J
esus calls Matthew to follow him, and what's the
first thing Matthew does? He gives a great banquet, not only for Jesus,
but for his friends, so that they too, sinners and outcasts like himself, might
come to know Jesus and experience his mercy and forgiveness. He knew that great
blessings aren't meant to be hoarded but generously shared.

Allow me to share with you a very brief reflection
from one of the letters my spiritual director - God rest his soul -
wrote me many years ago. In it he says:
"Remember that your vocation, your choosing to
follow Christ by entering seminary, isn't your own. You are here, not so that
you can become holy, pious, devout, intimate with Jesus, or so that you may
enjoy the fruits of a life lived in fidelity to the demands of this state of
life.
Your vocation belongs, first and foremost, to the
Church in whose care you have now placed your entire life. It belongs to the
Church, because the Church is the People of God, the people of your diocese by
whose generosity and kindness, your life in seminary is supported, the people
who, by their prayers, support you every minute of your day, without you even
realizing it, the same people whom you are meant one day to serve as a priest,
with your whole heart, mind, body and soul.
It is to them that your calling to the priesthood
ultimately belongs. Remember, it isn't your own. God gave it to you freely; you
must give it back in service to his people, freely."

How generous have we truly been in giving of ourselves to the demands, both big and small, of our life in formation? "Offer only to God what is worth offering", says St. John Vianney. Do we recognize that everything we do, from the most noticeable to the seemingly insignificant, is meant to be an offering of ourselves, in generosity to God and His people, for the many blessings we've received from and through them?
How many of your peers in college, have everything
they need, from spiritual to physical nourishment, readily available at
literally every hour of the day? Do we think about the comfort and ease our
life in seminary affords us? Do we keep in mind that the only return the Church
asks of us is to generously give of ourselves to our formation?
Matthew received a great blessing in the person of
Jesus, and the only thing he could think of was to generously share it with
others. We who wish to be like him and follow Jesus' invitation, must do the
same.