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June 25, 2006
The Mystery of Vocation
This past weekend I had the joy of seeing my brother, Justin Ferguson, ordained a priest. It was a very beautiful and spiritual liturgy. Of course, during the middle of the ordination rite, my 2 year old son decided he was ready for Mass to be over. I quietly lifted him up and headed to one of our most frequently visited spots in the church...the back. As I stood there in the back of that magnificent cathedral with my precious son, watching my brother embrace the vocation God had called him to, I had an epiphany. I realized, in that moment, what God had called me to and it was the same as what he was calling my brother to, in a word....holiness. It struck me, like lightning on a clear day. I hear God telling me softly, "That is his path, and this is yours. This is how I will lead you to me." And it rings true for each of us for we are all called to this one thing...holiness.
This epiphany caused me to pause and contemplate that great mystery of vocation. How do we know what we are called to be and do in this life? What path is the right path? How can we know with confidence?
These are all valid questions and signs that the seeker has his/her mind in the right place. They demonstrate a desire to know God's Will for one's life. They leads us to the next step which, by necessity, must be surrender to God's Will. It is the living out of those unforgettable words of Jesus:
"...nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done." Luke 22:42
Adrienne von Speyr, in They Followed His Call wrote:
Surrender to the Lord - that perfect, unconditional surrender - is an ascetical deed that contains in itself, or at least should contain in itself, everything having to do with the Lord's plan for a person...It will mean standing so much on God's side that what commonly, humanly speaking, would be considered to be penance, expiation, a burdensome life, now simply bears the name of love. A person will now rejoice when God asks him for this or that. Sacrifice will no longer see to be a deprivation but a gift that God accepts, a gift that he prepares, even as He asks for it, because with his question he already is bestowing an answer on the person. In everyday life, however, this self-surrender implies no passivity. On the contrary, it implies that one will carry everything out as well as possible in order to keep half-achievements and an imprudent activism from being obstacles to total obedience. Surrender will keep his relationship to God free from the dross of a bad conscience. - pgs. 33,35
So here we find the ultimate demand of our vocation - be it married life, religious life or priesthood, or even single life. We must strive to do all things as well as possible for God's glory with a joyful heart. We must embrace our crosses and take them up willingly. We have to cast aside all grumbling, all resentment, all regret. Quiet, obedient acceptable is better...look to the example Christ gave us. He remained humbly obedient unto death.
Yet this mystery of vocation also entails great joy and peace, for when we embrace it we find Christ. In seeking and doing His Will we become His hands, His feet, His face, His heart...in a word, His Body. We manifest Him to a world that is so in need of His love and mercy, as are we. If heaven is perfect union with God, then the seeking of and perseverance in our individual vocations is that first step toward that perfect unity with the Most Holy Trinity.
So today I thank God for my vocation as a husband and father, I thank Him for calling my brother to the priesthood, and I thank Him for calling each of you. May our loving and merciful Lord give each of you the grace to live your vocation faithfully.
In Christ,
Joe
Posted by jay at June 25, 2006 11:58 PM
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Comments
Joe,
Small world! We have had Justin over for dinner here in Augusta, GA., and my sister went to school with him at Steubenville. We enjoyed our time with him. Congratulations, and continued prayers for Fr. Justin and all your family.
Posted by: Rachel at June 27, 2006 11:45 AM
Hi Rachel,
It certainly is a small world! In case you haven't heard...Fr. Justin's first assignment will be at St. Mary on the Hill there in Augusta. The thing that makes that really special for me and the fam is that St. Mary's is where I was baptized!
Thanks for the prayers...Lord knows we need them ;-)
In Christ,
Joe
Posted by: Joe at June 29, 2006 10:59 PM
