Called to Serve

We have all been called by Jesus Christ to serve our brothers and sisters with love. Saint Paul highlights our call to serve in his letter to the Ephesians, 4:1-6. He writes, "I, a prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace..." He concludes with, "You were also called to the one hope of your call; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all..." Being called is important since Paul mentions it several times in this reading alone. Jesus is the one who does the calling and we see that throughout the Gospels, "Come, follow me..." The quote that I always like to use is, "God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called." We are not perfect, we are all sinners, but God calls us to continue the mission entrusted to us and He gives us the grace and strength that we need to fulfill our duties. Today is a special day for me!!! It was on October 26, 1996 that I was ordained a transitional deacon. I look back on that day with great fondness and thank God for the call that led me to the diaconate and ultimately to the priesthood. I pray everyday for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Hopefully we can join each other in prayer as we pray for vocations to the Church. May we also pray for the call that we have received as disciples. Let us listen to the voice of the Lord in our lives and follow where he leads because he truly has the words of everlasting life!!! Have a blessed day!!!