A reading of the holy gospel according to Saint John. Our lord said to his disciples, I am the true vine and my father is the vine grower. He prunes away every barren branch, but the fruitful branches, he trims clean to increase their yield. You are clean already. Thanks to the word that I have spoken to you.
Live on in me as I do in you. Now no more than a branch can bear fruit of itself apart from the vine, can you bear fruit apart from me? I am the vine. You are the branches. He who lives in me and I in him will produce abundantly.
For apart from me, you can do nothing. A man who does not live in me is like a withered, rejected branch picked up to be thrown into the fire, burnt. If you live in me and my words stay part of you, you may ask what you will, and it will be done for you. My father has been glorified in your bearing much fruit and becoming my disciples. And this is the gospel, the good news of the lord.
Little children, let us love in deed and in action and in truth and not merely talk about it. These words are taken from today's second reading from the letter of Saint John. In the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit, amen. The archdiocesan office for vocations, that means for religious, for brothers, for priests, has asked us to designate this Sunday and to take and to replace the homily with what they call, I love this, a witness talk. You'll see why I smile when I say this because we are asked we priests today to tell you how we found our vocation to the priesthood.
Well, that's like asking you how did you find your way to get married. Well, that's a little different. But it's pretty similar to if I ask how did you why did you marry this person rather than that person? These are not easy answers. These are not easy questions.
And I'd rather talk about somebody else than about myself than others. But we're asked to give a witness talk, whatever in the world that is. Now let me make it perfectly clear. Anything that I can do even to be giving you a witness talk, I do very, very readily and gratefully if I can push somebody into the priesthood or help them to get there or encourage them to get there or even or to encourage them even to consider it. That's the first step to to consider it.
And then you can say no or yes. So what I'm trying to do this morning, do very gladly, and I will give a witness talk if if the clock doesn't run out on me. But be be because before I give this well prepared witness talk, because I prepared for it with eighty five years of my life, So relax. It'll take a little while to go over eighty five years if I'm giving you a witness call. But I I wanna, first of all, lay down a foundation about this blooming word vocation.
It's a very troublesome word. And as far as I know, I never asked myself whether I had a vocation or what the signs of a vocation as far as I know, I didn't ask myself anything. I just did it. And you'll see that there's I'm not kidding. But we ought to get something straight about vocation.
Now whatever it is, I know one thing that it is not. Ordinarily, normally, it isn't god coming down and taking me by the hairs of my head and popping me down in the seminary. That's for sure. If people wait until they get a private revelation from god of some sort, I say of some sort, to go to be a priest or a nun or a brother, normally, normally, ordinarily, they're never gonna go inside of a seminary or a religious house because that's not the way things work in this life. When you decided to get married to a special person, remember, there were an awful lot of people in this people world you could have married.
When you decided on this partner rather than that, this was because you had some kind of a private revelation. Now let me hasten to add, if god wants to to to make his will privately known to me by a revelation, I'm sure he can do it. But if I wait, if I condition my life by such an expectation, I'm foolish. I'm foolish. And yet, I don't know anybody who does this as regards to holy state of matrimony, which is a vocation.
I don't know anybody. And yet, I know from experience that some people expect this as regards becoming a priest or a nun or a brother. And that's I said, I I have only one word for it, foolish. And that's what the reason I I took this text this morning because I I knew that several, not many, but several young men who, yes, I think I ought to be a priest, but on the other hand, well, maybe I shouldn't. And this went on for years.
When all they had to do to solve the problem was to go up on the knock on some bishop's door and say, your excellency, I'd like to become a priest. Let them take it over from there and tell you whether they want you or not. So simple. But people like to make their lives complex, I think. Now the first thing about a vocation, we are first of all, and don't you ever forget this, we all have a vocation.
We all have the same vocation, all human beings, and that is to know and love and serve god in this world to be happy with him in the next. You can phrase it any way you want. That is absolutely basic. And baptism or whatever replaces it, and there can be replacements, that puts us on the supernatural level, which is above the natural, natural, but which presupposes the natural. The supernatural doesn't wipe out the natural.
