Callings in Life

Article 2: Single and Wondering takes a look at the single life as a calling by God.

God does not come down from heaven and clearly tell us whether we should marry, stay single, be a priest, deacon, or a religious brother or sister. Trying to discover how we should live as Catholic Christians usually is not easy. We need to look at our innermost inclinations, our talents, and the needs around us; we need to consult men and women of faith. God will move us in very subtle ways. Yet, in the end, God leaves the final decision up to us. He leaves us free to choose. He would never hold it against us, even if we make a choice that would be different that what He would ask of us. He always meets us where we are. He trusts us and supports us in our choice.

Before you make the choice of your place in the Church, study and pray about each of these callings. Do not just fall into one or another way of life. Take a look at your own talents and feelings and the needs in the church and the world around you. Imagine yourself in these different callings; listen and be open to the Lord in prayer, consult your parents, parish staff, good friends, offer yourself to the Lord for what he wants. In the end, God and the Church will leave you free.

In the Sacrament of Marriage, men and women ask the Church to accept them in an important role within the church. They ask to be recognized as special signs and channels of God’s most intimate love for us as revealed through Jesus. God is love, and where love is, God is. God becomes uniquely present through the love that married persons have for each other, for their children, and for all persons they touch in their lives. Even their sexual union, two becoming one in flesh, expresses the very union in love of God and man especially in the person of Jesus.

Husband and wives form “domestic” or “home” churches, cells within and nourished by their parish church. They are meant to be small faith communities, which pray together, celebrate how God is working within their lives, and try to discover how they are to live the way of Christ. In having and raising children, they give birth to and nourish new members within the church.

The single life reveals something about Jesus that is very important to us as church. Jesus, during the major portion of his life, some thirty out of thirty-two or three years, had no recognized role in the community. Yet, this time of his life was very important. Through his living of these years, Jesus shows us the important of everyday living.

The single person in the church is an image of Jesus during those thirty years. There is neither sacrament nor church celebration recognizing the single person’s role in the church; neither was there any event recognizing Jesus in this important role during those thirty years.

As an image of Jesus, the single person reminds the church that its greatest influence on human society is in its simple, unrecognized living out of the message of Jesus, rather than through power, influence, and prestige.

The single person also gives special witness to that uniqueness which is God’s gift to every human person. In addition, in reaching out in unselfish love beyond exclusive friendship and sexual intercourse, singles remind the whole faith community that God’s love is open to all and that no human love alone can be totally fulfilling.

Some men and women experience a deep and personal stirring to bond themselves in a community with others of a similar calling to live out together their belief in Jesus Christ. These Catholics live in religious communities and are called religious “brothers” or “sisters”.

Through their vow or public promise of obedience, these men and women commit themselves to share their vary lives and visions together. They opt to struggle together to be open to the Holy Spirit to discover and put on the mind and hart of Christ and be of service to the church. Prayer together is very important to them.

In taking vow celibacy, they promise to live with and love each other as brothers and sisters, offering companionship and friendship, while avoiding exclusive relationships that would be destructive to their life together.

In their vow of poverty and their sharing of their resources, they express trust in God and in each other and their solidarity with the poor.

As these men and women struggle to live in community they remind the while church that it is called to live together in prayer, peace, and study, so as to discover and live out the mind of Christ in the world.

As pastors, priests lead their brothers and sisters in the struggle to live as the family of God. They welcome new members in Baptism and Confirmation. They offer the Church’s healing forgiveness in the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Anointing of the Sick. They witness marriages. Most importantly, they preside at the Eucharist, calling the faith community together for worship and reflection.

They challenge us to discover and live out the mind and way of Christ in our times and to carry his message and healing redemption into all of society.

As celibates, priests are called to be living signs of God’s love to all persons.

Married and single men may be ordained deacons. Deacons, like priests, officially preach, baptize, witness marriage, conduct funerals, and give the Eucharist. However, most importantly, deacons are called to live lives of service and charity in the name of the church. They are to help the Church be known in the world as a church of service and love in the name of Jesus.

(For further information contact Father Joe Blasko, Diocese of Gaylord 989-732-5147 www.dioceseofgaylord.org)

Whether a Catholic is married, single, living in a community or an ordained minister, each person is called to give service to others within the Church and in the market place. All of us are called to do this in the name of Jesus and in the name of the Church according to our abilities, talents, and the needs of those around us. The message of Christ needs to be brought to the market place and to world politics. The internal life of the church must be nourished. Without efforts in both of these areas, we are not followers of Jesus.

How one lives out a life of service will vary from person to person, from circumstance to circumstance, from local to local need. Some will feed the hungry by working on farms, in the food processing and distribution industries, in restaurants, in soup kitchens for the poor and needy. Some will care for the sick by being a doctor, lab technician, pharmacist, counselor, hospital chaplain, special minister of the Eucharist, volunteer, or as a visitor. Others will work in the education field as an author, teacher, religious education teacher, preacher, maintenance person. Still others will work in factories, in the military, in politics, in sales, or as part of a parish team. Some will serve in more than one way. Each person, assessing his or her own talents and circumstances in life, works out the details of his or her life of service; hopefully not alone, but through prayer and within a circle of faith-filled friends.

God draws us to Himself in different ways. Each one of us comes to God only through relationships with others. While some persons do not seem to grow and experience God until they are in a very close relationship with another person, others seem to grow and experience God in their singleness and in company with many persons rather than with one person.

