Everything that we do should be ordered towards discerning and responding to the will of God. Therefore, there are those among us who are called to the married life, there are those who are called to the priesthood, there are those who are called to embrace the religious life, and even those who have committed themselves to the single life. No matter where we find ourself on this gambit we should realize that this call to holiness does not come from ourself, but from God. This call to holiness is not made to a select few, but to all. Through discerning and taking up our vocation we commit ourself unto God and chasing after Him with our life.
We must remember that a vocation is something which does not come easily. It is something which must be worked at each day. Saint Paul realized this by stating in our Epistle: “I, a prisoner in the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation in which you are called.” And thus married couples fail to chase after holiness in their everyday life and to embrace this call which comes to us from God. Thus some priests and religious become stagnant in their pursuit of faith only going through the motions without committing their-self to the truths of the Gospel. Thus too there are those who have been baptized and received into the life of the church who lose the sight of holiness in there everyday life in order to chase after something else.
As Pope Benedict XVI stated: “Be not afraid to love Christ!” The easiest avenue for us to chose is that of sin. It is much harder to love Christ and to order our life after His. Just because we have entered into a response to a God given vocation does not mean that this love will come easily. Each day a married person must model their-self after the love of Christ. Each day a priest or religious must model their-self after the love of Christ. All of us are called to holiness in our everyday life and thus we are called to love Christ above all things.
It should be no secret that so many marriages end in divorce or that some priests sadly abandon the holy priesthood. In the midst of these rejections we have those who have abandoned their vows in order to live for the here and now. It is holiness that we must work at, but the pleasures of the here and now is something which comes easily and will continue to look glamorous to our sight. In the midst of these temptations we must come to rebuke them and fear not in loving Christ. The cross did not come easily and thus too we should be willing to embrace it and take it up for ourself.
If we are to walk worthy of the vocation in which we have been called we need to be not afraid to love Christ. Our Gospel reminds us of the necessity to love the Lord our God with our whole heart and mind and to love thy neighbor as thyself. None us are too busy for prayer and fostering this love. So many chose to be too busy not because they are, but because they have other priorities which they have made to be more important. If one is to be a good priest, religious, married person, or strive for holiness in their everyday life there is a need to love God and to share this love with others.
This day let us continue to discern our vocation and fear not to enter into it. For those who are married fear not in growing together out of love and entering into the love of the Trinity through your vocation. In all things let us love the Lord our God and continue to walk worthy of the vocation in which we have been called.
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