Gratitude for the Gift of My Vocation

 Gratitude for the Gift of My Vocation

1. Introduction

Leader: Let us become still and aware of God's presence.

Today, we pause to remember something that can easily become ordinary in our lives: the gift of our vocation. We did not create this vocation by ourselves. We did not earn God's call. Before we understood it, God was already calling us. Before we made our response, God had already taken the first step. Each of us has a story of how God brought us here. There were people who influenced us, moments that awakened something within us, experiences that challenged us and graces that helped us to say yes. Now, after the Novitiate, we have entered another stage of this journey. Formation can sometimes make us focus on what we have to accomplish, what we need to improve and what is expected of us. Today, however, we are invited to pause and simply say: “Thank You, Lord, for calling me.”

Let us remember that our vocation is first a gift before it becomes a responsibility. Let us become aware of God's loving gaze upon us.

Pause.

Quietly repeat within yourself “Lord, thank You for calling me.”

Pause.

2. Hymn: “Here I Am, Lord”

3. Scripture Reading: John 15:16

“You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, fruit that will last.”

The Word of the Lord.

4. Reflections: 

St Ignatius repeatedly invites the retreatant to recognise that everything begins with God's initiative and love. In the Contemplation to Attain Love, Ignatius invites us to consider the many gifts we have received from God: creation, life, people, abilities, opportunities, relationships and the countless graces of each day. He then asks us to recognise that these gifts are expressions of God's love.

Our vocation is also such a gift. We did not manufacture God's call. We received it. We responded freely, but God's grace came first. Therefore, vocation should never become merely a position, a title, a career or an obligation. It is a response to a love that came before us.

Today, we are invited to look back and remember. Where did God touch my life? Who helped me discover my vocation? Which experiences confirmed God's call? What graces have I received since entering the Society? And perhaps most importantly: Have I become grateful for the vocation I have received?

Pause

(Let each person silently remember three people, three moments or three graces through which God has helped him in his vocation.)

5. Prayers

Resp: Thank You, Lord, for calling me.

1. Lord Jesus, You called me when I was still discovering who I was. You saw possibilities in me that I could not yet see. You invited me to walk with You. For the grace of my vocation, for the courage to respond, for every person who encouraged me, for every moment in which You made Your presence known, I give You thanks.

2. Lord, I remember with gratitude the people through whom You worked in my life. My parents and family. My teachers and mentors. My friends and companions. My formators and spiritual guides. Jesuits who inspired me. People who challenged me. People who prayed for me. Even those who unknowingly helped me discover You. For every person who became an instrument of Your grace, I give You thanks.

3. Lord Jesus, gratitude for my vocation must become fidelity to my vocation. When formation becomes difficult, keep me faithful. When community life challenges me, keep me patient. When studies become demanding, give me perseverance. When I experience dryness in prayer, keep me searching for You. When I experience success, keep me humble. When I fail, help me begin again. When I am uncertain about the future, help me trust Your grace. May I never take Your call for granted.

Resp: Lord, help me remain faithful to the gift You have given me.

4. Lord, everything I have is received from You. My life is Your gift. My vocation is Your gift. My abilities are Your gift. My community is Your gift. My studies are Your gift. My future belongs to You. Teach me to live with gratitude. May gratitude make me generous. May gratitude make me humble. May gratitude make me available. May my life become a response to the love with which You have first loved me.

6. Our Father

Leader: Grateful for the gift of being called and trusting in the God who has accompanied us, let us pray: Our Father…

7. Concluding Prayer

Lord our God, with grateful hearts we stand before You. Thank You for the gift of life. Thank You for the gift of faith. Thank You for the gift of our vocation. Thank You for calling us to follow Christ in the Society of Jesus. We know that our vocation is not something we possess. It is a grace that we receive anew each day. When we become tired, remind us of the love that first called us. When we become discouraged, remind us of the grace that has accompanied us. When we become self-centred, remind us that we are called to serve. When we become proud, remind us that everything is gift.

Give us the grace to live our vocation with gratitude, humility and generosity. May we never lose the wonder of being called. May our yes become deeper each day. And may our lives become a grateful response to the God who first loved us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

8. The Angelus