Fr Louis Reflection - 2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B.
Through our baptism we are called to imitate the life of Christ, because through that
sacrament, the Holy Spirit gives us the grace to fulfil our personal vocation, that
path of life to which we have been called to follow. Throughout biblical history, God,
in his wisdom has chosen certain people to act as beacons and emissaries of his
divine love; prime examples being that of Samuel in today’s first reading, and the
calling of disciples in the Gospel, but that special calling of leaders doesn’t lessen any
personal vocation one may have either spiritually or temporally.
The idea, the concept of ‘vocation’ has, during my lifetime, been reduced, or
constrained to indicate a vocation as being restricted to a religious life of one type or
another, which in my mind has devalued or undervalued the many ways of life or
careers that are in fact vocational. Many of you will know of my belief, that the most
difficult vocation is that of marriage, and yet, it is through the union of man and
woman and new birth that the formation of vocations among the young - and for
some in later life - emerge.
Many peoples in the world have just celebrated the birth of the Christ child whether
they know it or not, but for Christians the birth of Jesus sanctifies the vocation of
marriage, and in doing so, sanctifies the [honourable?!]means by which parents
support their family. The Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph demonstrate the
honour due to, and the responsibilities of, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood,
and the church has always, and continues to honour Jesus’ parents in their role as
teachers and protectors of the Divine Saviour.
Last December 8 th . [The Feast of the Immaculate Conception] Pope Francis
announced a year dedicated to St Joseph, father of Our Saviour and protector of the
Church. That date was chosen specifically, because it was 150 years since Blessed
Pius IX had proclaimed St Joseph as “Patron of the Catholic Church” in 1870. Since
then Venerable Pius XII proposed him as “Patron of Workers,” and Pope St John
Paul II as “Guardian of the Redeemer”. Saint Joseph is universally invoked as the
“patron of a happy death”.
During the week, I received a copy of an Apostolic Letter written by Pope Francis
called Patris Corde [the translation being: With a Father’s Heart] written to
coincide with the 150 th . anniversary of the proclamation of St Joseph as Patron of the
Universal Church. Why the title ‘With a father’s Heart’? because Pope Francis tells
us: ‘that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as “the son of
Joseph.” Francis’ letter is short, and comprises a series of reflections by Pope
Francis on St Joseph, and he links the ordinariness of St Josephs’ life vocation with
our own lives “[which] are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people
often overlooked.” He continues:
“These people [these ordinary people] do not appear in newspaper and
magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely
shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, shopkeepers and
supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and
women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests,
men and women religious and so very many others. They [understand] that no one is
saved alone!”
He finished the paragraph by saying: “A word of recognition and of gratitude is due
to them all.”
All of them are exercising their true vocation in demonstrating their determination,
compassion and love for their families and those who need their help for the
common good.
God our Father calls us all to fulfil our vocation – our way of life - with the same love
and devotion as those whose skills we rely on in the current pandemic.