Thursday,May 11, 2006

Develop the passion for vocation

We just celebrated Good Sheperd Sunday or fashionably called Vocation Sunday nowadays. May be our priests prefer to shy away from being regarded as shepherds. Our celebrant, Fr.Maiccal Sinnapen in his homily rightly pointed out that our vocation calls us to be another Christ in our respective jobs.

In today’s fast moving materialistic world, we have removed that Christ from our lives. This is the cause of decreased passion and love for our job as our profession has become a means of income and not a vocation. As a result we are ever ready to leave our job for something else just for a slight increase in remuneration. We have become more passionate and loyal to the monetary rewards rather than the real substance of our profession.

Christian education traditionally instilled the right values at an early age. The decline in this Christian education over the years is a major cause of the loss this passion in our vocation. The Church has lost its moral obligation in continuing proper Christian education for the younger generation.

My own medical profession is an example. With a decline of Christian education, many doctors failed to realize that God has bestowed His love in them in the form of medical knowledge and skills which has to be shared with those in need. This has resulted in the once noble profession being abused as a money spinner by the big business co operations. As a consequence, quality medical care is being denied to the poor and needy. The same can be also said of all other professions as well including the priesthood.

Over emphasis and over indulgence in evangelization and charismatic activities by the church has resulted in the erosion of true Christian education for our children. Today Christians are more interested in these charismatic and evangelical activities rather in charitable deeds to others in need, which I feel is contrary to what was taught by Christ himself.

Decades back we witnessed the love of Christ alive in our community in the various Christian institutions. We had the mission schools, hospitals, and orphanages, homes for the aged, schools for the disabled and halfway homes for the wayward. We were taught serving men was the way Christianity has to be practiced. Today we cannot proudly claim to have these institutions of Christ’s love anymore. Instead they have been replaced by numerous evangelical and charismatic formation groups.

We have pray sessions and petitions for vocations to the priesthood and clergy but they by themselves will not be sufficient. Unless our priests and clergy bring back the love of Christ alive into the community, they will never be able to attract the young men and women into their flock.

In the final outcome, Fr.Maiccal’s call that we should become another Christ in our own profession is most timely and we, the priests, clergy and laity must strive towards that end. If we do not act now, I foresee a bleak future where Christianity, instead of reflecting the radiant love of Christ, would become just another religion where rituals and politics would be the rule.

Dr.Chris Anthony