Perhaps you’ve had some deeply personal experience
of God. Perhaps you’ve served in the Church and found the experience
to be fulfilling. Perhaps you’ve observed a priest or religious
who appears genuinely happy in their vocation. You’ve begun
to wonder, “Is it possible that God is calling ME to a religious vocation?”
How exactly does one “know?”
A vocation is a calling from God. It's highly
unlikely that you will ever see any skywriting from God that says,
"Be a priest," "Be a sister," or "Be a brother."
No! God typically works in quiet and tugs gently at our heart.
Knowing if you have a religious vocation comes from
discernment, a process of prayer and probing that gradually
uncovers the deepest desires planted by God in a person's heart.
The process of discernment varies by individual, but there are several
common elements to all discernment:
PRAYER.
You have to pray faithfully to discern a religious calling.
That means setting aside time each day to sit quietly with God and
let the Lord slowly reveal the plan for your life. Attending
Mass frequently and attending retreats and days of prayer really help.
EXPLORATION.
You have to ask questions, probe, investigate. Tell a priest,
sister, or brother that you think you might have a religious vocation.
Ask them how they discerned God’s call in their life and if their
vocation is fulfilling. Call the Vocation Office and learn about
opportunities to visit seminaries, convents, and houses of formation.
Attend vocation retreat weekends and join a vocation discernment group.
Be proactive as you explore the possibility of a vocation.
GUIDANCE.
You will need guidance as you discern a vocation. You will need
someone to assess the movement of the Holy Spirit in your life.
Ask a priest, sister, or brother to be a spiritual guide. Meet
regularly and let the Spirit speak to you through your spiritual guide.
If you do these three things faithfully -- PRAY,
EXPLORE and SEEK GUIDANCE -- one day you will "know" in
your heart if you are called to a religious vocation.
When the tug at your heart just won't go away, you
need to ACT. Contact the Vocation Office at the diocese or religious
community. And remember: entering religious formation
doesn't mean you will become a priest or religious, but only that
you want a much more focused time for discernment.
