Baptism

Every Life is a Vocation

Baptismal Calling

Some Catholics speak of being in Catholicism Lite” because there are so many dogmas to understand and comprehend. So I am focusing on one dogma instead of many.    

For me the most awesome dogma is to know that I share a life in communion with the Blessed Trinity. My life, my mom’s life, my girlfriend’s life and my best friend’s life… will never, ever, ever end; I get excited about this!

Communion is what I celebrate in baptism. The reality is I became a member of the divine family as a baby through baptism. At that moment I got my badge, my identity, my picture I.D. taken with God smiling. I am bound to every baptized person paid by blood from the Lamb, which is the Church.

It is not I who chose God, but God who chose me to be and become what God had in mind through divine paths already prepared for me.     

There are many means necessary to remain in communion with God 24/7, such as perseverance in prayer, reception of the sacraments, Holy Scriptures, acts of charity to the poor, etc. Divine paths are already laid out by God for each of us.    

Marriage, diaconate, priesthood and religious consecration are also divine paths on earth. A single parent who works as a receptionist at a doctor’s office, whether she knows it or not, is also on a divine path.         

Mother Theresa told a group of reporters that God called her not to be successful, but faithful. Success is a concept used in the corporate and competitive game worlds. I like to work hard and feel the success of my labor. The reality is that at the end of the game, all goes inside the box.

Fidelity and effectiveness are the two words a baptized man or woman uses to replace the concept of success. 

God wants you to be faithful then because what matters is not what you want but what God wants from you.

Effectiveness is vital because through baptism, God who dwells in me and leads me in whatever divine path, is asking me to build the Kingdom. My intelligence, my personality, my time, my actions, my words in a note, in a phone call, or an email are all part of the ministry God is asking of me. So when I am punching numbers in my office, changing a diaper or checking someone’s blood pressure and I do it in Christ’s name out of love, I am building God’s Kingdom on earth.   

Baptismal calling is all about being faithful and effective in the little things of daily life. The divine path on earth I am walking today is my living vocation. Maybe it is time for me to expand my concept of vocation and let my divine path lead me to becoming a saint.

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References:

Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ from which the entire Christian life springs forth. Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) # 2101

Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark of his/her belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark. (CCC# 1272)

The baptized belongs no longer to herself or himself but to Him who died and rose for us. View Baptism Journey (PDF) »

Baptism makes us heirs and co-owners of Christ's Church. (CCC # 1267)

Every baptized is called to the fullness of Christian life and perfection of charity. All are called to holiness at every stage of life. (CCC #2013)