GOD’S WORD FOR THE DAY (based on Catholic Liturgical Readings)
DATE: 7TH MAY 2017
FOURTH SUNDAY OF EASTER
(VOCATION SUNDAY)
FIRST READING: Acts 2:14, 36-41
PSALM: Psalm 23:1-6
SECOND READING: 1Peter 2:20-25
GOSPEL: John 10:1-10
THEME: THE CALL
The word vocation takes its root from the Latin verb “vocare” which means “to call”. Each one of us is called by the Lord for a purpose in this world and until we discover and respond fully to that call our lives would have no meaning and direction. It takes a divine call to be a husband, wife, priest, religious, catechist etc. Some people embrace vocations that are not theirs and consequently live frustrated lives but those who discover their true call have massive impact on our world. An apple tree in the right soil and climate produces fruits. Similarly, the one who discovers his/her vocation would bear many good fruits.
Three important stages can be identified in every vocation. The first is the call to holiness. Addressing an audience who had been struck by his preaching on the Day of Pentecost, Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). It was a universal call to holiness; it is the bedrock of any genuine vocation.
The second stage is the particular call. Thus in our Gospel text, Jesus, using the imagery of a shepherd, says, “he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out” (Jn. 10:3). The calling by name makes each vocation unique. No two vocations are the same even if they share similar characteristics. Each one of us has received a particular call from the Lord. It takes prayer and discernment to discover what God is asking of us and where his voice is leading us to.
The third is the stage of following. Jesus continues his discourse on the ‘Good shepherd’ with the statement, “When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (Jn. 10:4). After discovering one’s particular vocation, one must follow the Lord in that vocation. For example, it is not enough for me to be a priest; I must follow the Lord daily in my ministry as a priest. Likewise, a husband, wife or religious must continually follow the Lord in his/her vocation.
A vocation can be likened to a candle that offers itself completely in order to give light and warmth. Wax must melt for light to shine in the dark. This calls for patience in suffering (see Second Reading).
As we celebrate Vocation Sunday today, each one of us should prayerfully ask him/herself – Have I discovered my true vocation in life and am I living it to the full? Again, we should each ask ourselves – How faithful am I in my vocation?
The eternal destination of each one of us is intimately intertwined with how we each respond to the call of the Lord.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I choose to listen to your voice this day; I choose to follow you; I choose eternal life. Amen.
Andrews Obeng, svd
DIVINE WORD MISSIONARIES
BIBLICAL PASTORAL MINISTRY
(Ghana Province)
“May the darkness of sin and the night of unbelief vanish before the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace. And may the heart of Jesus live in the hearts of all people” (St. Arnold Janssen).