The passage we heard from 1 Sammuel is, in my opinion, one of the more beautiful moments in the Old Testament. This story about young Sammuel and his priestly mentor Eli, is all about God’s calling for the young man. It is an intimate look into how God invites someone to live out their life in a meaningful, deliberate way, full of purpose and guided by the Lord. Notice how the Lord calls out to Sammuel; he is gentle, soft, and loving. This calling is so personal, familiar, and intimate that Sammuel thinks it is his teacher Eli. God is a perfect blend of patient and persistent; even when Sammuel gets confused about who is calling, God does not get angry or give up. The key moment occurs when Sammuel realizes, with the help of Eli, that God is trying to talk to him. And he responds in the most perfect way possible, “speak Lord, your servant listening.” Because Sammuel’s heart is open, docile, and willing to listen, God goes on to tell him what he will do with his life. He will go on to be a great prophet, he will be the mouth of God, and he will anoint both King Saul and the great king David. All the incredible things he did during his life began in that quiet moment as a young boy when he discovered his calling.
We call that moment in life, when God speaks to someone, a vocation. This word comes from the Latin verb vocare, meaning “to call.” Often there is a major misunderstanding about what a vocation is and who has one. Many people believe that a vocation is delivered by God in a spectacular way, with rolling thunder and flashes of lightening, or like St. Paul, falling down and struck blind. Occasionally that might happen, but most people experience their calling from God like Sammuel: in the quiet, gentle moments of prayerful listening. And usually, like Sammuel, they will be helped in their discernment by a person who serves as a spiritual mentor or sounding board.
Another misunderstanding comes from the fact that the word “vocation” has been used to describe the calling a person has to the priesthood or religious life. In other words, if God was inviting you to be a priest, nun, or brother, then you had a vocation. This is true, but it is also incomplete. Every single person created has a vocation. In fact each of us in church today has two callings. The first is common to all of us; it is the invitation to live as a son or daughter of God with our Christian Faith. All people are called to a life of holiness by practicing and deepening their faith. You could say this is our primary vocation; each person is called to be holy, to be a saint without exception.
The second vocation is more unique and personal. In this, there are three possibilities for each person. We can be invited to serve in a) the married life, b) the priesthood or religious life, or c) as a single, consecrated person. Whichever God invites us to will be the path that makes us most happy and uses all of our gifts, our personality, and causes us to be truly alive. Honestly, the majority of people here today will be called to the vocation of marriage, that beautiful life where two people become one in love and also cooperate with God to bring new life into the world. Marriage is a noble calling that serves as a symbol to the whole world of God’s love for the Church. It is a vocation of service, not only to one’s spouse but also to the children that come from that union and to society as a whole. What an awesome calling and probably one that is undervalued today!
A second possibility is an invitation to the priesthood and religious life. Incarnate Word has a wonderful heritage of providing priests and religious to serve the church, especially here in St. Louis. I believe some of you in this parish are being called to this beautiful life of service. I pray some of our youth at Incarnate Word have been given the beautiful seed of a priestly or religious vocation and I hope we, as their parish and family, can encourage and protect that precious gift.
A final option for the one who follows God is the life of a consecrated single person. Although this is not as common, these people are the ones who feel called in a special way to devote their lives to the Lord while living in the world and working in their profession. Their work becomes a crucial part of their ministry and choosing to remain single allows them to devote themselves to God, family, and neighbor in a way that wouldn’t be possible otherwise.
In all three types of vocations, there is beauty and goodness. Each vocation is composed of our human gifts, unique personality, free choice and partnered with God’s grace and wise plan. Discovering our vocation is not something that is done once and then we are finished. It is a living process where we listen to God and allow him to lead us towards the things and persons that will make us better Christians, better witnesses to his Love, and more capable of changing the world into a happier, holier place. There is no set formula for discerning your calling from God; some will hear the call as young children, others when they are older. Most people fall somewhere in between. Some will know immediately, without a doubt, others will only be sure after trying several different paths. But one thing is certain; to understand your calling from God, you must make time for quiet, time for God to speak softly to your heart. Otherwise, our prayer will sound something like, “ Listen Lord, your servant is speaking.”! Let us rejoice that we are loved by a God who treats us as individuals and who cares for us each in a unique way. Let us trust that whatever he will call us to will bring happiness and fulfillment, more so than we could ever plan for ourselves. Finally, may we have the courage and docility of Sammuel to say, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”
