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A
Message From Father Steve Pawelk
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Who,
me, Lord?
I
am too young.
I
do not know how to speak.
I
am a sinful man.
Do
the above words reflect your own thoughts when you think
about becoming a priest or a brother?
If so, then you are in good company.
For these are the responses of biblical men.
Moses says to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh
and lead the Israelites out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:11).
Jeremiah
says to God, “Ah, Lord God, I know not how
to speak; I am too young” (Jeremiah 1:6).
Peter says to Jesus, “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful
man” (Luke 5:8).
These
were my own feelings when I first began to consider a
religious vocation. Yet, as I discovered, God calls
us as we are, not as we wish we were. God uses very
ordinary men, like you and me, to do extraordinary things
in his name. This is very humbling, but it truly shows
the grace and power of God.
Remember
these words of St. Paul about the thorn in his side: “Three
times I begged the Lord about this that it might leave
me, but he said to me, ‘My
grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect
in weakness.’” (2 Cor 8-9)
Remember
also these words from the First Epistle of John: “In this
is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us…”
(4:10).
Therefore,
my friend, if you are thinking about a vocation, but are
uncertain if God is really calling you, fear not. You
are in good company.
And
be assured that God’s grace will be sufficient for
you!
P.S. Please check out...
• My most recent vocations reflection
• Some questions to help you discern if you are being called to be a missioner
