It’s vocation week in the Catholic church. This is a perfect time to consider how our “special wiring” of who and how we are carries the electricity of Christ’s Love. What are we doing to care for the insulation and integrity of our wiring? Is our wiring up to spiritual codes and specifications? Are we prepared to carry a steady current of the Holy Spirit to illuminate our “lightbulb of self” with Christ’s Light?
Consider with wonder and humility: only one of you exists in all of creation! We’re made in the Glorious image of God. We’ve been given a soul, a capacity for reason, an insatiable longing for God, and unique gifts. God imagined you into being before the beginning of time in the Sacred Imagination of His Heart. He created us with a specific niche in His Spiritual ecosystem. We can think of Earth as our proving ground, training opportunities for us to become better temples of Jesus’ Love. We are being refined and purified.
The things we do in this life and how we do them are honing our capacities to take on greater and greater responsibilities, here and in heaven (Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25: 14-30).
We know very little about life behind the veil, but we can be sure of one thing. God needs us (and yes, I’m purposeful in using the verb NEEDS)… Let this soak in: God NEEDS us! We have a purpose in His plan. And that plan transcends the time we are living in.
Let’s try another metaphor. We’re like a solitary note plucked by the Hand of God that adds harmony to His symphony of Communion. I recently wrote an Ode on the Eucharist. One of the nine poems in the ode plays with this metaphor:
A soulful string is plucked, and a note takes vibrating shape in a gapping void of sense and sound
Its fragile echo stretches to find its corresponding pitch below and above
A solitary note bellows with skipping ponderings as it gravitates to clustering accords
Notes in resounding affinities chortle discovered melodies
Words, memories, emotions, imaginings, meanings, and tempos converge into songs
Yet more is needed, and more is required, so mellifluous harmonies intone scrumptious ornamentations
Choruses of heavenly proportions enjoin the song lifting the music into a crescendo offering
New voices and instruments combine, capitulating layers of acclaiming richness
And a note becomes gloried music embodied in an ecstatic dance of communion
Our instantiation in the Body of Christ begins here but continues eternally in the endless reality of Life with, for, and in God. St. Paul works with this image of the body to explain the role of our unique spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12: 27).
Purpose – Gifts – Vocation & Mission
Our Purpose
In the Truest sense of the word, everyone has the same purpose…
Our purpose flows from an inner knowing of “why” we do what we do. There’s no greater “why” than the Great I AM. If we begin with this passionate WHY as our Veritas (Truth), we’ll have a solid foundation upon which we will co-participate, in co-creating, an eternal life dedicated to loving and serving God — and all our brothers and sisters — with all our heart mind, soul, and strength.
Our Gifts
How do we honor this spiritual “vocational” imperative of loving and serving God and each other and parlay it into our lives?
We can start with an honest assessment of our gifts and talents. We look at the activities that we’re naturally drawn to, and which come easy to us. Our gifts and talents are like a “calling signal” sent to the beacon of our Lord’s Mystical Body. Our “calling signal” might feel weak. Our “calling signal” might dissipate at times. But we know our Lord will answer it.
Jesus shows us how to package our gifts and talents into an attractive, life affirming bundle that gives Glory to God. When we give Glory to God we act as loving stewards of His Divine Will. We’re enjoined through our High Priest Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, to be perpetually obedient and pleasing offerings of Love to the Father. There’s nothing more desirable than this. We’re liberated from being aliens fighting for our survival in a foreign land. We become naturalized heavenly citizens feasting on the AWESOME GOODNESS of God.
Our Vocation
The intentful configuration of our gifts and talents helps us discover our vocation. There’s a mystery here. We can’t oversimplify this. Even awareness of our gifts and talents doesn’t guarantee that we’ll understand how these relate to a vocation. Often, we must grow and mature. God loves stretching us. Be assured that God will bring us experiences that challenge us and that might bring us to our knees, but that ultimately lift us up. He drops hints along the way. He knows where we’re heading even if we don’t. When the moment is right, He strikes with perfect Grace and our resonance with purpose converges with our gifts and talents and illuminates a vocation.
We might go kicking and screaming, resisting the Beacon’s call; insisting there’s no way we can or want to do what He is asking us to do. Reluctance is the happy death of the ego. The path of obedience leads to Him. Whatever we might be missing or not yet understand about how our combination of gifts, talents, and life experiences will support a vocation Jesus will grant us an abundant infusion of His Graces and Blessings. Our victory of fully living our vocation is His victory in Building the Kingdom of God.
So whether you are called to be a priest, deacon, mother, father, doctor, teacher, performer, or occupational therapist, God is pleased to make you an agency of His Healing, Peace, and Love. Thanks be to God!
