For those who are part of the adventure of Catholic faith, there
is a crucial word that must be understood.
Vocation, which comes from the Latin vocare,
to call, is key. In Catholic circles it was common to use the word vocation to
refer to the call given to priests and religious brothers and sisters. People
have often said to me: it is great that you have a vocation. I have always felt
uneasy about that use of the word, because I believe that anyone who has a fire
and passion to help others shares a vocation. Pope Benedict makes it very clear
when he says:
Each of you has a personal vocation which He has given you for your own
joy and sanctity. When a person is conquered by the fire of His gaze, no
sacrifice seems too great to follow Him and give Him the best of ourselves.
This is what the saints have always done, spreading the light of the Lord ...
and transforming the world into a welcoming home for everyone.[i]
[Educators, if they are to excel, need to embrace their vocation,
for teachers are called and nurtured, they are not merely employed. Many start
the journey of educating others to find that they are not called. Some become
frustrated because they can’t see what they are doing as a vocation, the
responding to the call of God.]
In the scriptures we hear Isaiah accepting his call,
realising his vocation. Isaiah had a vision of God calling him to follow him,
and naturally was terrified. He was not qualified to be a messenger, to be a
prophet. His faith was not strong enough nor could he speak in public. That all
may have been partially true did not matter because God called him. This was
not just a job or a career path: this was his life. His life became
extraordinary because he chose to follow his passion: Alexander Solzenitsyn,
reflecting during many years of imprisonment in communist Russia for speaking
the uncomfortable truth declared: “Only
those who decline to scramble up the career ladder are interesting as human
beings. Nothing is more boring than a man with a career.” [ii]
That is not to say that we should not strive for greatness, for we should
strive for excellence in every part of our lives. It more properly asks us
whether we are following our passion, whether we are accepting the challenge
that God lays down for us, whether we accept our calling, our vocation.
The other day, at the Professional Day at St Mary’s College
on prayer, I noticed people who, at the start, were not at all confident in
leading others in prayer or contributing to a shared prayer. That is understandable,
and that reticence is part of the journey for us all. However, I did notice
that people encouraged one another, drew each other out and shared skills so
that the goal was achieved. Now that is an example of living a vocation.
None of us have all that we require to be the perfect
Christian, the perfect parent, the perfect educator or administrator, but if we
know that this is our path and have humility, we will be successful. Even when the going seems so tough, God is
the one who will keep us on track if we let him. St Augustine, writing around
400AD, said: a cripple limping in the
right way is better than a racer out of it. [iii]
In the Gospel, Peter, who knew infinitely more about fishing
than Jesus, was being told how to fish. Naturally we would expect Peter to
respectfully ignore Jesus, but in humility he decided to accept the challenge and
give the fishing another go, even though they were fishing at the wrong time on
the wrong place. He stayed close to Jesus, listened to him and was rewarded
more than he could have imagined with the great catch of fish.
God calls each one of us to a unique path of life. May we
listen and hear. May we be able to say, with Isaiah: Here I am, send me!
Homily, 5th Sunday in Ordinary Time year C, 10th Feb 2013, OLQP Broome.
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