Vocations

Fr. Joachim Trytania

We all have a vocation. On the day we were baptized we each received a vocation to be a Christian. On the day we were confirmed we received a vocation to defend, witness and spread our faith. We also have received further vocations some years after Confirmation: some are called to the priesthood, some are called to the religious life, some are called to the married life and some are called to the single life of which we do not think as a vocation but the Church views the single life as a vocation just as the others. Whatever our vocation is - priesthood, religious life, married or single - we all partake in one: we are called to be holy, to be united to Jesus, to be a witness to him. I do not dare to compare vocations or say that one is better than another because we all depend on one another.

In 1 Corinthians Apostle Paul describes the Church as the Body of Christ and he writes as follows: "God has put all the separate parts in the body as he chose. If they were all the same part, how it could be a body? As it is, the parts are many but the body is one. The eye cannot say to the hand, 'I have no need of you, 'nor can the head say to the feet, 'I have no need of you'" (1Cor 12:18-21) An example of putting this into practice is a bishop of Killala (Ireland) who incorporated his mother's wedding ring into his Episcopal ring to show the dependence of his vocation on his parents' vocation to marriage. What is a vocation to the priesthood or religious life? How do I know if I have a vocation? It is difficult to describe a vocation because, in a sense, a vocation is a mystery. It does not come to me as dramatically as it came to Paul who was knocked down from his horse while on the road to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus (Acts 9).

God usually works in very ordinary ways. A religious vocation usually begins with a faint thought of becoming a priest or religious and it can happen at any time during one's life. For some it begins as early as Primary or High School while, for others, later in life when they have already begun a career. Some may for a time deny that they have this desire to become a priest or religious. Some may even deny it for years but they eventually admit to themselves that they will have no peace unless they 'try out this vocation.'

One of the most important elements in helping to recognize a vocation is the family. The Church cannot survive without the active support of mothers and fathers. To expect priestly or religious vocations from indifferent or even anti-clerical families is ridiculous. It is interesting to note that the U.S. Army is now targeting mothers as primary supporters of recruiting sons and daughters into the military.

Is not one giving up a lot when one becomes a priest or religious? Not if one has faith. If one does not have faith one will set heart on house, career and money, and will want the biggest and best of everything. But when one has faith one will not leave behind all these things but will leave some to have better. The reality is we are all sons and daughters of God. Maybe many people do not realize this or do not live as if they are God's children. If they do not, they are out of touch with reality. One leaves some things for better because one is in touch with reality.

While a priest means different things to different people, a priest is above all, one who celebrates Sacraments for us. He makes Christ present every time he celebrates the Eucharist on the altars of the world. He is present at the most important moments of a person's life: baptism, marriage, sickness, death and bereavement and many other occasions. For one to represent Christ to so many people in so many different situations, it is essential that the priest or religious be a person of prayer. Prayer and the Eucharist are the most important moments of every day in the life of religious.

People of God, let us pray for those who do not understand why faith in God is important and that they make faith the decisive factor in determining their happiness, knowing that living according to the will of God is walking on the path that leads to eternal happiness.