Poor Clares of New Orleans (OSC)
St. Clare Monastery
Monastery garden
A Second Career Vocation
Not so long ago, there was a time when a career was a lifetime affair. People rarely moved from one job or company to another. And, if they did, the new job or company was usually in the same or a related profession or field. Mandatory retirement was rare.
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Today people must or choose to retire as young as 55. Social Security is available as early as age 62, and many professions, fields, and companies require retirement at age 65.
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Under these conditions the idea of having a "second career" is no longer rare, and has even become attractive.
But very long ago, a young preacher just beginning his career called a number of people with established careers to leave them and join him. Among them were several men in the fishing trade, a government official, a political activist, and sometime later, a Jewish theologian. We have come to know them as Peter, Andrew, James and John, Matthew, Simon, and Paul.
It has always been true that as people enter their 30's and 40's they find themselves asking, "What has become of the ideals and dreams of my younger self?" Especially for women, this question may be something like, "Can I really 'have it all'? And even if I could, would it be enough?"
"Would it be enough?" "Can I have it all?" What is "all"? What is "enough"? Looking back can sometimes be the first step forward. Many young Catholic women consider a religious vocation but life happens and the thought is lost in other plans. But... like the apostles, time comes when a call becomes more than an idea. There is nothing to indicate in the stories of the apostles that they were dissatisfied with their lives before Jesus called them. But they were seekers. We know this because some of them were also disciples of John the Baptist.
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The story of the apostles, of their response to Jesus' invitation:
"Drop everything!"
Everything is possible!
