Page 156 - Reflections on St. Joseph

MODELS FOR THE

OBLATE VOCATION
Fr. Edwin Tolentino, OSJ

V
ocation is a mystery. It is a mystery, not because we cannot know or fully understand
the meaning of vocation, but because there is always more to learn about God’s calling.
It is in this sense that I consider vocation a mystery, not to mention the fact that it is
God who is calling. If we are to ask, the what and why or the how and when of our personal
calling, we cannot even give a definite answer all at once. We can only say yes after a long
process of discernment. It is also then that we start to discover the mystery of our vocation.
Only when we have said yes to God’s call can we get answers to our many questions. And when
we get the answers, it is then that we understand more the mystery of our vocation. The
unfolding of the mystery of our vocation begins with our response.

In the gospel passage from St. Matthew,
chapter 1, verse 20 – 25, we read: “He had made
up his mind to do this when suddenly the angel of
the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take
Mary home as your wife, because she has
conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She
will give birth to a son and you must name him
Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his
people from their sins.’ Now all this took place to
fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the
prophets: Look! The virgin is with child and will
give birth to a son whom they will call Immanuel,
a name which means ‘God-is-with-us’. When
Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord

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Reflections on st. joseph