Amos 2 : 6-10, 13-16 / Matthew 8 : 18-22
The call to the priesthood is always a call to holiness and it is in that call to holiness that the call to serve can be actualized.
Anyone who is about to enter the Seminary or a religious order is seen to be making a great sacrifice.
Indeed it certainly is. It entails a sacrifice of personal ambitions and financial gains and material comforts.
But the ultimate sacrifice is the sacrifice of self, which is the sacrifice of the personal choice so that one can be free to do God's will.
In other words, the real sacrifice is to live like Jesus, and to live like Jesus means that we have to understand what He said about Himself in the gospel.
It is like living life on the edge, to be prepared for the unexpected, to be prepared for the impossible, to be prepared to stand alone.
But yet always trusting in God at all times and knowing that He will take care of us and will provide for our needs.
That is one of the aspects of the life of holiness, and it is a holiness that is manifested in service.
Yet the necessity for sacrifice cannot be waived.
For Jesus Himself sacrificed Himself on the cross to save us.
We too must sacrifice ourselves if we truly want to serve God and pour out our lives in service of others.