It presupposes it. It's the it's the foundation of the house. And so let us not forget that. As I've said several times from this pulpit, in in the long run-in the long run, it doesn't make much difference to our eternity and to god or to me what I do except to follow my vocation of carrying that white garment in innocence through my life and carrying that lighted candle of spreading god's truth. We are all called upon to do that.
We all have that vocation. Now the way we carry it out in in specific actions day after day, that may differ. But you see, the ultimate cause is the most important cause of the four. And how I do it, while it's very important, it's not the ultimate important thing. See, so keep that in mind.
There's no reason on god's earth for any Christian being confused about what he's going to do with his life or her life. What matters is you've already been committed to do something with it, that is to serve God with it. Period. See how simple it is? Except it's awfully hard to do.
The doing is tough. The saying is easy. Now as regards their so the word vocation is a very a word of various meanings. And but I don't want you to forget that basic meaning for the Christian. But but let me tell you, every man and woman and child born into this world has the vocation, Christian or not, of knowing and serving god and and loving him in this world to and then for the purpose of being happy with him forever in eternity.
We all have it. Except by baptism or the equivalent, we are raised to an upper level. We are giving the aids we need to go ahead on that supernatural level. Now having said that, I wanna turn to using the word vocation in a more specific way. And as a matter of fact, what we're talking about today are vocations to the priesthood.
Let's face it. Not to not for not not not in this talk. For for religious or for grip or brothers or for even religious priests because these two things are separate, to be a religious and to be a priest. So, really, what we're directing our remarks to is the priesthood of Jesus Christ because priests are more and more being needed today. Believe me.
We're running out of them. Now what is a vocation to the priesthood or to the religious life? Because this so called definition applies to them all. Well, let me tell you the first thing about this. The holy Catholic Rome Roman Catholic church has no official formal definition.
There's libraries have been written on this, the psychology of vocations and all this stuff. You know? Libraries. But there is no definitive answer. Now I shall run down the three gen three opinions that are offered.
You take your pick. Now the first one, let me assure you, is called the attraction theory. Attraction theory. This is the old time one where p that you feel that a person and this is what some people look for, an overwhelming, profound, indisputable conviction that I am being called to the priesthood or to be a nun or to be a brother. And I'm so convinced of it that it comes from god that I cannot even question it.
Now this is what some people are looking for. Some people may have this, and some people who have this are in Saint Saint Elizabeth's. So you see what I mean? I look upon this as a very, very intangible, unsatisfactory, and dangerous definition. But it's one of them, and this is one that many people think about when they talk about a vocation to the priesthood.
It's some kind notice that word private in there. Not not not a private revelation, but a private conviction that they cannot deny. It's overwhelming that they must be a priest and none are what. I'm very suspicious of it. That's one of them that some people accept.
Now we have the other two. One is called exterior and interior theory, and you'll see why they're called that. First, the exterior, and this is my favorite because it's tangible, it's concrete, you can weigh it, you can hear it, and maybe even smell it. It's very simple. First, that you have the qualifications in body, mind, heart, and soul.
And and also, and importantly, the right intention. Now these are these are all things you can deal with. If a person is blind, you cannot ask them to see. And a blind man may may have had the guts to think he can sail the Atlantic Ocean blind, but he quickly was was forced to change his mind, as you all know. Of course, you're all avid sailors.
I know that. Now this this idea is you see you see, this is something you can weigh, that you have the faculties, you have the qualities to be what you want to be. And secondly, you have intention. And then, and above all, you have the call from your superior, whether it be the the your ordinary the bishop, your ordinary, or your religious superior. They call you, I mean, explicitly.
Do you those of you who wanna to be free step forward, and you take a step forward. You can see it and you can hear it and everything else. It's so you see, this this is so down to earth. You can get a hold of this. But the main factor here is the call of the bishop.
I mean, he he says, do you wanna be a do you wanna be a priest? Well, then step forward, and I'll ordain. That is the essence of this ex ex what they call the exterior vocation theory. Now we have the third one, which is called the interior vocation theory, and it has to do with something far less tangible. It has to do with what they call the grace of god inclining me, not forcing me, inclining me to some special walk of life.
