Year IV, Number 21

From the Letter of John - the youngest of the apostles, and maybe for that very reason the most loved by the Lord - we have listened to these words: “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:5). But, John observes, no one has ever seen God. It is Jesus, the only Son of the Father, who has revealed him to us (cf. Jn 1:18). And if Jesus has revealed God, he has revealed the light. With Christ in fact “the true light that enlightens every man” (Jn 1:9) has come into the world.

Dear young people, let yourselves be taken over by the light of Christ, and spread that light wherever you are. “The light of the countenance of Jesus - says the Catechism of the Catholic Church - illumines the eyes of our heart and teaches us to see everything in the light of his truth and his compassion for all” (No. 2715).

If your friendship with Christ, your knowledge of his mystery, your giving of yourselves to him, are genuine and deep, you will be “children of the light,” and you will become “the light of the world.” For this reason I repeat to you the Gospel words: “Let your light so shine before others, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven” (Mt 5:16).

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

The other day I was reading the Bible (the non-copyrighted version), and I found something that seems very wrong regarding the Catholic views on vocations. My problem is if someone wants to become a priest, for example, the Catholic view is that you cannot ever become married or enter into a relationship with another person. When I was reading the other day, the Bible said that running a family is a requirement for being a priest. So where do your ideas come from? Thank you.

- Aaron

A. Dear Aaron,

Fortunately, they are not my ideas, meaning that I did not come up with them. But you probably mean by “your ideas” those of the Catholic Church.

Like most of the ideas of the Catholic Church, this one has its roots in Scripture, the example of Christ, and was then matured and developed under the action of the Holy Spirit in the living Tradition of the Catholic Church. (Bet “Tradition” got a reaction.)

The fact is many of the first priests, presbyters, of the Church may have been married, and some of them definitely were. You are probably referring to Titus 1:5-6, in which Paul says that he left Titus in Crete to appoint “presbyters in every town... on condition that a man be blameless, married only once, with believing children” who basically were not a cause of scandal. Now if you had to be married in order to be a priest, then Paul himself could not have become one. We know he was not married because when he gave advice to the Corinthians about marriage, he said that he wished all could be like himself, free of marriage to dedicate themselves wholly to the Lord, but if they did marry it would not be a wrong thing to do. So running a family is not a requirement for becoming a priest. All Paul says is that for a married man to be ordained, he cannot have been married more than once and must have brought up his family well.

But you have opened an interesting question. Is it not a big jump to go from where Paul is to where the Catholic Church (Roman Rite) now stands, and say that only unmarried men can be ordained, and they may not marry afterwards? What justifies such a jump?

A priest is another Christ, and he works “in the person of Christ”. Christ’s example is paramount for a priest and the pattern for his life. Christ did not marry. Christ spoke about giving up father, mother, wife... for the Kingdom. He said that some are incapable of marriage relationships either by nature or by mutilation, but others have voluntarily given them up for the sake of the kingdom. The apostle John was not married. As we saw, Paul was not married.

From the very beginning of Christianity, there were many who gave themselves voluntarily to God as virgins and lived their call faithfully. What the Church realized was that celibacy went so well with the priesthood (it was what Christ chose for himself, it shows you really believe in heaven, and it leaves you free to give yourself totally to your people, among other reasons) that it decided in the Latin Church that God does not give the charism of the priesthood without granting the charism of celibacy as well. So nowadays if you cannot live celibacy, it means you are not being called to the priesthood.

Sound impossible? Christ told Peter it was impossible for men, but possible with God’s help. God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I would be so happy if one of my sons decides to become a priest or my daughter wants to become a sister. Only my youngest seems open. How should I approach conversations about this topic with them? This son says, “If I were to become a priest,” and I listen and encourage his thought process. What about the other two who are more closed? Does that mean they are not being called? Thanks.

- Brigid

A. Dear Brigid,

Funny things can happen inside children. At times the one who is acting like he is not interested when you are preaching to the others is precisely the one that is really taking it in.

In educating your children to be open to God, it is important that they see your example. They will absorb your priorities in the thousand ways you reflect them during your day, and most probably they will in time make them their own.

So, be what you are supposed to be. Without being artificial about it, let them see you pray, teach them to pray, teach them the example of Jesus, teach them about Mary, and relate it to their lives. Direct and encourage everything that is good. Correct what is wrong. Weather their tantrums and stay fast and teach. Help them grow, according to their age, in their relationship with God and knowledge of their faith. Challenge them appropriately. Lives of the saints are a great source of inspiration for children (and not only for children!). What you are really doing is to prepare the ground so that at the moment God begins to give them a hint of what he has in mind for them, they will be able to recognize and respond, will have principles of faith to follow, love to move them, and strength of character to be able to do what might be difficult.

As regards the vocation directly, do not push it on them, but do not be silent, either. Answer questions, at times bring them up yourself, and raise the possibility. It seems to me that what you are doing will be helpful to them. God bless.

- Fr Anthony

If you look carefully you'll see that when God calls someone he takes that person and places him in a leadership role that demands perfection and responsibility. The chosen man finds himself facing this alone, defenseless, vulnerable on all sides, weak and sinful. He as only two options. Either he departs in terror to hang himself in the despair of doubt and distrust, or he believes in God's fidelity and pronounces a "yes" full of the same trust and peace as Mary's.

