Call to Religious Life

Yesterday noon I had the opportunity to animate 30 youngsters (aspirants) of the Holy Cross and the Montfort Brothers.  I had a two hour session with them on the Call to Religious life. It was a good opportunity for me too, to evaluate my own vocation and its living out.

I basically stressed on three points, in a manner that those boys would grasp, given the fact that their knowledge of English was very rudimentary.

1. That the call is a personal call, an individual invitation (not a common call or group invitation) and therefore demands of us a personal response.  
2. That as religious we grow bit by bit. However, what keeps us alive and fresh is the keen desire to learn, to grow.
3. And that what we ought to grow-in, most of all, among the many other things we choose to, is to become Jesus like.  Just like a Doctor may play cricket, drive his own car, and at times even teach, but if he is not good in administering medicine, he is not worthy to be called a Doctor. Similarly, we may do several things, quite efficiently too, but if we are not experts of spirituality, of being Jesus-like, then we are not worthy religious.