FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
My Dear Parishioners
As I was discerning my vocation Cathedral Seminary Residence in NY, I was particularly struck by a famous quote from St. John Henry Newman, which was used in a discernment group in which I was participating: God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I wanted my life to have meaning and purpose. I deeply desired that I had a responsibility and a mission in this life, but I was terrified that becoming a priest would strip me of that possibility. Newman’s words gave me confidence that the Lord has called me to something particular and specific, something nobody else has been called to do. This notion gave me great confidence as I discerned my vocation to the priesthood.
Our readings this weekend give us certainty that we have a specific and individual call from our Creator. We don’t just have to wander through life, hoping we’ll figure out what to do next. As a college chaplain, I see so many of our young people thinking they need to “find” or “create” their own happiness or meaning. This is a quick path to sadness!
Isaiah presents us a clear picture of the situation in our First Reading: The Lord said to me: You are my servant. God has a specific plan for me, and it involves a life of service and gift to Him. A key to understanding the spiritual life is realizing that my specific call inherently involves the necessity of service. The Lord created me out of a free gift, so my life will only make sense when I return it fully as a gift to God and His people. God’s plan for my life must involve a deep element of sacrifice and service, like that of a servant.
Paul continues this theme in his first letter to the Corinthians by rooting himself in God’s divine providence for Him: Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. Paul was “called” for a particular purpose, and it was the will of God that he be called! His life is not an accident or a up to his own determination. This truth must have comforted and strengthened him during many times of difficulty, when he wondered whether this was all worth it and whether he should jump ship. John the Baptist understands his ministry in just these terms. His job was to point out Jesus Christ. All the sacrifices, the fasts, the long nights… they were all worth it, because he knew his mission and call. Knowing my mission, that I have a responsibility of service, gives me strength during hard times.
Understanding my call from the Lord is the most important thing I can do in this life! I have a vocation, a call from the Lord. This comes in the form of big things… am I called to be a priest, a religious, to be married? Everything else is very small in comparison to understanding this call. Do I take it seriously? Am I open to the possibility that the Lord is calling me to something different and new? If I’m a parent, am I supportive of my child’s discernment, or do my kids not even consider the priesthood or religious life because they think I would disapprove? This is a great tragedy, because it limits our young people from living out their call from Christ
But my vocation also involves much smaller things; it involves the daily calls of Christ to service, sacrifice, and evangelization. There is something specific that the Lord is calling me to, something that is only my mission, that the world will be worse for if I do not undertake. Am I open to the Lord’s promptings and moving in my life, or do I have my own plan?
The world tells us to create our own identity, meaning, and purpose, a worldview that has led to catastrophic sadness. Do I believe the Lord has called me to something in particular? Do I think that he has a specific mission entrusted to me? Am I going to do anything about it?
Peace,
Fr. Monteleone
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