"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11

I asked a young man once if he had ever considered becoming a priest. His answer was a classic. He said, "No, I'm keeping my options open."

Now, we as Americans pride ourselves in our options. We enjoy options about everything, from investing to what fast food we choose. At some point, however, having options becomes being optional. It becomes a way of life, almost a philosophy of life. We think to ourselves that options keep us free. But do they?

Perhaps it is this attitude that the young man was expressing. When faced with vocations like priesthood and marriage, where life-time commitment are expected, then our options are immediately reduced. Well, I say priesthood and marriage. Our modern obsession with having options and letting them insure our freedom has made us look at marriage as option too. Even there our choice of a spouse becomes an option and commitment is made relative. The priesthood remains a vocation where we believe that there is real permanence. That maybe is what frightened the young man, the prospect of a life that was contrary to every trend and fad his options could present to him in our modern world.

The simple fact of the matter is that Jesus spoke very little about option. The Kingdom He came to preach was prefaced with the following words, "Repent, and believe in the gospel" (Mark 1:15). I hear nothing about option there. And when Jesus wanted to explain who He was as "the way, the truth, and the life", He chose the image of the shepherd.

The shepherd has something that prevents him from exercising too many of his options. What is that? It is called responsibility. The shepherd must keep the sheep in line. I recall once a country agent telling me about sheep. He said in the trade, sheep are known as animals "looking for an excuse to die." I thought that was an interesting explanation of the nature of sheep but also gave an insight into why Jesus used sheep as a comparison for us. They need the shepherd, more than the shepherd needs them.

The good shepherd is indeed the one who "lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:11). Like a parent or anyone else who takes his or her responsibilities seriously, keeping options opened is not part of the picture. Can you imagine the absurdity of a child, just having broken his or her arm on the playground, coming to the parent for help and the parent saying, "Dear, wait just a minute. I'm considering my options"? No, the parent would immediately do what needed to be done.

Jesus describes himself as that good shepherd who cares for the sheep because He knows His responsibility to them. He says, "A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly" (John 10:10). We may know nothing about sheep and shepherds, but we can all identify with that message. The shepherd is one who is always around, remains faithful, builds up, teaches the truth, shows the right path, and consistent in being responsible.

Today is Word Day of Prayer for Vocations. Not everyone is called to the priesthood or religious life, but to the one who is, Jesus says, "Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). When Peter and Andrew heard those words, they didn't say, "No, not yet, we need to consider our options." Instead, what Jesus said moved them in the innermost part of their being. "At once they left their nets and followed him" (Matthew 4:20). It is one thing to have never heard a call and to not know what it is. It is another to have heard a call and not answered it because you needed to keep your options open.

For the one who answers, however, life is never the same. At some point, options become exactly that, options. We don't live options. We are called to live life and not just any life but an abundant life. That abundant life takes commitment, total, complete response.