Year IX, Number 27

13. In the course of their history, Christians have tried to express this “knowing without knowing” by means of figures that can be represented, and they have developed images of “Heaven” which remain far removed from what, after all, can only be known negatively, via unknowing. All these attempts at the representation of hope have given to many people, down the centuries, the incentive to live by faith and hence also to abandon their hyparchonta, the material substance for their lives. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews, in the eleventh chapter, outlined a kind of history of those who live in hope and of their journeying, a history which stretches from the time of Abel into the author's own day. This type of hope has been subjected to an increasingly harsh critique in modern times: it is dismissed as pure individualism, a way of abandoning the world to its misery and taking refuge in a private form of eternal salvation. Henri de Lubac, in the introduction to his seminal book Catholicisme. Aspects sociaux du dogme, assembled some characteristic articulations of this viewpoint, one of which is worth quoting: “Should I have found joy? No ... only my joy, and that is something wildly different ... The joy of Jesus can be personal. It can belong to a single man and he is saved. He is at peace ... now and always, but he is alone. The isolation of this joy does not trouble him. On the contrary: he is the chosen one! In his blessedness he passes through the battlefields with a rose in his hand”[10].

14. Against this, drawing upon the vast range of patristic theology, de Lubac was able to demonstrate that salvation has always been considered a “social” reality. Indeed, the Letter to the Hebrews speaks of a “city” (cf. 11:10, 16; 12:22; 13:14) and therefore of communal salvation. Consistently with this view, sin is understood by the Fathers as the destruction of the unity of the human race, as fragmentation and division. Babel, the place where languages were confused, the place of separation, is seen to be an expression of what sin fundamentally is. Hence “redemption” appears as the reestablishment of unity, in which we come together once more in a union that begins to take shape in the world community of believers. We need not concern ourselves here with all the texts in which the social character of hope appears. Let us concentrate on the Letter to Proba in which Augustine tries to illustrate to some degree this “known unknown” that we seek. His point of departure is simply the expression “blessed life”. Then he quotes Psalm 144 [143]:15: “Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.” And he continues: “In order to be numbered among this people and attain to ... everlasting life with God, ‘the end of the commandment is charity that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith' (1 Tim 1:5)”[11]. This real life, towards which we try to reach out again and again, is linked to a lived union with a “people”, and for each individual it can only be attained within this “we”. It presupposes that we escape from the prison of our “I”, because only in the openness of this universal subject does our gaze open out to the source of joy, to love itself—to God.

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

I was baptized in the Catholic Church as an infant but was not raised in the faith. Now as an adult I am 99.9% sure that I am going to return to the church. Now for my question. I think I may have a vocation. When I contact the priest at my local parish, when I return home from business, should I tell him this also? Should I find a spiritual director now or wait until I am confirmed?

-Don

A. Dear Don,

That is wonderful news! Congratulations!

There is nothing wrong with telling your priest your thoughts from the time you contact him, and it would also be good for you to find a spiritual director even before you are confirmed.

It is important, though, to separate the two matters: your coming back to the Church, and your vocation - they are two separate, different graces (although one, your coming back, is the source of the other, your vocation). If you were to discover you don't have a vocation, it ought not to impact in any negative way the fervor and commitment with which you return to a life of grace, the sacraments, and apostolate within the Church.

-Fr Anthony

Q. Dear Fr Anthony,

As someone who is seriously contemplating the religious life, how does one discern if God is calling you to a contemplative order or an active order?

-Laura

A. Dear Laura,

There is a difference between admiring a religious order and really feeling at home there, despite the fact that we know it is going to cost us a lot and will imply many a sacrifice. This sense of belonging, of being where I was meant to be, feeling at home, is the principal subjective factor that enables us to pinpoint our call.

The nun called to the active life might envy the contemplatives, appreciate the irreplaceable and necessary role they play in the Church, and look forward to her own times of silence, prayer and retreats. The contemplative nun for her part might envy the direct work of the active religious, know how necessary it is, and have a deep sense of admiration for those whose work makes sure her prayers bear fruit in souls. This doesn't mean they are each in the wrong vocation. It just means they have a sense of the Mystical Body and have found their own place in it.

Each one has a sense of where her true home is, and this has been confirmed by those who admitted them to their respective community, and then to first profession, and finally to perpetual profession. So you see, there is a subjective perception, but that is never enough on its own, it needs to be confirmed as a true indication of God’s will, which happens when you are admitted to perpetual profession.

