Different Shirts, Same Calling

I've managed to a mass several different polo shirts with different logos on them over the last 10 years.  Each of them represent a calling from God.

Upon retiring from the U.S. Navy in 2001 the first polo collected was for Habitat for Humanity of Brevard County, Inc.  I'd been a volunteer for the organization for 4 years and once retired I was asked to join the team as a construction site supervisor.  Little did I know what God had planned for me at Habitat.

After a couple years of conflict and desolation within my faith life in 2004 I attended a Christ Renews His Parish retreat and got a wake up call to action.  The calling which I had been putting off for career and family became very clear.  The call to the permanent diaconate.  Still a call to serve community but the shirt sports a cross and stole of a servant.  A servant to my church community and a servant of the community at large.

Last night I returned from Baltimore were I was oriented as a Catholic Relief Services, Global Fellow.  It was a moving experience to hear what CRS is doing globally to work "with" partners to assist the poorest of the poor in the world.

What energizes me for these ministries/callings is that I am not doing things "for" people I am doing things "with" people, on a church level, a local community service agency, and a global community service agency.

We are all connected, we are of the one human family, created by God, we ALL make up the one body of Christ.  We've been created, all of us and everything around us.  All we are asked to do is love one another as the Father has loved us -- locally, nationally, and globally.  The scary thing about this concept is it means we are all connected: what one person does - affects another person; what one nation does - affects another nation; what one country does - affects another country.

The Gospel of Matthew story of the Judgment of Nations (Mt 26:31-45) makes our choice and consequences of our choice clear.  Ask yourself these questions: "Lord when did we see you hungry..., thirsty... naked..., ill..., or in prison?  Did you take care of His needs to the best of your ability?

We are created in the image and likeness of God, therefore every human being bears a resemblance of Jesus himself.  Wherever their is human need, we see Jesus in need -- "...whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Mt 26:40)