The Lord calls us from darkness; from sinfulness. He wants us to move away from obscurity to certainty; from the ways of this world to His own way. He calls us to be gathered as people of God; qahal Yahweh – to become the household of God ever ready to submit one’s self to the will of the Father. The voice within us that tells us to be holy, to hind the call of the Shepherd, is of no human voice. It is the voice of Christ, telling us to come and see the goodness of the Lord.
From the darkness of our own sinful folly and worldly allurements, we move into the light. We step into the light guided by the voice of the Shepherd, of the One who called us. In the light, we encounter the Lord. We encounter the Lord in his words read before us. We encounter the Lord in the Eucharist we received. We encounter the Lord in the priests who dispense the graces that sanctify us. We encounter the Lord in the assembled people, blessing and praising Him. In a more intimate way, we encounter the Lord, the Shepherd, in the silent moments we spend before Him. In silence, we clearly hear his words; we understand His will. We encounter the Lord in silence for silence is the language of the Lord. He speaks in the silence of our hearts; communicating the will of the Father. That silent encounter enables us to grow, as seeds grow in the silence of the night. It is very tempting to remain in those solemn encounter and say “Lord, it is good to be here. Let us remain and pitch our tent here.” After that encounter, however, we are changed persons. We are never been the same again. We are transformed from being people of darkness into bearers of light. Our encounter with the Lord charges us with a great mission: to go back into the darkness where we were called from, and bring the Light of Jesus.
Our call and encounter with the Lord bestow upon us the vocation to bring Jesus in the world so that this world may more and more be configured with the image of Christ. How are we to bring the Light in the darkness of our world? How can we be religious in this seeming irreligious world? We can be effective bearers of the Light by becoming imitators of the Light; becoming little lights that illumine. We can be effective bearers of the Light by living a holy life ever consistent to the will of the One who called and sent us. It is by the holiness of our lives guided by the radical way of following Jesus through the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. Modern man, Paul VI said, listens not to teachers but to witnesses. If ever they listen to teachers it is because they are witnesses first. Becoming witnesses of the very message we received through those silent encounters, is enough to dispel the darkness of this world. By sharing the light of faith we received, this world of sinfulness may have the chance of permeating the goodness of the Lord. Holiness of life is a potent salve that can heal the wounds of this world; wounds brought forth by sins. Holiness of life can charge the words we utter with great transformative power. To bring the light in this world by the holiness of our lives does not require grand and pompous events. It can be done even in lowly and simple things. St. Martin de Porres found holiness in swiping the floor of the Priory in Peru. St. Terese of of the Child Jesus found holiness in washing the sauce pan. Mother Teresa found holiness in embracing the beggars of Calcutta. The history of the Church is replete with thousands of stories of the saints who found holiness in little things they did in the name of Jesus Christ. They were able to transformed the people around them, and the community where they lived in, into the image of Christ; illumined by the light of faith, moving them from darkness into the Light.
Our call to become religious is a movement from darkness to the Light, to encounter the Light, and to go back into the darkness bringing the Light. Our vocation commences with our recognition of the voice of Shepherd calling us. It is nurtured through the silent encounters we have with the Shepherd; the Light of the world. It charged us to bring the light to those who are in darkness by living a holy life. Our vocation may post great challenges; challenges that may seem to be impossible to overcome. We do not need to be afraid. The Lord who calls us into this life, whom we encounter, and who sends us, is always with us until the end of time.
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