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08 May 2022 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle C

Among the most exciting aspects of the Christian story is how failure always leads to the greatest success. The last shall be first, the meek inherit the Earth, the cross morphs into the empty tomb, and the rejection of the gospel by the synagogue opens the doors to the Gentile mission in Asia Minor. This lose-win situation is repeated so many times it could be a useful mantra for the Christian life. Or as Saint Paul phrased it, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” Most of us are pretty timid around the subject of failure. Maybe we fear the disappointment of parents or teachers who urged us so relentlessly to succeed. It could be peer pressure, keeping up with the Joneses, or the admiration in the eyes of our children that makes us determined to win, or at least to hide any and all losses along the way. But the truth is we do fail now and again. Marriages crumble despite good intentions. Well-meaning parents do wrong by their children regularly. People lose jobs, forfeit friendships, make bad financial decisions, or buy the wrong car. Some of us set out to move hearts with passionate homilies and end up boring the assembly silly. We don’t have to be afraid of failure. Christianity is our insurance policy against despair when it comes to human error. We believe in the God who brings new life to those who have died, who promises a new creation out of the rubble of the old one. So we screw up sometimes! And sometimes, indeed, our errors break many hearts besides our own. The grief and shame of these losses is real, but so is the promise that God does awfully good work with the broken pieces of human history. We may lose, but all is not lost. We hear his voice Today we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday and also acknowledge the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. These two occasions fit together neatly: Shepherds lead, and among the vocations we pray for most fervently this day are for those who will lead us into the future as a church and as a global community. We pray for those who already exercise leadership, in spite of the times they will fail and have failed us—indeed, especially in the hour of their failures. We have seen what God can do with human losses, and so we must hold up the brokenness of our attempts to build a peaceful world, a just society, a holy church, and trust that God will consecrate our failures with divine wisdom. A community of hope will do this. A community surrendered to self-righteousness, cynicism, or despair will not. You and I might find it hard to discern a reason to hope, but we follow a Good Shepherd who has pledged not to let his sheep out of his hand. So long as we hear his voice, we cannot be lost, no matter how dark the moral jungle of our generation seems to be. Every week during the General Intercessions, I hear the folks of my community raise their voices in prayer for the world’s failures. First and foremost are the failures of the body that define our mortality: the cancers and heart attacks, the accidents and miscarriages, the addictions and depression. Next, people pray about the failure of relationships: the marriages that are in ruins, the children and grandchildren who seem lost to the church community and even to their own families. Prayers about the failures of government and the economy, social policy and worldly institutions come next. It might sound like a litany of despair to anyone who does not understand what prayer is, but in fact it is the ultimate act of faith and hope. Faithful people lift up this failed world in confidence that the Good Shepherd has each broken bit of human history in hand and is even now gathering up the fragments so that nothing may be wasted. Praying for vocations “The Father and I are one,” Jesus declares in John’s gospel. This fundamental unity is without flaw, and the nature of the bond between Jesus and his Father is the same indissoluble bond that Jesus shares with his church. When we pray for vocations, we aren’t simply praying for more priests and deacons, more sisters and brothers to fill gaps in church leadership. We are praying for an ever-greater awareness of this absolute bond between Jesus and us. We are not simply near Christ, we are in Christ. We are the Body of Christ, and there can be no distinction between the love of Christ and the love that you and I share with one another and the whole world. Vocation at its root meaning is about discerning our call. The Sunday assembly answers one call, to be Christ for others. And yes, we respond in many and varied ways, some of us to ordained and vowed service within the church, thanks be to God. And some to professional lay ministries within the parish community or within the wider net of Christian works of ministry: teaching and healing, comforting and caring for those in need, mentoring the young and remembering the forgotten. All the baptized answer the same call: to bring the presence of Christ into the world. When we pray for vocations, we are interceding for a greater perception of our own daily opportunities to be good shepherds right where we live and work. Applying the word The Lamb is at the center John’s great vision of the multitude too often gets sidetracked into meaningless discussions concerning the identity of those folks who “survived the time of great distress.” The number 144,000 appears twice in Revelation: once to describe the saved of Israel, and once to count the followers of the Lamb. “12x12x1000” could therefore be symbolic shorthand for “All Israel, all Gentiles, no kidding.” The number 144,000 implies the exact opposite of an exclusive elite. It holds the door open for everybody to join the multitude. The “great distress” is a good description of our time in this failed and broken world. And don’t those who unite themselves to the Body of Christ most perfectly overcome the struggles of this world so beautifully? Our common vocation is to join that multitude, by overcoming the distress of this world in every act of love, heart by heart and moment by moment. If we are good shepherds now, caring for those who hunger and thirst for nourishment, knowledge, healing, and justice, when we stand before God we will not see hunger or thirst again. Related scripture links Weakness is strength: 2 Cor. 12:1-10 Gathering up the fragments: John 6:12 The Father and I are one: John 18:21-23 144,000: Rev. 7:4-8; 14:1-5 Catechism links Vocation: CCC 1-3; 542-546; 825; 836; 1694-1696; 1699

