Discerning A Vocation
Discerning A Vocation
Discerning A Vocation
Discerning A Vocation
A Roman Catholic Explanation of the Teachings of Jesus Christ
"If you had but known the gift of God, and who it is who is asking you for a drink, you would
have asked Him instead,
and He would have given you living water." (Jn 4:10)
There are many great and wonderful gifts God has given us in this world. There are the gifts
of life, of family, of friends; of our country, of our education, of our employment, of our
talents and opportunities. For all these we own immense thanks to the Lord who arranges all
things sweetly for those who love Him. But there are far greater gifts than these. Indeed "As
high as the heavens are above the earth," so far are there gifts above all of these.
Part of our Catholic Faith is belief in the twofold providence of God: a general providence
and a special providence. God's general providence oversees all our needs from birth until
death, especially as regards the gifts of nature, but also as regards the gifts of grace. For
God's general Providence foresees the need of our salvation and has granted to us the
inestimable gifts of the sacraments and the general vocation of all the baptized: eternal life.
For the grace of baptism alone we shall never thank God enough. For the riches of baptism
exceed the value of all created things of the material and spiritual world. Baptism makes us
adopted sons of the Father, co-heirs with God the Son, and friends of the Holy Spirit, who is
the Lord and Vivifier of souls. What can be more wonderful than that? We can call God "Our
Father"; "Our Redeemer"; "Our Advocate." The mystery of God's inner life [the Trinity] has
been revealed to us and not to any other nation. By baptism we have been taken up into the
Ark of Salvation, the Catholic Church, outside of which there is entirely no salvation. By
Baptism we are called to remain and grow up in that Communion of Saints which is the
Church Triumphant, Militant, and Suffering. We do this by faithfully adhering to the
teachings of Christ and His Church, by our obedience and communion with the Successor of
Peter, Christ's Vicar on earth, and by the faithful fulfillment of the duties of our state in life.
Baptism also brings with it the possibility of all the other sacraments: Penance, Holy
Communion, Confirmation, Matrimony, Sacred Orders, Anointing of the Sick. These are the
very foundation of our lives as Catholics, as children of God, as children of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
Among these many and exceedingly wonderful gifts of grace, one stands in a principle place.
It is the grace of a vocation. From this grace comes a stream of other graces leading to eternal
life.
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 1/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
It is the common teaching of Roman Catholic Theologians, following in the footsteps of the
Doctors of the Church, that the grace of a vocation is crucial to the eternal salvation of the
one to whom God gives it. This is the expressed teaching of saints no less than St. Francis de
Sales and Alphonsus Maria dei Liguori, Doctors of the Church.
Just how important is the grace of vocation? According to these saints, the grace of a
vocation is one of the gifts God gives us under a special Providence and care for our
salvation. God in predestining us to grace and glory already called some of us to stand before
Him in eternity, singing His praises and enjoying His friendship. In the excess of His love,
with which He loved us before the foundation of the world, He therefore foreordained the
grace of the vocation of baptism, whereby even if Adam should fall, we would be saved in
Christ by the merits of His most blessed Passion and Death. This kind of vocation is the
vocation we received in baptism. It is the vocation all Catholics have. And to remain faithful
to our baptismal vows is at once both the most prudent course and the most glorious.
There is a special grace of vocation, however, which we Catholics call a vocation. It is the
vocation to the priesthood and/or to the religious life. This kind of vocation is a calling, a
stirring one might say of the soul, to undertake a special state of life which is ordained to the
supernatural good of others. Unlike the "vocation" of marriage (which is a duty for the
baptized who consider conjugal life), the vocations of priesthood and religious life are
essentially supernatural in origin and purpose. To both of these are attached special promises
(see below) by Christ, which distinguish them above the state of marriage in both dignity and
mission.
