The Call Is Always There

 

Readings 061426

Blessed be God.
Praise be to Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.
Come, Holy Spirit—fill our hearts with joy,
set us ablaze with Your presence.

These past weeks have carried me
from baptisms to first communions,
from marriage prep to funerals—
from the very beginning of life in Christ
to the moment we commend a soul back to Him.

And through all of it,
one truth kept rising in my heart:

The call is always there.

From the moment the waters of baptism touched our heads,
God placed a call upon our lives—
a call to follow His Son,
a call to proclaim the Gospel
not only with our words
but with the unfolding story of our days.

When we are young,
we imagine that call as a dream,
a mission,
a path we feel ready to conquer.
But as life goes on,
we meet limits, disappointments,
and the quiet question:
“Did I hear God correctly?”

And sometimes—
right in that moment of doubt—
we finally hear the whisper
that has been with us all along.

Because God does not call only the polished.
He calls the wandering,
the wounded,
the ones who feel unworthy.
Saint Paul reminds us:
“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And in Exodus, God names our identity:
“You shall be my special possession…
a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”
Not someday.
Now.

In today’s Gospel,
Jesus looks at the crowds—
troubled, abandoned, searching—
and His heart is moved with pity.
Then He turns to His disciples—
He turns to us—and says:
“Go. Proclaim the Kingdom.
Heal. Lift up. Restore.”

In other words:
Bring My mercy where there is pain.
Bring My hope where there is despair.
Bring My love where love has been forgotten.

So today,
listen again for the call
that has always been there—
not the call you imagined in youth,
but the call God is speaking
into your life right now.

Because someone out there
needs the Christ you carry.

Go, then,
as God’s special possession,
His holy people,
His kingdom of priests.
Go and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ
by the way you live your life.
And may the peace that comes
from walking in God’s will
be the joy that carries you forward.

Praise be to Jesus Christ, forever and ever. Amen.

Prayer 

Lord Jesus,
You placed Your call upon us in baptism.
Keep our hearts open to Your whisper each day.
Strengthen us when doubt or weariness settles in.
Fill us with courage to carry Your mercy to others.
Make our lives a living “yes” to Your holy will.
Amen.