→ LEARN MORE: Hey God, are you listening?
In class, we defined and discussed the word vocation, which is God’s calling on our hearts for our lives. This call is not an obligation, but rather an invitation from God to be who we truly are in freedom! Our vocation doesn’t just help us, but is also a blessing to the world. God has given us unique gifts and talents meant to serve the world and His Kingdom. God has given each of us a unique mission and calling because only we can do it — God wants and needs us!
Yet, it is hard to see our talents and gifts as unique when we’re constantly looking and listening to others and not God. Whether you’re looking at a classmate or listening to an influencer on social media, comparing yourself leaves you distracted to who God called you to be, and makes it pretty hard to hear Him. Check out these two videos—one by Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Mark-Mary—on comparison and listening to the voice of God:
Comparison: The Great Distraction
What Is God's Will for My Life? Discernment 101 (feat. Br. Lawrence)
→ MONTHLY LECTIO: Psalm 139:1-16
“Lord, you have probed me, you know me:
you know when I sit and stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
You sift through my travels and my rest;
with all my ways you are familiar.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
Lord, you know it all.
Behind and before you encircle me
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
far too lofty for me to reach.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence, where can I flee?
If I ascend to the heavens, you are there;
if I lie down in Sheol, there you are.
If I take the wings of dawn
and dwell beyond the sea,
Even there your hand guides me,
your right hand holds me fast.
If I say, “Surely darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”—
Darkness is not dark for you,and night shines as the day.
Darkness and light are but one.
You formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, because I am wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works!
My very self you know.
My bones are not hidden from you,
When I was being made in secret,
fashioned in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw me unformed;
in your book all are written down;
my days were shaped, before one came to be.”
Questions to Consider
- God was there when He created us—He knows us better than we know ourselves. What are your thoughts on this?
- No matter where we go, God will always remain with us in the good times and especially the bad times. Can you recall a time where you felt God’s presence?
- God sees us for who we are, “Your eyes saw me unformed.” How does this make you feel?
→ MONTHLY VISIO DIVINA: The Seven Sacraments (A Celebration of Life) by George Tooker
About this piece
“The Seven Sacraments: A Celebration of Life” is a remarkable work that consists of seven large panels that integrate the seven sacraments of the Church in what becomes a unified, single image. When Tooker’s small parish of St. Francis of Assisi in Windsor, Vermont, began to build a new church after a devastating fire in 1980, he asked his friend and pastor, Father Forrest Rouelle, if he could paint a major work for the new building. Father Rouelle was delighted and commissioned the painting that is a permanent fixture of the church.
The center panel, the largest, depicts the moment of consecration in the Mass; on either side of the Eucharist panel are three smaller paintings. On the left, we see Baptism, Confirmation and Reconciliation, the Sacraments of Initiation. The third panel depicts the repentant sinner invited by his confessor to the altar for Communion with a diverse congregation who are exchanging the sign of peace. It is a striking image of both forgiveness and love that grows logically from the paintings of infant baptism and childhood first Communion, into a more mature understanding of universal community united in the celebration of the Eucharist. The panels on the right portray marriage, also connected to the central image of the Eucharist; the anointing of the sick, which acts as a beautiful mirror image of the confirmation painting; and Holy Orders, which features the vocational life of both religious and the laity.
Questions to Consider:
- What catches your eye about this picture? Describe why it catches your eye. What do you think God is trying to tell you through this? How do you see yourself in this picture?
- The left three panels depict the Sacraments of Initiation. These Sacraments help us become fully initiated Christians. The right three panels are the Sacraments of Healing. These Sacraments help us heal ourselves and the world. Why do you think marriage and Holy Orders (process of becoming a priest) are part of the Sacraments of Healing?
→ HOMEWORK:
- Write a reflection on Psalm 139:1-16 and The Seven Sacraments (A Celebration of Life), using the questions as guidance
- Take a short quiz on vocation and discernment
PLEASE SUBMIT YOUR HOMEWORK HERE
