A Vocation To "The Now"

Wednesdays seem to be the most refreshing days for me. This is partly because every Wednesday is when Cor Jesu, a young adult event featuring a Eucharistic Holy Hour and Mass, as well as a social gathering, is held at St. Robert Parish in Shorewood,Wisconsin.

Last night was a special treat as Bishop Hying presided at the Holy Hour and Mass. Bishop Hying is an excellent homilist and his words always bring forth a great sense of gentleness and wisdom. Since yesterday was the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Caramel, Bishop Hying reminded us of her willingness to give all of herself over in order to do the will of God. She lived in the present moment. Never looking back at the past while never looking too much toward the future that she became anxious or afraid of fulfilling her call. She saw the opportunity that God was calling her to and she made the most of it.

Bishop Hying’s homily spoke to me in a very particular way last night. These past few months have been a discernment process of sorts trying find out which direction God wants me to take in my life. I’ve spent time discerning a priestly and religious vocation, as well as discerning marriage, but I haven’t seemed to find an answer quite yet. Bishop Hying spoke during his homily that when discerning a vocation, we often get trapped in looking back at the past or looking towards the future, and that can scare us or cause anxiety. Bishop Hying advised instead that we look to our mother Mary as an example of looking to where God is in the present moment, of having a vocation to “the now”. This requires us to ask, “What is God trying to tell me in this moment? How can I do God’s will in the current situation that I am in?” 

We as humans always want to do big things in life especially for God. We often forget that God gives us little challenges to accomplish first before we are even close to being ready for bigger obstacles. We need to ask ourselves how we can live up to the call of a vocation to holiness before anything else. What do we have to lose? We need to focus on having a vocation in the present moment, seeking out God’s will for us in our everyday lives.