Memorial of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church

Today's Mass Readings

You’ve probably heard a great deal about vocations in recent years. It seems every Catholic Church has some vocation poster for this, that, or the other thing.

We all have a vocation. The vocational majority will start families and have kids. There is discernment involved in finding someone you are meant to be with. Some are called to be priests, to be sacramental ministers conformed to the person of Christ, the head of the Church, the Good Shepherd for all souls. Whatever we do, we are called, which is the root of the word vocation. It comes from the Latin word vocare, to call. We all have a calling to serve God and follow Jesus in some way.

We all do some type of discernment. To discern means to know or find out something. You might be considering an important decision you have to make with your career or your education. Making an important life decision is always discernment. Whatever discernment we do, we can trust God to guide us, for His hopes for us are far greater than anything we can conceive.

The most important thing to know about vocations and discernment is that we are always called and it never ends. We may think we are done or found our place and then the Lord calls us to “put out into the deep.” Mother St. Theresa of Calcutta was vowed into the Sisters of Loretto when she heard what she described as a “call within a call.” She went on to serve the poor of Calcutta, India, and beyond. St. Gregory the Great never thought he would be Pope. He was taken from his monastery and led to Rome by the Christian people to be Pope. He “put out into the deep” after a long haul. He obeyed the Lord’s command, just as St. Peter did. He pulled in quite a great catch in his life after becoming Pope. So, always be ready to discern your vocation. It never ends.

Reflection by Br. Matthew Marie, OSB