Our Vocational Calling

Posted on June 20, 2026 by Fr. Mark Botzet

A Guest Post This Week

A tip of the hat to Father Mark Botzet for letting me post his homily from June 14, 2026. Putting what he said in context, here’s the Gospel reading for that day.

“At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.’

“Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

“Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, ‘Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.'”
(Matthew 9:36–10:8) [emphasis mine]

The homily’s title, “Focus on Listening to God for Our Vocational Calling”, is Fr. Botzet’s; written across the top of the transcript he gave me.

I took the liberty of changing some punctuation so that it matches the style of this blog, and adding some headings. Finally, about the paragraph breaks: I figure those reflect the rhythm of a spoken presentation.

Okay, enough preface. Here’s Fr. Botzet’s homily.

Focus on Listening to God for Our Vocational Calling

Father Mark Botzet (June 14, 2026)

They were like sheep without a shepherd.

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few, so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

The Farm: an Analogy

A few weeks ago, my brother and I loaded the Momma cows up with their calves.

It is kind of interesting loading them.

You would think loading the mother cow and the calf would follow.

But it is actually the other way around.

Get the baby calf up to the trailer.

Lift them in.

And then watch your back.

Because Momma is right behind you.

This Shepherd has to move quickly and I have to watch my back. For the calf, it is a new experience.

Momma has done this many times.

Last Monday as I was at the farm.

My brother and I checked on the Mothers with their babies calves that are now in the pasture.

The mother cows came running with their calves.

They stopped and gazed at us as we watched them.

The calves started to nurse.

It must have been meal time.

At the farm, we are going to have to address a real issue that is emerging very quickly.

The need for more calves in order to sustain the future viability of the family farm.

Steubenville Conference

I ask for your prayers.

On Monday I will be leaving on my canonical retreat.

Flying out to the University of Steubenville.

Attending the Priest, Deacon and seminarian conference.

It will be a gathering of the shepherds.

Don’t worry. I will be back on Friday.

So do not get lost without me!

Vocations

“They were like sheep without a shepherd.

And

“Jesus gathered a number of disciples around him.”

Yet, that number was small in comparison to the souls to be harvested.

Jesus tells them to pray to God to send out laborers.

Just like we should pray today for more vocations,

For Priests and Sisters to help lead souls to Christ.

Families and Priests

You may have noticed in the last few weeks we have had a large number of funerals.

It is starting to appear that we are having more funerals then weddings that lead to baptisms.

With that said, we need more children.

God willing more children — will mean more priests.

You see, priests just do not fall out of the sky.

Priests come from families.

It is hard to believe this.

But do you know that priests even come from families that are broken?

We are like sheep without a shepherd.

Addressing a Fear

There is a great fear among our young people in answering their vocational calling.

What is God wanting me to do with my life?

Recently, Pope Leo addressed 600,000 young people during his apostolic visit to Spain.

Telling them — do not be afraid of marriage and starting a family.

It is a calling.

Not something to delay indefinitely out of fear.

The biggest challenge that young people face today is just that — answering their vocational calling.

Fear.

Fear of the unknown.

We are living in a society that is walking around like a group of people without a shepherd.

Looking for that vocational calling that will lead to the great joy and happiness that is the fulfillment of our life.

They are looking for God in all the wrong places.

They are searching for the truth.

I urge you to not follow the crowd that is lost.

Disciples, Then and Now

Our young people are more hungry for the truth today than they ever have been before.

They are tired of getting hurt by the lies.

Love just does not occur between a Man and a Woman.

Recognizing that God pours love out into your relationship!

Without Priests there are no sacramental marriages.

Mothers and Fathers play a critical role.

So gather your children like Jesus gathered his disciples.

Do not be afraid to teach them to have a prayer life.

Sharing Our Stories

Today Jesus teaches us that we need to walk with our young people.

Like he walked with his disciples.

He bestowed special powers on them.

The ability to cure the sick, to heal the lepers, to expel the demons and even to raise the dead.

Jesus did all of this before dying on the cross and ascending back to God in Heaven.

All these miracles Christ had performed himself,

and he passed on this miraculous power to his Apostles.

Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas

What are you doing to pass on and give to the younger generation?

Are you going to share your life story?

Your vocational calling of how you met and allowed God to work in your lives.

A vocational calling that you answered that led you before this very altar.

To the sacrament of marriage and the beginning of a family.

