Memorial of St. Vincent de Paul, Priest
In this time of the Church’s history, Christ’s Bride faces different obstacles. A decrease in religious vocations is one of the main problems facing the American Church. I do not want to sound dire or dour. This age carries many blessings. The path to living out a Christian vocation is something most blessed and most holy. All people are called to holiness. How we come to holiness is a specific and special calling for each baptized person. It would be wrong to call a vocation a career. It is not a job or a hobby.
Vocations do not fit a professional agenda. A Catholic vocation is rather an affair of the heart. Christ wounds the heart in order to draw it closer to His heart in love. This is not done to break your heart but to make it new and to complete it in love. St. Augustine said that hearts are restless until they rest in God. Anyone, it does not matter who you are, will be restless until you find fulfillment in your calling. When you become who God made you to be, said St. Catherine of Siena, you set the world on fire. Don’t hold back. Make it so!
Challenge: Before the Eucharist, realize you are looking at Him who calls you to holiness, and calls you by name to your own specific calling. In its simplest form, vocation means to answer the Lord’s calling for you in life. Be renewed in your vocation. Take time to ask Christ, when you receive the Host at Mass, to strengthen you in your vocation. Encourage vocations and be joyful in your own. Remember that Christ the Good Shepherd is calling you personally to a vocation in love. Amen.
Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections