Year IV, Number 48

"And like living stones let yourselves be built into a spiritual house" (1 Pt 2:5).

We must begin again with the communities in order to prepare the fertile soil in which God's action will be able to expand with power and his call be welcomed and understood. "Without doubt a mending of the Christian fabric of society is urgently needed in all parts of the world. But for this to come about what is needed is to first remake the Christian fabric of the ecclesial community itself" (Christifideles laici, n. 34).

Truly, the vast field of pastoral action for fostering vocations has yet to be fully appreciated in some of its aspects, even though there is a greater awareness of this dimension of the Christian life and a greater number of initiatives in its regard. The discovery of one's own vocation, whatever it may be, cannot leave one unaware of the other evangelical choices necessary for the Church's identity as instrument and image of the kingdom of God in the world.

Only living Christian communities are able to carefully welcome vocations and then accompany them in their development, as mothers attentive to the growth and happiness of their offspring. "The pastoral work of promoting vocations has as its active agents, as its protagonists, the ecclesial community as such, in its various expressions: from the universal Church to the particular Church and, by analogy from the particular Church to each of its parishes and to every part of the people of God" (Pastores dabo vobis, n. 41).

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I think my friend has a vocation. He is a great leader, he likes to listen to good Catholic music, and when people act out of line - like using foul language - he always sets them straight. So how could I encourage him more to follow up on a vocation which a lot of people think he has?

- Jake

A. Dear Jake,

I know what you are talking about. In high school I also had a friend that I used to think should be a priest, not me, and I used to look for ways to make him realize what I already knew - but look what happened: the exact opposite! Things might turn out differently for you and your friend, and maybe you have a better eye than I had, so here are some suggestions (a lot depends, of course, on how close you are as friends and how frank you can be with him).

1. Pray for him. Pray that both you and he will be generous enough to do whatever it is God wants of each of you. Take this thought that has come into your mind as God's hint to you that you give serious consideration to what he wants you to do with your life. You know that the Church is a Mystical Body, and here is one of its concrete applications: you don't make others holy by telling them to be holy, but first of all by striving to be holy yourself. Same if you want to help others with their vocation.

2. Mention it to him. You might well be the instrument that God needs to make him realize what is happening in his life.

3. Stick together and help each other. Create a larger circle of good friends, and as well as having fun together and keeping each other out of trouble, do constructive things that will help others in some way (charitable works, help the poor, teach younger kids the faith, help out some old folks now that winter is here and the snow is piling up, help younger kids at camps...).

4. Invite him on a retreat with you so that you both can pray about your vocations.

I hope some of this helps, and I will say a prayer for both of you. God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

Hi! I'm a 16-year-old girl and attend a public high school. Over the past two years or so, I've felt that I might have a religious vocation. A couple people from my church have even said this to me. I will be a senior next year in school and I was wondering what I should do about school after I graduate. I get really high grades, so I know a lot of people will be asking where I am planning to attend college, etc. I definitely do not want to go to a secular college but there are not any Catholic colleges close to my home. I feel that I would like to go to a local community college at first because I don't feel that I'm ready to leave home. I really like my Catholic parish and community and would like to remain a part of it. Do most people who feel they have a vocation immediately attend a Catholic college and get started on it? I feel that I'd like to maybe major in education at a local college and then pursue my vocation. I'm really not sure!! I do believe that through prayer and trusting God's will for my life, everything will eventually fall into place, but if you could give me any ideas or suggestions, I would really appreciate it! Thanks!

- Amber

A. Dear Amber,

What I have found over the years is that while God's plan for each soul is special there are still some general things that usually happen. First is the inclination, interest, openness. You have that. Then the fears, you have them too. Then the moment of contact, when you meet the people or find that place that makes you ask, "maybe here?" You have not reached this point yet. Let me assure you, that when you do, all the other questions such as family, local parish community, personal ideas as regards what you would like to do, etc. will all fall into place. Some who have a vocation go directly from high school into it. Some enter after college, either Catholic or secular. There is no general rule, it depends on when God calls you, and believe me, he knows when it is best. If you are 17 when you graduate, you will also need your parents' permission if you want to enter somewhere right away. My best advice to you now is to pray very specifically for your vocation: tell Jesus you want to give yourself completely to him, and ask him to show you where.

I'll be praying for you. God bless.

- Fr Anthony

To speak about charity means to speak about the center, essence and supreme perfection of all Christian life, since all of Christ's teaching on how we must lead our life in this world is distilled in the practice of charity. The most sublime pages in the Gospel and in all of the New Testament are those that speak to us on the one hand about the merciful love of God the Father towards men, and on the other, the love that Christ asks us to profess towards Him and towards each other.

To speak about charity is also to speak about the great secret with which Christianity has revolutionized the world. Before Christ's coming, neither the most enlightened Jewish rabbis nor the great thinkers of other cultures suspected that love among men could hold such capacity to transform the human heart and society. Each cultural group lived enclosed in its own sphere, foreign and frequently hostile to other groups. The famous law of the talion, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," though it intended to curb vengeful justice, is in itself significant. But the expansion of the Christian communities showed the whole world that it is possible to love without barriers of race, sex, culture, or social status. This is, undoubtedly, one of the noblest contributions of Christianity to humanity. This is the force that enabled it to give a new soul and a new form to the peoples it reached. And this is the force that will enable the Church today, in the face of the decline in values, to rise again and renew humanity.

Gospel: Mk 1:7-11

And he preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased.”

Introductory Prayer: Jesus, you teach me what it means to be a beloved son of the Father through your docility as you bend down to be baptized by John in the Jordan. You always pleased your Father completing the work he gave you to do. That work included saving me and making me able to call God, 'Abba', Father. May I treasure the gift of being baptized into the family of love more each day and bend humbly to the plans that our loving Father has over my life.

Petition: Jesus Christ, teach me to live out my baptism as a beloved son of the Father.

1. “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”

Jesus adheres perfectly to the plan of his Father. United in prayer, in conversation with his Father, he knew the time of his departure from the home in Nazareth and from his mother's loving care, to set out on the arduous and fruitful mission that was uniquely his. He comes to the Jordan with docility. He comes with great humility. He comes with an intense love for his Father and for souls and he shows us in his baptism that this sacrament initiates our Christian journey, a journey of glorifying the Father and saving souls, a journey of prayer and of apostolic action. Was this attitude of readiness to accomplish his Father's Will something new for Christ at his baptism? Of course not. He had fulfilled his mission perfectly and was ready to continue to do so. He had loved Mary and Joseph and fulfilled his role in that holy family as the unfolding of his Father's plan. All his life was a reflection of his words in Gethsemane, "Not my will, but yours be done." We must exercise this same docile readiness. We need "to offer Christ the personal gift of our generous readiness to follow his plans for us. Maybe we need to leave behind old dusty patterns that stifle our promptitude, sluggish inertia that increases our laziness" (Fr Marcial Maciel LC, Envoy III, p 50).

2. " Thou art my beloved Son, with thee I am well pleased."

When we are baptized into the family of love the Father also looks upon us and remarks, "you are my beloved son." We are the Father's. We belong to him. Our greatest freedom therefore is to live in this truth. We believe in God the Father, the Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth. He is our creator and he created us with a purpose. He created us to be a creature that returns his love. By creation, then, we are his beloved sons. By our free response to his plan over our lives, we please him. In other words, when we carry to completion our Father's plan over our lives he can not only say of us, "you are my beloved son," but he can add, "with you I am well pleased." This is why baptism not only frees us from the sin that refrains our contact with God, but also gives us the freedom to enter into the unending bliss of being able to say, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit." We should treasure this freedom each and every day. As Fr Marcial so beautifully writes: "Yet, every day I want to be anew; I want to commit myself anew; I want to put into action my freedom subjected out of love in the most absolute dedication of myself. If I begin again every day, I have the sensation of that first time; I feel the same freshness and the same totality of my love. I do not want to feel my love grow old; I want to feel every morning the lush fullness of my youth, with all its energy and all its infinite, eternal self-giving (Fr Marcial Maciel LC, Envoy III, p. 86).

3. “The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.”

When Jesus stepped out of the Jordan and left John to continue his work, Mark tells us that "the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness." The Spirit of this family of love also drives us, urges us, as St Paul would say, to carry out the Father's plan. It is the love of God living in us. Therefore the more we live the life of grace, the more we find ourselves driven by love, even to the point of sacrifice. This is why the saints, who we call heroic, say of themselves that they have done no more than their duty, no more than what love has made them do. A person authentically in love with God, will accomplish great things for him.

Dialogue: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of baptism. Make today and every day, a day in which I keep alive the flames of love given to me in baptism. Teach me to know the love of the heavenly Father and to respond to it with an unconditional love. Send your Spirit upon me so that I may know, love and accomplish the Father's plan over my life. Amen.

Questionnaire:

1. How often do I thank God for the gift of baptism, and meditate upon its consequences in my life?

2. Am I docile like Christ and ready to bend humbly to the plan of the Father, or do I seek myself and my own plan over his?

3. Do I frequently invoke the Holy Spirit to enkindle in me his fire of love that will make me faithful to my baptismal commitments and move me to bring his love to the world?

The year 1967 marked a period of growing social turmoil for the United States. Its sons and daughters were in a far-off land fighting a grueling war. As those at home asked why the US was in Vietnam, those fighting there asked the same thing. In the midst of it all one man gave a heroic witness of Gospel charity that went beyond politics and ideologies. This man was Fr Vincent Robert Capodanno Jr, a Maryknoll father and Navy chaplain who gave the "Grunt Marines" under his care in Vietnam a much-needed dose of humanity and Christ in the face of violence and death.

Vincent was accepted to the Maryknoll Fathers on May 17th, 1949, and began nine years of fomlation: philosophy, novitiate, theology, and language studies for the mission territory in which he would eventually be working. This long process culminated in his priestly ordination on June 14th, 1958 by Cardinal Spellman of New York in the Maryknoll chapel.

Finally in July of 1965 he asked a permission that he had never requested before: to become a chaplain of the US Navy in order to minister to the Marines fighting in Vietnam.

As a Catholic priest, Fr Vincent provided the consolation of the sacraments to many Catholic Marines. He celebrated fifteen Masses a week throughout the battalions. One can only imagine the consolation of confession when you know you may be dead within hours, minutes, even seconds. Many dying people received the last rites at his hands. As the anti-war activities began to filter into the news received by the forces in Vietnam, Fr Vincent helped the soldiers in their struggles to keep believing in what they were fighting for.

Monday, September 4th

Fr Vincent begins a series of trips down the hill to administer the last rites, stabilize the wounded, and calm the men. The first trip is to Corporal Stephen Connell, who receives the last rites and dies. The command post orders a CS gas attack directly over their own troops. The Marines scramble for their gas masks. Fr Vincent gives his to a Marine who had lost his own at the bottom of the hill, then refuses to share one. The Marines come first.

Second trip. Fr Vincent reaches Sergeant Lawrence D. Peters, a Russian Orthodox, who was already hit twice after exposing himself to enemy fire. Fr Vincent prays with him for five minutes, saying the Our Father, until he dies. On the way a mortar explosion showers Father's right arm with shrapnel, but he keeps going.

Third trip. Fr Vincent reaches five wounded Marines and bandages and consoles them. The others shout for him to keep his head down, but he ignores them, always wanting to look the wounded men in the eyes to calm them down. Fr Vincent continues his rounds into the late afternoon, receiving shrapnel from another mortar attack. He refuses medical attention. The troops come first.

6:30 p.m. Sunset. Corporal Ray Harton orders two Marines to accompany him over the hill to destroy an enemy machine gun position. Within minutes the two Marines are dead, and Corporal Harton is bleeding to death from a bullet that passed through his elbow and hit an artery. He feels someone touch him, and opens his eyes. Fr Vincent is looking down at him. Everything is suddenly calm and quiet. "Stay quiet Marine. You will be OK. Someone will be here to help you soon. God is with us all this day." Fr Vincent's head and face are bloody. His right hand is bloody and almost gone. He blesses Corporal Harton with his left hand. They're shocked back into the grim reality of their situation by the cry of, "My Leg, my leg!" Corpsman Annando G Leal, who had been trying to work his way to Corporal Harton, is down with a serious wound. Fr Vincent rushes over to him, cradling the corpsman's head in his lap to calm him and treat his wounds. The machine gun they'd been sent to destroy opens fire, riddling Fr Vincent's back with bullets and killing Corpsman Leal. Two Marines finally destroy the machine gun with a grenade, but for Fr Vincent it is too late.

Lives Changed by Christ

Fr Vincent, like Christ, loved his own until the end. He showed it with his whole life. Many of those who met him said knowing him changed their lives. For today's priests the battleground may be different, but the stakes are the same. As the culture of life battles the culture of death, we can only help the faithful fighting it to keep their eyes on that far-off goal despite the torrent of confusion and misunderstandings, bolstered by the example of faith, hope, and charity that we see in people like Fr Vincent Capodanno.

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

Washington, DC, January 17-22, 2003. Mission for Life! Cost: only $90. Help the nation's capital prepare for the national March for Life by participating in a retreat and evangelization mission! For more information, click on mission@ytm.org or call (301) 365-3205.

Sacramento, CA, Jan 11-12, 2003, Young Men’s Retreat. Ages 16-30. Price: $15. Contact Br Robert DeCesare sgomez@legionaries.org. (916) 716-5506.

Cornwall, ONT, Feb 7-9, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Price: none. Contact Fr William Slattery at wslattery@legionaries.org or at (613) 931-1920.

Cheshire, CT, Feb 7-9, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Price: none. Contact Br Branigan Sherman at vocation@legionaries.org or (800) 420-5409.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated women

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

Washington, DC, January 17-22, 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.

Ottawa, Jan 19, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. Ages 17-30. Contact Lourdes Cano at lcano@inteducators.org or (401) 225-2314.

Atlanta, GA, Feb 3, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. Ages 17-30. Contcat Dorrie Donahue at ddonahue@inteducators.org or (770) 417-1045.

Los Angeles, CA, Feb 7-9, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Magdalena Faine at mfaine@inteducators.org or(562) 597-6351.

Washinton DC, Feb 7-9, 2003, Spiritual Exercises. Ages 17-30. Contact Lucy Honnor at lhonnor@inteducators.org or(301) 536-6931.

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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