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In
Search of the Spirit
A
monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office
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July
2003
Vocation
Hunt: Where on earth does God want me? What is God's
will for me?
By
Father Steve Pawelk
This
summer television is full of "reality" shows:
Survivor, Fear Factor,
Last Comic Standing, Big Brother 4, and The Amazing
Race. And the list goes
on. Sometimes I think Vocation Hunt would make a very
interesting reality
show as well. While some may imagine it on the model
of Survivor or Fear
Factor, I imagine it much more like the Amazing Race.
If
you have not seen the show Amazing Race, it has about
14 couples-husbands
and wives, best friends, coworkers, fathers and sons,
or other such
pairings-racing around the globe. They only know their
starting point, not
the ending point. They are given cash and various clues
at stages along the
way. The last team in at each stage is eliminated. Then
the race begins
again, with one less couple. And there are "roadblocks."
These unpredictable
tasks are often very silly, but unless they are completed,
a team cannot go
forward.
Do
you see some parallels here to the vocation hunt?
We know the starting point: our baptism in Jesus Christ
and God's universal
call to mission. Yet, we are searching or hunting for
the final point,
following clues along the way. Where on earth does God
want us-and how in
the world do we get there? These are our common questions.
Like
any of these reality shows, the first stage takes place
off camera.
This is when one studies the rules of the program and
makes a decision to
participate. In Vocation Hunt, that means being committed
to giving time and
energy to discovering how best to serve God. Thus prayer,
active
participation in parish life and seeking counsel from
"holy" people around
you are necessary before the race begins.
Once
one enters the race (and, really, by baptism and confirmation
everyone
enters this holy hunt) certain other things will emerge.
First, one must be
open to surprises and have a willingness to take direction.
The search for a
vocation is far more complicated than searching for
the right school or
buying a car. We must have a certain amount of humility
in listening and
seeking advice and counseling from others.
Then,
too, we must be willing to deal with the "roadblocks."
There are
almost always some along the way. At times, just like
in the Amazing Race,
these may seem unpredictable and even silly. One may
be tempted to think, "I
just want to serve God. How complicated can that be?"
Yet,
as one is engaged deeper and deeper in one's search,
the complications
and challenges emerge. Some may spend time with a religious
order only to
discover the "fit" is not quite right. Others
may find family and friends
discouraging the choice of a religious vocation. Still
others may find they
lack certain requirements such as adequate education
or falling within a
community's age limits.
But
with roadblocks the key is not to give up, to persevere.
As we find in
the Letter to Hebrews: "persevere in running the
race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and
perfector of faith"
(12:1a-2b).
Our
Vocation Hunt is, after all, not just a game with a
big prize at the
end. No, in our search for our vocation-our response
to God's call-we are
seeking and already living LIFE itself. This is the
ultimate of all
realities. As Paul writes in Second Timothy: "I
have competed well; I have
finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on
the crown of
righteousness awaits me . . ." (4:7-8a).
So
keep the faith! Continue your "vocation hunt."
God's light is waiting
for you.
Know
that I am willing to join you on your hunt. You may
find a visit to our
headquarters or our missions helpful in this search.
