Come and Journey with Me

“Come and journey with me”

That is God’s simple and humble invitation to each and every one of us…lately it’s been a phrase I have been taking to prayer…

Vocation. The English form of the word comes from the Latin word Voco, Vocare, meaning, “to call”. According to Merriam-Webster it is “a summons or strong inclination to a particular state or course of action; especially : a divine call to the religious life.” But it is important to remember that we all have a vocation, not just priests and religious…we often forget that marriage and celibate single life are also vocations.

Whatever your vocation in life may be, it is important to remember these three things:

1. Pray and discern, even if you are contemplating a vocation to Holy Matrimony. Answering the call God has given to you is counter-cultural, we need that source of strength which only prayer can give us. God is your Father, God is your Brother, God is your Strength and Inspiration…why wouldn't you spend some time with the awesome gift that God is?! We know that there will be people out there that view us differently for answering our call…but God will only love us all the more. Perhaps we can get discouraged and down because of the way some people view us, or because the road is beginning to get rocky…go to God in prayer and allow Him to hold you. You don’t need to say anything…just sit, know that He is God, and allow the hands that formed the universe to hold you.
2. Do not be afraid. Christ loved us so much that he was willing to go to the cross. Do we love Christ enough that, if our journey leads to the cross, we will push on? Do not be afraid…God is saying, “Come and journey with me” not “Go ahead and go on that journey”…God longs to be with you, let Him lead you and you will never be alone. He loves you so much that he quite literally holds out His hand to us and patiently waits for us to take hold of it, so that the journey can begin. And if your journey does lead to the cross, He is right there beside you, loving you with a love that we cannot even begin to understand.
3. I am no saint, I don’t pretend to be one, if I come off that way I am so sorry…I am a sinner and I will ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness all the days of my life. I fall, but those hands that held the leper, broke the bread, and were pierced by the nails of the cross, are held out to me…waiting to help me back to my feet. Then, joined hand-in-hand, we continue on the journey…together. God never abandons us…we abandon Him. Perhaps we can’t feel God’s presence…that does not mean He isn't there with you. Do not be discouraged…know that God loves you, and if you fall, the journey is not over, He is waiting to help you back to your feet.

Whatever your vocation is, it will lead you to holiness. It is not by pretending to be extraordinary that we become holy, but it is by becoming ordinary that we become extraordinary and holy. The lives which God is calling us to may seem ordinary, but the very fact that God has called you to that way of life, is what makes it extraordinary and by following that way of life, we can grow in our relationship with God, which, in turn, will make us holier men and women.

Christ is inviting you to journey with him…the course is set, the thongs of your sandals are tied, your walking-stick is in hand…will you take that first step?