Catholic Diocese of Spokane, Washington

Vocations: a wonderful expression of God's love

by Bishop William S. Skylstad

(From the Sept. 30, 2004 edition of the Inland Register)

(Editor’s note: Bishop Skylstad was one of the speakers for the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors in Anchorage earlier this month. The theme of the conference was “Priesthood in a New Frontier.” This article is an adaptation of Bishop Skylstad’s address.)

“He said to them, ‘Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.’ They immediately abandoned their nets and became his followers. He walked along farther and caught sight of two other brothers, James, Zebedee’s son and his brother John. They too were in their boat, getting their nets in order with their father, Zebedee. He called them and immediately they abandoned boat and father to follow him.” (Mt 4: 19-22)

What kind of call makes you abandon your way of life, leave your family? A call from God.

Our is an age of analysis. We use science and all manner of measurement to try to understand our world, understand ourselves. And then we hear a story like the story of James and John, the Sons of Zebedee, answering a call. When all is said and done, with all the measurements are in, when the statistics have been compiled, when the numbers have been crunched – at the end of the day, God’s ways are not our ways. And God’s call is a mystery, that wonderful expression of God’s love that unfolds in each of us in surprising and challenging events in our lives.

I grew up on an apple farm in the Cascade Mountains in North Central Washington State. Our family lived in a very non-Catholic area. In almost all of my years in grade school I had no Catholic classmates. In the seventh grade, I felt a strong call in my heart to become a priest. Don’t ask my why; no one ever mentioned that possibility to me. My mother was very supportive. So was my father, who at the time was not Catholic. I entered formation out of eighth grade. Their support meant they gave up a very young son for nine months of the year. Only in later years have I come to appreciate the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, including in the heart of that 12-year-old kid. It really is a mystery. I see that no more clearly than when I consider the story of my own call.

Several years ago, I came across words of Dom Helder Camara, the Archbishop of Recife, Brazil, which echoes a similar sentiment:

“I can’t even imagine being anything but a priest. Just think, I consider the lack of imagination a crime, yet I haven’t the imagination to see myself as not a priest. For me, being a priest isn’t just a choice; it’s a way of life. It’s what water is for a fish, the sky for a bird. I really believe in Christ; Christ for me is not an abstract idea – he’s a personal friend. Being a priest has never disappointed me nor given me regrets. Celibacy, chastity, the absence of a family in the way laymen understand it, all of this has never been a burden to me. If I’ve missed certain joys, I’ve had and I have others so much more sublime. If you only know what I feel when I say Mass, how I become one with it! The Mass for me is truly Calvary and Resurrection; it’s a mad joy.

“Look, there are those who are born to sing, those who are born to write, those who are born to play soccer, and those who are born to be priests. I was born to be a priest – I started saying so at the age of eight and certainly not because my parents had put the idea in my head. My father was a Mason, and my mother went to church once a year.

“I even remember one day my father got frightened and said: ‘My son, you’re always saying you want to be a priest. But do you know what that means? A priest is someone who doesn’t belong to himself, because he belongs to God and to men, someone who must dispense only love and faith and charity.’

“And I said, ‘I know. That’s why I want to be a priest.’”

That is why I want to be a priest: to dispense love, faith, and charity. That is why I want to be a priest – and a bishop.

As challenging as these days are, both in our nation and the world, the presence of the Lord Jesus, the celebration of Eucharist, and the witness of loving, humble service can and do provide a beacon of hope and joy in what is sometimes a very cloudy and stormy world. Yes, it is a mystery. Sometimes that mystery confounds us and threatens to overwhelm us. Sometimes the mystery fills us with joy – a mad joy, overflowing. But always, in all things, we are people of resurrection, and people of hope. And always, in all things, the Lord continues to be with us, his people.

I ask you to join me in encouraging potential candidates for priestly formation. I ask you to join me in praying for vocations to the priesthood. And finally, pray for me, and for all priests, as we pray for you.