November 6, 2024 “And I’m guessing you’re going to write about it in your column.” My dad said that to me on Halloween night after I recounted a story of a young child getting out of a pew, out of his family’s reach and darting for the sanctuary during a recent Mass. I told my parents that story because it was similar to a story that has become a family legend. It’s told often. I was young enough that I don’t remember it. I’m guessing 3, maybe 4. I got out of the pew in which my family was seated, got just far enough away from my parents that I couldn’t easily be reached, turned around and said, “nyah, nyah, nyah! Can’t catch me,” and I darted to the front of the church. Apparently, the whole church, including the pastor, Msgr. Clarence Devan, found my antics rather entertaining. Laughter ensued. My parents were mortified. As I sat later and thought about my father expecting the kid-on-the-loose story in a future column, it occurred to me: It doesn’t work that way. Sometimes I have a fun story I’d love to tell in these pages, but it doesn’t work that way. I don’t always see where my fun stories relate to my faith/spiritual life. I don’t drive this. The Holy Spirit is the one who drives this. This ability to make these connections between my regular life and Jesus/my faith/some lesson from God isn’t me. These ideas just drop on me or hit me like a freight train (sometimes they’re kind of painful). I feel like that’s at least one of the ways – probably the main way – the Holy Spirit speaks to me. I’m truly just trying my best to be open to the urgings of the Holy Spirit and to go where the God leads me with that. That felt appropriate this week when we celebrate vocations. Whether it’s the priesthood, consecrated life, single life, married life or the diaconate, we’re called to follow the urgings of the Holy Spirit and go where God leads us. Living our vocations can be hard. Really, really hard. Every vocation has its challenges. But following God’s call in our lives is following our path to him, and it’s our way to true peace and joy. That certainly seems worth writing about. |
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