| Devotion to Our Lady |
|
EVERYONE HAS A VOCATION!
YOU ARE CALLED TO BE HOLY!
|
What On Earth Is A Vocation?
St. Thomas Aquinas says that the end or goal comes first in the mind, and then it comes last in achievement. In other words, we think of something we want and make plans on how to obtain it by mulling it over in the mind (in theory) and then we put those plans into action in order to obtain what we want (putting the theory into practice). We think of a goal or an end, we consider what means are required to obtain that goal or end, and then we put it all into practice by taking the means to the end. St. Thomas Aquinas adds that he who desires a goal or an end, must necessarily desire the means to that goal or end—whether they like it or not. Some people think that a vocation—in the strict and narrow sense—to the priesthood or religious life is a goal or an end. That is not true! The priesthood or religious life are merely means to a higher goal or end. What is that higher goal or end? St. Louis de Montfort puts it so beautifully in his booklet, The Secret of Mary: “Chosen soul, living image of God and redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ, God wants you to become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next. It is certain that growth in the holiness of God is your vocation. All your thoughts, words, actions, everything you suffer or undertake, must lead you towards that end. Otherwise you are resisting God, in not doing the work for which He created you and for which He is even now keeping you in being. What a marvelous transformation is possible! Dust into light, uncleanness into purity, sinfulness into holiness, creature into Creator, man into God! A marvelous work, I repeat, so difficult in itself, and even impossible for a mere creature to bring about, for only God can accomplish it by giving His grace abundantly and in an extraordinary manner. The very creation of the universe is not as great an achievement as this. “Chosen soul, how will you bring this about? What steps will you take to reach the high level to which God is calling you? The means of holiness and salvation are known to everybody, since they are found in the Gospel; the masters of the spiritual life have explained them; the saints have practiced them and shown how essential they are for those who wish to be saved and attain perfection. These means are: sincere humility, unceasing prayer, complete self-denial, abandonment to divine Providence, and obedience to the will of God” (St. Louis de Montfort, The Secret of Mary). There Is An Even Higher Goal Than Holiness! What St. Louis de Montfort says is true--“God wants you to become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next. It is certain that growth in the holiness of God is your vocation”―yet there is something more important than your holiness! What is it? Holy Scripture gives us the ultimate reason for our existence—the glory of God. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or do anything else, do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The glory of God is the prime goal of all creation, and the secondary element within this is the salvation of our souls, for thereby we glorify God. What St. Louis de Montfort says is true--“God wants you to become holy like Him in this life, and glorious like Him in the next. It is certain that growth in the holiness of God is your vocation”―yet there is something more important than your holiness! What is it? Holy Scripture gives us the ultimate reason for our existence—the glory of God. “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or do anything else, do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). The glory of God is the prime goal of all creation, and the secondary element within this is the salvation of our souls, for thereby we glorify God. You Were Made To Glorify God (a) That is first purpose behind your creation. Many mistakenly think that we were made to save our soul—this is a self-focused thing, a selfish thing. Love is outgoing, not self-focusing. Our Lord tells us that the greatest and first commandment is to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. We are to be God-focused, not self-focused; God-centered, not self-centered. It is by loving God wholeheartedly that we will achieve, as a kind of a by-product, the salvation of our souls. Or, as the philosophical axiom puts it: “The greater contains the lesser.” The salvation of our souls is part-and-parcel of the package of living God. Pay attention to loving God and He will pay attention to saving your soul. Why did God create us? God Himself gives us the answer: “I have created him for My glory, I have formed him, and made him” (Isaias 43:7). “The heavens show forth the glory of God, and the firmament declareth the work of His hands” (Psalm 18:2). “The whole Earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord” (Numbers 14:21). “Give glory to the Lord God” (Josue 7:19). “Give all of you glory to Him” (Judith 13:21). “Give glory to the Lord and praise Him in the sight of the Gentiles” (Tobias 13:3). “Declare His glory among the Gentiles” (1 Paralipomenon 16:24). “With fear and trembling give ye glory to Him” (Tobias 13:6). “All they that love Thy name shall glory in Thee” (Psalm 5:12). “Bring to the Lord glory and honor: bring to the Lord glory to His Name: adore ye the Lord in His holy court” (Psalm 28:2). “Give to the Lord glory to His Name, bring up sacrifice, and come ye in His sight: and adore the Lord in holy becomingness” (1 Paralipomenon 16:29). “Thus saith the Lord: ‘Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, and let not the strong man glory in his strength, and let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me, for I am the Lord that exercise mercy, and judgment, and justice in the Earth: for these things please Me!’ saith the Lord” (Jeremias 9:23-24). There are literally hundreds of similar quotes about giving glory to God, yet there are, by comparison, very few about saving our own souls. So let us give glory to God in the highest! “I will worship towards Thy holy temple, and I will give glory to Thy Name” (Psalm 137:2). “Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and Thy glory above all the Earth” (Psalm 56:12). (b) If you delay in glorifying Him, you may find the door closed to you: “Give ye glory to the Lord your God, before it be dark, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains: you shall look for light, and He will turn it into the shadow of death, and into darkness” (Jeremias 13:16). “Come down from thy glory, and sit in thirst” (Jeremias 48:18)—in other words, stop glorying in yourself and things of the world, but thirst rather for God and His glory. Let us magnify, not ourselves, but God—as did Our Lady: “And Mary said: ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior ... Because He that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is His name … He hath shown might in His arm: He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich He hath sent empty away’” (Luke 1:46-53). (c) Put God and His glory first—this means from the beginning of the day, from the moment you awake. If not more, then at least awake with the words that were first spoken by the angels at Bethlehem and which are repeated in most Masses: “Glory to God in the Highest!” You could add to this: “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior!” That would be a fitting opener for any day. But then why stop there? Why not add more? Why merely take this “off-the-shelf” prefabricated greeting? Why not create your own? Why not create a different greeting for each day of the week? Wouldn’t that please God? He would have less reason to say: “And the Lord said: ‘Forasmuch as this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips glorify Me, but their heart is far from Me!’” Seeking the Glory of God At Our Lady’s first apparition to St. Catherine Labouré, she said: “You will have much to suffer, but you will rise above these sufferings by reflecting that what you do is for the glory of God.” St. Ignatius of Loyola chose for His motto “For the greater glory of God!” We read in St. John’s Gospel, that Our Lord deliberately allows Lazarus to die without going to help him, so that He would be glorified by resurrecting him: “Now there was a certain man sick, named Lazarus, of Bethania, of the town of Mary and Martha her sister. His sisters therefore sent to Him, saying: ‘Lord, behold, he whom Thou lovest is sick!’ And Jesus hearing it, said to them: ‘This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God: that the Son of God may be glorified by it!’” (John 11: 1-4). The Imitation of Christ puts it this way: “Now, that which seems to be charity is oftentimes really sensuality, for man’s own inclination, his own will, his hope of reward, and his self-interest, are motives seldom absent. On the contrary, he who has true and perfect charity seeks self in nothing, but searches all things for the glory of God.” At Our Lady’s first apparition to St. Catherine Labouré, she said: “You will have much to suffer, but you will rise above these sufferings by reflecting that what you do is for the glory of God.” St. Ignatius of Loyola chose for His motto “For the greater glory of God!” Our Lord puts it in a nutshell when He says: “Seek ye, therefore, first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). The word “justice” is often read but not understood. Justice means giving another person their due. God needs to be given His due. Since God made everything and everything we have comes from God—the consequence is obvious, isn’t it? God comes first! God must be seen to and looked after first! This is also underlined when Our Lord says: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment … This is the greatest and the first commandment!” (Mark 12:30; Matthew 22:37-38). But “love” is not an “airy fairy” word with little or no substance! Our Lord speaks of proof of love when He says: “If you love Me, keep My commandments … He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them; he it is that loveth Me … If any one love Me, he will keep My word … He that loveth Me not, keepeth not My words!” (John 14:15; 14:21-24). “And why call you Me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ and do not the things which I say?” (Luke 6:46). Hearing the Word and Will of God Searching for the will of God is not as hard as it seems, but God will not yell and scream out His will for us into our earhole! In the calling of Elias to his mission, we read that a voice tells him: “ ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord over throwing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: the Lord is not in the wind, and after the wind an earthquake: the Lord is not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire: the Lord is not in the fire, and after the fire a whistling of a gentle air!’ And when Elias heard it, he covered his face with his mantle, and coming forth stood in the entering in of the cave, and behold a voice unto him, saying: ‘What dost thou here, Elias?’” (3 Kings 19:11-13). The above is very aptly put in an excerpt of an article, which runs as follows: “When I turned 16, I took my saved money and bought a car; a very used, rusty, barely running piece of junk. I loved it. A couple months later as Christmas was coming around I decided that I wanted to get a better sound system in the car, you know- because it was incredibly important for a 16 year old me. So with all the money I got for Christmas in my pocket I walked proudly into the local store that sold all the car stereo equipment. I walked first over to the wall of speakers. The wall was twice as tall as I was and at least 20 feet wide, simply filled with speakers of various sizes. They were all playing different pieces of music. Amidst all the noise I couldn’t distinguish between any of the speakers. “A salesman walked up to me and after a little small talk I told him what I was looking for and how much I had to spend. He pointed to one that he recommended. I looked at the speaker and tried to listen to it. But I simply couldn’t. I couldn’t hear any music coming out of the speaker. The salesman noticed the look on my face and began to turn off the music on the other speakers. As the first couple speakers stopped playing music, I still couldn’t hear the speaker I was paying attention to, but gradually, as all the other speakers were turned-off, the speaker I was listening to began to become audible. And, finally, once all the other speakers were off, I could hear the clear music coming out of what would become my new speaker. It had been playing the music the entire time and had never changed its volume, but, in order for me to hear it, I had to take the step of turning-off the competing speakers. “Our vocation from God is like this speaker, that spent the next five years playing music flawlessly in my very used, rusty, barely running piece of junk car, until barely running turned into not running. The speaker worked flawlessly, but, in order to find it, I had to tune out everything else on the giant wall that was competing for my attention. Our vocation works the same way―it is constantly being called out to us by God, it will fit us flawlessly, but, in order to hear it, we need to learn how to tune out the competing voices calling out for our attention.” Hopefully this series of articles, in preparation for “Good Shepherd Sunday” (the Second Sunday After Easter) will help you to both shut-out the voices and noises that compete with God, and to help you discern more clearly what God’s vocation is for you, and, if you have failed thus far, then showing you how best to put things right. We will forst of all look at what a vocation means, take some examples of vocations from Hoy Scripture and the history of the Church and lives of the saints, and then look at the nature of vocations in our world today and some helpful suggestions on how to discern the voice of God drown out the competing voices of the devil, the world and our own flesh, in order to see and better understand our vocation. |
Article 2
What is Vocation? How Do You Know?
What is Vocation? How Do You Know?
|
We Are Called
So what is vocation in the Catholic Church? Deriving from the Latin word meaning “to call” a vocation is just that―a calling. Which means it comes from without. We cannot call ourselves, the one doing the calling has to be someone else. This person who calls us is God himself. When we look at a vocation as this―as a calling wherein God is extending an invitation to us that we have the privilege of answering we can see many examples of this in Holy Scripture. There are two that we can focus on in particular―Samuel and Matthew. The Calling of Samuel In the First Book of Kings (sometimes referenced as 1 Samuel 3:2-10) we read the story of God calling Samuel. We give a simplified vocabulary version. Notice the repeated use of the word call: At that time Heli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his room; the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Heli (the high priest), and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But Heli said, “I did not call; lie down again.” So he went and lay down. The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel got up and went to Heli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, my son; lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. The Lord called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Heli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Heli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Heli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Speak, for your servant is listening There are many lessons to be learned about vocation in this story. The first thing to point out is that Samuel is confused about who is doing the calling. In essence, he does not recognize the voice of the Lord. He confuses it with a human voice. He needs help in determining what the voice of the Lord sounds like in his life. This can be a problem for us in our lives as well. We may well be hearing the voice of the Lord speak in our lives, but confuse it for the voice of someone else and then search for the answer, for meaning, in things other than the Lord. Later we will discuss how to truly recognize the voice of the Lord in our lives. The second thing to note about this story is that the Lord continues to call, even though his calls are not understood correctly. Samuel heard the voice of the Lord twice and both times he didn’t recognize the voice and didn’t answer the Lord. But the Lord continued to call him. The call of the Lord is consistent. It does not change. This can offer us great solace in our own lives. We may sometimes feel as though we’ve missed our chance, that we’ve missed our calling. But we can recall this story and remember, then if the Lord calls us once, he calls us always—the calling always remains, even if we, like the prophet Jonas, go off in an opposite direction. The Calling of Matthew The second story from Scripture we can look at is the call of Matthew. This call is special because it leads us into a discussion of primary, secondary, and even tertiary vocations. Let us look at these distinctions after we read the story of the call of Matthew. The call of Matthew is just one verse in the Gospel of Matthew, yet this call and its circumstances are very important. The Scriptural account reads as follows: “And when Jesus passed on from hence, he saw a man sitting in the custom house [tax collectors house], named Matthew; and He saith to him: ‘Follow Me!’ And he rose up and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9). There is a lot we can get out of this one simple verse. First, Matthew was sitting at a tax booth. This means that Matthew was a tax collector, a traitor in the eyes of the Jewish people. Why is this important? Jesus seeks out and calls one who the Jewish people looked down upon, one who they thought would not be worthy. So, whether or not we think we are worthy or not, does not matter to Jesus Christ. He calls us! When we sin, He calls us! When we ignore Him, He still calls us! When we least expect it, He calls us! Our vocation—whatever it may be: religious or lay—our call from the Lord is always there—with no exceptions—for He calls everybody to something. The second thing to gather from this story is even more important. The call, the vocation of Matthew is quite simple. It is the primary vocation of every Christian: “Follow Me!” We are called to “follow” Him! First of all, to follow Him to Heaven. This means that we have to take the means to get there! “And Jesus said to all: ‘If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me!” (Luke 9:23). “And he that taketh not up his cross, and followeth Me, is not worthy of Me!” (Matthew 10:38)—notice that it is Matthew who wrote that last quote! Holiness―Our Primary Vocation, or, The Calling of You! Before looking vocations to religious life or marriage, we have a primary vocation to follow Jesus Christ. We are all called first and foremost to be holy. Anything, and everything, else we do must be at the service of this call to holiness. In fact, the vocation to be a priest, a monk, a brother, a nun, a sister or to get married is, in certain sense, merely a means by which we achieve that holiness. We do get to Heaven just by being a priest, a monk, a brother, a nun, a sister or being married, but we get to Heaven because we are sufficiently holy—which means being perfect: “Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect!” (Matthew 5:48). “For I am the Lord your God! Be holy because I am holy! Defile not your souls by anything upon the Earth! … You shall be holy, because I am holy!” (Leviticus 11:44-46). Yet even that holiness—reminding ourselves of what was stated in the first article—is only a means to a higher end, which is that of giving glory to God. As the Psalmist says: “Give glory to the Lord, and call upon his name! Declare His deeds among the Gentiles! Sing to Him, yea sing praises to Him, relate all His wondrous works. Glory ye in His holy Name! Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord! Seek ye the Lord, and be strengthened:! Seek His Face evermore!” (Psalm 104:1-4). Before his ordination, a priest usually writes to his bishop before being ordained, stating his intentions. Part of that letter usually contains the classical phrase: “…for the glory of God, the service of His Church, and the salvation of my eternal soul…”. This highlights the triple vocation quite nicely. The reason the man seeks to follow the call to be a priest is to fulfill this primary vocation, which is glory of God; this is achieved by the search and acquisition of holiness; and that holiness is found in the service of souls. St. Catherine of Sienna famously said: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” Who did God mean us to be? First and foremost―holy men and women. This saying becomes quite self-explanatory when we substitute this by―“be holy and you will set the world on fire.” Everything else we do must be situated to serve this goal―to give glory to God by being holy, to be holy by following Christ with His cross; and this holiness is acquired through the cross of serving others and working and suffering for their salvation. These three factors are applicable to anybody and everybody—without exception. It is only saints that give true glory to God. It is only saints who reach the level of holiness required by God in order to give Him glory (half-baked saints give little glory to God). It is only saints who know how to truly suffer for God. Secondary Vocation in the Church Obviously, this universal call to holiness is not lived out in the same way by everybody. Some people live it out their call to holiness in married life, some in religious life as either priests, sisters and nuns, or monks and brothers. How we live out our call to holiness through one of these options, is our secondary vocation—that follows on after the vocation of holiness. However, this secondary vocation often gets most of the attention as vocations in the church, especially the call to priestly and religious life. Ever hear anybody complain about the lack of vocations in the church today? They don’t mean that God isn’t calling everybody to live a life of holiness or that people are not responding to that call to holiness―they mean that they want more priests and nuns in the world. It is true, we desperately need more priests and religious in the world, but this won’t happen unless we authentically and sincerely start living our primary vocation―holiness! Yet, the truth is that once we do begin to live a life of holiness and begin to focus on trying to figure out our secondary vocation, we can often feel like Samuel―very confused about where to go or what to do next. This is because the devil will most certainly try to sabotage and scupper any vocations to the priesthood and the religious life. Discernment I want to present a very simple way to help us figure out how God might be calling us to live. If you can remember the acronym GOD you can remember this one. It is pretty simplistic, but at least it is a simple, good and easy starting point. “G” is for GIFTS. What are the gifts that you have been given by God? Remember that grace builds on nature, so the gifts we have been given will be instrumental in how we are called to live. Yet, do not rule out that certain gifts can only used in the world—they might also be of great use in the religious life or in the priesthood! However, regardless of which state of life they can or will be used—the question is: “Are you using them for the glory and benefit of God, or for the glory and benefit of yourself?” “O” is for “OTHERS”. What do others say? Oftentimes others, especially those who are already living a life of holiness can serve as mouthpieces for God. The advice of the worldly is not worth taking. Remember Samuel? How did he finally recognize that it was the Lord calling him? It was through the advice of Heli the high priest. Maybe there is an Heli for you out there, someone who will help you recognize the call of the Lord. “D” is for “DESIRES”. What are your deepest desires? By that is meant TRUE and HOLY desires, not worldly desires. It takes some honesty and courage to admit to them. God will not give us a desire that he cannot fulfill, that he does not want to fulfill. Learn to Listen But we cannot discern the above things if we are always being pummeled with the noise of the world. Just as, in the above example about the speakers playing music, one couldn’t recognize the music playing from a particular speaker because of the noise from all the other speakers. We need to tune-out or turn-off the noise of the world, in order to hear the voice of God in our lives. God often doesn’t speak in ‘loud’ signs, but rather in quiet moments that are incredibly personal. In order to hear that voice, we need to consistently practice silence. We need to intentionally carve out moments of silence in our lives to begin to recognize God’s voice. If we are addicted to the TV, the internet, the smartphone, social media, etc., then we are not going to hear the voice of God. Additionally, we can also pray for the intercession of the Saints, who have so successfully discerned their primary and secondary vocations—but, once again, if we are addicted to the TV, the internet, the smartphone, social media, etc., then we are not going want to pray! Right? All this sounds quite subjective, and the hard part is that it is. God works in our lives in different ways and because we are different, He will work in one life, He will reveal his call to me in a different way than He will reveal His call in another life. This is where a holy and experienced Spiritual Director can be very helpful. If you are serious about finding how God is calling you to fulfill you call to holiness, seek out the best available local priest you can find for a Spiritual Director in order to help you figure this out. They can often help you determine what the voice of God sounds like in your own life. This is not just true of the religious life or the priesthood, but also the married life. Very few persons ask their spiritual directors for advice or ask them to assess the candidate for marriage. Perhaps that is why so many marriages are way below the level of true happiness and spiritual holiness that they could, should and would be. As Our Lord says: “Without Me, you can do nothing!” (John 15:5). Arranged Marriages? Some say that “arranged marriages” work out better than “pick-your-own-partner” marriages. There is simply no reliable data that shows arranged marriages are more successful. A better measure might be one that gauges happiness, but no one has invented a “happy marriage index” or “happy marriage thermometer” yet, so the divorce rate is the only measure we have to work with. As one US screen writer said: “Most of the men in this town think monogamy is some kind of wood!” Marriage is becoming less and sacred and adultery (whether in thought or in action) is becoming increasingly popular. Now, do not misunderstand and imagine that this is a ‘plug’ for “arranged marriages”—it is not, well, not exactly, but we’ll come to that in a minute. For now, here is an interesting excerpt from an article that turned-up during the research for this article. Let it be springboard for where this article wants to go with regard to vocations. It will become clearer as we go along: “Take a look at these statistics: 40-50% of married couples from the United States or Canada end in divorce. Only 4% of couples in an arranged marriage get divorced. Couples in arranged marriages tend to feel more love for one another as time goes on. Couples in love marriages tend to feel significantly less love for one another as time goes on. Those stats say A LOT. Why are marriages arranged by parents or a matchmaker so much more successful than those initiated by love? Here's what the research says: “Whoever is arranging the marriage takes plenty of time to thoughtfully consider marriage options. They study how compatible potential pairs would be. They juxtapose life goals, important traits and family circumstances when making a decision. This process helps foster a sense of determination in each individual. They couple plans on making it work, and when the going gets tough — they do too! They make the conscious decision to stick together through better or worse. As time goes on and these couples intentionally focus on loving their spouse, they gradually find they really do love each other. That love continues to grow over time. Someone may choose who their supposed to love, but each individual seems to take it upon themselves to love that choice. “Why do our marriages fail too unsettlingly often? This article suggests that marrying for love indicates a heavy dependence on passion as a main motivator in a relationship. Research suggests this passion blinds us. As time goes on and the fire of infatuation dies, so does the relationship. Dr. Robert Epstein of Harvard suggests that the growing love in arranged marriages surpasses the dying love of love marriages by about the fifth year after the union. He draws attention to the fact that the Western idea of marriage is largely based on lust or attraction. In the West, we're more culturally inclined to seek after the Disney dream. We meet the person of our dreams, fall in love hard and fast and live happily ever after. In reality, the apparent fate-driven forces that bring us together may also set us up for swift failure. “When we no longer feel the same romantic love for our spouse that we used to feel, we may see it as a sign that the relationship should end. While hardship may tear us apart, Dr. Epstein says that in arranged marriages, ‘They get married knowing they won't leave, so when times are harder ― if they face injury or trauma ― they don't run away. It brings them closer.’” So much for the article—now let us consider an slightly different angle on “arranged marriages”. Obviously, arranged marriages are susceptible to the honest, upright, sincere and selfless action of parents—which, in this modern world, is highly questionable in many (not all) cases. Yet there is someone who is honest, upright, sincere and selfless who can arrange some incredible things—and you all know who that is—it is God. The marriage that God arranges is a marriage or union with the calling in life that He has chosen for you. It is HE that has chosen it, not YOU! He knows best, we too often follow our whims and passions—which ultimately blind us. Turning to God—knowing full well that our (unwise) preferences may not be met—is the best way to approach life and our calling in life. God cannot choose badly. God cannot make the wrong choice. God cannot “mess it up”—but we can, and too often we do! Always remember, God is calling. He is calling each of us―like he called Matthew―to follow him. To live our universal call to holiness. But God is calling each of us in specific ways about how to live out that call to holiness―in ways that may be exciting or perhaps dull; in ways that might seem meaningful or meaningless; in ways that may seem wise or absurd; but, ultimately, they are all ways that will lead us to greater holiness and true happiness. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts: nor your ways My ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are My ways exalted above your ways, and My thoughts above your thoughts!” (Isaias 55:8-9). “And you have said: ‘The way of the Lord is not right!’ Hear ye, therefore! Is it My way that is not right, and are not rather your ways perverse?” (Ezechiel 18:25). |
Article 3
There Are More Called By God Than You Think!
This article is currently being written. Sections will be posted as they are completed. Please check back later.
There Are More Called By God Than You Think!
This article is currently being written. Sections will be posted as they are completed. Please check back later.
|
What is a Vocation?
