God's plan is for all of us to be with Him one day in heaven. We all have a
vocation, and we're all called to union with God in love. His whole desire is to
make us happy, and to bring us back to be with him forever.
The best vocation is God's will; there's nothing better than God's will. It's just
how the Lord wants to work through each one of us, and He knows. He's got that
kind of hidden in our hearts. And when we pray, and when we're attentive, that
becomes obvious - the way the Lord wants to use us. The vocation to
religious life - I think it's misunderstood a lot. Sometimes people say:
'Oh, it's an interesting career you've chosen,' and I always say, 'Well, it's not
really a career.' The closest thing to someone who hasn't
experienced it that I can explain is falling in love with someone and getting
married. Some people think 'Oh gosh, you're a Sister; that must be really a sad life.'
And it's so absolutely the opposite, that when we do whatever God calls us to do,
what we do totally fulfills us, and makes us very happy so it's an extremely
happy life, as well. I believe that our young people today: They need to first
believe in themselves - believe that God has called them because He loves them.
There's a line that I love in John: "It's not so much that you have loved me, but
that I have loved you." And I think our young people today, along with older
people, as well, but they often receive a message that they have to first prove
their love to God. Get to know yourself, believe in yourself, but recognize that
that God is going to use you and He's gonna love you in ways they didn't think
were possible. The vocation to marriage is a way of expressing God's love. We are
the domestic church and that's our vocation is to love Christ through each other, and
through our children, and through all the other people that we get to know in our
family life. I heard a wonderful homily from a priest in vocations week one year
he said, 'You have to ask yourself how did God make you to love?' God wants you to
love your vocation; He calls us each to do what he has in
in His mind, but that doesn't mean that any one vocation is better. Every single
vocation, whether you're a priest or a nun, or you're married or single, we are
all called to be a gift of self. We aren't truly happy until we give of
ourselves fully in love. Hello, this is Bishop Michael Burbidge, speaking to you
during National Vocation Awareness Week. Certainly a reminder that God has
created all of us in His image and likeness, and has a divine plan for each
one of us. This week provides us an opportunity to renew our 'Yes' to God's
call, and to pray in a special way for the grace we need to live in a manner
worthy of the call we have received. Dear brother priests, I encourage you to renew
your 'Yes' to fervent prayer for the Church and the people you serve, for the
faithful proclamation of the Gospel, the reverent celebration of the Sacraments.
Dear consecrated religious, renew your 'Yes' to poverty, chastity and obedience.
Dear deacons, renew your 'Yes' to imitate the humble service of Jesus, who washed
the feet of his disciples. Dear married couples, renew your 'Yes' to
one another, and to the Lord, so that you will be that visible sign of His love
for His bride, the Church, a love that is sacrificial and permanent and faithful
and life-giving. For all of us, this is a special opportunity to renew our 'Yes' to live in
integrity and holiness of life. And my dear young friends in Christ, who are
discerning your vocation, God's plan for you: Where is the Lord leading you? Of
course, you will only be able to discern through prayer, a prayer that also allows
for silence, so that you can hear the Lord speak in His Word, His message to
your heart. I always suggest to those discerning their vocation in life to
make sure the question you're asking is not, 'What am I going to
do with my life?' but rather, 'Lord, what is it you're asking me to do with my life?'
Because when we say 'Yes' to that call, we will know the peace and the joy and the
serenity we are seeking. And so dear friends in Christ, we pray for one another in a
special way during this National Vocation Awareness
Week: That we will offer a fervent 'Yes' to the Lord, to God's call in our lives, and
that with His divine assistance, we will live in a manner worthy of the call we
have received.