VOCATION: HERE I AM 

LORD,  SEND  ME 

INTRODUCTION

The theme I would like to preach on today is: “Vocation.”

It's a loud, clear message in today's gospel for this 1st Saturday in Advent. [Cf. Matthew 9:35 to 10: 1, 5a, 6-8.]

The Lord is calling everyone to something unique. The word “vocation” simple means a calling.

The response to a calling, to a vocation, to God speaking to us is:  “Here I Am Lord. Send me.”

Here I am, Lord. Send me.

PLENTY OF SWEAT

A sub-title or a principle that I will stress in this homily is a basic theological and human life principle. It’s this: Perspiration more than inspiration.

“It’s perspiration more than inspiration.”

It would be nice if homilies just came, but they don’t most of the time.

You got to sweat to get them.

You have to get up early to prepare for them.

They are work.

“It’s perspiration more than inspiration!”

This principle is not my principle. It’s Michaelangelo’s and Edison’s and a whole lot of other people’s principle.

So the theme of this homily is, “Vocation: Here I Am, Lord. Send Me.”

PETER DONDERS

A little known holy priest, now called Blessed Peter Donders, started off as a diocesan priest who then became a Redemptorist. I read his life and found him to be a very inviting person.  I once wrote a short life of him. He was a giver.

When Peter Donders was in the major seminary in Holland, the president of the seminary told him to read the annals of the Propagation of the Faith from America.

So he read letter after letter, story after story, about the need for priests in America.

The immigrants were in great need for priests -- for saying Mass, etc.

So Peter got the bug, the desire, the hunger, the thirst to go to North America. A bubble formed deep within him to go there.

Here I am Lord, send me.

Next, his director, a priest named Van Soomen told him about the need for priests in Surinam. The Indians, the blacks (former slaves), the mulattos, the Dutch, all needed priests.

So once again he heard the call, the cry, the need, and Peter said, “Here I am Lord, send me.”

Vocation: Here I am Lord, send me.

JOHN NEUMANN

The same thing happened to John Neumann. Like Peter Donders, he too started off as a diocesan priest, and then became a Redemptorist - and later on the bishop of Philadelphia.

When he was in the seminary, in the theologate, in Bohemia, he got that same bug, that Peter Donders got. 

America needed priests.

The seed was planted.

John Neumann wanted to come to America.

The immigrants were starving for priests.

Vocation: Here I am Lord, send me.

Here I am Lord, send me.

OLPH GRAMMAR SCHOOL

When I was in grammar school, the same thing happened to me.

Redemptorist priests came into our classroom, when they returned for vacation from missionary work in Brazil and Puerto Rico and they told us of the foreign missions.

Here I am Lord, send me.

That was my dream.

ST. ALPHONSUS

When St. Alphonsus went to Scala from Naples, Italy,  for his vacation, he discovered goatherders, migrants were without priests. They were sheep without a shepherd.

The gospel for today sums up his basic feelings.

MATTHEW 9: 35 ff.

“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned,  like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.”

Alphonsus said, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

Vocation: “Here I am Lord. Send me.”

ST. FRANCIS XAVIER

Today we we celebrate the feast of St. Francis Xavier. He saw the great crowds of people in the east and in Africa, who were like sheep without a shepherd.

He did it. He went East young man and visited all kinds of places till he died on his way into China. 

And he wished he could go to the college young men of Paris and Europe and tell them what he saw, so they too would say, “Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

“Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

He was trying to touch that basic core feeling that got us to Mass this morning.

“Here I am, Lord. Send me.”

RETREATS AND PARISH MISSIONS

I'm 77 now and I never got to Brazil.

However, looking back I think of various people I have met on Parish Missions and Week-end Retreats who complained about their parish priest. It would often come up in large group question and answer periods.

They talked about dead priests - dead liturgies - dead music - dead homilies - dead parishes. Then they would add, "No wonder our kids dropped out of church."

Like our recent political campaign, they often were much more negative than positive.

I didn't hear the good stuff about good priests, parishes, homilies and service.

I would only hear comments like:  “I am worried about my children.” “I am worried about the future.”

As I thought about this, I realize that's all like the evening news. There are bad lawyers, teachers, and doctors.

In time I realized that each of us need to hear the bottom line in all this: "Be the best I can be in whatever life situation I'm in."

CONCLUSION

Jesus summoned his 12 disciples and gave them authority to expel unclean spirits and to cure sicknesses and diseases of every kind.

Here I am, Lord. Send me

“He gave them instruction: Go instead after the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go make this announcement: ‘The reign of God is at hand.’”

Here I am, Lord. Send me.

“Cure the sick,

raise the dead,

heal the leprous,

expel demons.”

Here I am, Lord. Send me.

“The gift you have been given, give as a gift.”

Here I am, Lord. Send me.