Expressions of love are as innumerable as the stars in the universe, as bountiful as beauty, as many-faceted as the gems of the earth. I say again that sameness is not a sentence to mediocrity or uniformity. You are a unique expression of the selfsame love that exists in all creation. Thus your expression of love is as unique as your Self. It is in the cooperation between unique expressions of love that creation continues and miracles become natural occurrences. C:20.30
At church last night, sitting in our new spots, which I would guess we will not be in much longer—I got tears in my eyes considering what it will be like to go to Mass without Mom. It was an extravagant Mass, the “installation” of our new pastor Fr. Adams, the young priest returned from Venezuelan conflict to pastor not one but three parishes. This was the third of his three ceremonies, one at each parish, this one with three priests and two deacons on the altar. One, the bishop’s representative, praying for him to have God’s grace to fulfill his duties, seemed to be doing a bit of a sales job. It sounded a bit like this: “We know we’re asking the impossible of you, but with God’s grace, you can do it.”
I wrote of Fr. Adams in a March blog when he was a visiting mission priest and said, “He seemed frail and perhaps unwell,” and gave as a primary cause the noise that he spoke of. Something in me related to him for that. He couldn’t escape the noise—and he needed to. During yesterday’s Mass, Fr. Adams didn’t have much to say. The other priests did all the talking. But in his homily as a visiting priest, he spoke not only of the noise of living in a Venezuelan village, but of how the people would “hand you their hearts.” I suspect that’s what kept him going.
I felt sorry for Fr. Adams. And yet similar words used in another way inspired me in my way. “God gives every single one of us the grace of our own vocation.” “Let all of the people of these three diverse parishes meet Christ in you and you in them.”
“God gives every single one of us the grace of our own vocation.”
You could find this sentiment in the second Treatise, A Treatise on Unity’s focus on “calling.” Calling and vocation both speak of something unique that exists in us as a given, a particular feature of our creation, something ours to do or be in this life. Diverse descriptions of callings in ACOL speak of teachers and farmers and those caring for young children and creating a home. There is a sense that Jesus is saying that when you live by this inner calling, this gift, you will live truly. You will be following your heart. You will manifest the Christ in You.
Vocational ideas were in me this week as I took the plunge and sent off a description of my presentation for next year’s ACIM conference. It was due by the end of the month and so I waffled. Send it now, or wait? Give myself some time to change my mind . . . or commit? Such is the way of things like conferences—commitment is asked for. Will you come? You must decide. Will you agree to the terms? Decision needed. Send a photo. Register. Check off the items on a list. All necessary. Requirements—prescribed ways of doing things—and a need to be innovative, are part of all vocations. You are asked to do something no one else can do, and you are asked to do it within certain guidelines. You and I are, in many ways given our “thing to do” in its original form at our birth, and given it again and perhaps again and again in the fullness of our lives, as Fr. Adams lived his vocation in Venezuela and will do so again in Minnesota. But of course, that’s not the end of the story.
The amazement of being who we are is how many-faceted we are in our wholeness. My 
presentation will be loosely based on being all of who we are . . . on leaving no part of ourselves out of what we bring to each other and the world. This requires, of course, acceptance of all that we are—not just of the parts that sound good or feel good; it suggests acceptance that we are more than our parts, and that yet, all parts of us are essential. It suggests acceptance of our humanity and our divinity. It also suggests acceptance of the mystery:
This list of different callings could be endless, and each could be considered unexplainable. Those who seek an explanation before following a calling, who look for reasons of a practical nature, who would seek guarantees of the rightness and outcome of following such a call, seek for proof they have already been given. The call itself is proof. It is proof of the heart’s ability to be heard. Of the heart’s ability to recognize the unseen and to imagine the existence of that which will reveal its true nature and its joy. T2:2.7
The wonder is that our callings do not suggest that we give up any part of who we are, but that each of us bring all of who we are into being.
Mari, How wonderful this post is! Especially for me as I’ve been noticing the changes in my feelings about gifts, talents and calling. I struggled a bit with this, always trying to find that one special thing that’s specific to me. You know that BIG thing. All these things I’m not…an artist, writer, composer, builder, musician..etc. I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid. I wanted to find out what was out there. What made the universe and maybe find God in it. We have all these spiritual sayings like, ‘just being you is a gift,” or “being kind is a gift.” I didn’t want to “settle.” I wanted to find my gift that made me great….that had an impact on others….That when someone saw “my” gift they were so moved by it, it would never be confused with some trait like being nice.
Others would consider me outgoing, but I feel I’m more like an outgoing-introvert if there is such a thing. What I’m experiencing since this living and transforming miracle of ACOL entered me is an opening up. A willingness to share intimately from the heart. A presence of my own being that I’m able to offer, to give. It’s only recently I’ve come to feel it as my calling…my gift and it feels incredibly complete.
Love
Mary
Mari, truly lovely! This accepting and sharing all of ourselves, leaving nothing out is the what it’s all about. ..this life, who we are, and how we want to be. Well, for me it is.
This calling that is specific to each of us I know is there. Yet I struggled for a long time not knowing what mine was. Once in awhile I still wonder if I’ve discovered it. Then somehow I’m reminded of being…being me as only I can be me and then everything settles. It not only feels enough but complete….like a comfortable chair you sit in to read a book. I’m the comfortable chair
Peace girlfriend!
What a beautiful post Mari..
And I love ” When you live by this inner calling, this gift, you will truly live” Yeees Truly live…that touches something beautiful within me…
And being all of who we are, leaving no parts out… Accepting our humanity and our divinity… How great that you will speak about this…
You’re gonna be a fresh rose on this event, with new thoughts that people been waiting for and will love and be inspired by…new ideas that will free them from spiritual ideals that nontheless is so easy to take on….. and instead allow them to be themselves fully…for me this is one of the greatest gifts ACOL gives us…
Thank you Mari…I am just sooo grateful that you were chosen to channel this course and that you also take on the task to go out and share your thoughts about it… Noone could do this better than you…
Anne, I feel that you and I “get” each other in a particular way because of our creativity. Don’t you feel that every creative person (by which, at this moment I mean artistic person) feels that they are called, and would gladly give their lives to their creative selves if they could? We like having the talent and the passion for it, no matter whether there’s “a life to be made” from it or not, and that is part of the joy of being who we are, I feel so blessed to have this particular passion in me. Art is one of the “easy” callings in this way, because it’s so fulfilling in the sense of our happiness to be engaged with it. Thank you, as always, for all of your kind words.
I am pretty sure that others too will be impressed by this ““God gives every single one of us the grace of our own vocation.”. It is like asking yourself “what is your strongest gift?”…and not knowing what to reply. I have often asked myself where my strength lies. Sometimes I get a glimpse: communication, explaining, teaching even…and then it fades into the daily necessities of “making a living”. When I was a wee boy, I wanted to be a missionary in Africa…I lived there for 14 years, but became a businessman. Then I wanted to be a spiritual healer, then realized I needed to heal myself first…Now I find I just need to be.: what a relief!
Ben, you dear. After exploring this in my own life, (and you know me–I’m not the “always happy” type), I’ve found that callings seem to have to do with our joy. Eagerness, passion, loving what we’re doing even when it hurts–that feels like calling to me! I imagine you having this feeling over ACOL right now. This is the thing. A calling is what we love, (not so much what we do or the way we do it), the feeling of it “inside” and how it influences us to “be.” . . . At least that’s my idea of the moment!