Continuing our reflections from Simon Peter: Lessons from the First Pope by Georges Chevrot — Chevrot opens with the nature of vocation, defining it this way:
“It is the particular task that God assigns each one. In view of these special tasks, God endows them with special abilities, although not fully developed. He places their seeds in our nature. It is our job to cultivate them and make them grow.”
We can see this at play from the very first time we meet Peter in the Gospels. Our Lord has a specific vocation for him. And Peter is not ready for it — not even close. But the seeds are there.
That’s the beauty of Peter’s story, and what it affords us: the recognition that each of us has a specific vocation too. We are living in a certain time, in a certain place, surrounded by certain people, with a certain level of influence, certain skills, certain seeds. No one else in history — and no one alive right now — has that exact combination. No one else can live our vocation for us.
As the saying goes: if not you, then who?
Each of us has been placed here, in this moment, with a mission from our Lord. We may not be ready for it yet. But with His help, we can become ready — and bear the fruit He created us to bear.
Let us pray. Lord, help us to recognize the vocation You have given us — and to trust that, with Your help, we are being made ready for it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Keep fighting the good fight. Our Lady of Victory, pray for us.
This reflection is part of a series based on Simon Peter: Lessons from the First Pope by Georges Chevrot — a hidden gem I’d highly recommend. If you’re a reader who enjoys discovering lesser-known books on faith, prayer, and the spiritual life, hit reply or drop a like. I have a few ideas around this kind of content and would love to know if there’s interest before I go further with it.