God bless.

-Fr Anthony

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore. And he spoke to them at length in parables, saying:

"A sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path, and birds came and ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, where it had little soil. It sprang up at once because the soil was not deep, and when the sun rose it was scorched, and it withered for lack of roots.

Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it. But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold. Whoever has ears ought to hear."

The disciples approached him and said, "Why do you speak to them in parables?" He said to them in reply, "Because knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To anyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; from anyone who has not, even what he has will be taken away.

This is why I speak to them in parables, because they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand. Isaiah's prophecy is fulfilled in them, which says:

You shall indeed hear but not understand; you shall indeed look but never see. Gross is the heart of this people, they will hardly hear with their ears, they have closed their eyes, lest they see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their hearts and be converted, and I heal them.

"But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear. Amen, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

"Hear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart. The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time. When some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit. But the seed sown on rich soil is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields a hundred or sixty or thirty-fold."

Introductory Prayer: Heavenly Father, from all eternity you loved me and gave me a place and a share in your divine life. At the same time, you gave me a uniqueness of my own, a mission to accomplish, a contribution that only I can make to your Mystical Body. Father, you have given me dignity of making me your child in Baptism, I know this through faith. I hope and trust in your grace to understand my mission and to live it responsibly. Above all, I want to live my mission as the most perfect way of showing my love for You.

Petition: Lord, grant me the grace to know and accomplish whatever it is that you ask of me.

1. Mission-Seed. Imagine the souls flocking to Jesus. They are driven by a supernatural instinct in the very core of their souls. It is the same with me. My soul experienced its creation by God. It thirsts for union with the unchanging, immutable fullness of life; God’s life. Every soul made in the image and likeness of God is pulled or drawn by God’s love to reach maturity in the Mystical Body. It is like a seed programmed to develop into fullness. It has a purpose. It is not only for itself. It is to produce fruit of a specific kind according to the needs of the Mystical Body to which it pertains.

What is my mission? How do I find out what it is? How do I accomplish it? These are very important questions that must be answered and acted upon in order to have the fullness of life that my soul yearns for. These are also important questions to answer in order to bear fruit or accomplish my particular mission.

In His parable, Jesus makes it clear that good soil is necessary in order to make the seed grow and reach maturity or accomplish its purpose. It must be buried deep in this nutritious soil in order to overcome the forces of evil that will attempt to destroy it: The devil who clouds the understanding and deadens the soul, the trials and tribulations that oppress the soul from without and from within, attraction to worldly pleasures and riches, self-centeredness All this must be overcome in order to accomplish my mission. So what is this nutritious soil? How do I bury myself in it?

2. Prayer-Soil for the Seed. Prayer is one of the essential ingredients of good soil for the soul. Without it the soul is not able to discover its purpose or bear fruit. Every soul is created with free will and God respects that liberty absolutely. At the same time he gives each soul a mission to accomplish that will bring it plenitude and happiness. Completion of its mission will also produce abundant fruit for the Mystical Body to which it belongs.

When there is little or no prayer in the life of a soul, it means that it has other priorities that it values more than God and His Will. It will be impossible for the soul to have understanding without this communion and dialogue. The devil is able to steal away what was sown on the footpath of the world.

On the other hand, when amidst its daily occupations a soul makes God a priority, it is richly rewarded and receives light and understanding. This means setting aside key moments for dialogue and not just taking advantage of spare time that can’t be used any other way. It also means setting aside priority time on a daily and constant basis, not letting new situations, vacations, changes of schedules, etc., interrupt what becomes an intimate friendship and communion with God. Only then is the soul being nourished in fertile soil.

3. Sacrament-Soil for the Seed. The second essential element of good soil is the soul’s immersion in sacramental life. Sacramental life puts the soul in direct contact with Christ himself. The sacraments are a constant source of renewal and provide graces that fortify, feed and transform the soul. If we neglect this aspect of the spiritual life the consequences will not delay in coming. In fact, without this necessary element in the soil, the seed cannot hope to reach the maturity and perfection it is called to. At best it is reduced to a weak form of supernatural life and normally, without some special intervention from God, it will risk spiritual disaster. We should try to go beyond the bare minimum the Church asks of us, and make it an expression of our love.