These special kinds of vocation are like the vocation of baptism: they are a gift of God's
special providence, caring for our salvation. Without these our own salvation, and that of
many others, is placed in jeopardy, if not all together made impossible. This is the clear
teaching of St. Alphonsus Maria dei Liguori, whom the Church has made a special patron of
confessors and moral theologians. During the process of canonization, the Congregation for
the Causes of Saints declared all of his teachings worthy of acceptance by the faithful. And
so we can be sure this teaching of his is to be trusted.
How can a vocation be so important? Because as St. Augustine remarks, "God who created
us without us, does not will to save us without us." And the reason for this mystery of God's
will is wrapped up in the purpose of all creation, to be for the greatest honor and glory of
God, which cannot be without the salvation of souls. Now just as without faith it is
impossible to please God, and since no one comes to faith unless some one is sent to preach
the Gospel, so the vocation of priests are necessary for the salvation of us all: to teach,
preach, sanctify, lead, guide, shepherd, and correct us, sinners. Likewise, the vocation of
religious life is necessary for us all, for we all have sins which need to be atoned for by
penance, beyond our means, for mercy beyond our ability to pray, for good example, to turn
us from the errors and attractions of this world.
Furthermore, eternal life is no small gift; and the devil, the enemy of our souls, is no small
enemy. Enter Jesus, Mary, the Saints, the clergy, and good religious and friends, to help us
arrive in Heaven safely. It is the grace of this special kind of vocation that leads us to them,
and through them tot he sacraments, and to a life of prayer and works of mercy for God's
sake alone, so as to help both us and our neighbors on our way to Heaven.
The grace of a vocation is also the source of many other graces. It is an occasion for doing
many good works, for having more time to pray, to learn about God, to serve Him by love
and sacrifice and fidelity, of avoiding many dangers to our salvation, such as all the impurity,
errors, and vanity of this world and its culture of death. It is the source of graces for
ourselves, for God apportions to each of us grace in the measure to our needs. The greater the
vocation, the greater the graces. The greater good we can do for the Church, the greater the
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 2/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
graces to help and encourage us to do so. And how great indeed is the good that priests and
religious do for God and His Church and for each of us.
The grace of a vocation, then, is like a fountain welling up to eternal life. From it continually
comes forth a multitude of graces leading us to eternal life. To heed a vocation then is the
greatest wisdom. To turn away or ignore it, the greatest folly.
A large crowd was gathering, with people coming to Him from one
town after another. He spoke to them in a parable:
"A farmer went out to sow some seed. In the sowing, some fell on
the footpath where it was walked on and the birds of the air ate it
up. Some fell on rocky ground, sprouted up, then withered through
lack of moisture. Some fell on good soil. grew up, and yielded grain
a hundredfold."
His disciples began asking him what the meaning of this parable
might be. He replied, "To you the mysteries of the reign of God have
been confided, but to the rest in parables that, "seeing they may not
perceive, and hearing they may not understand."
This is the meaning of the parable. The seed is the word of God.
Those on the footpath are people who hear, but the devil come and
takes the word out of their hearts lest they believe and be saved.
Those on the rocky ground are the ones who, when they hear the
word, receive it with joy. They have no root; they believe for a while,
but fall away in time of temptation. The seed fallen among briers are
those who hear, but their progress is stifled by the cares and riches
and pleasures of life and they do not mature. The seed on good
ground are those who hear the word in a spirit of openness, retain it,
and bear fruit through perseverance." (Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 8,
verse 4- 15)
"No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bushel basket or under a
bed; be puts it on a lamp-stand so that whoever comes in can see it.
There is nothing hidden that will not be exposed, nothing concealed
that will not be known and brought to light. Take heed, therefore,
how you hear: to the man who has, more shall be given; and he who
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 3/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
has not, will lose even the little he thinks he has." (Gospel of St. Luke,
chapter 8, verses 14-18)
Having read these parables we can begin to ask the question again in more
detail: What exactly is a vocation? Where does it come from? Where does it
lead? Who receives a vocation? And how does one know it? When does one
know for sure that the grace of a vocation has been given?
What is a vocation?
