You Too Are Called

Whenever we celebrate Vocation Sunday, it is a celebration of the unique call received by each of us to collaborate in a Divine Partnership, leading to a commitment of love.  The dignity and privilege of this Partnership is afforded to all - be it through marriage, the priesthood / religious life or the single state of life.  It is this great mystery of our faith that we proclaim on Vocation Sunday.  We celebrate it with songs of praise and thanksgiving, with credos of  renewed commitment to our divine call, with humble petitions for the grace of fidelity to God’s initiative in our lives.

The God who calls us is a God of Love.  He opens up a new personal covenant-relationship with us, sealed with the Word-made-Flesh dwelling among us.  “I will be their God and they will be my people” (Jer, 31-33.)  The inspirational documents of Vatican II are replete with the multidimensional character of our divine calling and responsibility as  the people of God.  Articles 10 and 11 of Lumen Gonium explicitly describe how we are prepared by the sacraments to live our vocation, whatever our state of life be.  “Strengthened by so many and such great means of salvation, ALL THE FAITHFUL, whatever their condition or state, though each in his own way, ARE CALLED BY THE LORD to that perfection of sanctity by which the Father himself is perfect.”  

Every Christian is called to, participate and extend the mission of Jesus, the Light of the world, by striving to be, “like salt for all mankind, like light for the whole world.” (Mt. 5.13,14).  Concretely, this would entail a willingness on our part to continue Jesus’ work of establishing God’s kingdom on earth, where the values of peace, justice, liberty, community, equality, joy and hope reign.

When God calls, there are no strings attached.  We are free to respond with a clear “YES” or “NO”, taking the consequence of our choice.  To the one who answers with “YES” is promised a world of divine intimacy, friendship and joy. “ Listen, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him and he will eat with me.” (Rev. 3.20). And again, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.  I do not call you servants any longer….” I call you friends because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.”  Jn. 15. 14, 15.

This YES is not an obligation, but a disposition of generosity, chosen under the inspiration of the Spirit, of seeking God first in all things.  It is prompted by a trust that “ in all things God works for good with those who love him, those whom he has called according to his purpose.”  (Rom.8.28).  Hence, generosity, trust, freedom and surrender to God’s will are characteristics of the human response that enable us to be instruments of God’s service.

Both the Old and New Testaments cite numerous examples of the People of God (celibates and non-celibates) whose responses of a YES to God’s plan in faith, proved salvific for human history -- Abraham the father of our faith, prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and Daniel, the apostles and disciples of Jesus, the culminating FIAT of Mary and Jesus’ own cry, “Not my will but thy will be done.”   These heroic responses of those who have gone before us inspire us to join our YES to the millions of YESES uttered in simple faith and submission to the Plan of a God, who has loved us first (1 Jn 4.19) and has promised to be with us always, even to the of time (Mt. 28.20).  It is only within the paradigm of an experience of God’s unconditional love of us, that VOCATION is meaningful and life-giving.  Outside this paradigm, it can only evoke, fear, thereby leading to doubt, restlessness and a lack of freedom.

Though the word “call” implies the sense of hearing, our divine calling is enmeshed in our very body-mind-spirit.  These are our “antennae” that receive the Word of God and nurture it through the senses, the emotions, the memory, the will, the imagination, our strengths and our weaknesses. Are we ready to spend the time in quiet prayer and reflection, to listen and to unravel this Word through these our antennae? To be open to a God of loving surprises? In recent retreat for young women and men, it was interesting to note that the topmost desire in life for them, was to make a satisfying choice of a way of life and to find adequate means to confirm this choice.  Often through my contacts with youth this need is echoed in questions like, “How do we identify God’s will for us? “How do we tell the difference between a genuine vocation from God and a figment of the imagination? “ We are standing, confused at the cross-roads of our lives.  We need light.  We need help.”

The process of discernment of a vocation is an arduous journey but one that reaps great and lasting rewards.  To place God and his designs first in life is no easy task.  But the effort of total openness to God, the stripping away of one’s pet ideas, plans, natural likes and dislikes is like diving into a sea of grace that carries a person, though not without storms, safely to the shore of a decision, born out of deep inner peace, freedom, and contentment -- so different from what the “world” can offer today.  And often on that shore is a surprise awaiting us! A talented and successful woman shared this with me: she had the special gifts and the training needed for helping handicapped children and wanted to do so all her life.  She was also in love with an attractive man whom she wanted to marry.  Through her discernment, she realized that these two life--commitments could not go hand in hand for her.  She admitted: “ I loved this young man, but I loved Jesus more.  And so I decided to commit myself to serve the handicapped, which I felt was what Jesus was calling me to do.”  There are other persons I have come across who through their personal discernment and conviction, changed decisions made on the basis  of natural inclinations or chance factors or pressure from elders.

It is important that young are shown viable alternatives when choosing religious life the priesthood or marriage or the single state.  In my experience of dealing with youth, this is sadly lacking.  Often hasty, irreversible decisions, lead to life-long regrets.  Could we not, then, as educators, parents, youth animators and friends assist one another and particularly the young, to  face the cross-roads with greater clarity, courage and confidence? Can we allow them the time and space needed to make their own decision in life freely, responsibly, appropriately, given the guidance they need? GOD ALLOWS US SUCH FREEDOM!

      

St. Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians (1:18) may be aptly applied to ourselves today.  “I ask that your minds MAY BE OPENED TO SEE HIS LIGHT, so that you will know WHAT IS THE HOPE TO WHICH HE HAS CALLED YOU, how RICH are the wonderful blessings he promises his people and how very GREAT is his POWER at work in us who believe.” 

by Sr. Manisha R.S.C.J