Everyone is called to Sanctity, to Salvation: “the God of all grace, Who hath called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus,” says St. Peter (1 Peter 5:10). We do not speak here of the vocation of every man to Salvation, but of the particular Vocation by which God calls one to a higher state of life. There, beyond the observance of the commandments of God, a man renounces the world in order to give himself totally to God and binds himself to the observance of the evangelical councils. It is to this higher state of life that one generally reserves the word “Vocation” in its strict sense. Am I called by God to a state of life of perfection rather than to live in the world? In other words: Do I Have a Vocation? Here we have a question which has troubled many generous souls. “Can I? Should I give myself totally to God?” It even happens that consecrated souls, in the face of temptations or of the “demon of midday,” are troubled and ask themselves: “Am I following the right path? Was I not mistaken in entering the Seminary? The Convent?” And the devil profits from this to confuse, trouble, and discourage these souls by scruples: “Who knows if ...? Am I following the right path?” etc. Both in order to make clear for the young people who, standing on the threshold of their adult lives, pose this incalculably important question to themselves: “Do I have a vocation?”, as well as for troubled souls who are already in the religious life, we are going to consider the question head on. Firstly, there are more vocations than one thinks. God has always given the world the vocations it has needed. If all those who had been called by God would have responded, the world would already be converted. But we must consider: Those who were not born! What a joy and glory for those large families from which God has chosen so many elite vocations: a little Thérèse (ninth child), a St. Ignatius (eleventh), a St. Francis Xavier (thirteenth), a St. Catherine of Siena (twenty-fourth!). Without rashly judging individual cases Y what a shame if Madame Martin had refused to bear her ninth child! The world should not have St. Thérèse of Lisieux! There are the only children ... adored ... they are not accustomed to sacrifices. And then, a family for which God is not God, is not proper soil for vocations! There is that monstrosity of an education where God and His Christ are continually made an abstraction. This is a fact many times verified and besides proclaimed by those who have engineered atheistic teaching, i.e. teaching which willfully excludes speaking of God, His Revelation, the Divinity of Jesus Christ and our duties toward Him, and so on. There is nothing better than this for drying up a vocation in a man (and much more for women). But when young Christians are given a Christian upbringing, vocations flourish, are numerous and strong. Lastly there are those who feel the call, but do not wish to answer it. One Out of Three Men who understand this, as did St. John Bosco and St. Alphonsus Liguori, say: “In general, for every three children, there is one vocation!” As someone once said: “God calls innumerable batallions.” Misconceptions About a vocation Some believe that, in order to have a vocation, one must have an attraction to it. There are some, however, who do not have the attraction and yet have the vocation. And there are others who desire a vocation and yet, quite clearly, are far from having one, because they do not have the required dispositions. Others imagine that one must one day hear a little voice inside which says: “Come!” Still others forget that there are many diverse vocations. I knew a priest who was not able to continue with the Chartreux (a strict monastic order) because of poor health, but who became a very holy diocesan priest, a holy vicar, a holy country pastor, and who died the curé (parish priest) of a cathedral with a true renown for sanctity. There are some vocations which require health or intelligence beyond the norm. Alternately, there are vocations which, in requiring a great love of God, can befit a candidate with delicate health or no instruction (e.g. the humble lay brother and porter who became St. Pascal Baylon). |
Article 4
The Call to a Vocation is Obligatory!
The Call to a Vocation is Obligatory!
One cannot say that he who, by his fault, has been unfaithful to his vocation will necessarily be damned. No! That is false! For whatever sin that one has committed, no matter how grave it be, if one humbles himself and asks pardon from God, then God pardons and grants all of the means necessary to be saved.
It is not any less true that a man who, by his own fault, places himself outside of the way to which God has called him in a certain and pressing manner (for there are some calls more urgent than others), deprives himself of many graces and compromises his salvation. If St. Francis of Assisi had remained a cloth merchant or if St. Ignatius had continued to be a knight of the court, one could rightfully ask what would have become of them.
How many young ladies there are who should have been sanctified, who should have progressed in divine love, who should have drawn down every manner of blessing upon the earth by taking Jesus for their Spouse and who, setting off with a vicious or superficial husband who wants no children, are placed in the midst of every kind of sin, with little actual religious succor. How many of these should have had a completely different destiny! Likewise, how many young men there are who should have had a life full of merit for the glory of God, yet, bound a little too quickly to a superficial woman, egotistical or opinionated, are enmeshed in sin in order to have peace in the house; it is an unhappy peace which is often a prelude to a terrible reckoning to be rendered to the Sovereign Judge!
How many times a person has been torn from a generous choice of higher service in order to turn to mediocrity and, by that very fact, to many falls!
It is thus of primary importance to ask oneself this question: “Do I have a vocation?”
There are some men who had never previously thought of this question and who, one day, posing it to themselves, so transformed their entire lives that they became saints. Even more, they became, through the hands of God, instruments of salvation for millions and millions of souls (e.g. a St. Paul, a St. Francis Xavier, a St. Alphonsus de Liguori, etc.).
Every young Catholic man must one day ask himself this question with its incalculable consequences. The Spiritual Exercises, above all those done according to the strict method of St. Ignatius, are the best means to settle reasonably this question. For they obtain the necessary dispositions to see clearly and to have the required courage.
How to Discern a Vocation
Do I have a vocation? One must have clear ideas on this subject. Otherwise, many of those who are called will not respond, and the souls that they were meant to save will perhaps not be saved. But how I am to know if I am called?
St. Ignatius does not pose the question in the abstract form: “Do I have a vocation?”
This is true firstly, because often one only certainly knows the answer afterwards, since God has the right to ask of whomever He wishes for the sacrifice of Abraham (God asked Abraham to sacrifice to Him his son Isaac and, at the moment when the father was about to thrust in the knife, an Angel stopped him. God was content with his obedience.). Thus: St. Camille entered the Capuchins twice and was obliged to leave twice; God reserved him to found the Order of Camillians. St. Benedict Labre entered the Trappists Y and left. And Mr. Martin, the future father of St. Thérèse, did he not go to knock at the door of St. Bernard monastery to ask admittance? And he was refused it. God had other plans. But his generous act remains.
How many young people have entered the Seminary or the Convent and (we do not speak here of the soft souls) have lawfully left? Not only have they no need to be ashamed, but on the Day of Judgment they will be astonished at the eternal and extraordinary recompense that they will then receive for having, one day when they were young, made this gesture of willingness to leave all for Christ. It is a gesture with which the Master is content.
God has willed that, with every vocation, there should be some risk. There is a great deal of risk in a marriage, in every enlistment of a marine or a soldier! Why would one wish that there be no risk for the sake of Christ?
Regardless, be certain that this risk will always have its recompense. Hence, St. Ignatius does not pose the question as: “Do I have a vocation?” He asks it in a manner more concrete:
“What should I do, I myself, today?”
The problem, phrased in this way, is more easily soluble. A man of good will, who reflects even a little bit, comes easily to know what God wants him to do, at least for the moment. This is because the answer to the question: “What should I do today?” is made clear by theological principles and providential events that show us the will of God, which we should always want to follow.
Sometimes God’s will is manifested suddenly and very clearly. At other times, the ways of Providence will be shown progressively over time. God requires our good will, our inquiry. The game is worth the price of playing!
Most of the time, in reality, the vocation to embrace the priestly life is not revealed in itself, directly, but it must be detected as if it were the pearl of the Gospel that is buried in the field. In effect, God, Who reserves to Himself the calling of those whom He chooses, nevertheless asks for the collaboration of the sacred ministers so that the young men may become aware of the action that divine grace operates and that they might bring to maturity the divine seed placed in their souls.
“You have not chosen Me: but I have chosen you!” (John 15:16)
A vocation firstly comes from God. It does not come from us. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word “vocare,” to call. It is God who calls. It is not uncommon, even in a Christian family, to observe an early misdirection in a child who is asked the question:
“My dear child, what do you want to be when you grow up?” If the child has been struck in the preceding days by the sight of a bishop or of a military pilot or of a mailman, he will answer: “I want to be a Bishop... a Pilot... a Mailman...”, etc.
St. Ignatius, in the preamble for the consideration of the states of life (Spiritual Exercises, n. 135), says to the retreatant:
“We will begin, in contemplating His life [Our Lord Jesus Christ] to look for and to ask from God in what state or kind of life His Divine Majesty will deign to make use of us.”
The perspective changes. It is not for us in the first place to choose, but for God to choose us. We must not forget that. This vocation depends totally on a mysterious decision of God following the very word of the Redeemer: "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” (John 15:16).
It is thus not a question only of knowing whether this or that pleases me, but if God calls me. It is a question of searching out “where God will deign to make use of me” during my short earthly pilgrimage whose end is “to praise, honor, and serve Him” here below “and by this means save my soul” (n. 23). We have there a light which will help us to see the will of God for us.
