Our call to vocations begins at Baptism
January 23, 2018
On Jan. 8 we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord. Because of the way Christmas fell this year, we didn’t get to celebrate it on a Sunday. Instead, it probably went unnoticed for most Catholics this year. It is one of my favorite Gospel narratives because it is one of the most beautifully described scenes in the life of Our Lord. I can’t imagine the joy that those who witnessed Jesus’ Baptism must have felt witnessing such an incredible event!
Baptism is an important event in our lives because it claims us as God’s children. And for most of us, we have no recollection of our own Baptism. For those who entered the Catholic Church as adults, you might have some memory of your own Baptism, but there is no denying it was an important event in all or our lives.
On that day, either our parents (if we were little) or ourselves promised to follow the Church’s teaching. We also were given the invitation by God to pursue a life of holiness. Our first vocation in life came from this very important event.
Jesus made His vocation known as the whole world witnessed God the Father speaking the words, “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.”
In a similar way, our vocation begins when we are baptized and claimed as God’s beloved children. We are welcomed into the family of faith and called to be great. We are called to let our light shine, much like Jesus was able to shine His light for the world to see.
However, we are all called to something different. Jesus knew exactly what He was called to do because He was the Savior of the World. It isn’t so clear for each one of us. Unfortunately, we don’t have a manual written by God for each one of us that we can just read to find out our vocation in life. It takes a lot of prayer and experience of life to find out what path in our lives we can follow to find our own vocation.
And it is important to know that we all have a vocation. God calls us all to something unique and different based on our skills.
As vocation director, I am sort of an expert on this vocational call. I know that not everyone is called to the priesthood or religious life, but everyone is called to something. God calls us all to Holiness and asks all of us to find the path in life that will best lead us to holiness.
I ask you to join me in praying for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life. But I also ask you to help me in praying that everyone can find their vocation in life.
If everyone does what helps them grow in holiness, then this world would be a better and happier place for everyone!
Father T.J. Dolce is the director for the Archdiocesan Office of Vocations.