Our Mission
If we think of our vocation as the domain in which we work, then our mission is our current punch list of tactical directives. It’s easier to wrap our hands around a mission. We’ve got goals and objectives. However, goals and objectives without sanctified scaffolding to support them may end up becoming selfish pursuits that can leave us feeling empty. Have you ever felt like a failure even in the face of successes? This is what can happen when our gifts/talents, vocations, and mission are misaligned with our purpose.
MY JPH VOCATION & MISSION
Recently, I’ve given this question of vocation and mission careful thought. Three things standout for me. In a spirit of encouraging others, I’ll share how I hear the Lord guiding me…
J is for JOY
I’m a kid at heart. I have a propensity for Joy. I don’t have a Pollyanna complex. I’m not prone to be a spin doctor who contorts anything into a happy go lucky axiom. I’m a realist. Even in my own peculiar intense passionate ways, I’m practical, and I’m grounded. Yet, I’m possessed by the Joy of Jesus.
I’m like a moth attracted to the burning meaning of Christ’s Light as my All in All. I want to make everything about Him. I’m a rogue storyteller with a voracious appetite for wonder. My favorite past time is scouring the ground for breadcrumbs from heaven.
You might ask: What are these breadcrumbs from heaven? They are any, and every, surprising gracious blessing from God that serve as signs of His Love working in our lives. Jesus has handed me a big bag to gather this joyous manna and excitedly share it with others.
My mission is to act as a mirror. I desire to reflect the joy of these illuminating heavenly gifts. God may be hidden from our direct sight, but His Love reaches the dull vision of our hearts and penetrates the darkness of our world. May we all be granted here and now a fruitful foretaste of the sweet endless Joy of God.
P is for PRAYER
Prayer encompasses lots of things and lots of different postures. Whatever prayer may look like from one moment to the next it is always an embodied intimate connection with God. Prayer cuts across every barrier between ourselves and God. Prayer puts us in touch with our Savior, our Shepherd, our King, and our God.
When you have a powerful connection with someone don’t you want to be in touch with them? Jesus is the ultimate Best-Friend. We never have to worry if He will be available or not. There’s more than enough of Him to go around. So, if you could share your best friend with everyone without compromising your special connection with them, wouldn’t you share them with everyone? And what if the act of sharing this connection strengthened your connection with your Best-Friend and brought joy to Him, and your other friends?
I feel a constant strong pull to hold the prayers of others in my heart. I experience this as a deep compassionate attunement to others’ needs. I don’t mean to suggest that I’m a cloistered monk that spends every waking moment praying for the needs of the world. I feel more like a temple of prayer. I believe Jesus wants me to give myself to Him so that He can pray through me. He activates me to carry the hopes, needs, desires and gratitude of others.
My mission is to empty myself and become Christ’s humble vessel of prayer. This might sound strange, but it’s not important if I’m aware of these prayers. Let His prayers rise like incense before the throne of God. May Christ’s sensitivity to the needs of His adopted brothers and sisters be intoned as prayers through me.
H is for HOSPITALITY
Hospitality imitates God’s abundance. Our Lord welcomes us to His table of plenty. None of us are strangers. Everyone is invited, and everyone who seeks the Mercy of God is welcomed into the wedding Feast of the Lamb. It stands to reason that we look for ways to care for others and make them feel like treasured guests.
Unfortunately, scarcity is a reality. Not even wealth squelches “scarcity mindsets” that vie for our hearts. Fear can take hold of us. We’re plagued with paralyzing thoughts. How can we have enough to offer anything to anyone else when we feel that we don’t have enough for ourselves? A leap of faith is required. Think of a time when you had a little of something but rather than hold unto it you shared. How did that make you feel?
I’m graced with a generous nature. It’s not a function of my goodness. I’m wired this way. I feel vibrant and alive when I open my home and heart to others. My home is a refuge, a place of warmth, peace, and good food! Whether I have a lot to share or a little it’s the act of sharing that transforms hospitality into a sacred expression of charity.
My mission is to share the gift of hospitality. I’m pleased and blessed to facilitate miniscule previews of the heavenly banquets that await us. May Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit and for the Glory of His Father embrace every person that walks across the threshold of my home.
Prayer
Heavenly Father we bless and praise your Holy Name, Jesus Shepherd of our Heart, and Beautiful Spirit, we implore you to help us grow in our vocations. Show us how you want us to fulfill our purpose to seek you and love you with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength. Bless us with experiences that shine a light on our gifts and talents. Bundle these gifts and talents into vocations. Grant us a clear path forward. May we embark upon missions that are aligned with your Divine Will and which yield rich fruits.
We ask for an increase in priestly vocations, religious life, and the protection of marriage and families. Fill us with your peace as we die to ourselves and accept whatever vocation you have selected for us. And when we are attacked by fears of either our worthiness or perceived lack of abilities bring us the strength of Your Spirit.
We make all these prayers in the name of Jesus Christ. AMEN
It’s your turn, what your JPH?
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