Without the life of sacraments and the intimate contact with Christ they bring, the soul cannot withstand the tribulations and persecutions that arise on account of the Word sown in its heart. On the other hand, a fervent sacramental life makes the joy produced at the first hearing of the Word continue to grow and the soul experiences the meaning of the words: My yoke is easy, my burden light’

The soul truly desirous of perfection will make frequent reception of the Eucharist and Reconciliation its mainstay and the life-giving nutrient of its soil.

4. Action-Soil for the Seed. Finally, the third essential element of good soil is the soul’s exterior manifestations in the visible world. Since the soul is not for itself only, it must be an example of the Divine Model to others. This evangelizing factor is not only important for the world but also for the soul producing it. The soul’s effort to manifest externally its internal union with God will strengthen and solidify the theological virtues of faith, hope and love needed to keep the soil’s nutrient level high. As the soul exercises the theological virtues in the material world around it, it receives understanding. The soul sees the transcendental value of created things and is strengthened against the temptations of avarice, power and worldly desires. At the same time the works of the soul in the world give testimony to the Divine Presence and the real value of created things in time and eternity.

Conversation: Mary, my Mother, teach me to pray constantly and not according to my feelings and emotional states. Help me to make dialogue with my Creator a key part of each day in my pilgrimage through time.

Plant my soul in the rich soil of your contemplative heart. There I will be nourished and protected in an atmosphere of serene and peaceful dialogue with God my Father. There I will be able to discover and understand the unique mission that I have in time and eternity. There I will grow, work and bear abundant fruit according to God’s Will. Dear Mother of Christ, you understand how much my soul needs your Son’s healing and transforming presence in the sacraments. In them He gives himself as nourishing soil for my soul. Fill my heart with a great appreciation and love for the sacraments. May they strengthen me so that I find only consolation in suffering tribulations and persecutions for the Word planted in my heart. Mother of Good Works, I know that actions speak louder than words but often I remain only with my good intentions.

Help me to move forward in my mission with true resolve. Help me to exteriorize the Divine Life in my soul with the acts and works needed to accomplish my mission each day.

Questionnaire:

1. How do I respond to the reality that I have a unique and irrevocable mission give by God? And that my complete happiness depends on accomplishing that mission?

2. What is my prayer-life like?

3. What value do I give to receiving the Sacraments regularly?

Christ called those whom he chose to be with him (see Mk 3:13), and after instructing them he made them his envoys, (see Mt 10:5), giving them power to expel unclean spirits and to cure all types of diseases (see Mt 10:1).

The nature of our priesthood is condensed in these words of the gospel as a gift, identification with Christ and a mission. Three aspects that are intimately related among themselves.

A marvelous gift from God who set his eyes on each one of us to make us privileged sharers in his work of redemption. The gift of his call is the gift of sharing his life, an invitation to eat at his own table, to live under his own roof, and to participate in his own mission to save mankind. An unmerited gift, a privilege that raises us above the angels and is proof of God’s immense and personal love for each one of us.

“Tu es sacerdos in aeternum, tu es alter Christus." (You are a priest forever, you are another Christ.) It is impossible to grasp the privilege and depth of this mystery. In its presence we must meditate humbly, joyfully, with all the gratitude we can muster. Lord, you loved me so much as to make me yourself!

So great a treasure in such fragile clay! What a measure of trust and love Jesus Christ has in us! So much faith in such weak men, so often shirking his grace! Our whole lifetime is not enough to thank him for this gift, the greatest, most beautiful and sublime gift a creature can be granted.

[John Paul II] does indeed cherish a great expectation that the millennium of divisions will be followed by a millennium of unifications. The Emmergance of ecumenism at the Second Vatican Counsel is indeed a sign of a sort of renewed approach to a new unity. It is thus filled with the hope that the millennia have their physiognomy; that all the catastrophes of our century, all its tears, as the Pope says, will be caught up at the end and turned into a new beginning. Unity of mankind, unity of religions, unity of Christians - we ought to search for these unities again so that a more positive epoch may really begin. We must have visions. John Paul's untiring activity comes precisely from his visionary power.

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

Test Your Call Weekends. Experience the novitiate in Cheshire, CT with retreats for young men ages 16-27 sponsored by the Legion of Christ. These weekend retreats combine time for personal reflection, preached meditations, conferences, and opportunities for confession and spiritual direction with the experience of the day to day life of the seminarians. For more information, please call Br. Francois at (800) 420-5409 or email vocation@legionaries.org. Dates in 2008: July 25-27, Aug 14-17, Oct 10-12, Nov 26-30, Dec 19-23, and Dec 26-30

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