Nov. 9, 2022 “St. Paul says, ‘do not let the sun go down on your anger,’” my friend advised, after I was ranting about a situation that had left me feeling that rather unpleasant emotion. Without any hesitation at all, I responded: “St. Paul obviously wasn’t married.” It made me laugh that my friend and I had that conversation just ahead of National Vocation Week (Nov. 6-12). As we were discussing consecrate virgins, a vocation with which I was not very familiar (see the stories here, "Conscrated Virgins" & "Bracy, A call to love & joy"), Sister Mary Eamon Lyng gave the following quote: “A vocation is a call by virtue of our baptism that is given to each person to carry forward a special mission in life to serve the Kingdom of God. Vocation is a way of life lived out by the grace of God to do the spiritual works and corporal works of mercy faithfully that leads us to holiness.” You know what Sister Eamon didn’t say? She didn’t say “when God calls you to a vocation, and you listen to that call, God will make your life easy and happy all the time (or even most of the time).” Whether we’re single, married, a priest, consecrated religious or deacon, every vocation has its challenges and difficult days. But Sister Eamon did say how we get through those challenges and difficult days. “Vocation is a way of life lived out by the grace of God,” she said. It’s by the grace of God that we can overcome the challenges and difficult days. It’s the grace of God that gives us amazing and beautiful days, as well. And I can say that without hesitation, too. |
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