The Gospel of Luke, chapter 10:2

Every baptized person is anointed priest, prophet and king. Priest because he or she is called to mediate Christ; to show Christ to others. Prophet, because the Christian’s mission is to be a witness to the truth of the gospel. King, because Christians are members of a spiritual kingdom; a kingdom that is not of this world.

I get a little uneasy when I hear people wondering why young men do not answer the call to the priesthood or young women the call to religious life.

All young men and all young women who are baptized, are called to follow Christ as priest, prophet and king. This is the conviction they should have about their mission in life. The challenge of “vocations” is a challenge for everyone to realize this mission.

It is a matter of appreciating our calling in life. If we each experience our own call and mission more authentically, it surely will occur to some to do it in a heroic fashion. But, if we are generally empty as Christians, what kind of example is that to offer young people?

Baptism is a process that continues over many years. To be baptized is to share in the mission of Christ: priest, prophet and king. Yes, that’s it. The Christian is a person with a unique mission and each one carries out his or her mission in different ways and in different circumstances. I am uplifted, more than I can tell, by the dedication of many people to their baptismal calling and for the love and care they show in their lives.

Many people, however, sit back and never realize their baptismal potential. Is it asking too much, to use your God-given talents for the mission you received at baptism? Imagine what our churches, our families, our cities, our countries would be like if each Christian were to realize his or her God-given mission. To be a Christian is to live your baptism in whatever job, career or situation you find yourself in.

People make the truth of their lives brighter and better by the quality of their baptismal involvement as followers of Christ: priest, prophet and king. Begin to experience this and you will grow to love life itself.

Fr. Hugh Duffy

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