In the introduction to William Damon’s book, “The Nobel Purpose,” David G. Myers quotes the 19th-century Polish poet, Cyprian Norwid: “To be what is called happy, someone should have something to live on, something to live for, something to die for. The lack of one of these results in drama. The lack of two results in tragedy.”
In my years as teacher and priest, I have come to believe that the first most important life task of a person is to discover his mission. The second is to live this mission with great passion, great heart and great soul.
Today in The Call of the First Disciples in the Gospel of Luke, the fisherman Peter, who “accidentally meets” Christ, is issued his call, “From now on you will be catching men.” It is interesting to note that the call is refused even before it is issued, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.”
Peter’s call gives us important insights into the nature of call or vocation. One, it is embedded in our life context, our DNA, and is ours from the beginning. Two, it unfolds through events and experiences which seem accidental but actually are part of God’s plan.
Third, a call makes us aware of who we are; the common initial reaction is a sense of unworthiness and refusal of the call. We see this in Peter and in Isaiah. But after the refusal comes the “yes,” the surrender and the following of the mission, of Christ.
Our reflection is to look back on that moment we first realized with the certainty of faith, hope and love that this is our call.
Many of us know or know of someone who has dedicated his/her life to a cause, a craft, an art, a mission.
It could be as simple as Big Boy’s life, the guard-receptionist at Ateneo de Manila High School who from the ’60s to the early ’90s made sure the students were safe.
He lived for this and in 1981 he was given a special outstanding achievement award by the school.
It could be as dramatic as the heroic crusades of a Mother Teresa of Calcutta.
At this point doing something or working to live is transformed into something to live for. It is this meaning that sets our “hearts burning within.”
This was what made one of my co-teachers in the high school decades ago wake up each day at the break of dawn to pray, “Thank you Lord for this day to do your will.”
Each day, each task was seen as serving God and doing the mission he was called to—to make a difference in the lives of his students.
Peter’s own call, his journey, had hits and misses. But remember, there are no accidents in God’s plan. All things lead to our moment when the call sets our hearts on fire.
Our call is in the story, the DNA of our life. It is in remembering this story that we hear or see the call with greater clarity. In this story we will discover our “something to live on, something to live for, something to die for.”