Fourth Sunday of Easter (B) 2021

Sermon • Submitted 3 years ago

0 ratings

· 12 views

Notes

Transcript

Lex Credendi | Particular Vocations

At the moment of Baptism, each soul receives a call from God to their earthly life working towards eternal life. This call is unlike any human call. When we call to someone, such as our children, we need to repeat ourselves over and over again. By contrast, God’s call is one ongoing invitation. Holy Mother Church uses the term ‘vocation’ to denote God’s call of each soul to eternal life. Vocation is derived from the Latin ‘vocare’, which simply means ‘to call’.

God’s call to each soul - our ‘vocation’ - operates on three levels simultaenously. The first level is what the Second Vatican Council terms “the universal call to holiness”.

The second level is what the tradition of the Church terms “the particular vocations.” There are three particular vocations: Holy Matrimony, Holy Orders, and Religious Life. The particular vocations specify and, in a certain sense, narrow the way the soul is called by God to live out and realise the universal call to holiness. Through the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, God’s call of a man or woman to holiness and eternal life will now be realised in the service of a specific person and family. Through the Sacrament of Holy Orders, God’s call of a man to holiness and eternal life will now be realised through the service of a particular and local manifestation of the Church, under this particular bishop. Through the vows or promises of Religious Life, God’s call of a man or woman to holiness and eternal life will now be realised in the service of a specific charism or apostolate in a specific community.

The third level is what we might term “the vocation of the present moment”. God’s call to us makes itself felt in each moment. God invites us to correspond to His will for us in each and every moment. Each moment of our life is like another step along the road to our destination of eternal life. By cultivating both an awareness of God’s will for us in each moment, and the habit of saying yes to that will in each moment, we advance step by step in holiness.

Three levels of God’s call: universal, particular, momentary

Particular vocation is like the vehicle we use to arrive at our destination

Vocation to marriage is something God calls us to by nature - we are built for marriage - this natural vocation is blessed with grace in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony

Vocation to religious life and priesthood is supernatural, insofar as it is a call that comes through grace rather than nature

Lex Vivendi | Vocations Culture

Faith - vocations to priesthood and religious life are supernatural, therefore they only really make sense to men and women of faith. One doesn't become a priest, nun or monk because one wants to achieve worldly goals, however laudable these goals may be - one pursues a vocation for supernatural, spiritual, reasons - ultimately because you are convinced that this is the path best suited to lead you to eternal life - living faith is the indispensible foundation for creating a culture of vocations - faith makes enables us to perceive the why behind vocation

Within parish

Within family

Lex Orandi | Praying for Vocations

From our parish

From our family

Other No

Related Media

Related Sermons