Vocation: what is it?
“As he was walking along by the Sea of Galilee he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake – for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them: «Follow me and I will make you fishers of men», and at once they left their nets and followed him”. (Mk 1, 16-18)
“Come, follow me“, Jesus said. The disciples immediately left everything to follow Him. Some of the gospel vocation stories may seem simple to us! If only it were so easy, we may think….
It is not that they are simple: these stories point out the ESSENTIAL - the essence of vocation is A MEETING with Jesus that transforms our lives forever.
The word vocation comes from the Latin verb ‘vocare’, which means ‘to call’; a call to relationship:
The one who CALLS is God:
- Who created me and knows me better than myself;
- Who only wants my good;
- Who presents to each one, and to me, a way of happiness.
God INVITES me and I’m called to give Him an answer. To answer Him I need:
- To know Jesus better as it is He who reveals who God is to me;
- To know myself, my deepest desires and my limitations;
- To know the real needs of the world and of those around me.
Only in this way will I be able to remove all the obstacles that prevent me from understanding God’s will, so that I can give Him a free personal response, which will make me truly happy. Then I will have discovered my vocation, my concrete way of following Jesus in the Church while meeting the needs of the world.