IHM Sponsored Ministries: A Response to the Divine Call

The various world religions are certainly unique, with their own beautiful rituals, beliefs, and meaningful symbols. But they also have much in common. The sacred texts of these religions are filled with call narratives. Abraham, Moses, Jeremiah, Siddhartha Gautama, Mary, Jesus, Phoebe, Muhammed and so many others received a spiritual call or enlightened experience. In the religious and spiritual sense, a call means one is invited, summoned, beseeched and asked to be and do something for God. 

This kind of call is individual and personal. It is also communal. God initiates the call, and we are asked to respond. Our call to be Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters fuels our mission to serve the people of God, and it is foundational to our God relationship. We can certainly relate to the call of the prophet Isaiah who heard God ask, “Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?” Isaiah’s response is the response of those persons who open their hearts to these questions. “Here I am, send me!” 

When we study the call narratives in the Bible, we see that there is a pattern to these passages. First there is an encounter between God and the person being called. God commissions certain persons and tells them what needs to be accomplished or attended to. On most occasions, the persons being called have objections or concerns with God’s invitation. “I am too young!” “I know not man.” “I am a sinner!” All of us can relate to these concerns, but our God moves to reassure in these passages. Those called are told that they will be overshadowed by the Spirit; they are consecrated and known from their time in their mother’s womb. They hear that there is no need to be afraid. And a sign is usually given after God’s reassurance. I am especially moved by two statements in John’s gospel. Jesus declares, “I will go before you. There are many rooms in my Abba God’s house.” And “I am with you always, even to the end of time.” These are statements of promise and comfort. 

It is significant that the call from God comes when people are doing ordinary things like cooking, making pottery, looking at nature, weaving, and of course, fishing! The call from God is a call to be someone. And this might be disorienting because we may not be able to see what God has in mind for us. But then an amazing thing takes place! In a moment of grace, we who are called discover that God has a vision for us. And when we take this into our very being, God’s vision becomes our vision. We see with God’s eyes. 

When I ponder IHM sponsorship, I think of the God vision that was Marywood, Saint Joseph’s Center, Friends of the Poor and Our Lady of Grace. The sisters who dreamed these ministries into being aligned themselves with God’s vision for the world community. They listened carefully to God’s call and trusted that these ministries would evolve and bear fruit. Every time I have discerned something significant for my life, at some point I needed to understand that I was connecting with God’s vision for me. The biblical narratives of the prophets Jeremiah and Simon Peter have much to teach us about this process. 

Jeremiah was not enamored of God’s call. He protested crying out “I am a child.” In other words, I am not ready for this! Jeremiah gave God a hard time. I love that God refuses to accept that Jeremiah sees himself as a child. God tells Jeremiah that he is consecrated, dedicated, and set aside for the prophetic role. “Do not be afraid, for I am here to protect you.” Then, in a moment of lovely intimacy, God puts out his hand and touches the mouth of Jeremiah. This is the moment of grace. This is the moment when Jeremiah sees with God’s eyes. 

Simon Peter is a fascinating character! His story appears in the passages focusing on the call of the first apostles in Luke’s gospel. I love the way this scene is portrayed in the inspirational film Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus has befriended Matthew and is heading to his home for dinner. Of course, Matthew’s house is filled with those considered undesirable in Jesus’ time. Simon Peter refuses to go in and clings to the mast of his small boat saying, “This is my life, this is where I belong.” He is not yet ready to hear the call. Later, on an ordinary day, Jesus approaches Simon and his friends as they moan about their futile search for fish. We hear Jesus say, “Put out into deep water!” One can make an entire retreat based on these five words! 

Our call is always about going deeper. If we want to catch more fish, we must cast our nets deeper! I am not surprised that Simon Peter falls on his knees after seeing the amazing catch of fish in his nets. He is overcome, but now he sees a freeing vision of himself because Jesus shows it to him. Words of reassurance follow, “Be not afraid, from now on it is human beings you will catch.” And bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed Jesus. The verb used for “follow” in this sentence is akoloutheo, and it is the verb for discipleship. Simon Peter and his friends have now become disciples of Jesus! 

This meaningful call narrative echoes the significance of our IHM sponsored ministries. Over the years they have “caught” people who were in need, who sought knowledge, who were wounded and abandoned. The foundation for all who work and participate in our sponsored works is the sacred call from our God. 

This call sustains all of us who are Jesus’ disciples. We are reassured by his words and by the words of the prophet Isaiah 49:6. “It is not enough for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back the survivors of Israel; I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”