Year III, Number 44

"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased" (Mt 12:18; cf. Is 42:1-4).

The theme of this Message for the 40th World Day of Prayer for Vocations invites us to return to the roots of the Christian vocation, to the story of the first person called by the Father, his Son Jesus. He is "the servant" of the Father, foretold by the prophets as the one whom the Father has chosen and formed from his mother's womb (cf. Is 49:1-6), the beloved whom the Father upholds and in whom he is well pleased (cf. Is 42:1-9), in whom he has placed his spirit and to whom he has transmitted his power (cf. Is 49:5), and as the one whom he will exalt (cf. Is 52:13 - 53:12).

The inspired text gives an essentially positive connotation to the term "servant," which is immediately evident. In today's culture, the person who serves is considered inferior; but in sacred history the servant is the one called by God to carry out a particular action of salvation and redemption. The servant knows that he has received all he has and is. As a result, he also feels called to place what he has received at the service of others.

In the Bible, service is always linked to a specific call that comes from God. For this reason, it represents the greatest fulfillment of the dignity of the creature, as well as that, which invokes the creature's mysterious, transcendent dimension. This was the case in the life of Jesus, too, the faithful Servant who was called to carry out the universal work of redemption.

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I feel called to the priesthood, and I have felt the call since age twelve. (I am currently sixteen.) However, I am having a hard time discerning whether I am called to an order or not. I feel that I should take vows of poverty, but I don't feel called to any specific order, and I do feel called to help ordinary Catholics or to do missionary work. Thanks.

- Trey

A. Dear Trey,

It seems to me that the proper step for you to take now is to start looking actively into some religious orders. If you do not feel a call to a specific order it may be because you don't yet know any orders in any depth. So to give grace a chance to move your heart, start finding out about the orders you might know of vaguely. I think it's best not to get information on too many at a time, just start off with the ones you have heard of or have come across in passing. As you get the information and read through it you will find that certain elements will begin to come into focus; you will read things and realize that they are not what you are called to, and other certain things will strike a chord with you, at times almost jump off the page at you.

Follow up on these, write back to the order, visit if possible, and speak to the priests. All the time be sure in your prayer to ask the Holy Spirit to help you see where he is leading you, and tell him you want to be as generous as you can with Christ and serve him the best you can. God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I recently read your article on meditation and how you said that one should set a time aside to meditate. Don’t you think though people should be in a constant meditation throughout the day? I mean, you have to try constantly for the first month or two and you seem like you are all spaced out and then one day you don’t have to think about doing it and it is there with you 24-7. It’s great. I am in constant prayer whenever and wherever I may be. I started doing that for as long as I can remember, and now that I’m 18, it has been the most powerful strength for me to rely on through good and bad times. Don’t you think we should encourage people to find a way to be in constant prayer throughout the day?

- Adam

A. Dear Adam,

You have a very good point. St. Paul told his first Christians to pray always.

I think we are talking about two types of prayer. When you try to meditate, like when you go to Mass, you dedicate all your mind, all your heart, and all your attention to it and it alone. That is one type of prayer, and it excludes doing anything else at the same time; as a matter of fact, we call thinking or doing anything else a distraction in this type of prayer (for example, it wouldn’t seem right to bring your homework to church and do it during Mass, would it?).

The other type of prayer, which I think you are talking about, is an awareness of God’s presence, a bringing him into everything we do; a constant disposition of our soul to love, praise and obey him in everything; a constant desire and seeking to be like Christ in everything, etc... and we should certainly strive to live in that climate of prayer always.

Keep up both types of prayer, Adam, and try always to do what will please God most.

- Fr Anthony

At all times and when faced with the devouring atmosphere of the world remember that you are Christians, temples of the Holy Spirit and apostles of the Kingdom. Do not let the clinging and sensual breath of the world which is alien to Christ touch your hearts; be aware that each one of the thoughts you harbor in your hearts, each one of the emotions you give yourselves to will leave its mark in you for better or for worse, it will either enrich your personality in Christ or it will cloud the freshness and youth of your love for him.

I invite you to contemplate the magnificent person of our mother, the Blessed Virgin, and to imitate her marvelous example. She was a woman who lived immersed in God, and so the message of the angel found an immediate echo and a generous response in her. She was a woman of prayer and reflection and she therefore received the mysteries of Christ in silence and continually meditated on them, as the Gospel so often tells us. She was a woman of vibrant faith, and so everything that had to do with God was second nature to her. God’s presence in her life was everything to her, and so the angel could call her full of grace, and the Holy Spirit could come and dwell in her.

Gospel passage: Mk 1: 1-8

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ (the Son of God). As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way. A voice of one crying out in the desert: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" John (the) Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. People of the whole Judean countryside and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. John was clothed in camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey. And this is what he proclaimed: "One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, I believe in your call to serve you with all the gifts you have given me. I trust in your grace, that it will carry me beyond the attractions of the world and my own weakness. I love you, for you have taught me with your life how to give and live not just for myself. Help me to humbly open my heart and mind to your message in prayer.

Petition: Grant me, Lord, the humility to know my vocation and the fidelity to live it always in relationship to you.

1. What made John different? Where do his message and mission come from?

How did John come to go against all that was popular and common to appear in the desert with a radical message of repentance? Only God’s grace can allow any of us to overcome the world and the damage left by original sin. John was set apart from other men from the start, called to be a prophet, a counter-cultural man. Early in his life he became aware of this call, followed and obeyed it, submitting in faith to God’s will.

I am also called to be counter-cultural. Only those who can stand strong in God’s will and go against the secularism of modern life will be able to change the culture and fulfill Christ’s mission of evangelization. The rest will only be dragged along by it. What are my desert, camel’s hair, and locust?

2. The Spirit granted him real freedom.

Once John responded to his call, God sent him on a mission. But was he free? Or was he simply forced to do God’s bidding?

He ended his life faithful to his call to proclaim the truth and urge repentance, even though it was precisely this insistence that cost him his head. In prison there was certainly no personal gain to be had, nor any pressure from his audience or followers. He acted freely, with a freedom far beyond that of those he preached to:

“John had said to Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.' Herodias harbored a grudge against him and wanted to kill him but was unable to do so. Herod feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man, and kept him in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him" (Mk 6:18-20).

Who sounds like the free man in St Mark’s account?! Herodias carries a grudge and Herod is captivated by the man he has imprisoned!

How did John begin his life? In grace. God’s grace frees us from the slavery of sin. He was not just free, but more importantly he was free to do good, to love God. Freedom has an object, namely the good that brings us happiness. And that freedom is found only in God’s will (cf. Gal 4:8-9; Jn 8:31-38 - “...and the truth will make you free... everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin...”).

John’s freedom also countered his own natural tendencies toward comfort, ease and pleasure. His freedom from these forces come from the power of grace, the power of virtue and the power of love - all spiritual powers. Do I possess or work for these powers of freedom?

3. Humility: a free choice to accept one's mission within God’s plan.

Jesus praises John: "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall make ready thy way before thee.' I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist" (Lk 7:26-28). Where did this greatness lie? There are two sides to it.

He was faithful to his life-mission. His mission was to prepare the way of the Lord, to be a voice crying in the desert, baptizing, preaching repentance, and opening hearts to believe in Christ. He even prepared disciples like Andrew and John, who would later follow Jesus. His mission reached its climax when he was able to give personal witness to Christ: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn 1:26); “I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God” (Jn 1:34). After baptizing Christ, John was baptized in blood. His final witness confirmed all he had preached, faithful to Christ unto death. All was in reference to Christ, not to himself.

He was humble. All of this fidelity required great humility. He had to deny the suggestions and desires of so many to identify him as the Messiah. They say power corrupts and that popularity goes to your head. That wasn't the case with John. His mission was to be the “precursor,” the “Voice,” not “the One” nor the “Word.” He knew he was not worthy to even untie his sandal. He had to deny his own vanity and even his own well-earned recognition. “No, I am only SENT BEFORE HIM and the FRIEND OF THE BRIDEGROOM.” The only honor John sought was to be true to Christ and his mission. And this gave him his greatest joy: “This my joy, therefore, is made full. He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:29).

What a beautiful definition of humility! To be what I am called to be, no more and no less, so that others can truly recognize God. To not try and appropriate what belongs to God; in the end, this is called Glory. To say "I am just a poor servant. I have done what I was supposed to do.”

Dialogue with Christ: Dear Lord, help me to know and identify with my vocation. But I want to live it fully, not half-heartedly, with a clear and unmistakable knowledge and conviction about my mission in life. Never allow me to be dishonest, to glorify myself, or to take short-cuts, omitting any part of your will. I want to love you with humility and fidelity, resisting all the distractions and deceptions that try to convince me of who I am, or could be, or should make myself become. I want to live free to be myself, as you define me. May my voice, my life, and my death bring many more souls to you, setting the world ablaze with love for you.