Authors Alice Camille

World Day of Prayer for Vocations failures faith and hope

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Exploring the word

30 Apr 2023 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle A

In a free society, people will always complain about their leadership. Whether we’re talking about the president of the United States or the person in charge of the preschool program, the person in command is automatically a target for disapproval and disappointment. It’s not a bad thing to hold our leaders accountable, as far as that goes. The real scandal is never who did what in the White House or the diocese. Rather, it’s that rarely do those in seats of authority embrace full responsibility for “what they have done and failed to do.” Criticizing the leadership is our right, of course. But our responsibility is also to nurture, discern, and install good leaders—a task fewer of us seem as anxious to embrace. In the corridors of power, decisions are made that affect the future for all of us. Our government, our church, and our commercial enterprises must be guided by wise men and women invested in upholding the common good, not simply the status quo or the bottom line. Enter Good Shepherd Sunday and the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. This is our annual opportunity to reflect on the role leaders play in our global and local communities. It’s also a time to consider how each of us is obliged to contribute our own leadership to the pool of authority and not just to bellyache about the folks in charge. People make mistakes Leaders are people, not gods. Yet when the church appoints them or we elect them, we expect these anointed ones to perform beyond human limitations and imperfections. We anticipate their arrival into public service to be free from temptation and beyond mortal weakness. If they can’t read the future, they better do a pretty good imitation of it for our benefit. Leaders are supposed to be better than we are in character, wisdom, and foresight. And it’s no mistake to expect a lot from leaders. After all, what does it mean to lead if not in ways of character, wisdom, and foresight? But when our leaders fail us, as they often do, we drag them from the pedestal of the superhuman and condemn them to the dungeon of the subhuman. In both instances, we fail those called to lead us. We do not give them the support and cooperation they need as mortals, nor do we offer them the compassion they deserve as sinners. Recall the Pentecost street scene from Acts. Peter and the Eleven remind the Jerusalem crowds of how privileged a people they are, the nation that serves as a light to all nations. Yet they failed miserably in their calling when they put to death their own Messiah. What nation can be a light when it fails to illuminate its own darkness? As the story goes, 3,000 people within the sound of Peter’s voice were cut to the heart by his words. “What are we to do, my brothers?” they pleaded. “Turn,” he advised. “Turn around.” Peter knew well of what he spoke, having so recently repented his own ignorance in relationship to his Lord. If leaders and those led could embrace the mutual call to repentance and renewal, instead of the usual rounds of recrimination and protestation of innocence, perhaps we could move forward into the future more purposefully. There is no better leader than one who knows he/she is also a sinner. Where do we find good leaders? When people hassle our local pastor about the church hierarchy’s many failings in recent years, he always says, “So how many children did your mom