SACRIFICE AND VOCATIONS
Rev. John A. Hardon, S.J.
SRV Chaplain
Every vocation is born of sacrifice, is maintained
by sacrifice and is measured in the apostolate by the
sacrifice of those whom God calls to the priesthood or
the religious life. This should not be surprising,
once we realize that it was by His sacrifice that
Christ redeemed the world. The servant is not greater
than his Master. In fact, the more intimate is one's
vocation to the service of Christ, the more demanding
will be the sacrifices required.
Barring an extraordinary grace from God, He
generally calls those persons to follow Him as priests
or religious, who have been taught the value of
sacrifice from childhood. The experience of self-
denial in the use and enjoyment of material things is
the normal predisposition for a lifetime practice of
evangelical poverty. Training in self-control of the
senses, especially in the use of the media, is the
ordinary preparation for a lifelong dedication to
consecrated chastity. Careful and loving nurture in
self-denial, almost from infancy, is God's usual way of
conditioning the human will for commitment to the
counsel of obedience.
If sacrifice in childhood and young adulthood is
the seedbed of vocations, continued fidelity in serving
the Church is impossible without the habit of self-
surrender. There are many reasons for the tragic loss
of so many once-dedicated persons in affluent countries
like America. But surely one of these reasons is the
prior loss of a willingness to give in to the sometimes
hard demands of Christ's love. We may, therefore, say
that vocations are nourished on sacrifice as the body
is sustained on food. Or, as the Savior told His
followers -- and bade them follow His example -- "My
meat is to do the will of Him Who sent Me.".
Sacrifice is finally the condition and norm of
apostolic work in the priesthood and religious life.
Who have been the great achievers in the vineyard of
the Lord over the centuries? Have they not been the
men and women who never said, "Enough" in their zeal
for souls; who labored, like St. Paul, in season and
out of season, selflessly and exhaustingly; who never
counted the cost in time or effort or personal
preference; in a word, who lived lives of heroic
sacrifice?
All of this is common knowledge for those who have
come to know Christ Who, "having joy set before Him,
chose the Cross." But this kind of knowledge needs to
be taught -- and learned -- if the vocations which the
Church so desperately needs are to be fostered and
preserved in our day.
Copyright (c) 1984, Society for Religious Vocations
10016 South Komensky Avenue
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