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 4/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
A vocation comes from the Most Holy Trinity by means of the Mediation of
Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is our Mother in the order of grace.
Also it frequently is made known to us though the help and advice given by
those who strive to be faithful to God themselves. We hear this call in prayer by
a secret desire welling up in the depths of our hearts, often with special light in
our minds to see its goodness and usefulness for our eternal salvation.
A vocation is a calling to "life on high with Jesus Christ." It is a call to walk with
Jesus and Mary along the narrow way that leads to heaven. It is a call to the
perfection of virtue, of holiness, of charity, of faith, and of hope in the things to
come, to service of God, of Church, and of our neighbor.
God gives the grace of a vocation only to one who has faith, for "without faith it
is impossible to please God" (Hebrews 11:6) and the grace of a vocation is first of
all a calling to live a life pleasing to God in every way. That God gives a
vocation is often a sign of our faithfulness up until the present; sometimes,
though it is a call to turn away from a present or future course which will only
lead to our eternal damnation. Thus to receive a vocation one must first be
baptized and be truly catholic.
Secondly, although God calls even those who are sinners, nevertheless, it is
impossible to accept the grace of a vocation and to remain faithful to it so long
as one commits grave sin. Indeed the habit of committing mortal sin is a sign
that the most fundamental spiritual work has yet to be done. That work is
repentance, and it calls us to receive the sacrament of reconciliation worthily and
frequently, so as to live free from the habit of all grave sin.
But a vocation is preeminently a grace given to those who have already sought
and who still seek earnestly to live with Christ according to the commandments
of the moral law. It is not that such persons consider themselves more perfect or
better than others. Rather, recognizing that without God they can do nothing, and
that but for the grace of a vocation they would sooner forsake the God of Glory,
and perhaps even work greater evils, these who receive the grace of a vocation
strive ever to be servants and handmaids of God Most High.
And how does one know that God is holding out to him the grace of a
vocation?
There is a prayer recommended for many years that is worth quoting in this
regard: "Anticipate O Lord our actions by Thy holy inspirations and carry
them on by Thy gracious assistance, so that every prayer and work of ours may
be pleasing to Thee and be brought to completion through Christ Our Lord.
Amen."
Prayers of this kind bear witness to a fundamental doctrine of our Catholic faith,
namely, that no one can will something good, holy, or worthy of respect, unless
God the Father grants the grace to do so first of all. Indeed, so much is this rule
to be trusted that St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori states that one of the clear
signs of a priestly vocation is the desire to be a holy, just, and chaste priest, if
God should call him to the priesthood.
This rule is also applicable to religious. And moreover, the opposite is true. If
one seeks any vocation for the sake of anything in this world then this is a clear
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 5/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
sign that this aspect of one's motivation does not come from the Lord who is
Spirit and Truth. If such is the only or primary motivation of a person, then the
best advice is NOT to pursue it, for this will lead only to ruination of yourself
and many others.
Another clear sign of a vocation is the attraction to that state in life, especially in
the time of prayer and recollection. If when one withdraws from the noise and
cares and vanities of this world, there arises the desire to be a priest or religious,
then this is a sign that the Lord is calling.
There are even more signs, and it is the teaching of the saints that the Lord of
Grace will not fail to make us know for certain, at least at one moment in our
life, especially when we are striving to live in a manner that pleases Him, that
He indeed is certainly calling us.
Finally it must be said that God will never inspire anyone to pursue a vocation
that the Church Herself teaches is not for them. Thus no woman is led by God's
Spirit if she feels herself called to the priesthood or diaconate, simply because
"God cannot deceive nor be deceived," and again "He is a Spirit of truth," and
not a "father of lies" who would give his daughter a snake when she asks for
bread.
When does one know for sure that the grace of a vocation has been given?