So we need to start by viewing our mission with the eyes of faith - which is security, trust and energy. And beginning from there we then have to live it free from infidelity, betrayal, or selfishness, with the sincerity of our commitment to God, forgetful of ourselves.

Gospel: Mk 16:15–20

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied it.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, thanks to the mission entrusted to the Apostles and their corresponding fidelity, I have received the gift of Baptism. Help me then to live the mission entrusted to me through Baptism, to live in friendship with you and serve others as your messenger.

Petition: Give me, Lord, the gift of hope, which makes me confident in your promise of salvation, so that I can work with conviction for the establishment of your Kingdom.

1. “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.”

The word “Christ” means “Messiah” or “anointed”. Those anointed in the Old Testament received a mission from God. Jesus was the anointed one of God called to bring about the salvation of man, and he fulfilled this mission perfectly. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #436).

Essential to every Christian vocation is the aspect of the mission. Christ directs his command to the apostles and through them to every Christian: “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation.” We must spread the Gospel message of God’s love to all around us: in our families, in the workplace, at school, etc.

2. “Jesus … was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.”

Christ is the new Adam of the new creation brought about through his redemptive sacrifice. As Christians called to follow him, we too must pass through the cross, but always focusing on the glory to come. Christ was received into heaven “at the right hand of God,” and we, as members of the mystical body of Christ, are also called to share in his inheritance. Our home is heaven.

The virtue of hope, however, is necessary, because until the second coming of Christ, the Church will still undergo the struggle with evil in the world. That is why we say during the Eucharistic celebration, “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #671–672).

3. “They went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them.”

To bring about the arrival of Christ’s Kingdom in the world, our collaboration is necessary. This is precisely what the Apostles did, most of them offering the ultimate sacrifice of martyrdom. However, within the context of this generous self–donation to the mission entrusted to us, it is important to remember that it is God’s grace that will work through us if we allow it: “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20).

Dialogue: Lord Jesus Christ, I give you my feet to follow your footsteps. I give you my hands to serve those for whom you have died. I give you my tongue to speak your word. I give you my heart to love all those you put in my path. I am weak, dear Lord, but with your grace all things are possible.

Questionnaire:

1. Do I realize that Christ calls me to be an apostle for my family, friends, and all those with whom I come in contact? What are the concrete expressions of that awareness in my life? Am I confident that God’s grace will work through me in my apostolic endeavors?

2. Have I accepted the cross as an integral part of my vocation? If not, what prevents me from fully embracing it?

3. Do I live with the hope of the resurrection and the promise of heaven? How do I cultivate this hope in my daily life? Are prayer and frequent reception of the sacraments the primary means? Is my hope geniuine, communicated to those around me?

Though our vocation is something God does for us, it is more than anything something he does for the Church. It expresses not only his love for you, but also his love for his Church. He calls for the good of the Church.

This means we are called to serve and improve the Church. Go, prophesy to my people Israel (Amos 7:14). We do this by pursuing our personal holiness and by dedicating ourselves to the apostolate of building up the Church itself. We should look for what is good for the Church itself.

With no personal ambition. And she said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father”... “the Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:21b-23,28). Even the apostles felt the pull of personal ambition. John and James got their mother to press their cause for them. Peter and the rest got mad at them, because the two “sons of thunder” had tried to outmaneuver them. But the call, as Christ points out, is not for our selfish benefit. It is a call to serve, and ultimately a call to the cross. We cannot serve Christ and be at the center of our thoughts and worries.

And we are called to expand the Church. “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel...I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15). This is intimately connected with the above. Only the seed that falls into the ground and dies will bear fruit. If it tries to preserve its own life it will never be more than itself. This dying to ourselves, so that it will not be us but Christ who lives in us, is the essential force and ingredient in the Church’s missionary outreach. It has to be the essential element in the New Evangelization.

In the context of our vocation being for the Church we can call Jesus the Great Pragmatist. It is just that the fate of people is not indifferent to him. He wants them to get the Good News, and he will see to it that they do. He says to the pharisees, who have not been the faithful servants they were called to be, or given the expected fruits: “Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation producing the fruits of it” (Matthew 21:43).

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

Pasadena, CA, June 1, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-27. Contact Fr Thomas Maher at tmaher@legionaries.org or (626) 792-0447.

Cheshire, CT, June 6-8, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Br Branigan Sherman at vocation@legionaries.org or (800) 420-5409. Price: none.

Cornwall, ONT, June 6-8, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Fr William Slattery at wslattery@legionaries.org or (613) 931-1920. Price: none.

Pasadena, CA, June 6-18, 2003, Local Candidacy for Young Men. Contact Fr Thomas Maher at tmaher@legionaries.org or (626) 792-0447 for more information.

Chicago, IL, and Edgerton, WI, July 7-20. Ignition-YTM evangelization mission. Young men, ages 16-22. Cost: $280.00. Register online at www.ignitiononline.org or contact dkaufman@legionaries.org or (770) 394-2158.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated women

Washington DC, June 3, 2003, Young Women's Spiritual Growth Retreat. 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. amacdonnell@arcol.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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