The Origin of Your Vocation

In today’s first reading, Tobit 6: 10-11; 7: 1abcde, 9-17; 8: 4-9a, we are told the story of Tobiah’s marriage to Sarah, daughter of Raguel. Sarah was married seven times before and each of her husbands died the night of their marriage before having relations with Sarah.  For Tobiah to be given to Sarah in marriage was, to say the least, a great risk. Would harm come to him as well and would Sarah again be devastated by acute loss, shattered dreams, by the death of yet another husband.  Sarah’s mother, in preparing her daughter for this eighth marriage, says to her: “Be brave, my daughter. May the Lord grant you joy in place of your grief.  Courage, my daughter.”  Sarah’s father says to Tobiah: “Your marriage  to her has been decided in heaven!”

Every vocation is made in heaven!  Am I, are you, aware of that?  And, if so, who am I, are you, to flaunt God’s call? And the choice of any vocation involved courage. Risks are involved in whichever vocation one chooses.  God says to you in this passages: “Be brave….Courage.” Your vocation “has been decided in heaven!”