Before one has definitively assumed the state in life associated with a vocation
(such as at ordination, or perpetual profession) there always is and can be some
uncertainly, simply for the reason that we are weak and feeble creatures. That is,
barring extraordinary fidelity to grace, for uncertainty and doubt in one who has
clear signs of a vocation, or of the fact that God has or is calling, is a weakness,
not a strength. Indeed it can be a punishment for sin, especially for neglect for
prayer, chastity, faith and/or charity to our neighbor.
But some also, on account of their special mission in life or fidelity to God
receive the firm and unshakable conviction that the Lord is in fact calling them.
Such prove that this is from God only if they persevere in following this call
until death, and for this they must always pray, lest they loose the little they
have, through pride and presumption.
There are a few things recommended to those who desire to be more certain
regarding the possibility of a vocation. Indeed these practices are recommended
for every one, since we all are called by God in baptism to holiness of life, and
because these practices are nothing more than fidelity to our baptismal promises.
At the present you may practice one or more of these, or even none of these. Are
you required to practice them all? Is that necessary to know for certain your
vocation?
The answer is simple enough. These practices are like flames of a fire. The more
flames, the more heat, the more heat, the greater the likely hood of a wet log
burning. Now the soul who is beginning to walk to the Lord, indeed even many
of us who have begun long ago, is likened to a wet log. It must draw close to
God or e81 God to it to be dried from sin, enlightened by faith, kindled by
charity for God and neighbor.
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 6/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
Therefore the more that one does to draw closer to God, the clearer will be one's
knowledge of one's vocation, whatever it may be, and wherever it may lead.
1. Consecrate yourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary and ask Her for all the
graces and lights you need to please Her Son best of all.
2. Resolve to spend some time each day in prayer. The more definite the time
and place the better.
3. Receive the sacrament of penance frequently and worthily.
4. If you are not conscious of having committed a mortal sin which you have
not confessed, then receive the Eucharist and with devout attention and
participation at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Keep free from all sin,
especially mortal sin, and strive to receive worthily often.
5. Pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary each day; and strive to acquire the habit
of saying Her Rosary each day.
6. Pray often to one's guardian angel and to one's patron saints for the light of
guidance and the grace of help.
7. Avoid everything that might destroy one's love of God and Heaven,
especially, impure pictures, films and immodest clothing or friends. (This
practice is of course not optional, but obligatory, for "He who lives by the
sword is doomed to die by the sword.")
8. Read the lives and/or writings of canonized saints. Especially those who
were outstanding priests, religious and founders of religious orders.
9. Study the catechism.
10. Take up some work of charity for your neighbor, in so far as your present
duties allow.
11. Frequently ask God for the grace to know and love Him more and more.
12. If there is a priest who in his actions is faithful to the Pope and a man of
prayer ask for his advise and counsel. If you think you need advice
concerning a vocation to religious life choose a priest who does not in any
way despise the religious vocation.
13. Be faithful to your present duties in life, even making sacrifices to fulfill
them without negligence.
Peter said to Him, "We have left all we own to become Your
followers." His answer was, "I solemnly assure you, there is no one
who has left home or wife or brothers, parents or children, for the
sake of the Kingdom of God, who will not receive a hundred homes,
brothers, parents or children in this age and in the world to come
life everlasting." (Gospel of St. Luke, chapter 18, verses 29-30)
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 7/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
If you have discerned that God is calling you to the diocesan priesthood, then
here is some simple advice that you can follow to help you fulfill His will for
you.
First of all, do not pursue the vocation of a diocesan priest if you have sometime
thought your vocation is to the religious life, and are choosing a vocation to
diocesan priesthood as an escape from a vocation to religious life. This kind of
behavior displeases the Lord very much, and He is not one to be mocked. Rest
assured that He will block your way and have His way in the end, or that you
will perish in your folly.
Second, strive to find some truly holy and learned diocesan fc6 priests to be your
mentors and advisers. Discern who to entrust your soul to by examining their
deeds more than their words. Don't hesitate to make sacrifices in traveling to
find, even in remote places, such men, for they are worth their weight in gold.
And having found them, do not let human respect or friendship lead you to
accept anything they might advise that would be against the teaching of the
Church or the way of holiness.
