St. Dominic Catholic Church

2002 Merton Ave | Los Angeles, CA 90041 | (323) 254-2519

Homilies


1/14/2018 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

I resisted getting a cell phone for years until a couple in Eugene Oregon gave me one for Christmas. It felt like the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil. I was expelled from the garden of silence and tranquility into the harsh world of constant accessibility.

I still don’t always carry my cell phone. I don’t want to have to answer a call at any moment in the day, and I don’t like it when I’m talking with someone and our conversation is interrupted by my phone. I admit I am guilty of sometimes answering, because the person calling potentially may have something more important to say than the person standing before me.

We often don’t answer when God calls us; He’s just not that important, or, like young Samuel, we are “not familiar with the Lord.” (1Sam 3:7) That call might be a gentle nudge to affirm someone, or to help someone out. Maybe it’s an awareness of needing to speak on someone’s behalf, or challenge someone we care about who is making a mistake or committing a sin. It may be that idea that pops up and you wonder, “where did that come from?” or a longing for someone to do something about a problem you’ve identified. A vocation unfolds as we answer these smaller, daily calls and see where they lead us.

Instead, we say, “Oh, no, not me.  God wouldn’t bother calling me.  I’m not like Samuel, or St. Andrew, or St. Paul.” No? There are only three possibilities if God is not calling you.  Either God has given up on you, has overlooked you, or is completely satisfied with the way you are. All three of those are ridiculous, right? God never gives up on anyone, nor does he create us and forget about us. How can He, when, as St. Paul says, we are temples of the Holy Spirit, and not our own, but God’s?

Unfortunately, many Catholics think a call from God is only to priesthood, religious life, or activity at the parish. Those are important, sure, but the layperson’s call is out in the secular world that God wants to transform. Let me give you an example of someone who discovered his call. Michael Cordúa came to the US in 1976 from Nicaragua to study at Texas A&M. While in college, he honed his cooking skills by preparing meals for his friends that reminded him of food from home.  His first restaurant experience was as a pot washer at Pepe Taco. He worked for six years in shipping in the Port of Houston. Then, in 1988, he opened a restaurant in Houston featuring the food of Nicaragua and other Central American countries in a market that knew only Tex-Mex cuisine.

A few years ago, an interviewer asked him why so many of his employees had worked for him for years, and even had kids who came to work for him. He said,

“As we built the company, I understood we were building a community. A lot of our staff are immigrants — the sense of belonging is so important to the migration story. We started withholding tips in our first year, (and including them in their paychecks) because I realized our staff was getting a bum deal everywhere they went. Because we live in a cash society, they had to buy cars at loan shark rates, they couldn’t qualify for homes, they had to rent apartments. They were not happy and questioned, ‘Are you gonna steal the money from us?’ But within a year, we began to see (our employees become) homeowners taking part in the American dream. Now they had a stub that showed their income. That transformed their life and brought stability, and with stability comes employment longevity.”

Cordúa realized his call was not just to cook, or to make money, but to help other immigrants succeed in the U.S. He said, “When your job is more than cooking, but making sure your employee goes to college, you’ve gotta love that.” See?  He has experienced his call as good! He funds a college scholarship program for his employees and their children, has supported Casa Esperanza, a Houston shelter for abused children, for over 28 years, and has served on the board of multiple Catholic organizations. He now has nine restaurants in the Houston area that serve award-winning food and which allow him to transform the lives of his employees – and to glorify God.

Don’t pretend God’s not calling, or think He has a wrong number. Don’t put Him on hold. God loves you so much, and He’s the best parent ever. He only wants what is best for you, and He wants to call forth the best in you. You are not our own; you belong to God who has purchased you with the blood of his Son, Jesus. Say to Him, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening,” and prepare for an adventure.