Podcast: 

homily20100207.mp3

4 Minutes Audio: 

4minute20100207.mp3

Several weeks ago you may have caught 
the headlines in the Sports section of the paper.  
It said, “A calling of a different sort.”  
The article went on to speak of a man who
was the MVP of the Arizona Fall League, 
and had been playing in the baseball Minor Leagues 
with incredible success, getting no less than 30 home runs 
along with some other incredible statistics.
He was being recruited by the Oakland A’s
and was in Training Camp when he decided 
that he was not going to follow through 
and instead he was going to go into
the seminary for Catholic priesthood.  
This was headlined in the Sports section; it was extraordinary.  
His name was Grant Desme, 
and Grant explained that he was just following 
what he felt he was called to do.  
He added that he did not feel that 
he was giving up something as much as accepting something.

It was a great headline.  
No question about it.  
I wonder what the headline would have been 
of the gospel we hear today of Simon Peter, James and John 
“leaving everything” behind and following Jesus.  
I wonder, if you go back to Isaiah the prophet, 
who listened to a vision that said, “Come, follow me.”  
I wonder what extraordinary headline
would have been for St. Paul’s conversion:  
“Previous Persecutor of Christians Now Becomes One!” 
These are all glitzy stories for headlines 
about how God calls each one of us. 
Each one of these people who are called 
had to sacrifice something to go and follow the Lord. 
Yes they give up everything to follow the Lord.

Yet the message is the same for each and every one of us.  
The message is that we are called 
to sacrifice for the Lord.  
Now each of us is called in different ways.  
Not all are called to leave “everything behind” 
like these people we hear about in today’s scripture readings.  
Some are called to live out their call in married life; 
some others are called to live out their call 
in the committed single life;
still others are called to live out their call in consecrated life;
and still others are called to live out their call in priesthood.  
There are different ways to following our calling 
and there is some sacrifice common all to make. 

In other words, when we say yes to one thing, 
we have to say no to something else.  
For those of you who are married, 
when you got married, you said, “Yes” to your spouse 
and you said, “No” to all the other possibilities 
that could have come before and after that date.  
All of your life, you have focused on that choice, 
that commitment to live that choice 
and it has required sacrifice of you.  
For example, being a mother or father today 
requires so much sacrifice for their children.  
Those are real and tangible sacrifices.  
And the same is true also of those 
who live in religious and consecrated life; 
and the same is true of single life 
and it is certainly true of priesthood.

Yes, there is a difference.  
In the priesthood, we get the headlines.  Right?  
Like Simon Peter, James and John, 
or Isaiah or Paul or even Grant Desme, 
we get headlines but the sacrifices are similar.
All the other ways of life are equally as profound; 
equally meaningful; there is not a lessor or greater.  
It is who God calls us to be who we are called to be.

Today, we celebrate World Day for Awareness of Vocations.
The focus is often on the ministerial priesthood 
so we can have more priests to serve others.  
We do so in the context of all vocations 
and the sacrifice we make when
we choose to follow the Lord Christ. 

The most important part of it is that 
we must become credible witnesses on that journey.  
In other words, when we choose it, 
we must not do so begrudgingly; 
we must not do it like, “Well, I suppose I’m married.” 
Yet we are miserable in the process.  No.  
We are called to do so with joy.  
It is the same for a priest.  
Like if I got up here and said, 
“Oh, all the things I’ve sacrificed, oh, Lord!”  
No.  That is not what it is about.  
No more that than it is in marriage.  
We do so with joy.  
We do so because we have chosen; 
we have been called and we hear the call and we respond.

So, when we come to the table today, 
we come to be renewed in that joy; 
to be renewed in the nourishment of knowing 
that we are following the Lord as he has called us.  
It is hard work at times.  
There are times when it is very hard work;
it is hard to continue in the calling with all its sacrifices, 
whether it be the single life, married life,
 consecrated life or priesthood.   
Today, the scripture gives us inspirational stories 
so that we can renew ourselves in that commitment 
and we do so also to renew the joy of our life’s choice.  
To live it.  
To live it credibly.  
To live it joyfully.  
So that others who see us will see us 
will see that Christ is truly in our lives.

So, today, we listen to God’s call and  
we renew the commitment to follow God 
in whichever way he has asked us to follow him.  
We do so joyfully;  
Joyfully in Christ.