By: Andrew McCarroll
We are now in the middle of National Vocation Awareness Week which is quickly coming to a close! I took some time the past few days among mid-terms and papers to ask myself exactly what vocational awareness means and how is it affecting my discernment towards the Priesthood. My thoughts immediately were directed towards a prayer card which I keep in one of my prayer books. The image on the card is of Our Lady of Vocations and was given to me a few years ago by a Sister of Mercy. Depicted in the picture is a young Mary with her eyes fixed on an image of the cross, a rough thorny ground surrounds her, and before her is a golden chalice that casts a shadow in her direction. On the back of the prayer card, this Sister of Mercy wrote a beautiful reflective prayer when she was just a young novice. It reads:
“Mary knelt experiencing the feeling that the call of Christ brings to every soul on the night of decision. She knew the value and price of a vocation, therefore a quiet calm and controlling peace dominated her soul. Mary knew not only the chalice in all its gold significance, but that the shadow of the chalice would be directed toward her. The ground would be thorny, rough and a bit steep; but she would go on knowing its symbolism in her life, and realizing all, she would lift her eyes to heaven. Looking past life’s cross beyond the arch of time, she whispered to every boy and girl: ‘I am your Mother of Vocations. Pray to me!’”
This prayer resonates in my mind every day at Evening Prayer when as a seminary community we pray the words of Mary: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” The Blessed Virgin Mary responded to one of the greatest vocations known to any human being, and with knowledge of the sacrifice she would have to make, she responded: “be it done to me according to your word!” We are all called to reflect in our own lives how we can best serve Jesus right here and right now. I’m sure that you have heard it before that we are called to a vocation of either married life, the single life, consecrated religious life, or maybe even the Priesthood. None of these vocational paths are easy and all of these require sacrifice and thorny paths. Making a step in any of these vocational directions are never an absolute end in themselves, but rather our response to a call which is the most effective channel to our final heavenly end in Jesus Christ.
The purpose of National Vocation Awareness Week is to make it clearly apparent that we have a final end with God in the eternal city of heaven. Each and every person is called to say ‘yes’ to Him here and now with our very lives and to fix our eyes to union with Him in heaven. The vocation that we truly live out, as seen through service and a focus toward the mission of Jesus and His Church is way God has prepared us to be with Him in heaven, and to lead all those who surround us to Him as well. I ask you to pray during the remainder of this week, asking yourself and God how exactly you are best serving Christ’s Church through your vocation on earth so you can be with Him, our Blessed Mother, and all the saints forever in the triumphant Church of heaven.
Our
Lady of Vocations, pray for us!