send to the priesthood?” His point is direct but clear. Many Catholics, quite content to carp on the church’s disappointment du jour, have never given equal time to contemplating their own call to leadership within the community of faith. And often the same people would actively discourage their children from exploring a religious vocation and, presumably, improving on the leadership pool for the future. Many years ago, my parents refused to entertain the idea of me entering a religious order even though they pride themselves on their Catholic identity. My father actually called such a way of life a “waste.” Many parents I talk to think nothing of actively prepping their children for med school, the law, or business. But they blush at the idea of inviting their children to think of a vocation to the church as if it’s unfair to “pressure” them in these matters. The likely truth here is that all of us have learned to define success in worldly terms. A life of service is indeed a waste if the mortal goal is to make as much money as possible. If we want good leadership in the church, we have to pray for it, yes. And we also have to challenge ourselves to be such leaders and to groom such leaders in our midst fearlessly. In the same way, if we want just government, character-building educators, ethically minded business leaders, we have to take our leadership into dialogue with city hall, the public schools, and the marketplace. Do we inadvertently talk in opposition to such groups in our assembly, in careless dismissals of the “rich and powerful,” as if such folk are intrinsic enemies to the gospel? Or do we run faith-sharing groups, days of recollection, and other faith formation opportunities geared precisely for the special needs of such leaders? Some of these folks are Catholic and are already sitting in our pews. Others aren’t but might be looking for a community to support their values and partner with them in the ongoing process of moral discernment. Applying the word I am the gate for the sheep The preacher often serves as the gatekeeper of the assembly. This is the voice they hear beckoning them with words of life. The prophetic challenge, the call to moral living, words of encouragement and consolation all come to the faithful on Sunday morning. If anyone is charged with the responsibility to raise up leaders in every aspect of our society, it’s the one who issues the proclamation of the gospel every week. Parents have to do their part. So do teachers and mentors and employers and politicians. But who has the distinct advantage of having all of these people together in one room each week? Not to mention a microphone in hand? Jesus gets to be the gate; we just have to make sure the gate is opened and the invitation is issued. Let’s invite everyone not simply to dissect our leadership but to divert some of this energy into providing the leadership we’d like to see. Behind every genuine leader is the next generation of leadership, watching and learning and imitating. Related scripture links Advice for leaders: Matt. 9:35-38; 10:5-15, 24-31; 20:20-28; 23:1-12; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; 4:6-16; Titus 1:5-9; James 4:6-10; 5:16 Shepherd image: Jer. 23:1-4; Ezek. 34:1-31; Mic. 5:3; Matt. 18:12-14; 25:31-46; Luke 15:1-7; 1 Pet. 5:1-4 Catechism links Shepherd: CCC 754; 764; 2158 Repentance in Acts: CCC 363; 1226; 1287; 1427-1429; 1433

Authors Alice Camille

Leadership World Day of Prayer for Vocations

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21 Jan 2024 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

