Year III, Number 12

In the different forms of life inspired by the Spirit throughout history, consecrated persons discover that the more they stand at the foot of the Cross of Christ, the more immediately and profoundly they experience the truth of God who is love. It is precisely on the Cross that the One who in death appears to human eyes as disfigured and without beauty, so much so that the bystanders cover their faces (cf. Is 53:2-3), fully reveals the beauty and power of God's love. Saint Augustine says: "Beautiful is God, the Word with God ... He is beautiful in heaven, beautiful on earth; beautiful in the womb, beautiful in his parents' arms, beautiful in his miracles, beautiful in his sufferings; beautiful in inviting to life, beautiful in not worrying about death, beautiful in giving up his life and beautiful in taking it up again; he is beautiful on the Cross, beautiful in the tomb, beautiful in heaven. Listen to the song with understanding, and let not the weakness of the flesh distract your eyes from the splendor of his beauty. “The consecrated life reflects the splendor of this love because, by its fidelity to the mystery of the Cross, it confesses that it believes and lives by the love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In this way it helps the Church to remain aware that the Cross is the superabundance of God's love poured out upon this world, and that it is the great sign of Christ's saving presence, especially in the midst of difficulties and trials. This is the testimony given constantly and with deeply admirable courage by a great number of consecrated persons, many of whom live in difficult situations, even suffering persecution and martyrdom. Their fidelity to the one Love is revealed and confirmed in the humility of a hidden life, in the acceptance of sufferings for the sake of completing in their own flesh "what is lacking in Christ's afflictions" (Col 1:24), in silent sacrifice and abandonment to God's holy will, and in serene fidelity even as their strength and personal authority wane. Fidelity to God also inspires devotion to neighbor, a devotion which consecrated persons live out not without sacrifice by constantly interceding for the needs of their brothers and sisters, generously serving the poor and the sick, sharing the hardships of others and participating in the concerns and trials of the Church.

Q. Fr. Anthony,

I agree completely that marriage is more natural, being the oldest vocation and the most common. I suppose what I am driving at is that these days, especially in American culture it seems, the very sacramentality and nature of marriage is not just overlooked, but simply unknown, and thus discerning marriage becomes a larger problem than just 'slipping into it naturally' as it were. Additionally, I worry that through our (justified) esteeming of the vocations of priesthood, religious life, and consecrated life, sometimes we inadvertently make marriage out to be the vocation for everyone else who 'didn't make the cut' or weren't generous enough or holy enough, when in fact marriage, being raised to the dignity of a sacrament, is very holy, and as dignified a vocation as the others. I think it would be profitable for all of us to give more attention than we are giving currently to discernment of marriage (or at least education as to what it is in reality, in God's eyes), so as to enable those who are called to marriage to truly discover that vocation, and not simply get married because of the many reasons that people marry for, that aren't really legitimate reasons at all. Also, the Church would profit even more from this discernment and education regarding marriage if those who are called to consecrated life had a healthy and Catholic perspective and theology of what marriage is, so as to effectively minister to those who are called to marriage.

My apologies for the lengthy reply! Thanks for your response! God bless!

A. Dear Matt,

Your thoughts are right on the mark. Speaking to some of our priests who do marriage preparation programs they would agree with you totally as regards the general ignorance of the true nature of marriage. There is much to be done there.

A good and important thing to remember in this context about religious or priestly vocation is that it is an extraordinary grace that God gives, and not necessarily to the best or most worthy. Believe it or not, I find among a number of young men who inquire into the priesthood a similar ignorance of its true nature - so many of them think of it as something 'they would like', or 'feel like'...

God bless. - Fr Anthony

Q. I am doing a project for Religion class on vocations and how God is calling me. I am also writing an essay to go along with this project. I think a quote specifically about vocations would be a great thing to put inside my essay. However, i am having trouble locating one. If you know of any quotes about vocations or callings would you please e-mail them to me. Thank you for your time.

A. Dear Elizabeth,

I hope I am in time with my answer to be of help to you in your project.

Here is a quotation from Fr Maciel the founder of the Legionaries that I really like:

"I can assure you that no other happiness is authentic, no other happiness is lasting - the only happiness that is lasting and the only joy that is authentic is to find that you are fulfilling God's will for you. This is so because if you are doing what God wants it means there is love in your heart, and love unites us to him, and union with God gives us peace. If there is no peace there can be no authentic happiness. People are set on trying to find happiness by letting their passions run free. They think that if they satisfy their pride, self-love and sensuality they will be happy, but when they turn around they find their hands are empty. Only God gives happines because only God, your love for him, your union with him will bring peace to your soul."

God bless. - Fr Anthony

Introductory Prayer: I trust in you Lord, yet how often I have I found myself trusting too much in myself and my things leaving you on the shore as I sail and fish the turbulent seas of the world in which we live. Help me, Lord, to truly trust in you, to never leave the shore without you. Lord, especially in those difficult moments of my life when it seems the hardest thing to do, help me to fulfill willingly all that you command me to do, whatever net you tell me to cast out, let me do it with true purity of intention and hope in your blessing. Lord, let me know my mission in life, and grant me the graces I will need to fulfill it.

Gospel Passage: Lk 5:1-11

While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.

1. “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”

Why is Peter confessing with such remorse to our Lord? Had he not done as the Lord commanded, in lowering his nets out into the deep waters? The answer is in Peter’s vocation story.

It had all begun when his brother Andrew, a disciple of John the Baptist, came to Simon to tell him, “We have found the Messiah.” Upon meeting our Lord, Simon became his disciple on hearing the words, “you shall be called Cephas.” Now, in the reading we are contemplating, it is curious to notice Peter returning here to his nets and boat. Apparently he once again resorted back to his former occupation instead of attending to the real work that was implied in our Lord’s first call, “Come and see.” At this point, Christ’s original “Come and see” has to be translated into Peter’s life as “Keep coming and you will see.” Peter needs to learn that when it comes to dealing with our Lord, there isn’t to be expected a time where you can say, “Been there and done that; so why come again?”

Peter seems absorbed in washing out fishing nets. Scripture suggests that there was a lesson that Peter needed to learn if he would fulfill his vocation and mission that would be allotted to him by God’s providence.

In the early morning on the lake, Peter and the apostles are tired and distraught after a hard night’s fruitless work. Our Lord seizes this opportunity to form the heart of the man who would later lead his Church. With two boats on the shore, Christ chose to step firmly with both foot and sandal onto the deck of Peter’s boat. Shaking Peter from his dreary self-immersion of washing empty nets, Peter looks up and sees our Lord with a great multitude of people crowded around him on the lakeshore. In this manner Christ took sudden claim to Peter’s boat. We could but imagine his immediate reaction. “What’s going on?” “Why my boat Lord?” “Can’t you see it’s not ready?” “Can’t you see that I am busy?” “Don’t you see the other boat over there, why not use it?” “Why me, Lord?” Often the first reaction we have to God’s call for our life is similar to Peter’s. In essence our self-centeredness erodes our trust and hope in Christ. Without hope, we find it easy to balk at our Lord’s commands. From our weak and distracted hearts our Lord can hear our sulking response, “Go find someone else.” Our Lord persists anyway because he knows that his heart is in the right place and fixed on the mission and not on his emotions. In fact, it seems our Lord is indifferent to Peter’s tiredness and discouragement.

Without hesitancy our Lord makes his choice to enter into the empty boat of Peter. And why not? “The people pressed upon him to hear the word of God.” There is no time to waste on senseless empty lamentations and self centered introspection. The word of God urgently needs to be preached so that later it might be lived by these people and by all nations of all times and cultures. Our times are no different. The Church’s permanent mission is bringing the Gospel to the multitudes - the millions and millions of men and women - who as yet do not know Christ the Redeemer of humanity, writes John Paul II.

“Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land.” Peter shoves off from the shore. Will we imitate his example and trust our Lord’s lead? Will we have at least as much courage to push off from the shore of our comforts and embrace the work of evangelization as Christ wants?

2. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

In the boat, Peter is captive and has to listen reluctantly to our Lord. If he listens long enough and allows his reason and faith to help him, his present storm of emotions will find calm. And what did our Lord preach that would bring Peter’s heart around? He preached about the Kingdom of God. “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Peter’s heart is obviously touched by Christ’s exhortation to repent. And us?