Share with your kids and grandkids those little setbacks on the journey.

Pray with them, encourage them, teach them.

They do not need to live a life of being lost sheep without a shepherd.

God is there for them.

They need to recognize Him and what God is calling them to do.

“Do Not be Afraid”

Do not be afraid.

You greatest Happiness and Joy is found in what God calls you to in your vocation.

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

Definitions and Links

“Vocation” means several things:

  • “A strong impulse or inclination to follow a particular activity or career.
  • “A divine call to God’s service or to the Christian life.
  • “A function or station in life to which one is called by God.”
    (dictionary.com)

Fr. Botzen was talking about the third sort of vocation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church’s Glossary goes into a little more detail:

“VOCATION: The calling or destiny we have in this life and hereafter. God has created the human person to love and serve him; the fulfillment of this vocation is eternal happiness (1, 358, 1700). Christ calls the faithful to the perfection of holiness (825). The vocation of the laity consists in seeking the Kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them according to God’s will (898). Priestly and religious vocations are dedicated to the service of the Church as the universal sacrament of salvation (cf. 873; 931).”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, Glossary)

I’ve talked about vocations a few times, including:

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AI Art and Me

Posted on June 13, 2026 by Brian H. Gill
Brian H. Gill's 'Hangar 7'. (2016) This scene uses Nightshift3D's Sci-Fi Hangar. Inside are Serrge's PPU - T2000 and SRB 800, Stonemason/Stefan Morrell's Sci-Fi Crates 'N Cylinders, 3dwizard's Star Brigade - Total Package, Wedge Cut 2.0 and figure by DAZ. I tweaked several of the surface textures, particularly Serrge's and Stonemason's. The original textures for both are fine: but I had something specific in mind for this scene. As usual, I did my own lighting and 'camera work.'
My “Hangar 7”. (2016)

Oddly enough, that picture was not made with or by AI.

I didn’t do all the work that went into “Hangar 7”. Nikola Tesla, Michael Faraday, and a whole mess of other folks developed the alternating current1 that ran my computer back in 2016. The computer: the roots of today’s information tech is a great many more topics.

Anyway, I didn’t develop any of the technology involved in making “Hangar 7”. All I did was take 3D models made by a number of folks:

  • Nightshift3D
  • Serrge
  • Stonemason and Stefan Morrell
  • 3dwizard

I used at least one DAZ model, too. That’s the company that developed DAZ 3D, software I used for placing and adjusting models, and rendering the scene.

I tweaked several of the surface textures, particularly Serrge’s and Stonemason’s. The original textures for both are fine: but I had something specific in mind for this scene. As usual, I did my own lighting and ‘camera work’.

So, how come I claim copyright on that image?

Basically, it’s because the DAZ user agreement says that it’s okay, in cases like this.

Besides, I did adjust how their surfaces reflect (virtual) light. I also set them in the places you see, worked (at length) on getting the (virtual) lighting the way I wanted it. Finally, I placed, pointed, and adjusted the (virtual) camera.

As I see it, it’s like someone taking objects made by other folks, stacking them in a pile near the Chrysler Building in New York City, taking a picture of them with the skyscraper in the background, and claiming copyright on the photo.

Intellectual Property Rights

Actually, that may not be a good example.

The Chrysler Building appeared in “Marvel’s Spider-Man” (2018), but not in other Spider-Man movies and at least one video game.2 I gather that the skyscraper changed hands, and the new owner objected. Seems that trademark licensing and architectural copyright issues were in play. Those are rabbit holes I’m not going to jump down. Not this week.

On the other hand, the virtual models and software I used while putting that picture together are sold/provided (another legal tangle) with the understanding that folks are going to use them the way I did.

So I’m not going to fret over the remote possibility that hordes of lawyers are going to line up, in hopes of extracting — I’d better stop now.

Finally, a tip of the hat to someone I talked with on Monday. He’s a digital artist who is none too fond of how AI is being used. His complaint isn’t the newfangled technology. It’s folks telling AI to slap together something, taking the assembled bits and pieces of other folks’ work that the software found, and saying ‘I made this’.

I see his point, and agree.

I also agree with what one of my daughters said. AI has been bothering her because so many folks are taking AI entirely too seriously. That’s a topic I could discuss: heatedly and at length. But I won’t, since I’ve been taking it easy this week.

