Corpus Christi Blog

What is Vocation?

04-26-2015HomiliesFr. Chad King

Today the Church celebrates what has been come to be known as Good Shepherd Sunday (for obvious reason as the Gospel every year is taken from John chapter 10 where he teaches how Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd).  However, not only should we know Jesus as the Good Shepherd, but we are also called to be shepherds like the Good Shepherd.   In order to be good shepherds we need to become like Jesus.  In addition, the Church calls this day ‘the World Day of Prayer for Vocations’.  Vocation- in Latin is Vocare- meaning “a calling”.  Webster’s definition of vocation is “a strong desire to spend your life doing a certain kind of work”. 

Let’s look at that first part of the definition, a strong desire to spend your life.  Do you have a vocation?  Do you have a conviction so strong that you desire to spend your life for it?  What is that conviction?  Is that conviction to serve God however He calls you to?  Living a vocation is having that strong conviction to do something, and spending your life working for it.  Vocation is actively doing something.  Vocation is hard work.  Being a shepherd is hard work.  If you ask anyone in Ireland or places where raising sheep is still very common, being a shepherd is hard work.  There are great responsibilities in being a good shepherd.  In this homily, I want to unpack the meaning and purpose of vocation, in the general and practical sense.  Although I will talk about the vocation to the priesthood or religious life- those who have a strong desire to spend our lives for the service and work of God, but I will also talk about all vocations- including the vocation of marriage and the vocation of the single life.  For each and every one of us are called to a vocation.  And all of us has a vocation now.  No matter how old or young you are, no matter your state in life, you have a vocation today, and today’s readings should challenge us in our current vocation.

So let’s dive further into what is a vocation in general. Wikipedia says that the word ‘vocation’ refers firstly to the “call” by God to an individual, or a calling of all humankind to salvation.  In our 1st reading, after Peter and John healed a crippled man in the name of Jesus, Peter boldly does the work of his vocation to all the people who were wondering how this crippled man was healed. Peter declared to them that this man was healed by Jesus Christ- the same Jesus Christ whom they had crucified but that God had raised from the dead.  But now let the polarizing and convicting words of Peter pierce your heart: “there is no salvation through anyone else but Jesus Christ.  There is no other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are saved”.  My brothers and sisters, Scripture says there is no other way we, or any other human being, can be saved.  We can come to salvation only through the person of Jesus Christ.  Convicting enough?

So what is salvation?  What are we saved from?  Jesus Christ saves us from sin and division, saves us from eternal isolation and loneliness, saves us from eternal death.  But not only are we saved from something, but we are saved for something.  We are saved for freedom, to have human wholeness and completeness, we are saved for eternal joy, love, and life.  Now raise your hand if salvation sounds good to you?  Raise your hand if you want to be saved from sin, from loneliness, isolation, and death?  Raise your hand if you want true freedom, wholeness, joy, and eternal life?  Good, and now, how many want others to have all that too, how many of you want your family, friends, neighbors, even strangers to be saved too?

My brothers and sisters in Christ, that is the meaning of vocation!  The meaning and purpose of vocation is to spend one’s life doing the work of salvation.  We should be living out our conviction of and working for our salvation and the salvation of others.  This is our vocation.

Our Gospel tells us what the hard work entails and how to be saved.  Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.  A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep”.  Every one of us in our vocation, no matter if it is a vocation to marriage, priesthood or religious life, or the single life, is called to lay down our life for others.  The work of our vocation is to get others to heaven, period.  Jesus goes on to say, that a hired worker, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, will run away when trouble comes because he has no concern for the sheep.  My brothers and sisters, we are not hired workers.  Hired workers are in a contract, a ‘this for that’ mentality.  You give me money and I will give you this work.  But if you break the contract and don’t give me this, I will not give you that.  Marriage is not a contract!  You are not married on the condition your spouse will give you ‘this’ and if so then you will give them ‘that’- whatever ‘this’ or ‘that’ might be- you fill in the blank.  No, every married person enters into a covenant, and so is called to lay down their life for the good and the salvation of their spouse and their children. 

My mom and dad worked for our good, not only did they work to provide for our needs, but they gave of themselves to each other and to my sister and I.  My mom is a giver, she gives of herself whatever it may cost to her.  My dad is continually thinking about my mom, thankful for how much she does, and will do things to help her.  Growing up, my mom and dad not only helped pay for the things I had and my schooling, but they came to my tennis matches, and all the activities their kids were involved in.  But more importantly, my parents taught us how to pray- not only by bringing us to Mass every Sunday, enrolling us in catechism and bringing us to youth group. But most importantly they taught us how important it is to truly love God and be in relationship with Him, and they did this precisely by them being in relationship with God with their whole heart themselves and sharing that with us.  Thanks be to God, that my family is a family of love, a family of service and of giving.  A family who, though not perfectly, is laying down our lives for the good and salvation of others.  My sister’s and my vocation came through our parents living their vocation.  And now my sister is a wife and mother of 3, and she also is a giver.  She serves her family with patience and love, she is inspiring to me.  To be honest with you, I applaud all parents, who are raising their children.  I know that you have a very tough yet rewarding vocation.

And as I mentioned in my bulletin letter last week about the building and improvement fund, I am truly in awe of the generosity of many of our parish members.  Your generosity inspires me to give of myself more generously to the needs of the parish.  I know I am called to be a good shepherd and take care of the sheep in this parish, by you living out your vocation you inspire and support me in mine, and hopefully vice versa.   The reason I am a priest, the reason I have chosen to give of my life in this vocation is for the salvation of you and of all others.  Jesus says, I have other sheep who do not belong to this fold.  These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice.  My one desire as a priest is to be that voice that will teach others to hear and follow the voice of God, for I have come to believe that there is no more important voice to follow.  I gladly will spend my life to be a voice, to be God’s hands and feet, so that every person will come to truly know Jesus Christ; that they will know the love and protection of the Good Shepherd who has laid down his life for them.  I truly desire that every person come to know the love and mercy of God that I have come to know.  I want every person to have the freedom, the joy, the life that I have as a son of God.  Do you want that for others too?  Then what are you working for in your vocation- as married or single?  Is your emphasis in the working at your job or in your vocation?  Are you working for your salvation and the salvation of others in your vocation more than anything else?

My brothers and sisters, Jesus shows us how to be saved, how to have the fullness of joy and life again, but it is hard work and is very costly.  We are able to be saved only by becoming like Jesus Christ and laying down our lives in service to the Father and His people.  As Jesus says, “I lay down my life in order to take it up again”.  There is no salvation, there is no taking up our lives again, there is no eternal joy and life, unless we lay down our lives completely for it now.

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