How is God Calling You?

In 1928, a disciple was born. He and his family didn’t know it, but this young man would come to change the world through his faith. He grew up in an otherwise unexceptional home. He learned the value of hard work from his father, who worked at his father-in-law’s brick company. He learned the value of compassion from his mother. Among her many acts of charity, he watched her care for the wounded in World War II, and he watched her hand knit sweaters for every member of the family each year. He had a special fondness in his heart for her sweaters; they reminded him of her love. He requested a new one every year.

He went to church with his family every Sunday. It was there that he fell in love. Yes, he fell in love with the Lord; but he also fell in love with discipleship. He fell in love with the work of the Church. Here, his father was influential. His father taught him that the Church had a duty to give back more to the community than it received from the community. Our young man realized that it was only in answering God’s call that each of us could do our part to make this happen. From a very young age he had a deep and abiding love for the Church and her work.

By the time he entered college, he was set on his destination. He felt God was calling him to Seminary to become an ordained minister. Passionate about music, though, he pursued his bachelors degree in that field. While still feeling called to ministry, he was certain that his love and talent for music could be a tool that the Lord could use.

All of that would change because he was open to the Holy Spirit. Visiting his parents shortly before graduating college, he saw his parents’ new television and was enamored with the new media. He was convinced that he could minister through this new medium. He took a job in television and began his ministry.

We ARE Worthy!

In our reading from Isaiah today, we hear a refrain that I’m sure many of us have uttered. It was made somewhat famous by Wayne and Garth in Wayne’s World: “We’re not worthy!” Isaiah, awakened by a vision of the Lord, panics because he knows that, deep down inside, he is not worthy to be in the presence of the Lord. But Isaiah shows us that we can be changed. Not that we can change, but that we can be changed. A seraphim flies to him, touches his lips, and says “see, now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, your sin purged.” Isaiah’s great act was not to change himself, but to allow himself to be changed by God---to be touched.

This touch creates a profound change in Isaiah’s heart. Cleansed of his sin and freed from the burden of disobedience, he now hears the Lord with new ears: The Lord says, “Whom shall I send?”

“Here I am,” he replies, “Send me!” When I was going through the Christ Renews His Parish retreat, I grew fond of a saying we always used around discernment: “God doesn’t call the equipped; He equips the called.” Will we allow Him to make us worthy? Will we believe that we are worthy to serve the Lord, and trust in Him to prepare us to do His work?

The Call to Discipleship

Simon and the sons of Zebede have a similar experience several hundred years later. After a long night of fruitless fishing, they’re near the shore mending and cleaning their nets. Jesus takes a seat in Peter’s boat so he can better teach the crowd. Peter, James, and John go on about their work. I imagine it’s like that one couple who’s sitting in the restaurant at closing time. Peter has stopped playing the music and turned up the lights. He’s probably making it quite clear that’s he’s cleaning his nets and would like to go home and go to bed, when Jesus says “I think we’d like to order dessert.” “Put out over there and put down your nets, Jesus says.” Peter reminds Jesus that they’ve already put out to fish and had no luck. But Peter, because he’s open to God’s movement in his life, reluctantly agrees, calling Jesus “Master.”

See, all three are devout followers of Judaism. Thus, they are cultivating a relationship with the Lord. Like Isaiah, none of them are perfect. But they are listening. Of course, they put out like Jesus asks and the impossible occurs---they catch more fish than they thought possible. Their nets are bursting.

Like Isaiah, they’re open to God’s movement in their lives. They see this as something more than just a fluke. And, just like Isaiah’s “woe is me,” Peter says “Depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” But Jesus says “be not afraid… Follow me.” And with that, they left everything and followed Him.

As with Isaiah, the tough act wasn’t letting go of everything; it was allowing Jesus to lead. The hard work was knowing that “He’s God and I’m not.” The hard work was “letting go and letting God.” What are we being called to let go of?

What Are We Being Called to Let Go Of?

It’s easy to think that these conversations don’t apply to us. So often we talk about “being called” as “being called to the priesthood.” Sometimes we broaden it by saying “called to the priesthood or religious life.” We act like we’re being called to make a yes or no decision to a single question. But we don’t ask folks if they’re being called to serve the Lord through their work as a teacher. We don’t ask people if they’re being called to serve the Lord through their vocation as parents. In fact, sometimes we’re asking the wrong question all together. We shouldn’t be asking “are you being called?” We should be asking “how are you being called.”

We are on a journey. A journey from experience to experience. These experiences are meant to change us and bring us closer to God by allowing us to work in His vineyard. A lot of the time it’s the very things we’re holding on to that can keep us from asking or answering those questions. These things get in the way of us seeing God’s movement in our lives.

When I though the Lord might be calling me to serve as a deacon, I had several really good excuses. I was coaching my daughters’ soccer teams; surely God doesn’t want me to give up time with my kids. Things were really busy at work; work needed me. Surely God didn’t want me to give up supporting my family. But as I prayed for God’s guidance, my grip on those things loosened. The Lord made it easier for me to let go. One day my assistant coach stepped up out of the blue and asked if I’d like a break. I was blessed with great staff at work who took on the load. But I had be open to see those as God moving in my life.

My CRHP retreat started the ball rolling, but it was regular attendance at Mass, reception of Holy Communion, and visiting the sacrament of penance that helped me be open to God moving in my life. As the sacred coal touched Isaiah’s lips, the sacred body of Christ touches our lips and refreshes our soul. The sacrament of reconciliation touches our heart and frees us from the burden of sin, as Jesus says to us “be not afraid.”

Back to the Story of Our Young Man

So, back to the story of our young disciple born in 1928. Because of his deep seated love of the Lord---the very same love that led him to pursue the seminary---our young man saw the spirit moving in his life when he saw that first television program. And he let go of the one thing that most of us would have thought was his calling. He let go of the seminary. He felt God calling him to use his musical talent through the new medium of television to help spread God’s message of love.

After a year working for the local NBC station, he found a job at the new public broadcasting station. On Monday, April 5th, 1954, The Children’s Corner debuted on WQED in Pittsburgh. Over the next eight years, it’s fanciful puppet land saw new characters introduced: first Daniel the Tiger, then King Friday, X the Owl, and Lady Elaine. In the meantime, Fred Rogers went to Seminary part time, because he wanted to use his Masters of Divinity to help shape content for Children’s television. All of Fred’s work was behind the scenes. He worked as a program director, he played all the music, he wrote scripts and served as a puppeteer. It would be another 12 years before Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood would premiere on WQED with Fred in front of the camera. It would be another 12 years before we’d see Mr. Rogers come in, feed his fish, change his shoes, and put on his sweater. Those sweaters, by the way, were made for him each year by his mom until she passed away.

Fred Rogers never became pastor of a Church, preaching on Sundays and leading a congregation of hundreds. Instead he preached every day through his ministry in children's television. He preached to a congregation of millions. I’m not saying that the world would have been worse off if Fred Rogers had followed his own plan and become pastor of a Presbyterian church somewhere in Pittsburgh. I’m certain the Lord could have used him. But his openness to hear the Lord’s voice, to see God moving in his life, and to let go of his own plans allowed the Holy Spirit to bring us more than 50 years of television programming that shaped generations of children, teaching them the fundamental law of the Gospel: how to be a neighbor.