Basically, I see AI as a very promising new technology. Whether each of us uses it to help or hurt: that’s up to each of us.

My oldest daughter, reading this, said: “You spent most of the article talking about how you made that one image and didn’t really connect it to the AI topic.”

She’s right, and I’d say more, but as I said: I’ve been taking it easy.

Dik Browne's 'Hagar the Horrible:' 'It may be the end of civilization as we know it.' (February 25, 1973)

Besides, I’ve talked about AI, people, and making sense before:

1 (Electric) power to the people:

  • Wikipedia
    • Alternating current (“This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. …”)
    • Electric power transmission (“This article has multiple issues. … The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the United States and do not represent a worldwide view of the subject. (March 2026)”)
    • Nikola Tesla
    • War of the currents

2 Arguably winner of “the Award for Best Supporting Skyscraper”:

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Remorse Happens, Forgiveness is an Option

Posted on June 6, 2026 by Deacon Tim Pribula
Brian H. Gill's illustration of the 'Shield of the Trinity'/'Scutum Fidei'. From AnonMoos, based on an illustration by Sumudu Fernando, via Wikipedia, used w/o permission.

Brian H. Gill, Introduction

Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday, the first Sunday after Pentecost. Deacon Tim Pribula let me share his homily — thank you, Deacon!

After reading it, my oldest daughter noted that the paragraph breaks are unconventional. She’s right, but I left them as-is, since besides being a homily, it’s a script for a spoken presentation. And that’s another topic or two.

Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity: Deacon Tim Pribula’s Homily

(He didn’t explain how the Trinity works. Instead, he talked about Jesus, Judas, Peter, and accepting forgiveness.)

First Scripture reading

Exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9

“Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai
as the LORD had commanded him,
taking along the two stone tablets.

“Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there
and proclaimed his name, ‘LORD.’
Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,
‘The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,
slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.’
Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship.
Then he said, ‘If I find favor with you, O Lord,
do come along in our company.
This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins,
and receive us as your own.'”

Second Scripture reading.

2 Corinthians 13:11-13

“Brothers and sisters, rejoice. 
Mend your ways, encourage one another,
agree with one another, live in peace,
and the God of love and peace will be with you.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the holy ones greet you.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
and the love of God
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”
 

Gospel reading. 

John 3:16-18

“God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,
but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,
because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

I. Two Men Failed

Two men. (pause)

Two men failed Jesus at the worst possible moment of His life —

it was a very personal betrayal of a friend. (Matthew 26:47–50; Luke 22:54–62)

One failed out of fear, denying he ever knew Him. (Luke 22:54–62)

One failed out of greed, handing Him over with a kiss,

choosing thirty pieces of silver over loyalty. (Matthew 26:14–16, 47–50)

Both failures happened in darkness —

the darkness of fear, confusion, weakness, and panic. (Luke 22:53; John 13:27–30)

And both men knew immediately what they had done.

They were flooded with regret, shame,

and that terrible awareness we all recognize:

I have failed the One who trusted me. (Psalm 51:3; Luke 22:61–62)

Yet their stories do not end the same way.

And the difference is not that one sin was worse than the other.

The difference is what they believed about Jesus after they failed.

II. Judas and Peter: Remorse, Weeping, and Conclusions

One man decided his failure defined him —

that there was no way back, no mercy left — and he despaired.

Judas: Not a Good Role Model

That man was Judas.

And Scripture is clear: Judas felt remorse.

In Matthew 27:4, Judas goes back, throws the silver down, and says,

“I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.”

He is not indifferent. He is not cold.

He is not unaware of what he has done.

But Judas does something dangerous with that remorse.

He let’s shame speak louder than mercy.

He concludes something about himself: I am beyond repair.

He concludes something about God: there is no mercy left for me.

And he acts alone on that conclusion —

isolated, cut off from hope, and surrendering himself completely to despair.

He stopped believing Jesus would want him back. (Matthew 27:5)

The other man also failed deeply.

Peter’s Response to Failure and Grief

That man was Peter.

After Peter’s denial, the Gospel gives us one haunting line:

“He went out and began to weep bitterly.” (Luke 22:62)

That is not repentance explained — it is repentance felt.

And it’s something we understand, because most of us have wept bitterly over our sin in one way or another. (Psalm 38:18; Psalm 51:17)

Peter’s first response to failure was grief.

He does not run to the others to argue his case.