Hence, it will be a matter of “choosing,” says St. Ignatius (n. 23), “only that which better brings us to the end for which we have been created.” The question is becoming clearer. Let us move on:
Si vis! (If you wish!)
God requires that man respond to His invitation by the free consent of his will, in other words, the divine vocation requires that a man listen.
Without a doubt, it will be necessary “to provide to the faithful, and to the souls of the young in particular, the Secondary Elements so that those souls might be able to hear the divine word and that they might know how to respond to God...”
“In all this, it will be necessary,” the Pope adds, “to respect the action of God and the liberty of the candidates.”
In the 19th chapter of St. Matthew, we see Our Lord give us a master lesson on this question:
If you wish! Come! Follow Me!
A young man accosts Jesus:
“Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?”
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments,” etc.
And the young man said to Him:
“All these I have kept from my youth.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him, remarks St. Mark. The young man is suitable. The Lord has considered him with his response. He sends forth the call:
“Si vis!” There only remains for him to will.
“If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come! Follow Me!”
“If thou wilt!” God respects free will: “Si vis!” ...
Alas! This young man walked away sad, instead of answering the call. The reflection that Jesus made after this leaves one doubting of the young man’s salvation. Thus:
Up to now, we have considered two elements of a vocation:
(1) The call of God. It is a call which will be made definite by the Bishop or the ecclesiastical Superior in charge of admitting candidates to a state of Perfection in the name of the Church.
(2) The free will of the candidate: “SI VIS! If thou wilt!”
It remains now to look at the other elements. They will permit the Superior to pronounce the call and the candidate to answer, to present himself for the call... to leave all, in order to give himself totally to God in this or that higher state of life, or “Vocation.”
Our Lady of Good Counsel, deign to enlighten me!
Saint Joseph, Patron and Guardian of Vocations, vouchsafe to come to my aid!
“But how do I know if I am called?”
“Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth!”
In order to know, we must first of all pray. A vocation requires many prayers in order: a) to see clearly and b) to dispose oneself properly. Say with Saint Paul: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6); say with young Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Kings 3:10); invoke Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray to St. Joseph, patron of vocations, to your Guardian Angel, to your baptismal saint, etc. And make the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
The Spiritual Exercises
The Holy Father, in his talk on vocations does not explicitly name the Spiritual Exercises but he asks us to prefer the conditions which will help and dispose the adolescent to hear the Word of God. Now, the conditions listed by the Holy Father are found assembled, in fact and above all, in the retreat of the Spiritual Exercises:
“In the first place, interior silenceY for their thoughts (those of young people) Y assailed by a great deal of external excitement, often vain and empty, sometimes even wicked and pernicious, prevent them from conceiving and meditating on the idea of the perfect life, the value and beauty of this life... Moments of silence, of recollectionY meditation on eternal realitiesY will be very profitable for themY as well as thanksgiving after Mass. It is above all through this latter devotion that they might unite themselves to God and that God Himself might unveil to them by stages His mysterious Will; andY that the adolescents might understand better if they are called to the priesthood or what role God is confiding to them” (ibid.).
It is not any less true that a man who, by his own fault, places himself outside of the way to which God has called him in a certain and pressing manner (for there are some calls more urgent than others), deprives himself of many graces and compromises his salvation. If St. Francis of Assisi had remained a cloth merchant or if St. Ignatius had continued to be a knight of the court, one could rightfully ask what would have become of them.
How many young ladies there are who should have been sanctified, who should have progressed in divine love, who should have drawn down every manner of blessing upon the earth by taking Jesus for their Spouse and who, setting off with a vicious or superficial husband who wants no children, are placed in the midst of every kind of sin, with little actual religious succor. How many of these should have had a completely different destiny! Likewise, how many young men there are who should have had a life full of merit for the glory of God, yet, bound a little too quickly to a superficial woman, egotistical or opinionated, are enmeshed in sin in order to have peace in the house; it is an unhappy peace which is often a prelude to a terrible reckoning to be rendered to the Sovereign Judge!
How many times a person has been torn from a generous choice of higher service in order to turn to mediocrity and, by that very fact, to many falls!
It is thus of primary importance to ask oneself this question: “Do I have a vocation?”
There are some men who had never previously thought of this question and who, one day, posing it to themselves, so transformed their entire lives that they became saints. Even more, they became, through the hands of God, instruments of salvation for millions and millions of souls (e.g. a St. Paul, a St. Francis Xavier, a St. Alphonsus de Liguori, etc.).
Every young Catholic man must one day ask himself this question with its incalculable consequences. The Spiritual Exercises, above all those done according to the strict method of St. Ignatius, are the best means to settle reasonably this question. For they obtain the necessary dispositions to see clearly and to have the required courage.
How to Discern a Vocation
Do I have a vocation? One must have clear ideas on this subject. Otherwise, many of those who are called will not respond, and the souls that they were meant to save will perhaps not be saved. But how I am to know if I am called?
St. Ignatius does not pose the question in the abstract form: “Do I have a vocation?”
This is true firstly, because often one only certainly knows the answer afterwards, since God has the right to ask of whomever He wishes for the sacrifice of Abraham (God asked Abraham to sacrifice to Him his son Isaac and, at the moment when the father was about to thrust in the knife, an Angel stopped him. God was content with his obedience.). Thus: St. Camille entered the Capuchins twice and was obliged to leave twice; God reserved him to found the Order of Camillians. St. Benedict Labre entered the Trappists Y and left. And Mr. Martin, the future father of St. Thérèse, did he not go to knock at the door of St. Bernard monastery to ask admittance? And he was refused it. God had other plans. But his generous act remains.
How many young people have entered the Seminary or the Convent and (we do not speak here of the soft souls) have lawfully left? Not only have they no need to be ashamed, but on the Day of Judgment they will be astonished at the eternal and extraordinary recompense that they will then receive for having, one day when they were young, made this gesture of willingness to leave all for Christ. It is a gesture with which the Master is content.
God has willed that, with every vocation, there should be some risk. There is a great deal of risk in a marriage, in every enlistment of a marine or a soldier! Why would one wish that there be no risk for the sake of Christ?
Regardless, be certain that this risk will always have its recompense. Hence, St. Ignatius does not pose the question as: “Do I have a vocation?” He asks it in a manner more concrete:
“What should I do, I myself, today?”
The problem, phrased in this way, is more easily soluble. A man of good will, who reflects even a little bit, comes easily to know what God wants him to do, at least for the moment. This is because the answer to the question: “What should I do today?” is made clear by theological principles and providential events that show us the will of God, which we should always want to follow.
Sometimes God’s will is manifested suddenly and very clearly. At other times, the ways of Providence will be shown progressively over time. God requires our good will, our inquiry. The game is worth the price of playing!
Most of the time, in reality, the vocation to embrace the priestly life is not revealed in itself, directly, but it must be detected as if it were the pearl of the Gospel that is buried in the field. In effect, God, Who reserves to Himself the calling of those whom He chooses, nevertheless asks for the collaboration of the sacred ministers so that the young men may become aware of the action that divine grace operates and that they might bring to maturity the divine seed placed in their souls.
“You have not chosen Me: but I have chosen you!” (John 15:16)
A vocation firstly comes from God. It does not come from us. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word “vocare,” to call. It is God who calls. It is not uncommon, even in a Christian family, to observe an early misdirection in a child who is asked the question:
“My dear child, what do you want to be when you grow up?” If the child has been struck in the preceding days by the sight of a bishop or of a military pilot or of a mailman, he will answer: “I want to be a Bishop... a Pilot... a Mailman...”, etc.
St. Ignatius, in the preamble for the consideration of the states of life (Spiritual Exercises, n. 135), says to the retreatant:
“We will begin, in contemplating His life [Our Lord Jesus Christ] to look for and to ask from God in what state or kind of life His Divine Majesty will deign to make use of us.”
The perspective changes. It is not for us in the first place to choose, but for God to choose us. We must not forget that. This vocation depends totally on a mysterious decision of God following the very word of the Redeemer: "You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you” (John 15:16).
It is thus not a question only of knowing whether this or that pleases me, but if God calls me. It is a question of searching out “where God will deign to make use of me” during my short earthly pilgrimage whose end is “to praise, honor, and serve Him” here below “and by this means save my soul” (n. 23). We have there a light which will help us to see the will of God for us.
