For the Sake of the Kingdom

The easiest way to know the will of God in our lives is to live out our vocation. It may be easier for priests and religious to do what they need to do everyday as their vocation has almost given them what actually God needs from them everyday in the exercise of their ministry.

However for baptized lay, we share in the three ministries of Christ, to be priest, prophet and king. This now becomes complicated because these ministries are not only exercised in the context of a lay’s vocation to his/her family but also his/her role in society and the Church. Of course the Church, most of the time, will always say that our first priority is our family as it is our first vocation.

There are times when duty calls soldiers to leave their families. There are times, when mother or father and sometimes both parents have to leave their children behind and find a way to support financially their children from working abroad for a number of years and even for an extended period of time.

So it is true that at times some may be called to leave family for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We may not be called to literally leave behind our loves one but there will come a moment when we may hear an invitation to decline a scholarship, or a promotion, or a romance for the sake of the Kingdom. There will be a moment we may skip a family dinner and/or a family social for some ministry we will have to do because nobody else has the time or has the willingness to do it.

Gospel stories tell us how the apostles have been called. Yes, they may have more than a few shortcomings but when that initial call came, as challenging as it was, they left their nets, their father, their work and made no excuses.

Can the same be said for us?