Brother Matt Wooters: Swimming in the Ocean of God

Season 5, episode 8 of Messy Jesus Business podcast, hosted by Sister Julia Walsh. "There's an emptiness...there's a hole we are perpetually trying to fill....and the hole is God." -Brother Matt Wooters LISTEN HERE: IN THIS EPISODE: In this episode of Messy Jesus Business podcast, Sister Julia Walsh talks with Brother Matt Wooters about how he became a Jesuit, and his work in vocations. "I think sometimes people think...in vocation work, we're in sales. And I'm really not interested in selling anything," Br. Matt explains. "I believe that everyone has a vocation, I don't believe everyone has a Jesuit vocation. And so my job is to accompany young men to see where their vocation might be, even if it's not with us." They also discuss how discerning a religious vocation works today. "I think a vocation is a combination of your skills...your best self, where is the need in the world, and what's something you can't not do. So it's something you keep thinking about," he says. They also discuss swimming, how it is a form of prayer for Br. Matt, and how he has integrated his passion for swimming into his vocation. Finally, we talk about the mess of showing up, and how commitment means we have to show up even when the going gets tough. ABOUT THE GUEST: Brother Matt Wooters is a native of Washington, DC. He joined the Jesuits in 2012 after graduating from John Carroll University. After college, he served for two years with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps in Belize. He holds graduate degrees in Social Work and Theology from Saint Louis University and Santa Clara University, respectively. Br. Matt has spent most of his life working with people experiencing homelessness, migrants, and those struggling with addiction. He is an open water swimmer, a podcaster, and a lover of stand-up comedy. CONTEMPLATIVE MOMENT is taken from Suscipe, a prayer from St. Ignatius of Loyola. MESSY JESUS BUSINESS is produced and hosted by Sister Julia Walsh, and edited by Charish Badzinski. Email us at [email protected] BE SOCIAL:https://www.facebook.com/MessyJesusBusiness https://www.instagram.com/messyjesusbusiness Twitter: @messyjesusbiz SUPPORT US: https://www.patreon.com/messyjesusbusiness