Watching sports is one of my favorite hobbies. And with the Winter Olympics on I am hooked to the TV and will watch almost any competition.
Even though I extremely enjoy sports, there is more to my life. I fear that told many people view religion as they would sports, music, art, or any other hobby. Many people view religion, like hobbies, as something to “do” on the weekend. If people live with this point of view I can understand why we have fewer vocations. Who would want to waste their whole life devoted to some sort of pastime? The priest becomes an actor in a play, a character who gives us little tips about life and makes us feel good.
The truth is that this view is far from what we believe. Our faith should be a part of every aspect of our lives. Pope Benedict XVI recently said that the role of the priest is to be a “mediator, a bridge that links and so carries man to God, to his redemption, his true light, his true life.” His true life this is more than just a weekend gig. It is the mass where we receive the Eucharist. His Holiness said, “We must always return again to the sacrament, return to this gift in which God gives me much more than I could ever give … a priest must be truly a man of God, must know God deeply and know him in communion with Christ.” This is a call for all of us to return to God. Our life, no matter what vocation we live, should focus on Christ.
Please pray that we might all place Christ first in our lives and that young men might answer God’s call.
The PIME Missionaries USA 