the call comes first, worthiness does not have to follow - 21st week Saturday 2014

If we have to summarize our first reading today this is what I can come up with – vocation comes first, merits do not count; the call comes first, worthiness does not have to follow; God reaches out first and together with it God gives the one he calls the capacity to respond.

The call comes first and merits do not count - Not many of you were wise by human standards ,not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. God chose the foolish of the world, God chose the weak of the world, God chose the lowly and despised of the world.  Simply, those called are not meritorious, they are not fit to be called.  It is God who calls and we cannot know his criteria, we cannot know where he bases his judgment on those he calls. 

So what is seminary formation?  Seminary formation merely aims to recognize the call and sometimes to even clarify the call.  And secondly seminary formation forms the person to respond rightly to the call, to help him respond correctly.

So these are the two things you need to put in mind.  God’s call is mysterious.  It is not based on the criteria set by human judgement.  It is not based on achievements or merits or bloodline.  That is why you need to pray, you need to get in touch with the caller.  You need to peer into his heart because his criteria is not something you can readily know and understand.

Then secondly you need to respond rightly t the call.  No I am not referring to ordination.  Every day of our lives as seminarians and as priests we are attempting to respond rightly to his call. When I study, when I prepare my homily, when I answer a call of duty, when I pray – I am struggling to respond rightly to his call.  It is a day to day response.  There are days when you and I respond rightly, there are days too that we fail.  It is important to respond rightly every day.  And we need his grace to do so.

And so in the end as Paul said we can never really boast because of what we have done, because of our status as priests and seminarians.  We must always be humble, shun honors and honorific titles, avoid the limelight, calling too much attention to the self, because the priesthood is not our merit but God’s call and grace.