Year IV, Number 38

The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit. By the profession of the evangelical counsels the characteristic features of Jesus — the chaste, poor and obedient one — are made constantly “visible” in the midst of the world and the eyes of the faithful are directed towards the mystery of the Kingdom of God already at work in history, even as it awaits its full realization in heaven.

In every age there have been men and women who, obedient to the Father’s call and to the prompting of the Spirit, have chosen this special way of following Christ, in order to devote themselves to him with an “undivided” heart (cf. 1 Cor 7:34). Like the Apostles, they too have left everything behind in order to be with Christ and to put themselves, as he did, at the service of God and their brothers and sisters. In this way, through the many charisms of spiritual and apostolic life bestowed on them by the Holy Spirit, they have helped to make the mystery and mission of the Church shine forth, and in doing so have contributed to the renewal of society.

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

Hi, Father! I am in deep doubt about my vocation: I do not know which way I need to go. Inside my heart I feel Jesus calling me to live my life as a priest, but on the other hand, I feel the will to build a family when I take a look at girls. I have already asked my Lord for a signal, but till now I have not noticed any, and since I am 23, I think it is time to decide!!! Please give me your advice or one direction. Thanks a lot.

- Davi,

A. Dear Davi,

You have two feelings or attractions within your heart. One is natural and normal, and was placed in our human nature by God - the beautiful vocation of human love and forming a family. The other is supernatural, also placed in our souls by God, and it is a different type of love in which we give ourselves to help souls, take away their sins, enlighten and help their lives with God’s word and the Eucharist, bringing them hope, joy and consolation, making it possible for them to gain heaven.

You feel the tug of these two loves. You have to decide which you will give yourself to.

I would not look for any more sign than the fact that your heart often turns to the priesthood, despite the other attractions. You now need to speak to a priest who knows you well, and see if there is any sign that God may NOT be calling you. If there isn’t, it may be just a question of generosity and decision.

I will pray for you.

- Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I am a 43-year-old Catholic female who is in the process of vocation discernment. I am feeling a bit “pushed” by my spiritual director (a priest) and a vocation director (a Sister) who have opposing views on spirituality and where I would best fit. Do you know of a retreat that I could attend, or an objective person that I could speak with? Thank you, and God bless you.

- Roya

A. Dear Roya,

It is going to be very difficult for a complete stranger to be able to tell where you would best fit.

I think the problem may be in your understanding of spiritual direction. You should keep to one spiritual director, because otherwise you are not really getting direction, but just a series of opinions, and the result is what you are experiencing. You have to decide which of the two people you are listening to is really going to be your spiritual director, which you are going to trust because of their prudence and knowledge of the spiritual life. And then work with that person only.

Now the spiritual director is not usually going to say, “You have to do what I say because I am your director.” He is rather going to give you the reasons (some of which will be supernatural) behind what he is counseling, enrich your understanding of what is happening, enlighten you when you are mistaken in something, be frank when he sees you may be deceiving yourself, call you to greater generosity, etc., but the final decision is always going to be yours, taken in freedom and hopefully in accordance with the principles and truths the spiritual director is going to help you to see.

God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Gospel: Mk 9:38-43, 45, 47-48

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.

Introductory Prayer: Lord Jesus, I have two options in life; to live for myself or to live for you. I want to live for you and spend all of eternity with you in heaven. Accomplishing this feat, however, requires me to tear selfishness out of my life. I must smash the stumbling blocks of sin, to live like you, O Lord. Help me, dear Jesus, to rise out of my selfish ways and remain a witness of your love to everyone I meet.

Petition: Jesus, open my eyes to see the stumbling blocks of sin in my life, and grant me the strength to smash them and the courage to live as an example of your love.

1. “Whoever is not against us is for us.”

John rebukes someone for casting out demons in the name of Christ. Christ then rebukes John for doing so. Why was John being so territorial? Why was he so quick to stop someone doing good in the name of Christ? Should he not have been overjoyed to see powerful deeds done by anyone invoking the name of Christ?

John stumbles on a common challenge that we face every day; the challenge of charity. How quick we are to pass judgment on others. So often do we envy the good accomplishments of others, and by our slicing commentaries, try to belittle or stop their achievements. And why? Because of our pride. We want the glory and attention. It is so difficult to take the center off of ourselves and put our focus on the good deeds of others. Pride fosters an inferiority complex so that if I point out the good in others, I feel like I am lesser in their eyes. Quite contrary is Christ’s example, who lauds the good deeds and fosters unity. Jesus, open my eyes to see the good around me and to build up the good rather than tear it down.

2. “Because you bear the name of Christ.”

“And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Mt 25:40). This line from a previous parable probably echoed in the mind of John as Jesus said, “because you bear the name of Christ.” Jesus identifies himself with each person and a good deed done to a nameless someone is the same as doing it for Christ.

There are countless moments through the day for us to grasp the challenge of charity, yet we miss so many chances because we are focused on ourselves. We are blind to the face of Christ in the needs of our neighbor. We find ourselves too “busy” to lift a finger for someone, to share a simple smile, or to instill a word of encouragement. Furthermore, often we stumble upon impatience with our neighbor, reading bad judgments into their actions and brooding over their numerous irritations. Right here is where I need to show my love for you, Lord Jesus: through my example of charity.

