Year IV, Number 44

The Son, who is the way which leads to the Father (cf. Jn 14:6), calls all those whom the Father has given to him (cf. Jn 17:9) to make the following of himself the whole purpose of their lives. But of some, those called to the consecrated life, he asks a total commitment, one which involves leaving everything behind (cf. Mt 19:27) in order to live at his side and to follow him wherever he goes (cf. Rev 14:4).

In the countenance of Jesus, the “image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15) and the reflection of the Father’s glory (cf. Heb 1:3), we glimpse the depths of an eternal and infinite love which is at the very root of our being. Those who let themselves be seized by this love cannot help abandoning everything to follow him (cf. Mk 1:16-20; 2:14; 10:21, 28). Like Saint Paul, they consider all else as loss “because of the surpassing worth of knowing Jesus Christ”, by comparison with which they do not hesitate to count all things as “refuse”, in order that they “may gain Christ” (Phil 3:8). They strive to become one with him, taking on his mind and his way of life. This leaving of everything and following the Lord (cf. Lk 18:28) is a worthy program of life for all whom he calls, in every age. The evangelical counsels, by which Christ invites some people to share his experience as the chaste, poor and obedient One, call for and make manifest in those who accept them an explicit desire to be totally conformed to him. Living “in obedience, with nothing of one’s own and in chastity,” consecrated persons profess that Jesus is the model in whom every virtue comes to perfection. His way of living in chastity, poverty and obedience appears as the most radical way of living the Gospel on this earth, a way which may be called divine, for it was embraced by him, God and man, as the expression of his relationship as the Only-Begotten Son with the Father and with the Holy Spirit. This is why Christian tradition has always spoken of the objective superiority of the consecrated life. Nor can it be denied that the practice of the evangelical counsels is also a particularly profound and fruitful way of sharing in Christ’s mission, in imitation of the example of Mary of Nazareth, the first disciple, who willingly put herself at the service of God’s plan by the total gift of self. Every mission begins with the attitude expressed by Mary at the Annunciation: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I am a 16-year-old male considering religous life. Well, I have reached a dilemma: I have been thinking about a vocation for a year and a half now, and want to give my whole life up to Christ without going to the seminary or monastery yet, since my parents won’t let me. So would it be okay if I made my own vows to Christ? And do you think at my young age I should do that or go on living a regular teenage life? Thank you so much, and God bless.

- Brendan

A. Dear Brendan,

There is nothing to stop you in your heart and soul offering your life to Christ for him to do whatever he wants with it. If you really think that your call is to religious life you can also promise to him to do those things that are going to help you grow in your vocation, and avoid those that will not. If there is anything in what you call a “regular teenage life” that you see will not help your vocation, you can freely give it up in order to protect and make your vocation grow stronger.

Make sure you take care of your health, your mind, and your soul. Stay active, be a good student, and grow in the life of grace. Maintain good friendships that are constructive, and do something for Christ and others every day - be his apostle right from now.

If you want to, let me know where you’re from and I may be able to put you in contact with other kids of your age that are trying to do positive things for Christ (they have projects, clubs, do missions and outreach to other teens, etc...).

God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I think that I have a vocation and in fact, I was going to start religious life next November, but after doing some voluntary work in Libya, I am not sure about it any more. I am also interested in another congregation now. What should I do? Should I start or have another year of experience or stay at home and do voluntary work only?

- Lucy

A. Dear Lucy,

I suspect you don’t have a spiritual director, and I think you need one. Things seem to be so changeable that you need to look for more stability in your life. I would not advise someone to “keep on thinking” indefinitely, or even to change a mature decision they had already made, unless there are substantial reasons to do so. You will need someone else’s help in order to examine and see if your reasons for changing, putting off entrance into religious life and becoming interested in another congregation are substantial - and this is where a spiritual director comes in.

If you have a pattern of frequent change in your life you will find, if you join religious life, that your reaction to the normal difficulties will be the desire to give up or make a change. So before you join a congregation you have to have your mind made up not to jump into something else the moment there are difficulties and another possibility catches your eye.

God bless.

- Fr Anthony

Never forget that the time you have for your use is not yours, you received it from God to bear fruit and as good administrators of time you are asked to be faithful (1 Cor 4:2). Never forget that the Bridegroom may come at any moment, and only those with their lamps lit, topped off with the oil of good deeds, will be able to enjoy God and reach the end of life in the company of many other souls that you have brought to the Gospel cause (cf. Mt 25). I ask you to reflect on this, examine yourself seriously and make whatever resolution the Holy Spirit places in your heart. However, this reflection far from making you bitter or sad should increase your enthusiasm, and encourage you to give yourselves increasingly to the Church and others, giving you a heightened sense of what is essential, in view of what has value towards eternity.

Gospel: Mk 12:38-44

In his teaching he said, "Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares, to take the front seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets; these are the men who devour the property of widows and for show offer long prayers. The more severer will be the sentence they receive."

He sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the treasury, and many of the rich put in a great deal. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny. Then he called his disciples and said to them, "In truth I tell you, this poor widow has put more in than all who have contributed to the treasury; for they have all put in money they could spare, but she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on."

Introductory Prayer: Lord, give me the grace to be able to love you as the widow you were pleased to compliment during your visit to the temple. Draw my will towards the extension of your kingdom of justice and charity, the better to imitate your generosity and fulfill my baptismal commitments.