Third, don't play the cafeteria game: that is do not decide on a diocese simply
because you can get more out of it for yourself, especially if this "more" regards
material things. Consider rather a diocese where there is greater possibility of
pleasing God and serving the needy. Mission dioceses are often places were God
can more easily found.
Fourth, don't accept compromises. Often many men go the way of perdition by
agreeing to immoral arrangements in regard to their priestly formation, thinking
once they become a priest it won't matter how they became one. There is little
that could be more stupid than such thinking. God sees all, and the man who
ascends the Altar unworthily is the most cursed man on the face of the earth.
Fifth, do not neglect prayer and study–in that order. Do not be swayed by what
men say but bend your mind and heart to what the Church and the Saints,
Doctors, and Fathers teach and did. Pay as much regard to a teaching as the
authority of the one who taught it, and you will never go wrong.
Sixth, be holy for the Lord your God is holy. Make your first work, each day and
week, be the keeping of your good resolutions and the examination and
formation of your conscience. Never call evil good, nor good evil. Never call
what is better, worse, or what is worse better. For such is the sin against the Holy
Spirit.
Seventh, never be afraid, when you have sufficient reason, to disclose to those
superiors who are able and willing to do something about it, the names of those
persons in the Church who need help or who are destroying Her from within.
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 8/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
First, discern your vocation. Half the work in finding a religious institute is
knowing to which one the Lord is calling you. He will not fail to make this clear,
but to discern this rightly you must consider the totality of all the holy desires
the Lord has sown in your soul, not just one of them. It is disastrous to choose
one community over another simply because you would prefer this or that
particular characteristic most of all. What matters is not what you want, but what
God wants for you. Therefore put His will first and make the decision that will
please Him. This is the most fundamental rule. If you break it, your life may be
pleasant, humanly speaking in this world, but very unpleasant, spiritually
speaking, in the life to come.
Third, never consider any community which is in any way not Catholic in its
way of life. Examine their doctrine and discipline, what they do and what they
don't do and what they permit members to do and not to do. What periodicals
and books do they read, what places do they visit, what clothes do they wear.
The key questions to look for are how do they live their vows of poverty,
chastity, and obedience. Be frank in your questions when you visit, if necessary.
No worthy community will tolerate in the least such things as theological
dissent, sodomy, impurity, individual monthly stipends, or freedom to do your
own thing, etc.. If such criteria, as these, limit the number of places to choose
from, all the better, since God only has one place in mind for you anyhow.
Fourth, do not give up. Even if you make the wrong decision, there is always
time to change your heart and decide aright. Many times a community seems one
way to us in our youth and another once we live there. If there are truly sound
reasons, do not hesitate to leave. Do not join in the revelry of the wicked, simply
because you have so little faith in the Providence God will show you if you seek
Him in purity of heart and life. Sometimes too, after some years we realize that
God was calling us to a holier life, and that there is a real possibility to live it
now. Make this known to a good holy priest and seek the permission to follow
this vocation-within-a-vocation. It is never too late to follow the Lord with a
renewed spirit.
Fifth, never set a limit. If you only knew the things that make the Lord very, very
angry, you would realize that one of they is those individuals who say "If I find
such and such in such and such a period of time then I will say yes to the Lord,
otherwise, I will go my merry way." These individuals go from folly to perdition
faster than lightning. And they deserve such, for they have spurned the Love and
powerful Providence of God, who alone is worthy of love and who knows best
the times and seasons to serve Him.
Sixth, do not join or remain in a community if they do not observe their rule or
norms, or if they are not willing to expel dissenters or those who flagrantly
transgress their vows. But resolving to remain a religious and be a better one,
keep the rule or norms and look for the possibility of transferring to a better
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 9/10
30/09/2019 Discerning a Vocation
Finally, consider items 4,5,6 and 7 from the advice given to seminarians.
www.pathsoflove.com
https://www.pathsoflove.com/books/discern-vocation.html 10/10