And that grace of god is the essence of it. Whereas the calling of your legitimate ecclesiastical superior, that is simply a confirmation of the grace. You see the difference there? So leave that first one out, that attraction theory. The the exterior, the essence of it is having having the wherewithal to do the job to which you think you're called, having the right intention, and being called by your religious superior or the ordinary.
Now then the other one, the interior, and the essence of that is the call of the bishop or the ecclesiastical superior. The interior means that you have this impulse, this inclination towards a certain way essence of this is that grace of god. This is based mostly on the scriptures. And the call notice the call is the call of your superior is still important, but it merely confirms externally the interior grace which you have received from god. Now they're the three take it take any one of them or take none of them.
You don't have to take any of them because there's no set formal definition of the church about what a vocation is. As far as I can see, it's too simple even to get to get upbeat about it. Any young man, any young woman, and today they don't have to be so young anymore either, you know, who thinks they might like to be a nun or a priest or a brother. It's very simple. Try it.
Try it. In no instance can you do it tomorrow. There'll be plenty of time to be examined. Notice, passive tense, passive voice. There'll be plenty of time for you to think about it, for your superiors to look at you, to weigh, to decide.
So why worry? Go try it. The doors the doors will open, and they'll they'll if they don't open too easily going in, they sure do open very easily coming out. So don't if if you know anybody, it's a do you think you might wanna be a priest? Do you think you might wanna be a nun?
Do you think you might wanna be a brother? Try it. Go ahead and try it. Don't sit around watching TV and wondering what you should do or what you shouldn't do. Do something.
Love god in action. Saint John says today in that letter, do something about it. Not sit sit back worrying. You you know that. People but some people enjoy this.
You know? So I wouldn't, for a world, take their enjoyment from them. But it doesn't get you any place. And let me tell you, time runs out fast, very fast. Now as far as my witness talk, I do have a few minutes for that.
I graduated from high school in 1923, and I spent eight years not getting through high school. And in fact, I did spend eight years because I I repeated high school. So I did spend eight years well, seven. And a and a great sacrifice of my parents to get me through a private school for for eight years. And I graduate in '23.
And they you know, we had a great grad graduating from high school in those days was something. Not everybody went to college. Not everybody was expected to go to college. So I walked across the stage and gave a speech. My mind was full of sailing and one very special, girl.
And I got a I soon realized I wasn't destined. I had no see, wasn't I thinking about vocation at all. I never did think about it. But upon graduation, I was recommended to become a banker. So I had an interview with a banker, and it was lovely.
It was very impressive. And, you know, I could see myself sitting in that big black leather chair in that magnificent mahogany office until I got the word. My salary to begin with well, first of all, he said, we you should be paying us. Well, that was a Hindu. That wasn't gonna be a banker.
But then he said, your salary will be enough to cover your car fare and lunch money. Well, I saw the hand of god there right away. Banking was not to be my vocation. So I got a job with the Baltimore Electric Light and Power Company. And that was a splendid summer.
I enjoyed every minute of it. And I I didn't know what I was going to do. I had no idea. I know my parents couldn't send me to college, but I had no idea what I was going to do for them. And I wasn't worried.
After all, I had a sailboat. Who cares? You know, if you have that, what else is her to life and and a pretty girl? So and so the summer wore on, and I was very happy in my very important job in this office, just one level above a office boy. And when the boss called me, this is simply the god's honest truth.
Believe it or not, and I'm not imagining it. Any witnesses, though, have passed on. Anyway, I was a man quit in that office. His desk was empty. And, I got a call one day to come in and see the head of the department.
Well, my desk was about 25 feet from his office. And I knew that he was going to offer me that job, and it was at the end of the summer. And so in those 25 feet, I decided I was going to study for the priesthood. Not to be a priest, but to study for it. Now let me assure you, I had not the faintest idea of how to do it.
Not the faintest. Not the faintest. And I'm not exaggerating that at all, but I knew I had to make a decision. So being very lofty minded, let me tell you, it wasn't that I said yes to god. It's that I said no to mister Meade.
