Amazing Catechists

Teaching and learning the faith together

Vocation, Vocation, Vocation

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Sunday, April 26th, is the 52nd Annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations

In a special message written for that occasion, Pope Francis defines the Christian vocation as “first and foremost a call to love.” Using the wonderful analogy of the call of Moses to lead his people out of bondage and into the Promised Land, the Holy Father explains that a vocation is a love that draws us out of ourselves and asks us to leave behind our comfort, false securities, and ego to move forward with trust, knowing that God will show us the way. “Those who set out to follow Christ find life in abundance by putting themselves completely at the service of God and his Kingdom,” the pope said. “The exodus towards God and others fills our lives with joy and meaning.” The reality is, everyone has a vocation, whether it is to the priesthood, religious life, married or single life. Each is important and each is a valid pathway to holiness. It is our responsibility as Christians to enter into a deep and personal conversation with God to discover exactly which vocation he may be calling us to. Once we discover and live that vocation with our whole heart, our lives will be all the richer – and so will the Church and the world. That’s because a vocation is a calling to service. It’s a way to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to others and help establish his Kingdom here on earth.

Once we discern and begin living our vocation, our job is not over. We are to encourage and support others in their discernment and in their current vocations. That’s why the Church initiated The World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Together, we can pray that God will send laborers to the harvest. And that those laborers will respond with openness and generosity.

As part of my ministry, I have a heart for inspiring vocations. One way I do that is through the radio program I host for St. Gabriel Catholic Radio AM 820. Each week I have the privilege of interviewing priests, deacons, and religious sisters and brothers about their personal spiritual journeys to learn how they heard and answered God’s call and how they are living their current vocations. If you’ve never caught the show, I encourage you to listen Tuesdays or Sundays at 12:30 p.m. Previous episodes of “Answering The Call” are archived at www.stgabrielradio.com.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAAnother way I strive to inspire vocations is through my writing. As a parent, I particular recognize the need to encourage vocations in our children. We need to plant the seeds of awareness and openness at a young age so they, too, can begin their dialogue with God to discover their unique vocation. To that end, I’ve written a children’s book series called Where Do Priests Come From? Where Do Sisters Come From? and Where Do Deacons Come From? Each contains charming illustrations and text to make real to a young audience these men and women who have dedicated their lives to serving Christ and his Church. You can learn more about these books here: https://elizabethficocelli.com/books-for-youth/

This week, pray about it. In what way might you inspire vocations?

Elizabeth Ficocelli is a Catholic author of 15 books for adults and young people, a national Catholic speaker, a frequent guest on Catholic radio and television, and the host of “Answering The Call” on St. Gabriel Catholic Radio AM 820. For more on her writing, speaking, and media work visit: www.elizabethficocelli.com

Vocation Isn’t a Dirty Word

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We are never too young for God to call us.

As a young adult I was pretty sure about the calling God had in my life. I met the girl that I would end up marrying and knew we would raise a family. I thought about religious life but had a longing for a family. I look at my life now with a beautiful bride, two amazing sons, and another child on the way and feel confident that I chose the vocation that God wanted for me.

When my sons were born I immediately assumed that becoming a grandfather and having grandchildren would be in the cards for my life. However, as a strong Catholic I wondered if God may want to make priests of my sons. This was a difficult thought for me, and took a while for the reality that I need to let go of what our world expects of us.

The thought of going into the priesthood or other religious life has a negative view in our society today. I’m not only talking about the secular world, but even in the Catholic church. Why is this? I have been thinking about it and realized that as a child, becoming a priest was never brought up to me. If I wanted to be a priest it was going to have to be miraculous, and I would have to hear the call from God without the help of anyone. Children are often brought up thinking that being successful means to make money, and jobs like doctor, lawyer, and professional athlete or musician are the elite on the list. As catechists we know that being successful is not about money, but about doing what God is calling us to do and bringing people closer to Christ while doing it.

In my third grade class I love to talk about the saints. So many of our saints were so very young, St. Therese of Lisieux was elementary age when she wanted to join the Carmelites. St. Therese had sisters that chose religious life so she knew this was an option. I let my third graders know that we are never too young for God to call us. I encourage them and let them know how great religious life can be. Maybe none of my students will enter religious life, but they can’t say they didn’t know it was an option.

As you may have guessed I am open that God may use my sons as his instruments through religious life if he chooses. I now pray for my boys that they are open to the priesthood and religious life. They are only three and two years old and have a long while before they have to make any decision about this, but we are never to young for God to lay upon our hearts his calling for us.