How much of the world is still making its influence on us? Are we still able to listen to our Lord in real prayer and meditation? Have we learned to trust in our Lord and pray in such a way that we conquer the forces of our emotions and all other obstacles in life that prevent us from hearing “the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.” “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord,” are sincere words of contrition and trust. If we aren’t repentant, we can rest assured that we really have yet to listen to the gospel.

3. “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”

Those who have ears to hear, let them hear! But we must also do the will of God. It requires our full effort and participation. Anything less would cheapen and lessen the power of the gospel. “Not all who say, Lord, Lord, will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but only those who do the will of my Father in heaven.” “Whoever does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Knowing his immediate lack of success Peter must humble himself as he is put on the spot before the large crowd to obey our Lord and cast out his nets. Peter knew how difficult it was to say he believed when he had to back up his belief with his actions. He had to obey the word of God in spite of his own recent experiences of having “toiled all night and taken nothing!” No small challenge was before Peter, and the stakes were high, after all the great multitude was staring down at him waiting anxiously to see what would come of it, and all Peter could think of was the empty nets that he pulled in the night before. Now in the noon of the day for all the world to see the crowd looks on and awaits the fruit of Peter’s belief and trust.

With just a glance at Christ he finds just enough courage to say, “But at your word I will let down the nets.” It is echoed by John Paul II’s challenge to us: “Into such seemingly unpromising waters you must cast your nets…, knowing that Jesus alone can satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart.”

Peter trusted just enough to wrestle a miracle from our Lord. “And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish; and their nets were breaking.” Can we trust our Lord enough to put his words into action in our daily lives, knowing how he will bless even the most meager effort on our part?

That day our Lord preached from the boat of Simon on the lake of Gennesaret. Afterwards, our Lord would change his name from Simon to Peter (the Rock on which he would build his Church), and confer on him the keys of the Kingdom. Our Lord today preaches once again from the ship of the Church where at the helm is the Pope, Peter’s successor. At the beginning of the new millennium of evangelization the Church rides on the immense and wide-open seas of the world. From these open seas she seeks the harbors of distant cities, nations and peoples preaching once again Christ’s word.

“The number of those awaiting Christ is still immense: the human and cultural groups not yet reached by the Gospel, or for whom the Church is scarcely present, are so widespread as to require the uniting of all the Church’s resources. We cannot be content when we consider the millions of our brothers sisters, who like us have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, but who live in ignorance of the love of God. For each believer, as for the entire Church, the missionary task must remain foremost, for it concerns the eternal destiny of humanity and corresponds to God’s mysterious and merciful plan.” – John Paul II, Redemporis Missio

“The love of Christ impels us.” What will I do for Christ?

QUESTIONNAIRE

To help you to examine your life, in the light of the inspirations God just gave you in these moments you shared with him.

1. Am I fostering in my life my Catholic faith in a real, practical, and operative way? Have I slipped into routine, mediocrity or indifference in my dispositions, attitudes and commitment to the apostolate of evangelization and bringing Christ to others?

2. Do I set aside time in my day to pray, meditate, read and reflect on the gospel of Christ in order to keep myself immersed in his ideals and attitudes? Am I humble enough to repent and ask for forgiveness when I find myself deviating from the plan and will of God for my life?

3. What nets am I lowering now in order to bring in more souls closer to Christ? How many converts am I helping to bring into the Catholic Church? Am I working with other Catholics in team fashion in order to be more efficacious and effective in bring the maximum number of souls closer to Christ?

The great field of the world stretches out before our eyes, and it is ready for harvest. Others have sowed and watered it with their blood. Our task is to go and gather the fruits of the seed that God himself has sowed in souls. The world awaits us because it awaits Christ. It awaits the Good News from our lips. We cannot erect a barrier to the voice of Christ who sends us to the world. We cannot remain idle doing nothing (cf. Mt 20:6), staring into the sky, like the apostles on ascension day, while the Kingdom demands urgent action. There is no time to lose. We have to set out. Today. Here. Now. In the Holy Father’s recent words: ‘Today is not the time to hide the Gospel, but to “proclaim it from the housetops” (cf. Mt 10:27)’ [Homily in Foligno, June 20, 1993].

