A Personal Christmas

Seeing how every vocation is born in God first

Luke 1:5-25 

Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense.  But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.” Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.  But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”

          One of the special joys of working as chaplain at Trinity Junior High is helping our students discover their vocation. Teenagers begin discovering their talents, skills, interests, and yes, also their weaknesses, and ask themselves: “What should I do with these?” “Why am I here on earth?” “What is my purpose in life?” And I urge our students to remember the first rule of discernment, namely, your vocation is not first and foremost your vocation; it is God’s vocation for you. That is, our vocation is always born in God first, it does not originate in us. I recently received a Christmas card with a very catchy line, but one that contains a profound spiritual truth. It read: “When man reaches for God, we call it religion. When God reaches for man, we call it Christmas.” You could also re-write that somewhat to read: When you discover your vocation, you discover your own “personal Christmas,” that is, how God is reaching out to touch and transform you. Every vocation is a Christmas vocation.

          In the gospel today we see the angel Gabriel has little patience for those who do not accept their vocation from God. He tells Zachariah – high priest that year, no less – he will be a father even though both he and his wife are elderly and barren. Zachariah, quite reasonably, replies: “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” The angel then reminds him of the first rule of discernment: your vocation is not your vocation; it is God’s vocation for you. In other words, this is not about you and what you can do for God, but about what God can and will do for you. This is not religion; this is Christmas. Every vocation is a Christmas vocation, a personal Christmas.

          My friends, it is not only Trinity students and Jewish high priests who have to figure out their vocation; so do you and so do I. It is something we have to discern throughout our whole lives, again and again. And so don’t forget the first rule of discernment: your vocation is not your vocation; it is God’s vocation for you. Here are three simple steps to seeing God’s vocation for you. First, don’t ask the question: what do I want to do? Rather, ask: what does God want me to do? Hear the difference? Discernment is not about figuring out your will; it is about learning to do God’s will. Second, study the patterns of Scripture, like today’s readings about Manoa and Zachariah. If an angel appears to you and reveals God’s will, try not to question it. And third, don’t worry it if seems beyond your ability. A vocation is not about what you will do for God, but about what God will do for you. And remember how the angel assured Mary, “Nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37).

          Folks, Christmas is just around the corner, on December 25th. But in a sense, Christmas is always just around the corner, every time we try to discern our vocation. Why? Because every vocation is a Christmas vocation: less about us, and all about God.

          Praised be Jesus Christ!