Who We Are : Vocations : Discernment

What is a vocation?

A vocation is a calling, a living out of the love between ourselves and God; it is the way in which we feed our soul, and thereby in turn the way in which we feed God's sheep.

A vocation begins, typically but not exclusively, when we understand that God is calling us. "It was not you who chose me," Jesus tells us in John 15:16, "but I who chose you...." God gives Himself to us totally and completely and asks us to do the same in return. If we listen, therefore, if we really, really listen, we are able to hear Jesus' voice, telling us how He wants us to live our lives in response to His love, and inviting us to join with Him and together change the world.

If we want to align our lives with His, which is the essence of holiness, then we follow His call. Rest assured that He will give us all that we need to fulfill the mission He has chosen for us, whether that vocation be to consecrated single life, married life, religious life or ordained life.

How is a vocation different from an occupation? How does it differ from a career path that we have chosen for ourselves? Our careers, usually, are choices that we make based on our interests and educational pursuits. A vocation, however, means that we are called and chosen by God for a specific mission to help bring God's love and salvation to the world. How do we discern what our vocation is? By allowing Christ to fill us with his love. Then and only then are we capable of demonstrating His Love with others, and then and only then are we eager to unselfishly sacrifice whatever in our lives interferes with our doing so.

What is discernment?

First and foremost, discernment is a process, a process in which we determine (1) what makes us unselfishly happy, and (2) how to demonstrate that happiness out in the world in the building up of God's Kingdom.

During the discernment process, we must open ourselves fully to the whisperings of God in which He reveals to us our mission, identifies the community within which we are to fulfill it, and blesses us with the necessary skills and tools. All this is revealed to us in discernment.

That is not to say that we must go it alone. It is wise to work with a qualified spiritual director to help us interpret God's nudges, to raise our sights and to identify the optimum path or paths. Such spiritual accompaniment keeps us focused on God's Will and provides prayerful support on our journey.

In "holy discernment," if we may use that term, we are asked to surrender our lives to God. Pretty scary, right? But as fearful as it sounds, is it not God Who holds us in His Heart? Is it not God to whom we say, "You knit me together in my mother's womb," (Psalm 139:12) and who in turn "... shall preserve [our] going out and [our] coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore" (Psalm 121:8)? God wants what is best for us even more than we do ourselves but we must put ourselves at His disposal. We must surrender, in itself an on-going and ever-deepening process, and the only way to true and lasting happiness.

How do we do that?

We do that by making ourselves available to listen to Christ. Therefore,

• We spend time every day in quiet companionship with Him;
• We are faithful to daily prayer, reflection and meditation;
• We receive the Sacraments frequently, in particular, Holy Eucharist, in which Christ nourishes us with Himself;
• We practice Lectio Divina, or spiritual reading, a slow and thoughtful reading of Scripture, followed by a meditation on its meaning and a subsequent reflection on and application of the message thereby revealed;
• We practice traditional forms of prayer such as the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, the Divine Office, Stations of the Cross, or whatever form of praying that best enables us to turn our attention to Christ;
• We use the various themes of prayer such as adoration, thanksgiving, forgiveness or intercessory prayer and petition to get us out of our comfort zone. We stretch ourselves spiritually.

Finally, we ask God to change our hearts. Therefore,

• We open ourselves to God's love and grace;
• We turn away from temptation and habitual sin;
• We pray for and strive to practice virtue by living an ascetic life;
• We ask for God's forgiveness when confronted with moral failings, forgiving ourselves and recommitting ourselves to God and to our calling.

To begin your discernment process, please click here to contact the UACC Vocations Director, Fr. Tom Shortell.

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God." (Matthew 6:33)