I’m not going to pretend that I know a thing about fishing. But I do know a thing or two about casting nets and being caught in them. And isn’t being caught how each of us discovers our vocation? And isn’t casting the net the most biblical understanding of the work of evangelization? Like many who discern a vocation in the ways of the church, I was caught in the big net early, at the age of 7. I didn’t have a name for the experience yet, but God and the things of God held my attention the way nothing else could. I think most people repeat that story about their vocations, whether their primary call is parenting, drawing, teaching, or big-rig operating. I know a very shy man who trained to be an interpreter and had a profound gift for languages. He didn’t find his true vocation, though, until he ran off and literally joined the circus. He went around the world in the spotlight as the ringmaster, shouting, “Lay-dees and gentlemen!” in 15 languages. For him, it was bliss. When we are caught up in the net of true vocation, we just know it. It’s not something that we choose so much as it chooses us. We don’t usually struggle in this net for very long. It’s almost like a bassinet, a safe environment where we are free to grow and love and learn. Those who are fortunate enough to be able to discern and surrender to vocation live a life that “clicks.” Even hardships don’t seem so hard when you are lifted up in this sacred net. But to receive our true vocation we have to surrender any false image of ourselves we may have picked up along the way. Simon and Andrew, James and John were simply fulfilling expectations at the shore of the sea. They were doing what their fathers did, what they were supposed to do according to their culture. When Jesus invited them to follow him, they had to drop their fishing nets to do it. That sounds easy; it probably wasn’t. They’d held those nets a long time. Their days were defined by them: casting them out, hauling them in, cleaning and mending them, to start again the next day and the next. Dropping those nets was really about dropping everything: security, the past, their old identities and life plans and goals. Jesus promised them other nets, bigger ones. So they went. God always casts the bigger net. That is how the evil city Nineveh was caught, and how the prophet Jonah himself was caught. In this gracious net you and I were gently caught. Isn’t love sometimes called the “tender trap”? Related scripture links Sign of Jonah: Matt. 12:38-42; 16:1-4; Luke 11:29-32 Prophets of doom: Nahum, Amos Conflict with Assyria: Zeph. 2:13-15; Jth. 1-2 Jonah’s psalm in praise of God’s deliverance: Jon. 2:3-10 Catechism links Vocation: CCC 1-3; 541-546; 823-828; 836; 1546-47 Discipleship: CCC 531-533; 551-553; 783-786; 1691-1696 Conversion: 821; 1423; 1426-1439; 1451-1454 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

casting nets fishing true vocation casting a net

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11 May 2025 - Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle C

So let's talk frankly about the vocation crisis. We all know why we're having this problem, though public rhetoric imparts the blame to this group or that one. Some folks fault the ambition of Catholic parents, who push their children to pursue careers studded with financial incentives and material success. Others blame generations of church leaders, both clergy and religious, who abused their authority, mailed in their performances, and offered a poverty of reasons to emulate them. Traditionalists argue that the secularization of the church has led to faint feelings among the faithful toward religion in general and the Holy Eucharist in particular. Progressives say clinging to old formulas that limit who might be eligible for leadership is to blame. And a whole bunch of people just shrug and admit that society around us is living so high on the hog, why should anyone surrender all the luscious possibilities in favor of something so self-abnegating as celibate service? We can blame parents, bishops, priests and nuns, Vatican II (for changing things) or its backlash (for not changing them enough), or modern culture altogether. These factors definitely contribute to a decrease in fervor for a career in the church. But the main reason our leadership is imperiled is simpler: Catholic men and women have been choosing other directions for their lives. Institutionally speaking, we want them to want "us," to join our mission and our vision. But the vast majority of Catholics are saying no thank you to that. Is it our job, as church leaders, to persuade others to become like us? Or is our mandate to empower Christians to engage and fulfill their Christianity? It might make the most sense to lead our communities to understand and embrace their identity in the mystical Body of Christ. If some are sincerely called to be preachers, teachers, administrators, and apostles, the Holy Spirit can be trusted to sort that out. But if current leaders do not lead their assemblies to cherish the baptismal vocation and its implications, it would be awkward, even dangerous, to prompt these same un-evangelized members to become our future leaders. Un-evangelized leadership, it might be argued, is yet another reason how we got into this mess to begin with. The mission of the church has been the same for 2,000 years: Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Good shepherds know that and fearlessly do it. Equipping our assemblies to know who they are "in Christ" will assist them in whatever these good Catholic men and women actually do choose as their life's direction. In Christ they will choose wisely. Apart from Christ, does it matter what they choose? Related scripture links Workers get the same wage: Matt. 20:1-16 Universal hope of salvation: Isa. 2:2-5, 40:5, 55:1-5, 56:3-8, 60:3, 66:18-21 The blood of the Lamb is enough: Isa. 53:4-12 Light to the Gentiles: Isa. 49:6 Catechism links Vocation: CCC 1-3; 542-546; 825; 836; 1694-1696; 1699 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

vocations vocation crisis

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11 May 2025 - Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle C

