Vocations Newsletter

“Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.”~ Isaiah 35:4-6Dear Friend,What is your deepest longing? That’s the question I’ve been exploring with you these past few weeks of Advent.Perhaps it’s having more time to spend with the people you love the most: family, friends, fellow volunteers who are making the world a better place. Longing can also be a desire for healing, for health, or just peace of mind. I think about the gospel stories of the blind who want to see and the lame who want to walk. We all have longings. So what are you asking God for during Advent? What do you really need?Only you can answer these questions. But once you do, why not ask God to help you find the way, keeping in mind the season of prayer we are in. The word “Advent” doesn’t only mean “arrival” or “a coming toward” in Latin. The Romans used the word “Adventus” to refer to the glorious…
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“There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the Lord.”Isaiah 11:9The lion resting with the lamb… the leopard reclining with the kid. These are just two of the traditional images of Christmas that convey our message of peace and good will.The birth of the Christ Child is nothing less than the transformational event of our lives. We call the Infant Jesus our Savior and Prince of Peace because God is asking us to become messengers of peace, too. Are you ready to transform your world with the gift of peace?We become peacemakers by accepting the grace we received at Baptism and sharing it with a generous heart. So these are my thoughts for the second week of Advent: Do all you can to care for God’s gift of Creation… for the people who enrich your life… for the faith that sustains you… and for the possibility of peace and reconciliation that we see in the Christ Child.Friend, I look forward to a world in which the lion and the lamb lay down together. Where relationships are at peace. Where the gift of Creation is cared for and…
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Life has a way of challenging our faith. At times it seems that God is asking us to carry burdens that are more than we can bear. We yearn to see things more clearly and understand God’s purpose for us and those we love. From time to time, I admit that includes me.The first step in receiving our “God of the living” is to trust. As I wrote last week, we cannot know the inner workings of the universe. The mystery is just too vast. But we do know that in Christ we are destined for greatness as people of compassion, forgiveness, and love. We know that the Communion of Saints is our spiritual universe—holy men and women we admire for their courage and devotion, and loved ones who nurtured our faith by example.The two great feast days that we celebrated just last week—All Saints Day and All Souls Day—are a reminder that God is inviting us to eternal life. That is our calling, no matter the circumstance of our lives. And remember, too, that the good works we do as missioners—and the joy we express knowing that eternal life is ours—will be models of faith for those who follow…
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“Before the Lord, the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew come down upon the earth.”~ Wisdom 11:22Friend,The universe is almost unfathomable—more than we can imagine. It’s even more than scientists can grasp because with each discovery comes a puzzle, another awesome mystery to unpack.The human mind is naturally curious—we just want to know the intricacies of our universe. At the same time, it’s important to accept that our capabilities are finite. Understanding the overwhelming greatness of creation—and the Creator—is beyond us. That’s why we have faith.Faith allows us to see the majesty and wonder of God, and to celebrate our greatest joys. Faith also allows us to accept the complexity of our lives in the face of disappointment and loss.And there’s one more thing… Faith gives us the ability to connect the past with the future. On Friday, All Saints Day, we remembered the saints in heaven as the trailblazers who will lead us home. Yesterday, we honored our beloved deceased who modeled lives of compassion and nourished us in the Gospel. I think of these moments as markers on the timeline of our souls, preparing us for all eternity.A drop…
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