Hence, it will be a matter of “choosing,” says St. Ignatius (n. 23), “only that which better brings us to the end for which we have been created.” The question is becoming clearer. Let us move on:
Si vis! (If you wish!)
God requires that man respond to His invitation by the free consent of his will, in other words, the divine vocation requires that a man listen.
Without a doubt, it will be necessary “to provide to the faithful, and to the souls of the young in particular, the Secondary Elements so that those souls might be able to hear the divine word and that they might know how to respond to God...”
“In all this, it will be necessary,” the Pope adds, “to respect the action of God and the liberty of the candidates.”
In the 19th chapter of St. Matthew, we see Our Lord give us a master lesson on this question:
If you wish! Come! Follow Me!
A young man accosts Jesus:
“Good master, what good shall I do that I may have life everlasting?”
“If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments,” etc.
And the young man said to Him:
“All these I have kept from my youth.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him, remarks St. Mark. The young man is suitable. The Lord has considered him with his response. He sends forth the call:
“Si vis!” There only remains for him to will.
“If thou wilt be perfect, go sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come! Follow Me!”
“If thou wilt!” God respects free will: “Si vis!” ...
Alas! This young man walked away sad, instead of answering the call. The reflection that Jesus made after this leaves one doubting of the young man’s salvation. Thus:
Up to now, we have considered two elements of a vocation:
(1) The call of God. It is a call which will be made definite by the Bishop or the ecclesiastical Superior in charge of admitting candidates to a state of Perfection in the name of the Church.
(2) The free will of the candidate: “SI VIS! If thou wilt!”
It remains now to look at the other elements. They will permit the Superior to pronounce the call and the candidate to answer, to present himself for the call... to leave all, in order to give himself totally to God in this or that higher state of life, or “Vocation.”
Our Lady of Good Counsel, deign to enlighten me!
Saint Joseph, Patron and Guardian of Vocations, vouchsafe to come to my aid!
“But how do I know if I am called?”
“Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth!”
In order to know, we must first of all pray. A vocation requires many prayers in order: a) to see clearly and b) to dispose oneself properly. Say with Saint Paul: “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” (Acts 9:6); say with young Samuel: “Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth” (1 Kings 3:10); invoke Our Lady of Good Counsel, pray to St. Joseph, patron of vocations, to your Guardian Angel, to your baptismal saint, etc. And make the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
The Spiritual Exercises
The Holy Father, in his talk on vocations does not explicitly name the Spiritual Exercises but he asks us to prefer the conditions which will help and dispose the adolescent to hear the Word of God. Now, the conditions listed by the Holy Father are found assembled, in fact and above all, in the retreat of the Spiritual Exercises:
“In the first place, interior silenceY for their thoughts (those of young people) Y assailed by a great deal of external excitement, often vain and empty, sometimes even wicked and pernicious, prevent them from conceiving and meditating on the idea of the perfect life, the value and beauty of this life... Moments of silence, of recollectionY meditation on eternal realitiesY will be very profitable for themY as well as thanksgiving after Mass. It is above all through this latter devotion that they might unite themselves to God and that God Himself might unveil to them by stages His mysterious Will; andY that the adolescents might understand better if they are called to the priesthood or what role God is confiding to them” (ibid.).
Article 5
Some Signs of a Vocation
Some Signs of a Vocation
What are the “secondary elements” which will help one see clearly?
There are five of them. They will show a young man if he has the right, and perhaps the duty, to say: “Here I am, Lord!”
Five signs give a candidate for a state of perfection the certitude that he can advance secure in his conscience.
To understand that, in such a vocation, I will serve the Lord better, I will be more sanctified, I will work more for the salvation of my own soul and the souls of others, and I will give more glory to God both here below and above in Heaven.
Speaking of those who remain virgins for the Kingdom of Heaven, Our Lord tells us that no one is capable of understanding it without a special grace: “All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given” (Matthew 19:11). It is not a question of knowing that, in theory, a religious vocation is higher than the common path; but that I, with my particular qualities, I will serve the Lord better in such a state. If I understand this, I already have the first divine sign.
To have the required dispositions.
In the fifteenth addition, Saint Ignatius tells us that outside of the Exercises, it is “licit and meritorious” to “push”, not everyone, but “every person having the required dispositions” to choose: “Virginity, the religious life and every form of evangelical perfection.”
Here is a very precious indicator. If someone does not have the dispositions required for a certain vocation, normally (barring a miracle) one can conclude that God does not call himY But be careful! God might be calling him to another vocation. But normally not to that vocation for which he does not have the required dispositions.
(Examples of the required dispositions: a minimum level of intelligence, if there are studies to be done; a minimum of health, if it is necessary to do missionary work; etcY and, for every vocation: To have common sense.)
There should not be any counter-indicators.
In medicine there is a thing that one calls a “counter-indicator”; for example: if you have heart problems, you cannot be a pilot, a stevedore, etc.; if you have a bad liver, do not eat too much chocolate; if you have bad eyes, that is a counter-indicator for working on the railroad, and so on.
In like manner, there are “counter-indicators” for a vocation. There are some from the natural law; others are imposed by Canon Law. For example: a young man who is the sole support of his poor family, a man who has debts or pending lawsuits, cannot enter the novitiate without having settled these questions. An illegitimate son cannot be a priest. Nor can those with certain sicknesses, certain bodily defects, certain public faults, at least for some vocations. Nor can a young man who has certain habits that he cannot correct.
There is in this third sign an important eliminatory element that can shed light on the existence or absence of a vocation.
You must, in giving yourself to God, accept the renouncements that the evangelical counsels require.
“It is much better not to vow,” says Ecclesiastes 5:4, “than after a vow not to perform the things promised.” Someone who does not want, for example, to observe chastity, poverty, or obedience, should not engage himself in the religious life. A man who has sinned against chastity must not advance before having corrected his wicked habit: “A long period of chastity,” says Saint Bernard, “is a second virginity.”
Finally, you must find a Bishop or a Congregation that will accept you.
We have here the official sign of God’s call. If you cannot find any Bishop or any Congregation that will accept you, be at peace. It is a sign that God is not calling you.
Nevertheless, be careful! Let us not judge too quickly or too summarily. It is possible to be unfitting for one Congregation, yet succeed quite well in another. Likewise, those who judge in a single glance that a child does not have a vocation, can be mistaken. It is permissible to insist and try a vocation elsewhere. This is especially true if the subject has the four preceding signs.
For example: The story is told that a seminarian was sent home from the Minor Seminary for some sort of thoughtless act. The parish priest, knowing the child, sent him to an apostolic school where the young man made great progress, went on to the Major Seminary, and passed his theological courses. Ordained a priest, he soon became a prelate entrusted with high functions and one great day was made a Cardinal. According to the custom, his home diocese, honored to have one of her children clothed in the cardinal’s purple, made a great ceremony for him at the cathedral. A banquet followed which took place at the Minor Seminary. At the end of the meal, the new Cardinal asked the Superior there: “Could you bring me the admissions records?” and he read from a year long ago forgotten: “Pizzardo, sent away for lack of a vocation.” Then the Cardinal took out his pen and added with some humor: “And today, Cardinal of Holy Mother Church!” He was His Eminence Cardinal Pizzardo, today [1967] at the head of all the Seminaries and Catholic Universities of the world. The moral is that we must not judge too quickly. One can be deceived!
Canon Law reduces the signs of a vocation to four: (1) The right intention; (2) The call of the Bishop; (3) The required qualities; (4) The absence of any irregularity or impediment.
May one who fulfills these four conditions put himself forward without fear of being mistaken?
Yes! even if he does not have the desire to do so. (Obviously, it is different if there is question of an unconquerable repugnance or of a forced entry due to the pressure of a father or a godmother. In this case, the candidate does not fulfill the required conditions.) The wise theologian Noldin says: “Whoever is suitable and has the right intention, while aspiring to the priesthood, may present himself to the Bishop.” This is also the same teaching that we find in various conciliar decrees.
There are five of them. They will show a young man if he has the right, and perhaps the duty, to say: “Here I am, Lord!”
Five signs give a candidate for a state of perfection the certitude that he can advance secure in his conscience.
