Transcript of Abbot Clement’s Talk on Wednesday, July 6, 2005

Having the example of the call of the apostles, the whole heart of Jesus wanting to bring salvation to the whole world the dream that he has to make mankind flourish and we see that the Lord entrusts his mission to those he called. We know from the reading of the gospel= s that we see the apostles perform their work in their weaknesses and their strengths and eventually they die for the Lord, all of them martyred, except John and one who betrayed him.

So we see in this text a reflection for us on our own call. God has a design for the salvation of the world. As time goes on he raises up different people to do his work. A vocation to religious life is one such call. The call is not simply a question of being asked to do something. It is a deep love in the heart of God for each and every one of us. Calling us to join his work and asking us to find from him the strength we need to really need to blossom, not only ourselves, but also to bring that transformation to the world around us.

We see this in the first reading. Joseph is really treated very badly by his brothers but he has learned to forgive and not carry grudges. What does he do? He is a gift of blessing so that his brothers and family may have life. He provides for their physical welfare.

There= s an example of what the Lord intends for us. We know that the Lord is not stingy and he’s generous in this call and generous in giving us grace. So it is a question for us to ask how are we promoting the kingdom right where we are?