Some people find that circumstances do not allow them to marry; the care of a family member, or they realize they just cannot live in marriage for whatever reason. Others find themselves single later in life because of separation, divorce or death of their spouse. Still others find that the single life provides opportunities for them to be of great service to others.

All of us are single at one time or another in life, at least in our youth. What about this single life? Can it have meaning for all single persons?

Jesus chose the single life. He certainly could have married; yet he chose to be a celibate. Sometimes we look on Jesus as if he was not sexual. Yet Jesus was human, like us in all things but sin. He felt the need to be hugged, to be caressed. Thoughts of a wife, children and family life were certainly attractive to him. Even his Jewish faith urged him to marry. Yet Jesus chose the single life. He did mention that it was a special calling and the scriptures certainly indicate he was comfortable being single and never felt cheated nor less human or less a man for not marrying. Married friends and marriage itself were dear to him.

We do not know why Jesus decided to remain single. Yet he showed us that the single life can be meaningful, in fact, a positive response to God. It gave him great opportunities to intensify his already deep relationship with his Father; the Father was worth every moment and thought of his life. His being single allowed him the freedom to pursue a life of service and to travel and take risks in that service of others, even unto death.

Not all are called to be single. Jesus himself did not see being single for the vast number of people. He saw it either as a result of human condition which he accepted in a positive way or as a special calling from God to serve His Kingdom.

Joined to Christ and having become a cell in his body by Baptism and Confirmation, the single person reveals things about Jesus that are important to us as church.

For some thirty years, the major portion of his life, Jesus had no recognized role in the community. Yet during this time of his life, he showed us the importance of everyday living and of just being one’s self. The single person is an image of Jesus during those thirty years. As in Jesus’ lifetime, there is no sacrament or church celebration recognizing the single person’s role in the church. Yet the single person reminds the church that its greatest influence in human society is in its simple unrecognized living out of the message of Jesus with, in, and through him – not in power, influence or prestige.

The single person, like Jesus in his singleness, can be a living reminder in our midst that our hearts and minds need to be centered on eternal life with God and each other. The single person proclaims in a unique way the belief in Christ’s victory over death. No human love alone can be totally fulfilling; we will be totally fulfilled only in heaven with God; human life is fleeting. Even the subtle goal of marriage to live on in one’s children does not compare with eternal life with God. For these reasons, St. Paul, who thought the end of time was imminent, recommended people remain single. We know now that the time of the end of the world is unknown and may well be in the distant future. But the single person, if living for others, can still be a sign to all of us that we live on and will be totally fulfilled only in eternal life.

In reaching out in unselfish love beyond any exclusive friendship and sexual intercourse, Jesus, as a single person, reflected an aspect of God’s desire for intimacy with us and His desire to share His life with us. He powerfully reminds us that God’s love is open to all and is never exclusive to one individual or group. Like Jesus, single persons in their unselfish love give us that experience of God. Through their acceptance and support of others, through their forgiveness and healing, they allow all of us to experience God’s acceptance and support, His forgiveness and healing.

Jesus gave special witness to that uniqueness which is God’s gift to every human person. We are so inclined to expect everyone to be the same. We are uncomfortable if someone is different, especially if that one does not settle down and raise a family. Single persons, like Jesus, remind us that we do not all have to be the same, that we do not have to fit a pattern. In unselfish singleness, single, like Jesus, can be living reminders to us that the beauty of God can be reflected in many ways. Even the father/motherhood of God can be reflected and experienced without giving physical birth; there are many ways to give life and nurture. Jesus, though single, gives us life and nourishes us. Like Jesus, the dedicated and chaste single person is a constant call for all to lead a chaste life, both those who happen to be single as well as those who are married.

Being single is like any other vocation. It does not mean being without a vocation nor being free of challenges, worry and concern, doubts and questions. It has its joys and its sorrows, its precious time with others and its time alone.

Single persons, like married persons, priests and religious, are called to be loving, caring, unselfish persons. They need to be loved and comforted and nurtured like anyone else. They, too, need to give comfort and love and nurturing to others. Like anyone else, single persons are called by God to share with others their time and talents, their creativity and concern, their spiritual and material wealth – themselves. There are many ways they can do this: with family and friends, in their employment, in all sorts of volunteer work.

Single persons will never live out their vocation and be the special sign and presence of the loving God by their own power. They cannot be a living cell in the body of Christ if they are in isolation from the rest of us, the church.

Jesus is the source of their strength and their model. The Eucharist is very special to them. It is in the Eucharistic celebration that they recall the extent of Jesus’ love; here they are formed into his likeness, here he is the source of their strength. In this celebration, he offers his ongoing support through their brothers and sisters in Christ.

Single persons are not perfect cells in the body of Christ. There always will be room for growth. The church pledges its support. God will always support them.

Some single persons live out their vocation to the single life on a day to day basis; they leave themselves free to marry, to enter religious life, to change their state in life and in the church. Other single persons choose to remain single for life; some of these take private vows of chastity or celibacy; some of these join what is known as secular institutes. Secular institutes in the church are associations whose members live their own separate lives, but gain support from each other in striving to take on the mind and heart of Christ.

The single person reminds the church

That its greatest influence in human society

Is in its simple unrecognized living out of

The message of Jesus with, in, and through

Him – not in power, influence of prestige.”