Vocations Newsletter

Transforming the world may sound like a tall order for just one person. But imagine the good that can happen when each of us takes on the role of missioner and proclaims the joy of our faith. That’s what we celebrate today on World Mission Sunday: the good we have accomplished… and the good yet to be.Our calling in baptism is to go beyond our personal boundaries and engage with people and communities at all levels. Our gift of faith is precious. How can we not share it! The story of Bartemaeus in today’s Gospel is a good example of the power of faith—and the spirit of mission.Jesus encountered Bartemaeus on the road home from Jericho. A blind man, anxious to be healed, Bartemaeus repeatedly called for Jesus, probably disturbing the crowd that had gathered to hear Jesus preach. But Our Lord acknowledged Bartemaeus and rewarded his faith by restoring his vision. For present-day missioners, the eyes of faith are a window to the soul. Like Bartemaeus, we believe because we have experienced God’s love in deep and intimate ways.In proclaiming today World Mission Sunday, Pope Francis, too, is as overwhelmed as Bartemaeus, by the goodness of God. This is…
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“Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.”Mark 10:43-45Servant leadership is our meditation of the day… the calling we each have to play a lead role in responding to God’s presence in the world by imitating Christ himself: alleviating suffering, building up our Church, and honoring the gifts of natural and human life that surround us. These are all ways to serve and lead as faithful followers of God’s Word… and all ways we can live our baptismal call to mission.Think of servant leadership as an opportunity to express the fullness of our lives in Christ by using our unique gifts. With today’s Gospel in mind, I am inspired by some of the greatest examples of servant leadership in our Church. St. Oscar Romero, the Bishop of El Salvador, is one, a man who ultimately died for preaching the social Gospel of caring for the poor. Not only did St. Oscar lead his flock with complete trust in God but he preached with courage as well as humility.
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“Amen, I say to you, there is no one who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundreds times more now in this present age.”Mark 10:29-30Give a lot. Receive a lot in return. I think that is what Mark’s Gospel is trying to tell us today. When we care for one another in Christ’s name… when our only motivation is to proclaim the gift of salvation… God showers us with countless blessings.But, you say, we are only human! We have good days when being generous and caring is the easy thing to do; and we have challenging days when we wonder if our efforts have any meaning at all. That’s when I find it’s helpful to remember one important thing: we’re in good company. The apostles were just like us. They needed Jesus to reassure them. He told his followers that their faith would be rewarded many times over, and that living out of love for others, rather than in isolation or fear, is life-giving. The message is clear: love is both the gift and the…
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We know they have a special place in our lives. But what is it about children that makes them so privileged in our world?For God, it’s their innocence—something Jesus says we adults should emulate if we wish to enter the Kingdom. For us, I think it’s their vulnerability. Whether we are concerned because a child is ours through parenthood or family, or just because all children everywhere are reflections of God’s love, we know that protecting the youngest is what we are called to do. How difficult that becomes when we see children suffer through no fault of their own from poverty and neglect, or from violence and natural disasters. Yesterday was the feast of the Holy Guardian Angels, a celebration of our belief that we are strengthened in our faith by the presence of angels just as Christ was during his lifetime. So I wonder: Is it possible to think of ourselves as both having a Guardian Angel and being someone’s angel, too?I believe we can. The role of a Guardian Angel is to enlighten and protect—to offer guidance and support when it is needed most. Our challenge is to find ways to live our deepest Christian values in…
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