Ostium Catholic

The Lord called me from birth; from my mother's womb he gave me my name. John did not choose his vocation. It chose him - before he was born, in the naming, in the desert formation that happened before anyone was watching. The day of public appearance came after thirty years of hidden preparation.

In your twenties the tension between hiddenness and visibility is real. The culture rewards early visibility, rapid achievement, the appearance of impact. John spent thirty years in the desert. When he emerged, his first words pointed away from himself: I am not the one. One is coming whose sandal I am not worthy to unfasten.

Though I thought I had toiled in vain. Even the one called from birth has the moment of feeling the futility. Yet my reward is with the Lord. And then the surprise: it is too little to serve only Israel. You will be a light to the nations.

The small mission becomes the universal one. But the universal one only arrives through the faithful completion of the small one.

What will this child be? Ask that question about yourself: what are you being formed for in the desert you are currently in? You were knit in your mother's womb for a specific purpose. The hand of the Lord is with you. Name one way you can be faithful to the hiddenness this week rather than rushing to the visibility.

Lord, let the desert formation be enough. My reward is with you. The hand of the Lord is with me. Sacred Heart of Jesus, I trust in you. Amen.