All about...

What’s it all about

A little less than two weeks ago, our daughter, Mary Kate, gave birth to her first child, a healthy, well-tempered, and cuter-than-a-button baby girl, Ava Marie.  Ty and Mary Kate are living with us as they seek to buy their first home on Long Island, so Mary and I have been blessed to witness these first days of little Ava’s life and of Mary Kate’s adjustment to motherhood.  Mary Kate has quickly realized and seems to have gracefully accepted, a truth which every new parent – especially every new mom – always finds out sooner or later – it’s never all-about-you again.

Actually, a related aphorism applies to each and every Christian, who, by nature of his or her baptism, is called to live a life of holiness.   Jesus describes this as “Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.” (Mt 5:48)  This sounds like a tall order, but it is made possible if I remember this one thing:  my life is not about me. 

Our faith teaches us that God calls each of us to a particular station in life.  We refer to this as a vocation, from the Latin “vocare,” meaning “to call.”  These vocations are tremendously varied.  God may call us to a religious vocation – to the priesthood, the diaconate, or the consecrated religious life.  More likely, God may call us to the vocation of marriage, parenthood, or the single life.  Sometimes, our vocation may involve a combination of things.  But a key character of this calling is that it is not our idea, it is God’s.  God chooses us, we don’t choose God.

We see this clearly in today’s readings.  Isaiah cannot believe that he would ever be an effective prophet.   He is too young – only a teenager.  Nobody would believe or respect him as a prophet.  He claims to be like everyone else – a man of unclean lips in a people of unclean lips.  He is doomed to failure.  That was his idea.  God’s idea is quite different.

When confronted with the power of God that Jesus displays in the miraculous catch of fish, Peter confesses that he is a sinful man; he doesn’t deserve Jesus to be near him.  Well, he states the truth – nobody deserves Jesus – but that’s his idea.  God’s idea is quite different.

This first character points to a second character of vocation.  No matter what our particular vocation is – and there could be as many different vocations or combinations of vocations as there are people in the world – they all have something in common.  St. Paul gives us a clue when he tells his disciples in Corinth – “For I handed onto you as of first importance what I in turn had received…” (1 Cor 15:3a)  No matter what our particular vocation is, it must involve giving to others what we have already received, the infinite and unconditional love of God. 

It’s not my idea; it is God’s.  It is not about stroking my ego; it is about loving others as God loves me, without end and despite my unworthiness.  It is not self-serving; it is serving others as God serves me, taking on my human nature to conquer death for me, standing with me until the end of time.

By the grace of God, my life is not about me. 

Never was, isn’t now, never will be, forever and ever.  Amen.