In the Story of a Soul, St Therese ponders her vocation and finishes by declaring it is love. So often we can miss this central aspect of the vocation. We think of priests and nuns as those who do things – celebrate mass, teach, etc. Yet that is only the objective side, every vocation also has a subjective side.
Many look back fondly at “the good ol’ days” when vocations seemed plentiful. They ask: “Why not that many today?” I think this is a false analysis. How did all those priests and nuns see themselves? How were they seen? Was the vision just objective – what they did – without being subjective – who they were. Was there vocation just so we could have cheap nurses and teachers or so many mass intentions could be offered? That would be a pretty sad life to live. By analogy, they would be like spouses who were together as business partners raising kids.
I think the fact vocations were lived out that way adds to people’s wonder today at how priests and nuns could live without human companions.
When people ask me why I became a Legionary, they seem to expect something about our apostolates or our spirit. At first I would try to please them. More and more, I admit the truth: I fell in love.
I can still remember several steps of the process of falling in love like yesterday. I remember the first moment I walked into our seminary in Cheshire and knew this was the place. For me it was almost love at first sight – I knew some Regnum Christi members but had never met a Legionary who I knew was a Legionary. It wasn’t that the brothers who drove me there told me anything particularly amazing. When we try to explain love, we end up explaining it away.
If priesthood and religious life are vocations, we need to be able to fall in love with them.
Each of us is called to love in our vocation. When we promote vocations, it can’t be just telling people about apostolates or mission statements – that’s like telling a girl the height and IQ of a guy you want her to meet. Instead, help them fall in love.
