Today we hear about some unlikely people who were called to do the work of God.
Amos was called to be a prophet of God and was not well received by Amaziah, the priest of Bethel.
Amos was treading on his turf and told him not to prophesy in Bethel anymore.
Amos tells him, I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamore.
He tended sheep and cared for trees.
But, God chose him to go to Bethel to prophesy to the people of Israel.
In the Gospel Jesus picked Twelve of his disciples and sent them out.
These Twelve were the Apostles, sent to bring the Good News of Jesus to others.
Jesus gave them special power with authority over unclean spirits.
With this power, it would lend credibility to their message, and help bring people to have faith in Jesus.
The apostles witnessed Jesus doing mighty deeds.
They knew he was special.
How could this group of humble men, mostly fisherman, possibly work the wonders that Jesus did?
We’re told they did.
The Twelve drove out many demons and they anointed many with oil many to cure them of illness.
(Pause)
These men had no special qualities to equip them to do the work of God.
They were unlikely candidates based on their occupations.
But they were chosen by God to do his will.
Are we called to do the same as Amos and to go out and prophesy?
Does God expect us to cast out demons and cure the sick?
We’re just ordinary people working to provide for ourselves or our families.
We’re teachers, mechanics, factory workers, doctors, students, and store clerks.
We don’t have the qualifications to do the work of God.
Isn’t God’s work is better left for those who are Holy, the clergy and religious, specifically trained in God’s ways?
It would seem that this would be the case, but God doesn’t work in the ways we expect.
God doesn’t call the equipped, he equips the called.
(Pause)
St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians sheds some light on this calling.
St. Paul tells us that God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ for the praise and glory of his grace the he granted us in the beloved.
St. Paul tells us that we have been chosen by God to be holy.
Isn’t being holy what saints, clergy, and religious are called to?
But what about everyone else?
Are they expected to be Holy?
Yes, everyone is called to be Holy.
How is is possible for everyone to be Holy.
St. Paul sheds some light on this: In him you also, who have heard the word of
truth, the gospel of salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the
holy Spirit, the first installment of our inheritance, toward redemptions as
God’s possession.
(pause)
It’s possible for all of us to be holy, because we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit through the grace of the sacrament of Baptism.
Grace is a free and underserved gift that God gives us to respond to his call. In our Baptism we receive sanctifying grace.
This enables us to believe in and love God and the power to live and act under the Holy spirit through the gifts of the Holy spirit.
This allows us to grow in goodness through the moral virtues.
Also in being baptism in Christ, we also are called to participate in being priest, prophet, and king in our particular state in life.
(Pause)
Each of us are called by God to a special role in this world to glorify him.
What is that special role?
It’s the vocation we’re called to.
We have been chosen by God before the foundation of the world to be holy.
Being holy is the person that God chose you to be. I
t could be the ordained ministry, as priest or deacon, a religious sister or brother, or it could be as lay person who is married or single.
In our culture today it’s very challenging to think of being a possession of God chosen for a particular role in life.
As Americans we tend to think in terms of having the freedom to choose what we want to be.
And we do have the freedom to do so.
But as Christians, redeemed by Christ, it’s important to discover God plan for us.
The requires setting aside time in quiet reflection in prayer in discerning what God is calling us to.
This is important to do when we are young, but also throughout our entire lives.
(Pause)
Are we called to be a shepherd or dresser of sycamores like Amos or are we called by God to prophesy?
Are we called to be fishermen like the Apostles or are we called to be sent to cat out demons and spread the Good news of Jesus?
Some of us may have the calling to be directly involved in God’s work as priest, deacon, religious, or lay ministers working in the Church.
But a vast majority will be called as married and single person raising families and working jobs to support our families.
Whatever we are called to, we are all called to be holy.
The call to Holiness for all the faithful was a central theme of the Second Vatican Council.
The Vactican II document, Lumen Gentum, details how each of us in our particular roles is called to Holiness.
One of the most powerful statements I found in this document was under the title, COUNTERCUTURAL.
It stated: THEREefore, all the faithful of Christ are invited to strive for the holiness and perfection of their own proper state.
(Pause)
So you may be called to be a plumber, nurse, or librarian.
But you may also be casting out demons by helping a co-worker overcome an addiction.
You may be a banker, salesperson, or cook.
But you’ll be healing a broken heart in being present to a friend who has a lost a loved one.
You may also be a priest bringing God’s healing through the sacraments of anointing of the sick and reconciliation.
By loving God and Neighbor in your state of life you’ll be living a life of holiness.
Whatever you’re called to, you’ll be empowered through the grace of the Holy Spirit in Baptism and Confirmation.
And this grace will be continually being strengthened through the Eucharist, that you can receive each and every week.
As you come forward to receive the Eucharist today, thank God for this grace to help you live your call to holiness.
