Each Catholic has a special calling! A calling to help build the Kingdom of God. It is a calling to love God above all else and to serve God. It is a calling to love our neighbors as ourselves. Very simply, we follow the Two Great Commandments to help build the Kingdom of God. Remember that God builds the Kingdom, but we show up and do some of the work.

Within that general calling, there is also a specific calling. A specific calling to a particular way in which to love God and our neighbor, given a diversity of careers and personal gifts (talents).

For most of us, it is a call to the sacrament of matrimony. A few of us are called to Holy Orders as deacons, priests, or bishops. And some others among us are called to the religious life as sisters or brothers. Discerning such a call is no trivial process. It involves prayer, openness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and trust that the Holy Spirit will not lead us astray.

As a deacon, I can attest that many different thoughts and feelings came into play in the process of discerning my call to the diaconate. Sometimes doubt! Sometimes feelings of unworthiness! Sometimes a desire for other directions in my own life.

The major roles of the priest are to be a shepherd, a
pastor, a leader of the flock, the celebrant of the sacraments. Looking around the diocese, I see our priests fulfilling that role so well. And having worked quite closely with many
of the priests, I am delighted to have served with them.
These priests are quite heroic in the way they serve the People of God!

Those discerning a vocation to the priesthood have so much to sort out in discernment of their vocation. Those able to proceed to the priesthood after that discernment have my utmost admiration. They also have my prayers.

Most of us are quite aware of the challenges we face at this moment in our diocesan history. Too few vocations to the priesthood! In the absence of a priest, we cannot have the Eucharist celebrated. The Mass, the Eucharistic celebration is the “source and summit” of our lives as Catholics. We must keep that celebration alive and widely available.

Therefore, I invite, I encourage single men to contemplate whether they might have a calling to the priesthood.

At the same time I strongly encourage all Catholics to pray for vocations to the priesthood. We need them, and God will provide! Supporting vocations is a responsibility that we share; it is one way to support the building up of the Kingdom of God.

Vocations to the religious life are also a source of great holiness for the Church as a whole, but especially for those entering the convent or monastery. And many others find holiness in the single life, a special vocation for those called to it.

There are so many dimensions in which we can help build the Kingdom. So many specific steps! And we are working in the context of the world and the society in which we live. I would remind all lay people, as well as clergy, that Jesus stuck his neck out on so many occasions. He would make himself vulnerable to proclaim justice and compassion by word and by action. One of the clearest illustrations of that was when he dealt with the woman caught in the act of adultery. Without denying the Mosaic law he diverted attention in such a way as to embarrass the mob into disappearing. He then told the woman to avoid that sin in the future. In doing so, Jesus showed that justice and compassion can both exist in the Kingdom he would be building.

Without too much of a stretch, I suggest that we can all think of an example in which we could offer similar compassion to others pursued for a violation of law or social customs, but in desperate need of compassion. Bringing compassion and understanding into an actual crisis is an excellent way to help build up the Kingdom. And if we can publicly link our actions to our faith, that becomes a very practical and very real act of evangelization.