Vocations Newsletter

“He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick.”Mark 6:8Today, Jesus instructs us to travel in mission lightly, taking just the basics. A pair of sturdy shoes and the conviction of our faith is all the inspiration we need to share the Good News.Yes, faith. But also confidence! During my mission years in Peru, I worked in formation with a group of seminarians who were devoted to their calling and studied for the priesthood with great fervor. They wanted to get everything they did just right—in other words, perfect! But “perfect” became an impediment. They didn’t trust their own judgment. They worried that the people would not accept them unless everything they said and did was just so. Of course, that’s an impossibly high bar to achieve. Only God is perfect! It took a bit of encouragement from me, but after a while I finally got them to trust in themselves. Thank God, many found their calling as gifted clergymen and homilists. They became who they were called to be, not by being “perfect” but by delivering the message of Christ’s compassion with confidence. And that’s all that God ever asks. Friend, none of us wants…
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“The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor.”Luke 4:18“America, God shed his grace on thee!”Today is a day for picnics and family gatherings—and a moment or two of reflection. On Independence Day 2021 we have so much to be thankful for. The blessings of a democratic and open society are ours to cherish and protect. We are also blessed with remarkably diverse communities drawn from talent and aspirations the world over. These are the strengths that endow us with greatness.At the same time, we are a country still in formation… still finding ways to resolve social and economic inequalities, especially the poverty that prevents people from living decent, hopeful, and productive lives. As we celebrate our 245th birthday today, may we be judged not only by our worldly accomplishments, but by how well we treat the weakest among us: the children, the elderly, the sick, the lonely, and the recently arrived.
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Order your copy today >> https://maryknoll.link/8awRenowned theologian Donal Dorr explores the interplay between an ecological spirituality and our traditional Christian faith at this critical juncture in the twenty-first century. Rather than seeing ecological spirituality as an adjunct to Christian doctrine, Dorr views it as central to our understanding of Christianity today, and integral to understanding our relationship with the natural world.
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Today’s Gospel is about the power of faith in the face of fear—emotions we all experience at one time or another.We know the story well. An official of the synagogue pleaded with Jesus for a laying of hands on his sick daughter who was at the point of death. The crowd said why trouble the rabbi when the girl had in fact died. Jesus’ response was calming. He would go to the home of the official with a message of faith. Upon entering the house, Jesus said the child was not dead but merely asleep. Ignoring the disbelievers, he took the young girl by the hand and asked her to rise. Which she did. The crowd was utterly astonished at the healing powers of the preacher from Galilee.Placing complete faith in God in the face of seemingly insurmountable difficulties is perhaps the most challenging experience any of us can have. But faith, as the Gospel shows us, is the only remedy for grief and fear. Faith is the grace that can us heal from deep hurts and sorrow, and from personal disappointments as well. Faith restores our souls, transcending moments of doubt and fear with the conviction that we are…
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