It's that simple. So then the thing was what to do. And so I went to my pastor. We had a very good working relationship and had it for years. And now I'm I'm laying my cards honestly on the table.
I don't know how or who or what paid for my first year at Saint Charles College. To this day, I don't know. But when I don't somehow or other, I can't tell you how it worked out. When September came, I found myself packing a trunk. Well, I did have a choice between going to Mount Saint Mary's.
See, I had no Latin. Remember, just graduated from high school in June. My parents heaved a sigh of relief. Well, that's over. I had no Latin, and I had a choice.
I could go to Mount Saint Mary's and go into first year college and take two years of college plus philosophy and plus Latin and then go on into the theology. Lose no time. On the other hand, if I decided to go to Saint Charles College in Cadenceville, I would have to start high school over again. And you can imagine how overjoyed my parents were to hear that. And you know what I chose?
Saint Charles. So graduated in June, branched across the state, gave the baccalaureate, had a good girlfriend, had a sailboat, had to cast it all off for the Lord. Well, you know, saying that's ridiculous. I didn't think a bit about it. You just did it.
You did it, and I chose Saint Charles. Now don't ask me why I did that. I don't really know. But that started me off. And then I I don't ever remember ever worrying about it.
Well, should I be a priest or shouldn't I? I knew if I was thrown out, it was god's hand to say, we don't want you here. Even even I would get the point, you know, when they say this school can run very well without you. But it never came. So every year, went back, you know, went right ahead.
No problems. It was a great life. I'd I'd love to relive every minute of it again. And that's the way it went. When I finish, I'm gonna give you just one other explanation of of vocation as far as I'm concerned.
You can see it was very lofty. Saint Charles, we had four years of high school. I was allowed to skip one. I was invited to skip another. I turned it down.
Why? Don't ask me. I did it. I liked that, I guess. I liked staying there.
So we come to the end of two years college. I was in line to go to Rome to to take up my philosophy and theology in Rome. When out of the blue, one of the professors at Saint Charles said, why don't you think of going to Catholic University? Be a Basilan student. Well, that was a that was a scholarship deal.
You had to compete with the whole United States or foreign parts. I'd never heard of the Basilan. I played football against Catholic youth, so I knew it was a reputable school. After all, they had a football team of sorts. So he said, why don't you think of that instead of going to Rome?
Well, I said, what do what do I do? He said, well, go over and see father so and so. I went over to see father so and so who took me to lunch in the refectory, and boy, was I impressed, you know. And come the fall, I'm a bachelor's I left I left out an important point too about this money business. I don't know who paid for my first year at Saint Charles, but towards the end of the year, my father got a telephone call from the chancery in Baltimore and said your son we're giving your son a scholarship.
I knew nothing about it at all. So that took care of that. But nobody could have had less information about the future than I had about what's going to happen to me when I told mister Mead, no. So that's my witness to my vocation, how I came to be a priest. It's what I you see, I think it's so simple.
The same thing about so many things in life. If you believe there's a god, if you believe that god is running the show, then act accordingly. Act accordingly. But don't ask to cease too far into the future. As Newman said, one step enough for me.
One step. No. It's like beeps trying to sail a boat on the bay, and instead of looking for the next buoy, you wanna see the next buoy, and you can't. And I guess that's the principle. I I owe a great deal to the Christian brothers for good solid Catholic Catholic education, and they drum that into us, the will of god.
You know? So I I was never bothered. I never had a moment's worry about it. You just did what you had to do to, you know, to fulfill the next step, and you you did it. That simple.
So now in conclusion, having given my witness to it, you are asked to fill out cards with the names of young men and women young men for this purpose, whom you think might be interested in studying for the priesthood. Now this is very serious. Fill those cards out and then turn them in. The cards are in the back of the church because this we need priests desperately. Some parishes already do not have priests.
And so do what you can. And one of the things you can do is to fill those cards out with the name, address of young men that you think might want to consider studying for the priesthood. It will be a tremendous gesture on your part. In the name of the father, and of the son, and holy spirit. Amen.