“When it is impossible for you to overcome the bad feelings you have towards your neighbor or someone you know, put your faith into action and think: ‘I want to love and serve Jesus Christ who is present in this person.’ If you truly love Him, there will be no difficulty you cannot overcome.” (Gospel Charity, Fr Marcial Maciel LC)

3. A Great Millstone

Christ does not mince words when he addresses scandal and sin. To have a great millstone hung around your neck and thrown into the sea is better than leading others into sin. To cut off your hand or foot or tear out your eye is better than leading yourself into sin. These are serious words. To enter into eternal life, however, is no small matter, either. No sin is worth forfeiting eternity, and we must back this up with action.

Lord, many times I lose sight of my fundamental direction in life. I forget that the most important reality is getting myself and others to heaven. Flirting with sin is a dangerous game with eternal consequences. Yet, how often I am comfortable with sin around me and fail to have the vigilance I need to preserve my life of grace! Worse still, by my poor example, I promote a lax disposition to sin. May I never be a stumbling block to others or to myself. Teach me to imitate you and lead others to heaven through my example of love.

“Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, Christians are ‘dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus’ and so participate in the life of the Risen Lord. Following Christ and united with him, Christians can strive to be ‘imitators of God as beloved children, and walk in love’ by conforming their thoughts, words and actions to the ‘mind . . . which is yours in Christ Jesus,’ and by following his example.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1694)

Questionnaire:

1. What are my most grievous offenses against charity? Is it my habitual judgments of others? Do I find myself often tearing others down by my uncharitable comments?

2. Considering my biggest fault against charity, in what ways can I improve my daily acts of charity? How can I see the needs of others more often and respond to them?

3. Where do I give scandal of sin to others? Where is it that I tolerate sin in my life? How can I avoid the occasion of these sins?

Christ’s “new” commandment [is] “Love one another, just as I have loved you” (John 13:34). If as priests, religious or plain Christians we do not live this commandment we are outside the Gospel, we are “playacting” Christianity. I don’t understand Christianity any other way except as the sincere, authentic love for our brothers and sisters in imitation of Christ. Everything else – piety, devotions, ceremonies, rites, processions and so forth – are forms of prayer, and if you do them with a sincere heart they please God, but without charity they are meaningless because the spirit of charity is the backbone of the Gospel message. If you sincerely want to find God you have to enter through this door.

The true watershed of human history is the living of this commandment. Individuals or institutions that do not honestly practice charity are outside the truth of the Gospel because you can’t be living in the truth if sincere charity is missing. At the end of our lives we will be asked about love: if we have loved or not. All our other achievements and everything else we have done will be seen in relation to the great fulfillment of the new commandment of brotherly love. At least, that’s how I understand the Gospel. This is the only way there will be a deep change in the world because here in my view is the essence of Christianity, the great novelty of the Gospel.

It is all well and good to pray, offer sacrifices, frequent the sacraments, but if you don’t love your brothers and sisters they are all empty because the essence, the marrow, is missing. If anyone thinks he’s an angel because he is pious, yet speaks evil of his neighbor, is jealous of him, tries to trip him up whenever he can, doesn’t help him when he’s in need, then he is destroying what Christ came to build, he is simply acting out a farce, something that is not Christianity. Christ came to save us by love, to teach us the way of mutual love, forgiveness, reconciliation and mutual respect and appreciation, how to give our lives for others, for our brothers and sisters.

To live in love we have to master our passions, our pride, our conceit, our laziness. Our passions lead us to charity’s opposite: egotism. Charity, on the other hand, frees us from it. Just look at the lives of the great saints: They understood this and they imitated Christ’s love for us to the point of heroism, giving themselves unconditionally to their brothers and sisters.

I realized I had two paths to choose between. One was the easy path, to "fire away" in life without any great worries: to find a good source of income to sustain myself and, eventually, to ensure the future of a family; to try to earn a tidy sum of money; to avoid life's privations as best I could; and to enjoy as much as possible the few years that lay ahead of me.

The other path promised to be, by far, much more difficult and rugged. It was to build my life minute by minute, with my eyes set on eternity; to seize every instant of my time as a God-given opportunity to do something for Him and for the good of my brothers and sisters. And "investing”, so to speak, every second of my time in something constructive, in something of use to others, which in addition assured me eternal life.

The choice was clear. And so, on that hill, in the blazing sunsets, evening after evening, the idea and resolution matured within me, that I would have to spend my whole life for something that was truly worthwhile; for something that would not end when others had buried my corpse; for something which would leave a deep impression in history and in the world: in short, for something that I could take with me into eternity.

This was the inner climate, a field already prepared, where God placed his call, first to the priesthood, and later, to found Regnum Christi. When I perceived this call, I clearly understood which path I had to follow in order to fill completely the years of life the Lord would grant me. I realized that in reality the duration of my life did not belong to me. God was calling me to collaborate in his plan for salvation; what mattered, then, was not "my" life, nor "my" fulfillment, but the fulfillment of God's plan, of which I was only one link.

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, October 17-19, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Br Branigan Sherman at vocation@legionaries.org or at (800) 420-5409. Price: none.

Rome, Italy. December 27, 2003 - January 5, 2004. Pilgrimage for college-aged men and high school seniors. Price: $399 + airfare. Chaplains are the Legionaries of Christ. Contact Karolee Stauduhar at kstauduhar@msn.com or (407) 869-8263.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated men

Call Tony MacDonnell 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.

To subscribe or send a gift subscription, send an email to subscribe@shorelines.org or visit www.vocation.com. To unsubscribe, send an email to unsubscribe@shorelines.org.

Copyright 2004, Legion of Christ.

www.vocation.com