TAKE THIS JOB AND . . . WAIT - I NEED THIS JOB

About ten minutes ago I finished up celebrating a funeral. I will admit when I go to bed at night it is with a certain amount of satisfaction that my vocation in the priesthood does a lot of good in the world (now whether I do well at it is another question but the vocation itself does a lot of good.)

Recently a number of people, mostly men, have come to me and stated that they do not feel that their chosen careers make much of a difference in the world. For example, “I sell whichamajiggies Father and at the end of the day nobody will be saved because they have one, it won’t affect history, it won’t give others hope or ease their suffering.” I challenge that assumption and I challenge it because of what another man who does sell whichamajiggies taught me.

His side of the story goes more like this, “Father, I sell whichamajiggies but that is not what I do. That is a tool. I own this whichamajiggy shop and that allows me to employ these husbands and fathers so that they may raise Christian children with a certain amount of security. Selling whichamajiggies allows me to support my family, my parish, and my community. It allows me to witness to my faith. That is what I do – not sell whichamajiggies.”

If you enjoy your job but it does not feel as though you are contributing to the betterment of man and the glory of God, it may be that it simply a tool to allow you to do those things that do accomplish that end. It may be that your employment is a blessing to others afterall.

Ssshhhhhh....please be silent

"...listen to me; be silent while I teach you wisdom". - Job 33:33

Silence. Often times it can speak louder than words. At times silence can be comforting and other times it can be quite uncomfortable. I do not do well with silence. I find that I always require constant noise. If you are like me, you have a very busy life, filled with people who want or need your time and attention. It can get pretty noisy. And if you’re like me, you probably do not take as much silent time as you should…time with no phone, TV, computer, or music.

A while ago, I saw a movie that was the epitome of silence. The movie was entitled, “Into Great Silence,” and, boy, was I taken into that silence. The movie was about the French Carthusian Order of monks. The movie reflected on their lives and their devotion to God in the purest form, through contemplation and silence. The movie was almost three hours long and, aside from two minutes, was in complete silence. For the first half of the movie I couldn’t do anything but move about, shift in my chair, or text message my friend next to me. The silence was literally killing me. But after I finally settled into a hypnotic state, I began thinking about the silence and all the times that God spoke to me in the quiet. But, like sitting in the silent movie theater, I really had to listen and focus on what God was saying to me in my daily life, though often times I did not want to hear it.

When we do not listen to God and are not silent, we find that He has to shock or scare us to get our attention. Yet, when we sit back and listen, as uncomfortable as it may be from time to time, He can speak volumes to our hearts. God grows in silence. Yet, often times we push that silence aside. But it is in the times we are silent, God often teaches us how to live our lives. And sometimes, it is in that silence when we realize our vocation.

I challenge you to sit in silence, struggle through it, and listen to what God can teach you. God bless.