Vocations Newsletter

The journey is as important as the destination—an adage that rings ever more true after our past year of enormous sacrifice. So many heroes, caregivers, and prayer—givers dedicated themselves to the healing. Their work has been a special calling, and we are grateful for all they do. They exemplify for me the value and dignity of all work—by the sung and unsung, the known and the unknown. Yesterday was the feast day of St. Joseph the Worker, our steadfast model of the man who understood the dignity of work. He underscores by example the contribution we can each make to the well-being of our communities when we use our God-given skills for the greater good. Some call Joseph the Silent Saint. But through his work he was more than eloquent. Joseph provided for his family with the skills of a carpenter and the devotion of a husband and father who understood he had a noble role to fulfill. In recognition of Joseph’s special calling, the Church celebrates the dignity of all work on May 1. Joseph taught us that work is the way we participate in the creative life of God our Father. Through our work-offering, whatever and wherever that…
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Not many of us have ever owned sheep let alone taken care of sheep—but I have. At one point during my mission days in Peru, I was asked to serve as director of a seminary. As was the custom, when a seminarian arrived to begin his studies, the families would each give a sheep as a gift. Before long, our grounds had become something more than a petting zoo! This city boy had to learn on the fly how to care for his flock.One day I needed to corral the sheep but they just would not respond. The more I tried to move them together, the more they scattered in all directions. “They’re not very smart,” I thought. Seeing my frustration, a wonderful woman who worked in our kitchen and usually took care of the sheep, came out to rescue me. With a deft call to attention, she brought all the sheep back in what seemed like seconds, including the ones who had jumped the wall and were in danger of getting lost.
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The actual meaning of the word “apocalypse” is not "disaster" but “unveiling.” Drawing on John’s prophetic Apocalypse, Keller unveils a “dreamreading” of our current global crisis—particularly the threat of climate change and ecological devastation. John’s text is not a foretelling of future events, but a parable of our present reality, which exposes the deep spiritual roots of these threats.
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Have you ever stopped to notice where people encountered Jesus? It’s often in the humble, ordinary moments of life… while people are at work—maybe fishing; while they’re gathered with family and friends—remember the wedding feast of Cana? Even while they’re traveling from one town to another—as in the story of the Good Samaritan. Then there’s the story of the Walk to Emmaus… the resurrected Christ meeting two of his disciples and changing their lives, and ours, forever.The two men were saddened by the loss of Jesus. Where was God’s purpose in the Crucifixion? As they walked to Emmaus, Jesus appeared in their midst. When they arrived in Emmaus, Jesus took bread, blessed it, and gave it to the disciples. At that moment, they recognized him as their risen Lord. Their spirits were renewed. They returned to Jerusalem filled with a desire to witness the Gospel and the living presence of Christ.Emmaus is a reminder of the many pathways to God. In the ordinary activity of everyday life, Jesus is always present if we are open to receiving him and sharing him with a world anxious for healing. That ordinary activity of ours could be anything from shopping and running errands…
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