Vocations Newsletter

Today’s Gospel is a lesson in wisdom. There is God’s way—the mysteries we may never understand in this life. And then there is our way—the very human tendency to rely on our own instincts and see just what we want to see.Figuring out the difference doesn’t come from living longer or believing we’re smarter. It comes from knowing that God’s way is beyond us, and that trust in God is the way we draw closer to the mystery of our faith.Jesus is asking us to seek wisdom with the eyes of the innocent—the children, the marginalized, the vulnerable—the people who do not hold positions that society regards as important. But we know that each person is valuable in God’s eyes because each is a unique expression of life worthy of inheriting the Kingdom. These are the exact messages I hear from our Maryknoll missioners serving overseas… that ministering to the sick, the mentally ill, and the poor is how the Gospel gets lived today, allowing God’s presence to be the wind beneath our wings.Friend, as missioners we know that God’s ways are always better than our own. That’s because each person is destined for eternity though salvation in Christ. May…
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“Who is this king of glory? The Lord of hosts; he is the king of glory.”~ Psalm 24:8~ Psalm 24:8Today the psalmist is asking us to open our portals wide and let the king of glory enter our hearts. Not just when we hear Mass or say the rosary. But all the time. Sometimes we have the impression that to find God we need to get outside of daily living. Not so. In fact, just the opposite. God is present everywhere… amidst struggles and joys, with family and at the office, when we’re on the phone or catching the bus. Each interaction is a chance to witness God’s presence and share a sign of peace.Today’s Gospel, recounting the Presentation of the Christ Child in the temple, is an apt lesson in stewardship of the soul. Simeon was a devout man who throughout his long life had worshipped often at the temple. He was known among the people for his righteousness and love of the Lord. That is how he lived his life. According to Luke, the Holy Spirit visited Simeon and told this man of God that he would not see death before his eyes had seen the Christ of…
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“They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him.”Matthew Chapter 4, verse 21How spontaneous are you? Do you look for challenges? We can only admire the apostles James and John who had the heart-stopping courage to leave their comfort zone as fishermen and take up a new calling. “Come after me,” said the preacher from Galilee, “and I will make you fishers of men.”Today’s Gospel is a remarkable lesson in commitment and renewal. I know, it’s only the fourth Sunday of a new year and resolutions are still fresh in our minds. But it’s still a good time for us to ask: What are we willing to commit ourselves to as believers? And do we believe we can live up to our commitments?When James and John left their nets to follow Jesus, they modeled a kind of radical shift that not only changed their thinking, but the way they lived. In fact, their zeal was so great, Jesus gave them the nickname of Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder.”Friend, we don’t have to announce our faith to the world with rolling thunder. But…
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“I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”Isaiah 49:6I love the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25): They showed us unusual kindness.Here’s the background: When St. Paul arrived in Malta with his disciples, carrying the light of salvation, the people welcomed him with “extraordinary hospitality.” (Acts 28:2) The weather had turned bad, but the hosts lit a fire and welcomed their guests with kindness.An act of kindness can be a game-changer in any relationship, a gesture of reconciliation that brings people closer together. As the Church begins a week of prayer for the unity of all Christians, let’s remind ourselves that “unusual kindness” can make a difference in reaching what may have felt like an unreachable goal.Where’s a good place to start? Our mission calling is to love and serve the Lord by witnessing his compassion, so begin there. Listen to others first before judging. That was a lesson I learned during my years among the indigenous people of South America’s Altiplano. The communities were divided between Catholic and evangelical Christian, each with different ideas of worship and religious expression. It took time,…
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