He does not justify himself or defend himself.

He does not decide what Jesus must think of him.

Peter does something very different from Judas.

He does not draw the final conclusion.

He leaves room for Jesus to speak first.

And when Jesus finally restores him on the shoreline, Peter’s words are simple and surrendered:

“Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” (John 21:15–17)

This is the posture of a good confession. (James 5:16; 1 John 1:9)

We approach and say, “Bless me, Father, for I have sinned.”

And beneath every Act of Contrition is the same honest truth:

“O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee…

And I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments,

but most of all because they offend Thee, my God,

who art all good and deserving of all my love.”

It’s not fear of punishment alone. Not shame. (1 John 4:18)

But the need for His love — and the desire not to live far from Him.

(Psalm 51:11; Luke 15:18–20)

Or to say it plainly:

Lord, you already know who I am.

You already know what I’ve done. (Luke 18:13)

And I’m still here because I love you and I need your mercy. (Psalm 139:1–3)

III. Where We Recognize Ourselves

That contrast forces an uncomfortable question on us.

When I fail — especially when I fall into the same sins again —

what do I believe God does with me then? (Romans 7:15–25)

Many of us quietly live with the feeling that no matter how hard we try,

we never quite live up to what God expects. (Romans 3:23)

We confess the same sins.

We struggle with the same weaknesses.

And slowly, almost without noticing, we begin to draw conclusions that sound a lot like Judas:

God must be tired of me.

God must be disappointed.

And beneath it all is a deeper fear:

not that God will punish us —

but that God is finished with us. (Psalm 103:8–14; Romans 8:1)

IV. The Gospel’s Correction

That fear is exactly what Jesus addresses in today’s Gospel.

Jesus says:

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,

but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17)

God did not send His Son to look at you in shame.

He did not send His Son to tally your failures or confirm

your worst fears about yourself.

He did not send His Son to stand at a distance and shake His head. (John 8:1–11)

God sent His only Son to give His life for you — (John 3:16; Romans 5:8)

to carry sin, (Isaiah 53:4–6)

to bear the cross, (1 Peter 2:24)

to do for you what you could never do for yourself — (Ephesians 2:8–9)

so that you might be saved through Him. (John 3:17)

V. The God Who Comes Down

God does not love us from afar.

He does not shout mercy from heaven.

The Father sends the Son to come down into our weakness —

(Philippians 2:6–8)

to stand where we stand, (Hebrews 4:15)

to feel what we feel, (Isaiah 53:3–4)

to carry what we cannot. (Matthew 11:28–30)

In Jesus Christ, God knows betrayal, fear, denial, shame, and regret —

because He has entered the human story Himself. (Hebrews 2:17–18)

This is why Peter’s story ends not in despair,

but in mercy and mission. (John 21:15–19)

Not because Peter was stronger.

Not because Peter was better.

But because Peter trusted that mercy was still possible. (John 21:7; Luke 22:32)

VI. Invitation and Hope

And this is the invitation before us today.

Not to draw final conclusions about ourselves.

Not to hide from God because we’re ashamed. (Genesis 3:8–10)

Not to isolate and handle our failure alone. (James 5:16)

But to trust mercy more than our shame. (Romans 5:20)

Because in Jesus Christ,

God knows your sin. (Psalm 69:5)

He knows your weakness. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

He knows your fear. (Mark 14:33–36)

He knows exactly how you feel. (Hebrews 4:15)

And He loves you anyway. (Romans 5:8; John 21:15–17)

Lord Jesus, when we fail you, you do not turn away from us.

Forgiveness IS an Option: B. H. Gill’s Opinion and Links

Accepting forgiveness isn’t always easy. But knowing that coming back and sorting things out is an option: that’s a good thing:

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A Ride in the Library

Posted on May 30, 2026 by Brian H. Gill
Barrett Voight via Google Street View; Minnesota State University Moorhead campus, looking toward MacLean Hall. (July 2016)
Minnesota State University, Moorhead; looking toward MacLean Hall.

My mother and father met while earning degrees in library science.

Minnesota State University Moorhead's photo: an aerial view of MSUM when it was Moorhead State College. (1970)
Moorhead State, the first time I was there.

I don’t know when or why it was first called a “science”.

I’ll grant that the academic discipline focusing on sorting documents into categories, and then making those documents accessible to folks wanting their information, overlaps the sciences; and that’s another topic. Topics.

