We are all called to a Vocation

(Originally written for my church bulletin)

A few weeks ago I was standing at the top of a hill, facing in a northerly direction.  There was a sheer drop of 30 to 40 feet just beyond where I stood. This gave me a wonderful view of a small valley that lay before me. Cattle were in the valley and they grazed on the green grass oblivious to the fog that hung around them. I could just make out the mountains that rose up on the other side of the valley. To my right the fog was slowly lifting as the sun climbed over the small mountainous hills on the southeast side of the valley. You could see blue sky peak through the fog. It was going to be a beautiful day. I thanked the Lord.

I did not thank the Lord for allowing me to see the beautiful example of His creation. I did not thank Him for the cool sunny fall morning that was about to burst forth out of the fog. I did not thank Him for the retreat that brought me to this spot. At that moment, I recalled how much my life had changed over the last 13 years; the friends that I have made and the friends I may have lost. I thought of the moments of joy I have been part of at baptisms and weddings and the moments of sadness at hospitals and funerals. I thought of all the people I have met who come from all walks of life and yet I did not thank the Lord for this either.

God calls all of us to a vocation. It has been through my vocational call to the Diaconate that I have been able to experience these things I write about. What is your vocation? Even if you have found joy and happiness, do you still feel a lack contentment or fulfillment? That emptiness could be coming from your heart. A vocation is God's invitation to love and serve him. If we do not follow the vocation God has called us to, then we will always have that feeling of emptiness or lack of completeness. 

Jesus tells us we are to love our neighbor as our self. Pope Benedict Emeritus wrote that our neighbor is anyone we can help. Maybe you have a vocation already and do not realize it. Do you check on an elderly neighbor? Maybe you help watch neighborhood children. Do you assist the home-bound or the homeless? Any of these things could be the vocation that God is calling you to. Open yourself up to the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit. Find the vocation God has for you. It does not matter how important you think it is. If God is calling you to a certain vocation, then it is important to Him.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta is quoted as saying: "Not all of us can do great things. We can only do small things with great love." That is all God wants from you; to do what He asks of you and to do it with love. Standing on that hill, I thought of all the blessings that I have received through my vocation and I thanked the Lord. Find your vocation and you will find what I thanked the Lord for.

Thoughts on my Deacon Retreat

 Early evening at Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas

My wife and I just returned from the annual Diocese of Shreveport Deacon retreat. This year we were again at the Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas. It is a beautifully place with space to walk; from a valley floor to a wonderful overlook.  The retreat allowed us time to take advantage of the grounds at the abbey, experience spiritual growth and visit with fellow deacons and their wives. Like most people we always tell ourselves that we will make more time for each other and like most people it never seems to happen. The benefit of being away from home is that we cannot attend to our normal daily duties nor address the feeling of immediacy that seems to emanate from the emails, phone calls and texts we receive.  This freed up time for my wife and I to reminisce, make future plans, examine our present lives and laugh at some of our crazy adventures.

Our retreat director was excellent. He gave us a wonderful message that I will be able to use and recall for a long time. We were reminded that all people are walking in a wilderness and to find our way through that wilderness we must trust our guide. His example was the Israelite’s journey to the Promise Land. The Israelites had to learn through Moses to trust in God. One thing I did notice was that our retreat director never spoke of avoiding the wilderness or shortcuts through it. The wilderness is the journey we take on this earth and it cannot be avoided. This retreat has been a good reminder for me to never stop prayerfully discerning where God is guiding me.

Another benefit derived from our retreat has been the chance for all of the deacons and their wives to gather together again.  It was in the relaxed atmosphere of the abbey that we shared our thoughts, our joys and our struggles. I quickly discovered that we have a very talented group of husbands and wives. There are those who can sing and others who play musical instruments. There are deacons and wives who are wonderful speakers while others have a great knowledge of Church teachings. The sharing of talents by the deacons and their wives made our retreat so much better.

The one common denominator between all the deacons and all the wives was their love for God.  It does not matter what talent God has given you, there is a common bond that unites all people.  Is this bond due to our love of God or is it the shared wilderness journey we take? Whatever the reason that unites us, I feel blessed to have shared a few days of my journey with my fellow deacons and their wives.  May each of you be blessed with others to share your wilderness journey.