Questionnaire:

1. Do I recognize all the graces and blessings that God has showered upon me, from even before my birth - family, country, freedoms, natural qualities - and not least, the gift of my baptism?

2. Jesus came to me, as with John, early in life and cleansed me, adopted me and called me to inherit his Kingdom. Am I aware of his love and his call to go against the ways of the world and carry his Word?

3. Am I in fact free? Do I seek God’s will or my own will? Is my will held captive by my passions, natural tendencies and weaknesses? What binds me?

4. Am I content to be only and all that God calls me to be, without concern for what others think or say?

Perhaps the most difficult obstacle to our life of prayer is our own previous failures. We try to pray, and we make a genuine effort, but we fail - either we are inconstant, we don’t feel we are getting any results, or we are invaded by a tremendous feeling of spiritual dryness. It seems that God isn’t there to listen; the iron gates of Heaven are shut tight and locked, and nobody is answering the phone. After an initial period of enthusiasm we become discouraged, and we say, “I tried prayer, and I failed. I couldn’t do it. Maybe other people are called to be saints, but this just isn’t for me.”

This is a difficult obstacle because we know our own weakness, and we’ve seen our own failings. It’s hard to come back and try it again, especially when dryness invades our prayer. But St Therese of Lisieux had a similar experience: she went for months and even years in the most terrible spiritual dryness, yet she did not give up her faith and her life of prayer. In fact, in her autobiography, she describes this as the most fruitful time of her whole spiritual life:

“But during those radiant days of Easter... Jesus allowed pitch-black darkness to sweep over my soul and let the thought of heaven, so sweet to me from my infancy, destroy all my peace and torture me. This trial was not something lasting a few days or weeks. I suffered it for months and I am still waiting for it to end. I wish I could express what I feel, but it is impossible. One must have traveled through the same sunless tunnel to understand how dark it is...” (St Therese, pg. 117).

In a famous passage of her autobiography, so startling in its candor that it was not even allowed to be published in the earliest editions of her notes, St Therese goes on to say:

“May God forgive me! He knows very well that although I had not the consolation of faith, I forced myself to act as if I had. I have made more acts of faith in the last year than in the whole of my life” (St Therese, pg. 118).

There we have it: a soul that experienced the darkest pangs of dryness and emptiness. Yet in her simplicity and her love for God she never gave up, but even grew in the strength of her faith by means of those dark and trying months. Moved by the example of this tender, simple young saint, how can we hide ourselves in the excuse of spiritual dryness in prayer? This is really an opportunity God is giving us to purify our intentions and, above all, to exercise our confidence in him alone. Fr. Solanus Casey, a Capuchin friar from Detroit, who could well become America's first male saint, has a beautiful reflection on confidence in God. "In my opinion, there is hardly anything else that the enemy of our soul [that is, Satan] dreads more than confidence - humble confidence in God. Confidence in God is the very soul of prayer."

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

Cheshire, CT, December 26-30, Test Your Call! retreat. Contact Br Branigan Sherman, (800) 420-5409. vocation@legionaries.org.

Rome, Italy, Christmas break, December 27, 2002 - January 5, 2003, Mega-Pilgrimage. For college-aged men and high school seniors. Contact Karolee Stauduhar, (407) 869-8263. kstauduhar@msn.com.

Rome, Italy, December 27, 2002 - January 5, 2003, Youth Pilgrimage. Ages 11-15. Price: $1,495 (includes airfare). Contact Ray Arsenault, (902) 854-2808. arsenaultacres@pei.sympatico.ca.

Washington, DC, January 17-22, 2003, Mission for Life. Cost: $90. Help the nation's capitol prepare for the national March for Life by participating in a retreat and evangelization mission. Contact Tony MacDonnell, (301) 365-3205. mission@ytm.org.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated women

Rome, Italy, December 26, 2002 - January 4, 2003. Rome Pilgrimage. Ages 17-30. Contact Fernanda Paez, (877) 866-7738. matere@ids.net.

Rome, Italy, December 26, 2002 - January 4, 2003. Rome Pilgrimage. High school girls. Contact Fernanda Paez, (877) 866-7738. matere@ids.net.

Los Angeles, CA, January 12, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Magdalena Faine, (562) 597-6352. mfaine@inteducators.org.

Washington, DC, January 17-22, 2003, Mission for Life. Cost: $90. Help the nation's capitol prepare for the national March for Life by participating in a retreat and evangelization mission. Contact MariCarmen Maheu, (301) 365-3205. mission@ytm.org.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated men

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

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