Called from the Labyrinth

Last updated on: December 23, 2014 at 6:16 pm by willduquette

Called from the Labyrinth 2014-12-23T18:16:10-05:00 willduquette

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Last week in my series of posts on Lumen Fidei I focussed on paragraph 13, which describes the labyrinth of idolatry we fall into when we lack faith in Christ. We follow this thing for a little and then that thing, and we get nowhere. The solution was to let the light of faith in, and follow Christ: not to wander aimlessly, but to journey in a particular direction, toward a particular goal.

But what does that journey look like? It clearly isn’t a physical journey; Benedictine, Carmelites, and Cistercians can follow it while never travelling anywhere at all.

The end of paragraph 13 gives the key:

Faith, tied as it is to conversion, is the opposite of idolatry; it breaks with idols to turn tot he living God in a personal encounter. Believing means entrusting oneself to a merciful love which always accepts and pardons, which sustains and directs our lives, and which shows its power by its ability to make straight the crooked lines of our history. Faith consists in the willingness to let ourselves be constantly transformed and renewed by God’s call.

(My emphasis.) In short, it isn’t so much following Christ on a path; it’s putting Christ in charge of directing my future growth, trust that he will so guide me that I will grow into the full figure of what I should be. And how do I put Christ in charge of my future growth? By following “God’s call.”

We, every one of us, has a vocation, a way of life to which God calls us. My primary vocation is marriage, being a husband and father. We often have secondary vocations as well, as I have been called to be a Lay Dominican.

We hear Jesus’ words to the Rich Young Man, “Go, and sell all you have, and follow me,” and we think, “I could never do that.” But that was Jesus’ call to the Rich Young Man. My task is to discern my calling, my vocation, and then throw myself into it with the same wild and reckless abandon that Jesus asked of the Rich Young Man. If I am a husband, I must put my all into it. If I am a father, I must put my all into it. I must let God take me out of myself so that I can be transformed and renewed and become what he wants me to be, and that will happen most in service to my family.

Of course we have seasons in life, and vocations can change over time. We need to be alert to that as well.

(Fair disclosure: I’m preaching to myself here, as much as to anyone else.)

Previous Post

March 22, 2014

Review: The Complete Peanuts, 1950 to 1952

Next Post

March 24, 2014 Why Christianity?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Admin App o' the Morning Ask the Dogmat Believing Thomas Bits of Fiction Blasts from the Past Bootstrapping the Interior Life Catholic Mom Christian Living Deep Thoughts from the Doghouse Dominicana Evangelii Gaudium Interviews It Was A Dark and Stormy Night Links to This and That Lumen Fidei Meme Watch On Writing Operation Gratitude Pedant Errant Photography Quill Random Barkings S'Mary's World Shakers of Salt Software Development The Dog Whistler The Dogmat Sez Third Orders Thomas Aquinas Uncategorized Vikings at Dinos Woof Guide to Cinema Woof Guide to History Woof Guide to Literature Woof Guide to Obscure Catholic Music Woof Guide to Philosophy Woof Guide to Popular Music Woof Guide to Technology Woof Guide to Theology Words I Wish I'd Written Works For Me

Select a Month September 2016 August 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

"I am the ____ and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Select your answer to see how you score.

Way Word Omega Alpha