NCYC—“Signed, Sealed, and Delivered”

“Signed, Sealed, and Delivered” was the theme for the National Catholic Youth Ministry Conference that gathered 22,000 young people and adults in Indianapolis, Indiana last weekend.  At the opening session, the symbols of a fount and a cross expressed the dynamics of our faith:  signed, we belong to Christ and we are delivered from evil in Jesus’ saving act on the cross; and sealed with the Holy Spirit, we witness our faith.

In his key note address, Ansel Augustine from New Orleans led an invigorating choreography session with his “in-step” group and then told the story about a how his life was upended in the face of hurricane Katrina.  He and his friends had evacuated to Florida intending to make it a week-long vacation.  Then he got a phone call that the levee had broken and decimated New Orleans.  Ansel traveled back to New Orleans and roughed it in the Super Dome for four days until some of the members of his church brought him home.   Then his girlfriend drove him to the morgue where nineteen deceased members of his family and friends had perished.   This great loss and no longer having a job devastated him.  Ansel realized over time that God was there with them through this trial, what they needed was trust.   He and the members of his church rebuilt their church.  By trusting in God, the mess of Katrina was turned into a miracle.  Ansel urged participants to trust God in the messes of life, and see how God can transform those messes into new life. 

Joy: An Indelible Mark of Virtue

Recently a family joined us at Mass for the fifteenth anniversary of the death of their loved one, Benny Natoli, who was a Salesian brother.  Benny’s presence exuded a sense of hospitality and gentleness in community living.  Even after a stroke, which rendered him speechless, his joy was still alive in always making a fresh brew of coffee, in baking fresh apple pies, and in his gentle mannerisms.  After mass, the Benny stories continued all through lunch and his family was moved to joy by remembering the life of their beloved Benny.

Joy has a special place in life and particularly in vocation.  Bro. Benny’s joy was in the well of his soul, and continued to trickle up even after his stroke.  While joy is deeply immersed in our being, it must be distinguished from happiness.  Webster’s dictionary defines happiness as both contentment and satisfaction.  During the course of the day, our happiness may change depending on our health and whether events go well for us.  But joy runs deeper, it is virtuous and life-giving, and it seeks to be aligned with goodness which comes from God.  Mary of Nazareth’s availability to be the Christ bearer defines a joy that was in her very soul, something she openly shared with her cousin Elizabeth at the Visitation, but something that was also present at the foot of the cross. 

Jesus desired that the disciples share fully in his life.  In John’s gospel, Jesus expressed this sentiment when he said, I tell you this “so that my joy might be in you and your joy might be complete” (15:11).  Joy is a vital signpost that expresses God’s desires to share joy and life.  Discerning a vocation to religious life requires taking a long loving look to see whether joy is at the root of this lifestyle.  

What Others See In You

Friends and colleagues often see God’s grace is at work in a person called to religious life.  I witnessed this at a Newman Center (college ministry) that was offering a vocation retreat for college students.  Marci, a member of the Newman Center recommended that Edward attend the retreat.  When Edward asked why Marci invited him, she responded that she had seen how Edward matured in faith from high school to college.  Edward accepted her invitation, made the retreat, and received the necessary tools to discern his vocation to religious life.

What are some concrete signs that God’s grace might be at work in a person considering religious life?

• a desire to participate more in mass or in Church events
• a desire to serve others
• a desire to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation more frequently
• a desire to attend Eucharistic adoration
• a desire to practice devotions such as the rosary, The Sacred Heart, The Divine Mercy, or novenas
• a desire to read and study scripture or Church teaching
• a desire to make retreats or pilgrimages

There may also be movements that shape a person’s life that others come to recognize.  John Bosco, the founder of the Salesians,  experienced the desire to serve young people when he was still a child.   His mother Margaret recognized this movement in her son and pointed out that this may be God’s way of calling him to be a shepherd (priest) for the young.

What qualities or movements  have others recognized in your own life that point to religious life?   

Mary’s Pilgrim Way

In a recent blog from “Whispers of the Loggia,” Pope Francis recognizes how Mary of Nazareth plays a significant role in the journey of faith, especially in this “Year of Faith” in the Church.  Mary’s life is in essence an ongoing pilgrimage to God.  A decisive moment changed her life when she said yes to be the Christ bearer.  For every moment thereafter, she would say her daily yes to be in concert with God’s will and plan of salvation.  Her YES to God is a model for those discerning a call to religious life.

                No doubt, there will be difficulties along this path.  For instance, family members initially may not be supportive of a religious vocation.  But it was no different for Mary, she had to break the news of being the Christ bearer to Joseph as well as to the Nazareth community.  But she was reassured by Gabriel who told her that all things are possible with God, because Mary’s cousin Elizabeth had conceived in her old age (Luke 1:37).

                Yes, there is something about Mary in the journey of faith through discernment.  She walks with discerners by encouraging them to say yes even when there are obstacles. In this month of the rosary, may each bead prayed can be a response of yes to the Lord.  

Our Desire Is God’s Desire

In the first signpost, the discernment process led to Jesus’ peace, a peace that touches the very soul.   But to experience this peace, we must wrestle with knowing and understanding God’s will and then surrender our will to God’s plan.

In the second signpost, we come to realize that our deepest desires are what God desires for us. But how can we come to know if God’s desire for us is religious life?  Again, in the spiritual exercises, Ignatius tells us that God places God’s very desire for us in our hearts.  In the call narrative of John’s gospel (John 35-39), Andrew and other disciple begin to tag along with Jesus even though they do not yet know him.  Jesus turns to them and asks, “What are you looking for,” and they respond, “Where do you stay,” and Jesus says, “Come and see.”  As this narrative unfolds, it is notable that Jesus desires the best for Andrew and the other disciple. 

But there are many cultural signs that tell us what we are to become and what makes us happy.  To follow a call to religious life, we must intentionally filter out false signs by seeking Jesus like Andrew and the other disciple.  They lived with the resolve to find “The Lamb of God” through communal living, prayer and reflection.  This discernment process, coupled with the mediation of John the Baptist, who functioned like a spiritual director, enabled the disciples to find their heart’s desire in Jesus.  But the converse could be said as well, that the heart of Jesus’ desire was tapped as well, since in calling forth these disciples, the Reign of God was at hand.  Jesus’ desire for disciples is to experience the saving plan of God.