although a few of these every now and then can’t hurt. Rather, we need to make our lives a prayer. We do this when we realize that life is a gift from God that we should thank him for (prayer of thanksgiving). We do this when we realize the many ways we sin (prayer for forgiveness). We do this when we realize that we need God’s help to live a good, happy and holy life (prayer of petition). And, we do this when we recognize God is always present in our lives through our fellow humans and through all creation, and respond to His presence by giving him praise and worship (prayer of adoration). These four types of prayer are all possible without ever mouthing an “Our Father”! Furthermore, we have to believe that He is talking to us so that we can look and listen for His word’s.

Hearing God’s voice speak actual words to us is possible, but very rare in the history of creation. Rather, because He loves us and doesn’t want to frighten us into obeying Him, God often speaks to us through situations, people, art, culture, music, our thoughts and imaginations, and through the longing of our hearts. If we aren’t listening, either because we don’t expect God actually to speak to us or because we are too distracted by the noise of the world and of our lives, then we won’t hear God. So we have got to close our mouths, open our ears, shut out distraction, and look for God’s Word, if we want to discover the plan He has for us. It also means that we have to have the courage to follow him if we hear him calling in our life.

Essential to doing this is taking some quiet time for you and God to rehash and reflect on your day. This time of prayer, which could last just 15 minutes, will help you so much to pray throughout the rest of the day. Also important to learning how to listen to God is spiritual direction, which is a formal name for talking about your prayer life and vocation with someone who you trust and who might be a little more experienced than you in the spiritual life. Reading spiritual books and Sacred Scripture will also help you hear God’s words, because God doesn’t reinvent the wheel every time He calls us to a special vocation. The way God worked in the lives of the Patriarchs and Prophets, Apostles, Missionaries, and Saints is the same way that God continues to work in our lives today, and many of the fears, reservations, and failings that we have were also present in the Saints. One of the best examples is St. Augustine who lived a very sinful life as a youth, denying the faith, and living with a mistress before he eventually was converted to his vocation and became a priest, bishop, and awe inspiring teacher. Finally, and possibly most important, hearing God’s word requires us to live the life of grace, which as Catholics means frequent confession and reception of Holy Communion. At the Mass, the divide between heaven and earth vanishes and man has a taste of the life with God in Heaven that we are all called to. This closeness, when received by a Catholic in the state of grace at Holy Communion puts us in direct communication with God and helps us to hear his workings in our life.

Want more information on Vocations? Speak to a priest, contact the Fall River Vocations Director, Fr. Kevin Cook, or check out one of the following links:

Vocation Links

The following links are provided to resources on the Internet that may be of help to those discerning and to those who are involved in supporting vocations.

PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

Jesus, Lord of the harvest, accept our praise and our humble thanks for all the vocations which through your Spirit, you give liberally and continually to your Church.

Make those who are preparing for sacred ministry and consecrated life strong and persevering in their intentions. Multiply the laborers of the gospel to announce your Name to all people.

Take care of all our families and be near the young in our parishes: grant them readiness and generosity to follow you. Today, too, by the power of your spirit, turn your gaze upon them and call them. Grant them the strength to abandon everything in order to choose only you, who are love.

- Pope John Paul II

Vocations

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