Suffering With Joy

Discerning One’s Vocation

November 3, 2011

My God and My All

Perhaps one of the most difficult processes we can go through in life is to discern the state in life God is calling us to.  Difficult, that is, if we believe that we have an important part in the economy of salvation, which we do.

If we just go on auto pilot according to the wisdom of the world we will soon come to believe that something is wrong with us if we don’t get married, make lots of money, have a successful career, have a child or two, and acquire expensive things.  But God does have something special in mind for each of us as we have seen in What is a Vocation? It remains for us to seek His will.

Wouldn’t it be lovely if God would whisper in our ear His intentions? Unfortunately for our impatient natures, He doesn’t work that way.  He sometimes takes us on a journey of years before we are prepared to understand and commit to what He is asking of us. Other times, we are drawn from childhood to a particular vocation.

Sometimes we are deeply attracted to a particular way of life, or our fantasy of what that way is like.  Sometimes we are repelled by the hardships involved in a particular vocation and want to reject it as a possibility in our life, yet it could be the very one God calls us to.   The process of discernment will help answer the questions we must reasonably pose.

Questions

Perhaps the most useful question to start with is: Is our supposed calling from God or from the devil? Obviously, a mother with the responsibilities of children is not called to run off to the convent or be a hermit no matter how attractive the life may seem at times.  Likewise a husband and father with family responsibilities isn’t called to run off to a monastery or be a priest.  If an attraction to a vocation is essentially an escape from responsibilities or an avoidance of pain, we can be sure we are being tempted by the devil. In this case our will is the focus and not God’s.

Herbert Alphonso, S.J. wrote a useful little book Discovering Your Personal Vocation: The Search for Meaning Through the Spiritual Exercises to help discern God’s call and answer the questions surrounding it.

A good spiritual director is a big help in the discernment process. A spiritual director is one who can point out our faults and guide us in strengthening virtue, often pointing us in the direction of a suitable vocation.  Sometimes we have impediments to following a particular vocation.  These might be physical, mental, or canonical.  What does my spiritual director think?

What confirmations – not man made but independent and serendipitous ones – indicate I’m going in the right direction? We all start out in the single state.  God may wish us to remain in that state all our lives.  Confirmations of any vocation can be as much positive proofs as the absence of contrary indications. What contrary indications are present, if any, regarding a vocation I’m considering?

Sacred Heart, Light of the World

These are just some of the steps that are useful in discerning our vocation.  Perhaps you might like to add others in the comment box.

Discernment is never a process we should embark on alone. We must also be ready for a lengthy process even though some people discern fairly quickly and at a young age where God is leading them.  I know a man who was living with his girlfriend, converted to Catholicism and gave up his girlfriend, spend about four years in discernment, moved to another diocese, entered the seminary, completed his schooling in the requisite years and was ordained a priest at 40. His girlfriend converted to Catholicism, married and had three children as of two years ago.  I know a good Catholic woman who was single for 42 years, met the right man and was happily married to him.  Surely readers can list other examples of similar journeys into a particular vocation.

Last month I wrote a post on discernment that is more detailed and broad than this post as it is applicable to many more life considerations than vocations.  Readers may find it a helpful addition to this series.

We can always be certain that if we are sincerely seeking to do God’s will He will make it known to us.  We must not be anxious but rather trust in Him.  He will reveal His will for us in His time, not ours. Meanwhile let the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Light of the World be our light in discernment.

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V. Praised be Jesus Christ!

R. Now and forever. Amen.

(Click on the link above to read why I am ending my posts with this.)

Tags: discernment, vocations

3 Comments to Discerning One’s Vocation

1. 

   When my son was a teen, he was considering the priesthood. When he decided it was not where he wanted to be, he told me he felt guilty about it and was afraid God would be upset with him. I explained that there were other ways that he could serve God and God would let him know what it was. And if God really wanted him to be a priest, that he would keep nudging him in that direction. But I was not surprised. I always felt like he would be working with children in some way. He had a gift for communicating with them.
   My son is married now and is a teacher. How about that?
   Just wanted to share that story.
   Thanks for your posts on vocations.
   Colleen recently posted..Stay Awake
Colleen on November 6th, 2011
2. 

   “Discernment is never a process we should embark on alone.” Great point!!! Probably the most important one, after all its a community you would be joining. Helps to have someone who can see what your not seeing.
   Michael Maedoc recently posted..NEW! Saints Feast Day & Liturgical Calendar
Michael Maedoc on November 6th, 2011
3. 

   Good vocation story, Colleen. There’s no shame in considering any vocation as long as we end up doing what God wants. In fact, examining different vocations is part of the discernment process. How interesting that you, the Mom, could see the kind of thing he needed to be doing. Our parents are often wiser and more perceptive than we think.
barb on November 7th, 2011