At any rate, my father got a job as head librarian at Moorhead State Teachers College around 1950. At that time the library was in the east end of MacLean Hall, more-or-less where the bookstore is now.

Snead Shelving and Perceptions of Age

Snead and Company photo: main stack room, New York Public Library; center of seventh tier, showing stack columns supporting steel beams and terra cotta arch floor of main reading room overhead. Figure 115 of 'Library planning, bookstacks and shelving, with contributions from the architects' and librarians' points of view', Stead and Company Iron Works, Jersey City NJ (1915)
Not Moorhead State: Snead shelving in the New York Public Library. (1915)

Back then, the library stacks extended at least one level above the building’s ground floor. My memories of them look like Snead shelves: modular tiered metal shelving with self-contained stairs.1

Photo: Brian H. Gill, at his desk. (March 2021)

My father’s idea of a head librarian’s duties involved his going back to work after normal working hours. Sometimes he’d take me along.

That very likely explains why I remember so much about the multi-story stacks inside a larger building — heady stuff for this child or pre-teen.

Some folks apparently are aware of exactly how old they are at every point in their lives. My perception is like many of my father’s kin. We knew how old we were: either “of age” or “not of age”, child or adult.

To this day, if I’m asked for my age, I have to recall when I was born and the current date, then do a little arithmetic to work out ‘how old’ I am. I was born during the Truman administration, and have been “of age” for decades.

The point of that digression is that I did some figuring, and found that I was about nine years old when construction began on the building that replaced the library’s MacLean Hall location.

A Very Happy Moment

Google Street View's image: The gates of Moorhead State, now Minnesota State University, Moorhead; seen from 11th Street South and 7th Avenue South, Moorhead, Minnesota. (October 2011) via Google Street View, used w/o permission.
Moorhead State’s gate: bigger trees and fancier paving than during my childhood.

I was probably much younger when my father gave me a ride in the library.

He sat me in an office chair, the sort with arms. These days it would have been made of metal and plastic, with five legs. This one was made of wood, and most likely had four legs.

It certainly was on casters.

Sitting with my back against the chair’s back and gripping the arms, I seem to remember my calves resting on the seat. My father must have been in a good mood. He took hold of the chair’s back and rushed us around the library, occasionally spinning the chair.

I wanted the moment to last longer, and said so. But eventually my father indicated that the ride was over.

Almost seven decades later, that is still among my very best memories.

I’ve mentioned the Moorhead State library before:

1 Snead shelving, I didn’t find much about it online:

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Noted: “Magnifica Humanitas”, Pope Leo XIV on AI

Posted on May 25, 2026 by Brian H. Gill

I haven’t read the encyclical letter yet. It’s divided into five chapters plus a conclusion, so I don’t expect it’ll be a fast read.

Vatican News posted an article about it today:

“Pope Leo’s ‘Magnifica humanitas’: AI must serve humanity not concentrate power”
Isabella Piro, Vatican News (May 25, 2026)

“Marking the 135th anniversary of Rerum novarum, Pope Leo XIV releases his first encyclical, entitled ‘Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence.’ He appeals for the safeguarding of humanity, promotion of truth, dignity of work, social justice, and peace.

“‘Humanity, created by God in all its grandeur, is today facing a pivotal choice: either to construct a new Tower of Babel or to build the city in which God and humanity dwell together.’

“The opening words of Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, summarize its underlying reasons and purpose.

“Published on Monday, May 25, the Pope signed the encyclical on May 15, the 135th anniversary of the promulgation of Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum novarum….”

I’m particularly interested in this encyclical letter. Partly because it’s from the first American pope, partly because it’s about a new sort of technology.

My guess, though, is that what the current pope says will be what we’ve been told for two millennia and counting:

  • People matter
  • Actions have consequences
  • Responsibility exists

As for AI, artificial intelligence: it’s a technology, a tool. Essentially, it’s no different from sharpened sticks, fire, steam engines, or pocket calculators. Each of us can use technology to help or harm ourselves and our neighbors. Or not use it, for that matter.

Me? “Magnifica Humanitas” is now on my ‘should read this soon’ list. Also, I’ve started using — playing with — learning about — AI that my oldest daughter introduced me to, and I’m going to get back to enjoying Memorial Day as soon as I wrap this up.

First, a link to what Pope Leo XIV wrote:

I’ve talked about AI before:

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