Scripture and Vocation

Discipleship: Call and Response

Mt 4:18-22 or Mk 1:16-20 Jesus Calls his first disciples: “Come after me and I will make you fishers of men.”

Mt 9: 35-38 Pray for priestly vocations: “The harvest is rich but the laborers are few; beg the harvest master to send outlaborers for his harvest.”

Mt 16:24-28 “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me.”

Mt 17:1-13 The Transfiguration of Jesus: “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.  Listen to Him.”

Mt 19: 16-30 or Mk 10: 17-27 The Rich Young Man: “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, andyou will have treasure in heaven.  Then come follow me.”

Mt 20:20-28 or Mk 10:35-45 The request of James and John: “Anyone who wants to be great among you must be yourservant… just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for the many.”

Mt 26:17-35 or Mk 14:12-26 or Lk 22:1-38 The Last Supper: “Take and eat; this is my body.  This is the cup of my blood.  Dothis in remembrance of me.”

Mt 26:36-46 The Agony in the Garden: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not as I will but as you will.”

Mt 28 The Great Commission: “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all the nations.”

Lk 4:18 “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty tocaptives, and recovery of sight to the blind…”

Lk 9:57-62 “’I will follow you but first let me say farewell to my family’… ‘No one who sets a hand to the plough and looks to what wasleft behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.’”

Jn 2: 1-11 The wedding feast at Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.”

Jn 15:9-17 “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit shouldabide.”

Jn 10 The Good Shepherd: “When the Good Shepherd has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of him and the sheep followhim, because they recognize his voice.”

Jn 19:1-30 The Mother of priests: “Behold your mother.” The disciple (the priest St. John) took her into his home.

Mk 3:13 The Mission of the Twelve: “He summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him”

Mk 10:28-30 The Reward of Discipleship: “We have given up everything and followed you…you will be repaid a hundredtimes more now in this present age…and eternal life in the age to come.”

Lk 1:26-56 The Call of Mary: The Annunciation: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me according to yourword.”

Lk 14:25-33 Jesus on Discipleship: “Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.”

Jn 1:35-51 The call of the first disciples: “What are you looking for?  Come and see.”

Rom 8:28 “All things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”

1 Cor 1:26-31 God calls who He chooses: “Consider your own calling…Not many of you were wise… Rather God chose thefoolish to shame the wise.”

Gal 1:15 “God, who from my mother’s womb, had set me apart and called me through his grace”

Phil 3:10-14 “Forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead…the prize of God’s upward calling in ChristJesus.”

1 Pt 2:9-10 “God has called you out of darkness into his own marvellous light.”

Discernment

Mt 16:13-23 “Who do people say that I am?”

Acts 1:15-26 The choice of Matthias

Acts 6:1-6 The selection of the first deacons

Acts 13: 2-4 Paul and Barnabas selected by the Holy Spirit to go and preach

Acts 15:28 “It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us.”

Rom 8:14-17 “You did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear.”

Rom 12:1-2 “Do not conform yourself to this age…that you may discern what is the will of God.”

1 Cor 2: 7-12 “This God has revealed to us…so that we may understand.”

1 Cor 12:4-11 “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit.”

Gal 5:16-26 The works of the flesh

Eph 1: 3-14 “In him we were also chosen.”

Eph 1:17 “A spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.”

1 Jn 4:1-3 “Do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God”

Priesthood

Jn 13:1-14 The washing of the Disciples’ feet

1 Pet 2:2-10 “Come to him…let yourselves be built…to be a holy priesthood.”

Heb 4:12-16 Jesus, the compassionate high priest

Heb 5:1-10 “Every high priest is taken from among men”

Heb 10:10-17 “Every priest stands daily at his ministry”

Heb 3: 7-11 “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.”

Heb 7:17 “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Heb 8:3 “Now every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices.”

Old Testament

Genesis 12:1-4a

Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the landthat I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, sothat you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you allthe families of the earth shall bless themselves.” So Abram went, as the LORD had told him.

 

Exodus 3:10-12, 4:1, 10-12

Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring forth my people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” ButMoses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” He said,”But I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought forth thepeople out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain.” Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will notbelieve me or listen to my voice, for they will say, `The LORD did not appear to you.'” But Moses said to theLORD, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either heretofore or since thou hast spoken to thy servant; but I amslow of speech and of tongue.” Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes himdumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth andteach you what you shall speak.”

 

Isaiah 6:8

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I!Send me.”

 

Jeremiah 1:4-8

Now the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before youwere born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, Ido not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.” But the LORD said to me, “Do not say, `I am only a youth’;for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Be not afraid ofthem, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD.”

New Testament

Matthew 16:24-28

Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross andfollow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Forwhat will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return forhis life? For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay everyman for what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before theysee the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”

Matthew 22:1-14

And again, Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king whogave a marriage feast for his son, and sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast; butthey would not come. Again, he sent other servants, saying, `Tell those who are invited, Behold, I have madeready my dinner, my oxen and my fat calves are killed, and everything is ready; come to the marriage feast.’ Butthey made light of it and went off, one to his farm, another to his business, while the rest seized his servants,treated them shamefully, and killed them. The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, `The wedding is ready, but those invited were notworthy. Go therefore to the thoroughfares and invite to the marriage feast as many as you find.’ And thoseservants went out into the streets and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good; so the wedding hallwas filled with guests. “But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment; and he said to him, `Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he wasspeechless. Then the king said to the attendants, `Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness;there men will weep and gnash their teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”

Luke 9:57-62

As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said tohim, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But he said to him, “Leavethe dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Another said, “I willfollow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts hishand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Romans 8:26-31

Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sighs too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is themind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those whomhe foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he alsojustified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who isagainst us?