(1st Community Post) Who were you created to be?

Catholic-Link.com- Today, I have the pleasure of presenting a new initiative at Catholic-link: Community Posts. For this new endeavor, a new Facebook group has been opened in which we have invited others to come together and reflect on the various apostolic elements presented in our videos. Then, collecting their various contributions, we are publishing them in a series of special publications called “Community Post”. In coming together in friendship– bounded by our mission to serve Christ and his Church in the apostolate– and sharing our experiences, we have the ability to offer a variety of perspectives that in turn will be of great help in understanding and using the video.

I would like to take advantage of this brief introduction to thank all those who have participated. They are all Catholics of excellent caliber who are actively engaged in various apostolic projects. In making this post, my hope is also to raise awareness of their work as well as emphasize the importance and benefits of working together. Beyond the fact that it is common sense, working together is something essential to being Catholic. We are all called to do apostolate not only for the Church but also in the Church, with the Church, and as the Church.

The first video that we are presenting is called “Defining a Prodigy.” It is an excellent reflection about the existing richness of each individual person and the importance of discovering one’s own vocation.

Brandon Vogt is a blogger, author, and Catholic speaker. Check out his website at: BrandonVogt.com 

In his 1994 “Letter to Families,” Pope John Paul II famously wrote that “every individual is unrepeatable.” There is nobody in the world, past or present, who is just like you. Nobody with your mix of skills or experience, nobody with the same passions. So if a prodigy is “an unusually gifted person,” we’re all meant to be prodigies. And if that’s true, then the key to our deepest fulfillment is to activate those unusual gifts, to deliver to the world what only we can give.

This video powerfully motivates people, especially young people, to do just that. It encourages you to dig down, find the unique traits that make you fully alive (cf. John 10:10), and follow them. Then you’ll be a prodigy. Then you’ll fulfill St. Catherine of Siena’s prophecy: “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

Corey Heimann is founder of Likable Art, a source of creative apostolic videos, websites, and other initiatives. Check out his website at: Likableart.com

As His Holiness Benedict XVI begins his new life as our first pope emeritus in centuries, I can’t help to think of his words, “The world offers you comfort, you were not made for comfort, but for greatness.” -Pope Benedict XVI. This video speaks to a yearning that resides deep within my being, and is something I wrestle with daily. With everything we do we have two options to aim for, comfort or greatness.

As writing this I am sitting beside my wife nursing our son, born just two days ago. The last few days have been a wake up call to exit out of my remaining apathy. I desire to be a great father, but the world offers few examples of greatness to follow. As we look through the images in this video we see examples of the first step, action kills apathy. Our hearts are fulfilled when we let God work and reject apathy. So go ahead, log off the computer and take the first step. I dare you. I’ve got to go change a diaper.

Monica Perez Lopez is the English editor of Catholic.net, a page that’s been around since 1995 and has been a pioneer in Catholic online presence.

To become what you were created to be, is certainly the constant search of human beings and some get lost on it, as daily life continues to bring a lot of work, obligations and worries among other stuff. Still, the longing to be more than what we are remains deep in our hearts. The reason is simple, “To be a human being means to come from God and to go to God” (Youcat, 1) and this is why there is always present in the mind the certainty that is mentioned on this video: “there’s got to be more than this”

As it is seen on the video it is needed to consider that “you are gifted and passionate. Add God’s purpose to this and watch what He can build” It is a job for two, you and God. But as everything that is worthy, it comes with a cost, therefore, “What would you do, with what you’ve been given to become the prodigy you were created to be?” and there is where action starts!

Seth Moore is President and Founder of OneBillionStories.com, a think tank of video missionaries rewriting the art of story-telling with film in the Church.

Youth are often seeking the question proposed in this video, ‘what was I created to be?’ Is it my job? Is it how far I hit a baseball? Is it the boyfriend I have? Much of mainstream media has convinced throngs of youth in the 21st century that one’s worth comes from your possessions. Rather than focusing on possessions in this video, the striking focal points are the people. No matter your cultural or ethnic background, God is at the center of every person’s genesis. This 2 minute video captures well the infinite beauty of God’s creation, the human race. 

One note of caution is overselling a career as the element that defines one as a prodigy. Being born for more may involve an incredible career, but is that what this video is elevating us to consider? Can our Prodigy be discovered without God, without Christ? No. Despite the billions of hours of YouTube content that is trying to convince the world otherwise, it simply is a lie. Christ is the Prodigy within all of us, and if a 2 minute video jump starts that reflection in souls around the world, then let us not waiver in producing beautiful video for the 21st century that unites The Prodigy of Christ with the careers of the modern world.

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Post tags: Calling, Career, featured, God, Identity, Meaning of Existence, Meaning of Life, Mission, Prodigy, Self-Knowledge, Vocation

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