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VOCATION NETWORK!
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FEAST OF BLESSED ANDRÉ BESSETTE, RELIGIOUS
Love is divine
A prayer to André Bessette, a brother of the Holy Cross order who spent a lifetime counseling and praying for people from his desk at the entrance to his community’s residence in Montreal, says: “Grant us the grace to imitate his piety and charity so that, with him, we may share the reward promised to all those who care for their neighbor because of their love for you.” Love comes from God, and we love others because we love God and find God’s love in our love for others. Speaking of poor people, but in words that describe all Christian love, Catholic Worker cofounder Dorothy Day once said we start by loving the poor for Jesus but we soon love them for themselves and see each one to be special. Today, find God in others and others in God.
TODAY’S READINGS: 1 John 4:7-10; Mark 6:34-44
“Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God.”
to your soul-searching questions
Is my vocation from God or just my imagination?
How do I know if a call to religious life is from God or just my imagination?
I have to begin by quoting Joan of Arc in George Bernard Shaw's wonderful play about her trial. When Joan's interrogators doubt that the voices she hears are from God and suggest that they spring from her imagination, Joan replies as if her accusers are hopelessly ignorant: "I know. That is how God speaks to me." We tend to belittle the imagination as the realm of children. We forget that Jesus had a high opinion of children, favored their company, and thought we should be more like th ...
Order priest or diocesan priest?
How do I know whether I'm suited for being an order priest or a diocesan priest?
I’m happy to count among my friends Franciscans, Jesuits, Oblates, Paulists, Marists, and even the rare Camaldolese monk. I also know and love a small army of diocesan priests. I’ve often wondered why each one entered the ministry and, in particular, wound up in the “lifestyle” he currently enjoys. Because I’m curious and also pretty bold, I always ask. Their candid replies have helped me appreciate the process of discernment, the power of the Spirit, and ...