In our hands we carry the treasure of the faith (cf. 2 Cor 4:7) which is worth more than life itself, which is light and fire. You are this light that must shine in the world. You are the fire that must blaze. You are the salt that is meant to preserve the world from the corruption of evil. You are the hands with which Christ wants to heal and save. You are the mouths by which Christ will proclaim the Gospel to the world.

The torch of faith that you have received as a priceless treasure has come to you through an unbroken chain going back to the Apostles and Christ himself. With this torch you can give light to one, hundreds, thousands of people. It is a chain of salvation and you are its links. If the chain is broken, many others will remain in eternal darkness.

Let us persevere in prayer with Mary for a new Pentecost that will break upon the world and help Christians to set out fearlessly to proclaim Christ’s victory to the world. Let us pray to her that a new surge of apostolic zeal will flood all Catholics, and that she will prepare them to be the apostles the Church needs in these times.

Almost 2000 years ago, a group of Galilean fishermen set out on the highways and byways of the world to preach the Gospel, and they seal the authenticity of their witness by shedding their blood. Today the same dead and risen Christ who called and sent them, calls and sends us. Let us ask the Father from whom every perfect gift comes to send the world apostles who will proclaim the Gospel message strongly and fearlessly.

Ignacy Jez, Bishop Emeritus of Koszalin-Kolobrzeg.

Bishop Ignacy Jez was one of the many Polish priests interned in concentration camps. He was ordained a priest on 20 June 1937. In the fifth year of his priesthood he was brought to the camp at Dachau as No. 37196.

He left the following testimony:

"The concentration camps were death camps. They were rightly called Vernichtungslager, 'extermination camps', by those familiar with people who spent time there. To clarify matters, it was said that 'the only road to freedom for such people leads through the crematorium'.

The title of my recollections of the three years I spent in the lager at Dachau was taken from the canticles of the Old Testament: 'Light and darkness, bless the Lord' (Dn 3,72). To me those years seemed a time of immense darkness. But alongside the darkness, one could also see the truth of Saint Paul's words in the Letter to the Romans: 'where sin increased, grace abounded all the more' (Rm 5,20). The signs of this were quite numerous. Our spiritual strength increased thanks to the priests who were also interned, at times too because of the positive attitude of the lay persons who recited prayers in common each evening in the dormitories after lights off, and at other times because of Holy Communion, received from Block 26, despite the fact that it was officially prohibited by the camp regulations".

Prayer

Remember, God of the darkness of Good Friday, God of the great silence of Holy Saturday and God also of the joyful dawn of the Resurrection, all those Christians who were victims of Nazism - Lutheran, Reformed, Catholic and Orthodox, together with their brothers and sisters of other faiths. They endured the burden of forced labor, violations of their human dignity, hunger and thirst, the obliteration of their memory and finally death in the gas chambers and the ovens. They bore witness to the Beatitude and the power of Gospel meekness. They did not succumb to the power of darkness; resisting evil, they proclaimed the power of the God of life.

May the memory of your just ones remain ever alive in you and in us.

R/. Kyrie eleison.

Upcoming Events & Retreats

(( Listed here are retreats directed by the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi members. For a listing of diocesan activities and other events, click here to go to the vocation.com website ))

LEGIONARIES OF CHRIST

Atlanta, April 26-28, Young Men's Spiritual Exercises. Contact Fr Scott Reilly, (770) 394-2158. frscott@legionaries.org

Denver, April 26-28, Spiritual Exercises with Fr Anthony Bannon. Contact Br Daniel Brandenburg, (303) 689-9932. dbrandenburg@legionaries.org

Manchester, NH, May 3-5, Evangelization Mission. Contact Adam Jeffries, (301) 365-3205. YTM2000@aol.com

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated women

Manchester, NH, May 3-5, Evangelization Mission. Contact Adam Jeffries, (301) 365-3205. YTM2000@aol.com

Ottawa, May 19. Half-Day Retreats. Contact Lourdes Cano, (612) 205-7566. lcano@inteducators.org

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated men

Call Tony McDonnell for more information, (301) 365-3205. info@ytm.org

ShoreLines welcomes your questions and comments at questions@shorelines.org. If you do not specify otherwise, your question may be posted in the Vocations Q&A section.

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