Petition: Mary my Mother, help me to "put on" Christ in my thoughts, words, and actions. If I have already attempted to do this many times help me to try again - now is a good time for a change.

1. "Beware of the scribes who like to walk about in long robes, to be greeted respectfully in the market squares."

St. Paul in his own words says, "Beware of dogs, beware of evil workmen"! (Phil 3:2) This very demanding expression rises from the heart of Jesus. He uses it to speak of the inauthentic, sluggish, lazy and vain. It should be a wake up call for us all. We are called to be Christians 24/7. It would be a dangerous contradiction if we as Christians were to profess every Sunday with our lips that we are Christians (expressing our belief in the resurrection of the dead, life eternal, etc...) and yet live during the week as if we did not really believe what we were saying.

Drugs, "fun", sex outside of marriage, unbridled gossip..., all of these blind the Christian from his mission. We cannot say "Yes" to Christ and then with our actions contradict every commandment of the Lord expressed in the gospels: "Love one another as I have loved you", "Be perfect as your Father in Heaven is perfect", etc.

2. "A poor widow came and put in two small coins, the equivalent of a penny".

Once we learn the lesson of authenticity and experience that only Christ is able to make us happy can we be truly generous.

St. Paul acknowledges the generosity of the heart of Christ, "You are well aware of the generosity which our Lord Jesus Christ had, that, although he was rich, he became poor for your sake,..." We know for certain that the Lord loves us because he was extemely generous; he gave himself to us totally without counting the cost. If we want to grow in generosity we need, like Christ, to tend towards total self-denial for the good of Christ's interests and the interests of others. True love which is rewarding in itself is a wellspring of true peace and happiness.

3. "But she in her poverty has put in everything she possessed, all she had to live on."

Christ doesn't condemn the rich. St. Paul says, "I have learnt to manage with whatever I have. I know how to live modestly, and I know how to live luxuriously too: in every way now I have mastered the secret of all conditions: full stomach and empty stomach, plenty and poverty." (Phil 4:11-12) and then again, "...So that you always have enough for every conceivable need, and your resources overflow in all kinds of good works". (2 Cor 9:9). Christ demands detachment from all created things, all that we use. We need to be steeped in charity and generosity having little or much. We can have many things but we need to be generous with what we have. Authentic self-sacrifice and authentic living of our convictions and principles bring us along the path of generosity and allow us to become sternly rooted in God's will above all that we have and use. If this is the case then we will live St. Augustine's maxim: "Love and do what you please".

Dialogue: Lord, I know that you are present, this meditation has made a difference. I ask you for one grace - through the love that you bear for me, I ask that you withdraw me from all tepidity and mediocrity. I plead that you take me away from the selfish reflections I coach myself with day in and day out. Help me be certain that you want to send light to my heart today, a special love that will make me act differently - more transformed into you in your generosity.

Questionnaire:

1. Which of my actions does not reflect what I profess with my lips as a Christian? What am I doing to become more coherent in the practice of my faith and in my practice of the 1st commandment of Christ to love one another as he has loved me?

2. In what ways is Christ asking me to become more generous today? In my dealings with him? In my relations with those who live around me (family, friends, classmates…)? What concrete resolution will I make now to be more generous?

3. What sacrifices am I running away from? What would be hardest thing, dream… for me to give up? What can I do to prepare my heart to become detached from material things so as to better serve Jesus and my neighbor?

This story is told in the first book of Samuel, chapter three.

Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli. Samuel was young. His mother Hannah had dedicated him to the Lord from an early age, and he lived in the temple and served under Eli the priest at a time when he was very useful to the old man, who was going blind.

One night the Lord called, “Samuel! Samuel!” and he said, “Here I am!” and ran to Eli, and said, “Here I am for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call; lie down again.” Since he hadn’t called him, Eli must have thought it was the boy’s imagination, so he sent him back to sleep. That happened three times until finally Eli realized that there was something more at work and told Samuel what to do when next he heard the voice.

Despite his young age, God spoke to Samuel and called him. Samuel himself never thought it might be God, and neither at first did it occur to Eli. If it did he dismissed the thought in the wisdom of his years. But God insisted. If we don’t read between the lines, Eli’s reaction after the third call, of telling the boy what to do, seems natural and without particular merit. But, on reflection, it could not have been easy for him.

For Eli, Samuel had taken the place of his own sons who had gone astray and respected him no longer and were not faithful to Yahweh. Samuel must have been dear to him, for years before he had seen the boy’s mother pray for a child, and had promised her that her prayer would be answered, and Samuel was that child. You can imagine his attachment to the boy, the care with which he educated him, and the consolation the young boy’s service and righteousness was to him. But now God had intervened and Eli had to let go of this consolation and tell Samuel, basically, I am no longer your master and teacher; listen to the Lord, do what he tells you to do. That took a lot of letting go. He did not say, when you have listened to the Lord, report back to me to see if you should do what he says.

Eli acquires even greater stature in our eyes as the story goes on: he asks Samuel, What was it that he said to you? Samuel tells him and it was not pleasant news for Eli, it was the prophecy of God’s punishment on his sons. Eli does not reject God’s message because it comes through the mouth of a boy, his pupil. He says, it is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.

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

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.

Cheshire, CT, November 26-30, 2003, Test Your Call Retreat. Ages 16-30. Contact Br Branigan Sherman at vocation@legionaries.org or at (800) 420-5409. Price: none.

REGNUM CHRISTI consecrated men

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

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