Vocation Reflection

 Saint Catherine of Siena, in letter 348, says, "If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world on fire!" The saints certainly exemplify this saying. If we look at St. Ignatius of Loyola, Saint Dominic, Saint Francis, Saint Benedict, Saint Bernard, or Blessed John Paul II, we can see that, through cooperation with God's grace, they became who they, and all of us, should be: holy. Holiness is the universal vocation: "all in the church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called to holiness, according to the apostle's saying: 'For this is the will of God, your sanctification' (1 Th 4:3; see Eph 1:4)." (Lumen Gentium, 39)  It is important to note that "vocation" comes from the Latin, vocare, to call. God tells the prophet Isaiah, "I have called you by name, and you are mine." (Is. 43:1), and, thus, God calls each of us individually, not to merely recognize his possession and creation of ourselves, but to recognize, also, that, by being called, we are asked to respond. God calls us every moment of every day; it is up to us to respond to that call. Merely by keeping this in mind, already we may increase in holiness and the desire to be, as Christ commanded, "The salt of the earth... [and] the light of the world." (Mt. 5:13,14)  You do not have to be a priest or a nun to be holy. The example of the saints affirms this fact once again. You can be a teacher, a police officer, a student, or even an accountant, and fulfill your vocation to holiness. Every day is a new day, and God always calls us. How will you respond?