To understand that, in such a vocation, I will serve the Lord better, I will be more sanctified, I will work more for the salvation of my own soul and the souls of others, and I will give more glory to God both here below and above in Heaven.
Speaking of those who remain virgins for the Kingdom of Heaven, Our Lord tells us that no one is capable of understanding it without a special grace: “All men take not this word, but they to whom it is given” (Matthew 19:11). It is not a question of knowing that, in theory, a religious vocation is higher than the common path; but that I, with my particular qualities, I will serve the Lord better in such a state. If I understand this, I already have the first divine sign.
To have the required dispositions.
In the fifteenth addition, Saint Ignatius tells us that outside of the Exercises, it is “licit and meritorious” to “push”, not everyone, but “every person having the required dispositions” to choose: “Virginity, the religious life and every form of evangelical perfection.”
Here is a very precious indicator. If someone does not have the dispositions required for a certain vocation, normally (barring a miracle) one can conclude that God does not call himY But be careful! God might be calling him to another vocation. But normally not to that vocation for which he does not have the required dispositions.
(Examples of the required dispositions: a minimum level of intelligence, if there are studies to be done; a minimum of health, if it is necessary to do missionary work; etcY and, for every vocation: To have common sense.)
There should not be any counter-indicators.
In medicine there is a thing that one calls a “counter-indicator”; for example: if you have heart problems, you cannot be a pilot, a stevedore, etc.; if you have a bad liver, do not eat too much chocolate; if you have bad eyes, that is a counter-indicator for working on the railroad, and so on.
In like manner, there are “counter-indicators” for a vocation. There are some from the natural law; others are imposed by Canon Law. For example: a young man who is the sole support of his poor family, a man who has debts or pending lawsuits, cannot enter the novitiate without having settled these questions. An illegitimate son cannot be a priest. Nor can those with certain sicknesses, certain bodily defects, certain public faults, at least for some vocations. Nor can a young man who has certain habits that he cannot correct.
There is in this third sign an important eliminatory element that can shed light on the existence or absence of a vocation.
You must, in giving yourself to God, accept the renouncements that the evangelical counsels require.
“It is much better not to vow,” says Ecclesiastes 5:4, “than after a vow not to perform the things promised.” Someone who does not want, for example, to observe chastity, poverty, or obedience, should not engage himself in the religious life. A man who has sinned against chastity must not advance before having corrected his wicked habit: “A long period of chastity,” says Saint Bernard, “is a second virginity.”
Finally, you must find a Bishop or a Congregation that will accept you.
We have here the official sign of God’s call. If you cannot find any Bishop or any Congregation that will accept you, be at peace. It is a sign that God is not calling you.
Nevertheless, be careful! Let us not judge too quickly or too summarily. It is possible to be unfitting for one Congregation, yet succeed quite well in another. Likewise, those who judge in a single glance that a child does not have a vocation, can be mistaken. It is permissible to insist and try a vocation elsewhere. This is especially true if the subject has the four preceding signs.
For example: The story is told that a seminarian was sent home from the Minor Seminary for some sort of thoughtless act. The parish priest, knowing the child, sent him to an apostolic school where the young man made great progress, went on to the Major Seminary, and passed his theological courses. Ordained a priest, he soon became a prelate entrusted with high functions and one great day was made a Cardinal. According to the custom, his home diocese, honored to have one of her children clothed in the cardinal’s purple, made a great ceremony for him at the cathedral. A banquet followed which took place at the Minor Seminary. At the end of the meal, the new Cardinal asked the Superior there: “Could you bring me the admissions records?” and he read from a year long ago forgotten: “Pizzardo, sent away for lack of a vocation.” Then the Cardinal took out his pen and added with some humor: “And today, Cardinal of Holy Mother Church!” He was His Eminence Cardinal Pizzardo, today [1967] at the head of all the Seminaries and Catholic Universities of the world. The moral is that we must not judge too quickly. One can be deceived!
Canon Law reduces the signs of a vocation to four: (1) The right intention; (2) The call of the Bishop; (3) The required qualities; (4) The absence of any irregularity or impediment.
May one who fulfills these four conditions put himself forward without fear of being mistaken?
Yes! even if he does not have the desire to do so. (Obviously, it is different if there is question of an unconquerable repugnance or of a forced entry due to the pressure of a father or a godmother. In this case, the candidate does not fulfill the required conditions.) The wise theologian Noldin says: “Whoever is suitable and has the right intention, while aspiring to the priesthood, may present himself to the Bishop.” This is also the same teaching that we find in various conciliar decrees.
Article 6
A Vocation Does Not Leave One Free
A Vocation Does Not Leave One Free
Here we have a young man, lively and intelligent. He would willingly be married and several young ladies have their eyes on him. He has only to make a sign.
But, struck by the lack of evangelical workers and the great number of souls that perish due to the lack of apostles, he foresees all of the consequences that would follow for the salvation of the world by his renouncement of the lawful joys of marriage if he consecrates his entire life to the service of God. He sees the results of this gift in the likes of St. Francis Xavier, St. John Bosco, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John Vianney. He says to himself: “Why not me?”
He has the five signs or conditions indicated above:
He understands the efficacy that his sacrifice for the service of God and the Church would have. The number of families transformed! And how much more he would be sanctified!
He has the required dispositions.
If he gives himself to God, he is determined, with God’s grace, to hold himself to the obligations entailed therein.
There are no counter-indicators.
He will easily find a Bishop or a Congregation which will accept him.
Can this young man say to himself: “Does God call me? Should I devote my life to Him? Should I vow myself to His service?”
Without any doubt! The young man can consider the words of the Divine Master as if they were addressed to him: “Si vis! If thou wilt, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me!”
“Nothing,” says St. Ignatius, “ought to move me to take such means or to deprive myself of them, except only the service and praise of God our Lord and the eternal salvation of my soul.” (n. 169)
St. Thomas Aquinas (read the whole of Summa Theologica II-II, q. 189, a.10) tells us that there must be more reasons for not becoming a religious than to become a religious. And he repeats several times in the same article: “Above all, do not seek advice among those who will prevent you,” and he quotes this sentence of St. Jerome: “Make haste, I beg you, and if you hesitate, cut away your moorings rather than lose your time untying them.”
Hasten, young man! Hasten and make a decision!
St. Ignatius (n. 185, 187) is saying to you:
To a young man who is in your exact situation, what advice would you give him for the greater glory of God and the greater perfection of his soul?
On the day of your death, what choice would you have liked to make today?
What value do your various reasonings have, on one side or the other, in front of the judgment seat of God?
Hesitate no longer. Act accordingly. Si vis! Understand the grace; understand the honor which is made you. “You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain” (John 15:16).
But, struck by the lack of evangelical workers and the great number of souls that perish due to the lack of apostles, he foresees all of the consequences that would follow for the salvation of the world by his renouncement of the lawful joys of marriage if he consecrates his entire life to the service of God. He sees the results of this gift in the likes of St. Francis Xavier, St. John Bosco, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John Vianney. He says to himself: “Why not me?”
He has the five signs or conditions indicated above:
He understands the efficacy that his sacrifice for the service of God and the Church would have. The number of families transformed! And how much more he would be sanctified!
He has the required dispositions.
If he gives himself to God, he is determined, with God’s grace, to hold himself to the obligations entailed therein.
There are no counter-indicators.
He will easily find a Bishop or a Congregation which will accept him.
Can this young man say to himself: “Does God call me? Should I devote my life to Him? Should I vow myself to His service?”
Without any doubt! The young man can consider the words of the Divine Master as if they were addressed to him: “Si vis! If thou wilt, go, sell what thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow Me!”
“Nothing,” says St. Ignatius, “ought to move me to take such means or to deprive myself of them, except only the service and praise of God our Lord and the eternal salvation of my soul.” (n. 169)
St. Thomas Aquinas (read the whole of Summa Theologica II-II, q. 189, a.10) tells us that there must be more reasons for not becoming a religious than to become a religious. And he repeats several times in the same article: “Above all, do not seek advice among those who will prevent you,” and he quotes this sentence of St. Jerome: “Make haste, I beg you, and if you hesitate, cut away your moorings rather than lose your time untying them.”
Hasten, young man! Hasten and make a decision!
St. Ignatius (n. 185, 187) is saying to you:
To a young man who is in your exact situation, what advice would you give him for the greater glory of God and the greater perfection of his soul?
