This month the church remembers to celebrate and pray for vocations. Specifically, we pray for vocations to the religious life and to the priesthood. I am sure that each of you, if you come to mass regularly probably hear the same message… How many of you have memory of the priest up here speaking to you about your vocation? My What?!?!?! Vocation?!?! Is that a disease?!?!?!
The word vocation comes from the Latin word VOCARE. It means “call”. In Catholic terms, the word vocation refers to God’s call for each person. There are four ways of living out God’s call in your life, according to Catholic tradition: Married life, priesthood, religious life and single-celibate life. So essentially, when it comes to the question of vocation in your life, the answer is multiple choice. But which choice is the best for you? A. Marriage, B. Priesthood, C. Religious Life, D. Single-celibate Life? Unlike the SAT’s and tests at school you cannot take a guess at the best answer in hopes that you get it right.
Scripture tells us that God speaks to us a specific vocation… and the answer comes when we stop and listen. In Samuel’s case, it was easy… he literally heard the voice of God. Today if anyone claims to hear the voice of God, people may look at you funny… But in essence, God does speak to us—in different ways.
The answer comes as the result of prayer.
I know that each of you have been asked, “What do you want to do when you grow up?” If you got a dollar each time you were asked that question then the world would be broke and you would be rich teens. Culturally, it’s important to ask that question… and sometimes parents answer that question for us. Remember your parents telling you when you were younger that you would be a doctor… a lawyer…
How many of you know what YOU want to do when you grow up? Are you sure? Have you ever considered that the answer may be more than just that? Perhaps the question we are asking is the wrong one. Perhaps we should not ask, what do YOU want to do… rather, we should ask… “What do you believe God is calling you to do with your life?
God longs to be here among us… will you let him be in the world? Will you respond through your life to do the work he wishes to accomplish in this world?
Let me be Eli, let me be the old man who says to you, "If you should hear the word of God, reply,'Here I am Lord'".
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