So let's talk frankly about the vocation crisis. We all know why we're having this problem, though public rhetoric imparts the blame to this group or that one. Some folks fault the ambition of Catholic parents, who push their children to pursue careers studded with financial incentives and material success. Others blame generations of church leaders, both clergy and religious, who abused their authority, mailed in their performances, and offered a poverty of reasons to emulate them. Traditionalists argue that the secularization of the church has led to faint feelings among the faithful toward religion in general and the Holy Eucharist in particular. Progressives say clinging to old formulas that limit who might be eligible for leadership is to blame. And a whole bunch of people just shrug and admit that society around us is living so high on the hog, why should anyone surrender all the luscious possibilities in favor of something so self-abnegating as celibate service? We can blame parents, bishops, priests and nuns, Vatican II (for changing things) or its backlash (for not changing them enough), or modern culture altogether. These factors definitely contribute to a decrease in fervor for a career in the church. But the main reason our leadership is imperiled is simpler: Catholic men and women have been choosing other directions for their lives. Institutionally speaking, we want them to want "us," to join our mission and our vision. But the vast majority of Catholics are saying no thank you to that. Is it our job, as church leaders, to persuade others to become like us? Or is our mandate to empower Christians to engage and fulfill their Christianity? It might make the most sense to lead our communities to understand and embrace their identity in the mystical Body of Christ. If some are sincerely called to be preachers, teachers, administrators, and apostles, the Holy Spirit can be trusted to sort that out. But if current leaders do not lead their assemblies to cherish the baptismal vocation and its implications, it would be awkward, even dangerous, to prompt these same un-evangelized members to become our future leaders. Un-evangelized leadership, it might be argued, is yet another reason how we got into this mess to begin with. The mission of the church has been the same for 2,000 years: Proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ. Good shepherds know that and fearlessly do it. Equipping our assemblies to know who they are "in Christ" will assist them in whatever these good Catholic men and women actually do choose as their life's direction. In Christ they will choose wisely. Apart from Christ, does it matter what they choose? Related scripture links Workers get the same wage: Matt. 20:1-16 Universal hope of salvation: Isa. 2:2-5, 40:5, 55:1-5, 56:3-8, 60:3, 66:18-21 The blood of the Lamb is enough: Isa. 53:4-12 Light to the Gentiles: Isa. 49:6 Catechism links Vocation: CCC 1-3; 542-546; 825; 836; 1694-1696; 1699 Adapted from a previously published Exploring the word.

Authors Alice Camille

vocations vocation crisis

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14 Jun 2026 - Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Jesus called ordinary people to follow him. Then he commissioned them to heal and cleanse those who were suffering in their midst, and eventually he sent them to spread the message of forgiveness, love, and redemption to all. Though the mission was clear, Jesus’ apostles and disciples did not live out their vocations in the same way. Some stayed close to home, preaching and healing in nearby towns and villages. Others traveled thousands of miles through Europe, Asia, and Africa to spread the Good News. Each vocation is unique, and it takes time to discern the right path. Consider the young woman who thought she wanted to be a school teacher. That would be a worthwhile and fulfilling vocation, she believed. But after student teaching, she realized that teaching might not be her calling. She then looked into law school and interned at a law office representing asbestos workers. She loved meeting the workers and hearing their stories. Defending them against large corporations that had hidden the dangers of their products for years seemed like a noble pursuit. But, alas, the daily grind of the law did not make her heart sing. Frustrated, she applied for a job at a bookstore while she continued to discern her path. During her interview, the HR director said, “You seem like you’d make a great editor. We just happen to need one for a Catholic magazine we publish.” That proved to be the job that gave her a sense of purpose and allowed her to live out her Christian vocation in her own unique way.

Authors Patrice J. Tuohy

christian vocation

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