On the day of your death, what choice would you have liked to make today?
What value do your various reasonings have, on one side or the other, in front of the judgment seat of God?
Hesitate no longer. Act accordingly. Si vis! Understand the grace; understand the honor which is made you. “You have not chosen me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go, and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain” (John 15:16).
Article 7
Some Objections
Some Objections
But if all this is true, then should everyone give himself to God? That would be the end of the world!
The holy Father Berthier replies: That would be the most glorious end of the world!
But be assured, there is the “Si vis,” “If thou wilt,” and there are many who do not want it! And besides, the five signs given above exclude many.
On the other side, since our earthly pilgrimage is given to us as a means of loving and serving God freely here below and meriting to praise Him in an eternal ecstasy of contemplation and love, we should choose all that will best help us accomplish this. It is God who invites us to do this.
But is not my attraction to things of the flesh an obstacle to a vocation?
No, except for those with an extremely bestial disposition. St. Alphonsus becomes angry when one objects against a vocation due to concupiscence of the flesh. “Do you think,” he says, “that you will never be tempted in marriage? You will have occasions to sin, both from within and without. In the religious life, you will have many fewer occasions of sin, and many more aids. It would be a sin against hope to believe that with all of the helps which the religious rule gives, you would not be able to resist the devil.”
In fact, and this is very little known, it is relatively easy to practice chastity in the religious life! He who observes modesty of the eyes and the senses; he who follows the rule with regard to relations with the outside world; he who flees the occasions of sin; he who prays, confides in Mary, who practices a little mortification, who reveals filially to his spiritual director his faults and temptations, he who engages in a counter-attack (prayer and penance) whenever temptations approaches...
This man will easily practice perfect chastity. It is one of the graces and the most pure of the joys of the religious life.
I do not know all of the Congregations in order to choose one.
It is not necessary to know them all in order to decide, any more than it is necessary to wait to know every woman in the world before marrying, or to try on all the shoes in Paris before deciding which pair to buy.
God leads us. If He is calling you, He will make you recognize the Congregation where He wants you to go or that He wishes you to enter the ranks of the diocesan clergy.
In themselves, all of the Congregations approved by the Church can lead one to religious perfection. However, we should choose that one that corresponds best to our aspirations and our weakness, or that we understand to be of a more urgent necessity.
St. Alphonsus recommends above all that we not choose a lax community or one contaminated by false doctrine.
What should we think of those who enter without having a vocation?
St. Ignatius answers: If he has made final vows in a vocation without having the right intention, e.g. in order to please his godmother or to have a favorable position, then he should repent and force himself to lead a good life in the state into which he has engaged himself (n. 172). God will help him.
What about he who has doubts about his vocation?
He who has entered into a state of life, been approved by the Church with the right intention and the legitimate call of his superiors, is following the right path... “The devil is a liar” (John 8:44). Such a one should neither be disturbed nor change his state of life. Let him despise those temptations. He cannot be deceived in giving himself to God. If the Enemy tries to lead him into sentiments of shallow egoism, let the elect of the Lord chase away the demon by renewing with all his heart his total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and by having recourse to St. Joseph, terror of demons. Let him continue without dissembling to accomplish well his duties of state. And the demon will flee.
If prayer is the great means to know a vocation and to respond to it, prayer is equally the great means to persevere in a vocation. “He who prays is saved and he who does not pray is damned,” writes St. Alphonsus. And he adds: “All of the damned are in Hell because they ceased praying and they would not be there if they had not stopped praying.” And St. Bernard cried out in the face of the traps of the devil: “Ratio spei meae, Maria!” “Mary is the reason of my hope!” How could the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the Apostles, how could she abandon the “consecrated” who call for her: “In the midst of the tempest, look at the Star; invoke Mary,” repeats St. Bernard.
The perseverance of a consecrated soul is very easy if he only apply the means at hand.
“I know whom I have believed!” (2 Timothy 1:12)
God never abandons those who have confided themselves to Him.
Non deserit nisi deseratur,” says St. Augustine. “He may abandon God, but God will not abandon him.”
“The fear of those who worry that they will not be able to reach perfection by their entry into religion is unreasonable,” says St. Thomas. And he cites the words of St. Augustine: “Why do you hesitate? Cast yourself on Him. Do not fear. He will not withdraw from you in order to let you fall. Cast yourself on Him in all confidence. He will receive you and heal you” (Confessions, VIII).
The holy Father Berthier replies: That would be the most glorious end of the world!
But be assured, there is the “Si vis,” “If thou wilt,” and there are many who do not want it! And besides, the five signs given above exclude many.
On the other side, since our earthly pilgrimage is given to us as a means of loving and serving God freely here below and meriting to praise Him in an eternal ecstasy of contemplation and love, we should choose all that will best help us accomplish this. It is God who invites us to do this.
But is not my attraction to things of the flesh an obstacle to a vocation?
No, except for those with an extremely bestial disposition. St. Alphonsus becomes angry when one objects against a vocation due to concupiscence of the flesh. “Do you think,” he says, “that you will never be tempted in marriage? You will have occasions to sin, both from within and without. In the religious life, you will have many fewer occasions of sin, and many more aids. It would be a sin against hope to believe that with all of the helps which the religious rule gives, you would not be able to resist the devil.”
In fact, and this is very little known, it is relatively easy to practice chastity in the religious life! He who observes modesty of the eyes and the senses; he who follows the rule with regard to relations with the outside world; he who flees the occasions of sin; he who prays, confides in Mary, who practices a little mortification, who reveals filially to his spiritual director his faults and temptations, he who engages in a counter-attack (prayer and penance) whenever temptations approaches...
This man will easily practice perfect chastity. It is one of the graces and the most pure of the joys of the religious life.
I do not know all of the Congregations in order to choose one.
It is not necessary to know them all in order to decide, any more than it is necessary to wait to know every woman in the world before marrying, or to try on all the shoes in Paris before deciding which pair to buy.
God leads us. If He is calling you, He will make you recognize the Congregation where He wants you to go or that He wishes you to enter the ranks of the diocesan clergy.
In themselves, all of the Congregations approved by the Church can lead one to religious perfection. However, we should choose that one that corresponds best to our aspirations and our weakness, or that we understand to be of a more urgent necessity.
St. Alphonsus recommends above all that we not choose a lax community or one contaminated by false doctrine.
What should we think of those who enter without having a vocation?
St. Ignatius answers: If he has made final vows in a vocation without having the right intention, e.g. in order to please his godmother or to have a favorable position, then he should repent and force himself to lead a good life in the state into which he has engaged himself (n. 172). God will help him.
What about he who has doubts about his vocation?
He who has entered into a state of life, been approved by the Church with the right intention and the legitimate call of his superiors, is following the right path... “The devil is a liar” (John 8:44). Such a one should neither be disturbed nor change his state of life. Let him despise those temptations. He cannot be deceived in giving himself to God. If the Enemy tries to lead him into sentiments of shallow egoism, let the elect of the Lord chase away the demon by renewing with all his heart his total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and by having recourse to St. Joseph, terror of demons. Let him continue without dissembling to accomplish well his duties of state. And the demon will flee.
If prayer is the great means to know a vocation and to respond to it, prayer is equally the great means to persevere in a vocation. “He who prays is saved and he who does not pray is damned,” writes St. Alphonsus. And he adds: “All of the damned are in Hell because they ceased praying and they would not be there if they had not stopped praying.” And St. Bernard cried out in the face of the traps of the devil: “Ratio spei meae, Maria!” “Mary is the reason of my hope!” How could the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the Apostles, how could she abandon the “consecrated” who call for her: “In the midst of the tempest, look at the Star; invoke Mary,” repeats St. Bernard.
The perseverance of a consecrated soul is very easy if he only apply the means at hand.
“I know whom I have believed!” (2 Timothy 1:12)
God never abandons those who have confided themselves to Him.
Non deserit nisi deseratur,” says St. Augustine. “He may abandon God, but God will not abandon him.”
“The fear of those who worry that they will not be able to reach perfection by their entry into religion is unreasonable,” says St. Thomas. And he cites the words of St. Augustine: “Why do you hesitate? Cast yourself on Him. Do not fear. He will not withdraw from you in order to let you fall. Cast yourself on Him in all confidence. He will receive you and heal you” (Confessions, VIII).