Set Apart by the Lord for a Special Vocation and a Special Ministry or Profession

In today's gospel, Mark 2: 13-17, Jesus calls Levi, a tax collector, to follow him.  At table dining with Levi in  his house, Jesus hears scribes outside the house asking why is eating with sinners and tax collectors.  His response is that he "did not come to call the righteous but sinners." And furthermore states: "Those who are well do not need a physician."  Sinners, not well spiritually, do!

Many are called be that to marriage, to single life, to religious life, to priesthood,  or to the deaconate. All of us need a physician to stay well, to remain faithful to the Lord, as Levi had even to the point of being martyred for his faith. You and I most likely will not face physical martyrdom but a spiritual martyrdom, dying to sin, to selfishness, to anything that is an obstacle within us to following the will of God for us, especially when the choices God calls us to embrace provoke others to say: Why has the Lord called this person to that way of life, to be involved in that ministry, to marry that person, to be involved in that profession?

Samuel, unlike Levi, was highly praised: "There was no other child of Israel more handsome than Saul; he stood head and shoulder above the people....When Samuel caught sight of Saul, the Lord assured him, 'This is the man of whom I told you; he is to govern my people'...[Saul anointed him, saying:) 'The Lord anoints you commander over his heritage. You are to govern the Lord's people Israel, and to save them from the grasp of their enemies roundabout."

Saul, unlike Levi, does not remain faithful to the Lord or to his calling, but get lured into evil ways with others around him.  You and I need to know that fidelity to the Lord is not a given.  We, like Saul, may face challenges to follow others paths. Without keeping our focus on the Lord and remembering that we are sinners dependent on the Lord for our salvation, we, too, could succumb to temptations all around us. 

Lord, help us remain faithful to you in whatever calling you have given us. May we stay close to you and remember our dependence upon grace to do the good  to which you have called us.

The Sacredness of Each Vocation: A Personal Call from God

This morning I met with 130 children--kindergarten through 8^th grade--to talk about vocations: to religious life, to priesthood, to marriage or to the single life.  Each vocation is a call from God that is unique to each of God’s sons and daughters.  75% of our youth are called to marriage and/or the single lifestyle and 25% to priesthood and/or to religious life.   Fulfillment , reaching one’s potential in life as well as being happy, at peace and filled with joy comes with responding to God’s will in terms of vocation and routine decisions that are made every day.  Are you tuning in to that quiet voice at the core of your being to hear God’s call to you and do you have the courage, both in big decisions, such as a vocation in life, and small decisions, like shutting off the TV and doing your homework, to follow that inner call.  It is heard only by you, as God talks directly to each person.   Below is a picture of the newest members of my religious community. Happiness and joy radiates from their faces because have listened to God’s call in the inner depths of their being. T May you tune in—God is calling you all of the time to the path that is right for you in significant and less significant choices that you face each day.

Finding Jesus and Letting Jesus Find You

In today’s Gospel, John 1: 43-51, Jesus goes to Galilee and calls Philips to follow Him. Philip, who is from Bethsaida, invites Nathanael, telling him that they have found the “one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.”  Tomorrow, in Trinidad and Tobago, Jesus’ invitation to two young women is being fulfilled as they enter the postulancy of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother.  It is not uncommon, today, to hear people taunt those who have entered religious life or who are members of a religious congregation.  “Why throw your life away,” some people ask. Others dogmatically proclaim that religious life is dying.  If so, why would the Lord continue to call young men and women to enter religious life today? As of today, the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother have 7 postulants, 3 novices and 9 young women in temporary vows!  We are not dying, just getting smaller and better! 

Just as Jesus saw Nathanael sitting under a fig tree (John 1 :49), so, too, Jesus sees young men and women sitting in libraries, living rooms, bedrooms, under shade trees, in classrooms and churches,or wherever.  He ponders their hearts.  Some hear his call and courageously answer.   Like Nathanael, who asked the Lord how He knew Him, Jesus says to those who follow Him, “Before so and so invited you to consider religious life, I saw you.”  Nathanael’s life is changed forever as He acknowledges that Jesus  is “the Son of God,…the King of Israel.”  And Jesus says to him:  Nathanael, “you will see greater things than this…Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the son of Man.” 

Women and men religious, priests of God, are being called to a deeply intimate relationship with the Lord—a relationship that grows with the passing of time, as these men and women devote time each day to personal  and communal  prayer, contemplation, silent retreat and a total giving of themselves to service in the Church.  It is an awesome vocation, a privileged one,  for the few who are chosen.  As a member of a religious community of women for 50+ years I know and am so grateful!

Discernment: How can I gain clarity about my vocation?

Discernment:  Many times, I get the question: “How do I know whether God is calling me to religious life? There’s an attraction to religious life but how do I really know for sure?” One of the ways to arrive at  some clarity and a deeper knowing is to explore all vocations—religious life, single life, and/or marriage.  Take time to look at your hopes and fears of each. For you, what are the pros/cons of marriage, of religious life, of the single lifestyle? Take time in a prayerful atmosphere, a time of solitude and quiet to answer those questions for yourself and do so in writing.  Then, talk to someone you trust about what surfaced for you. Or email me—I’d love to enter into a dialogue with you about your findings!  Or if you are in the area, drop by and talk with me.

Vocation: a precious gift from God

I am preparing for our monthly renewal day--every month Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother set aside a day for prayer, spiritual reading, reflection and discussion. This coming year, my local house community has chosen the first Sunday of each month for this experience.  As I prepare to lead this Sunday's day of reflection, I am reading an article in the HORIZON magazine, a resource for Vocation Directors.  I am at awe as I read about one religious community that numbered 10 sisters, the youngest being in her late sixties,  had made a decision to no longer accept candidates, who sent an 80-year-old sister to the Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors sponsored by the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). Puzzled that she would be attending this orientation program since her community had made the decision to cease accepting new candidates, the Director of NRVC asked her the obvious question: why are you here, then?  Her response was:  "Because we have chosen not to accept, does not exempt us from the responsibility of promoting what is most precious to us, which is the gift of our vocation. Even though my community will some day no longer be here, my community will live on in other communities through the men and women I hope to send to them. This isn't about my congregation. It's about the church. It's about religious life."  What a privilege as Vocation Director for the U.S./Caribbean Province of the Sisters of the Sorrowful to promote what I so strongly believe in: that all vocations are a call from God, a gift from the Almighty, and, above all, a gift that uniquely fits the person to whom God gives it!  I want young men and women to find that treasure. I did!

Welcome to my new blog!

Hi, I'm Sister Dorothy Ann Dirkx. I am Vocations Director for the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother. Join me on my spiritual journey by following this blog. Check back soon for stories about the daily lives of Sisters--how through work and prayer, we bring fuller life to others. Thank you for visiting!