The shepherd’s voice
Our Lord said that His sheep would know His voice; but when it comes to discerning your vocation, you’ve probably found that it’s not as simple as it sounds. How can you tell if what you're hearing is God's voice? If you keep in mind a few characteristics of God’s...
Reconsidering the sacred office of the priesthood
It’s easy to forget the awesome office of the priest. We see him daily offering the Mass, hearing confessions, anointing, counseling, helping his people to overcome their difficulties and sins. How often do we stop to think about what the priest really is? One way to...
Vocation and free will
Did you realize that you do not get to choose your vocation? That does not mean you have no free will regarding your vocation. On the contrary, a vocation cannot be lived without free will. Think about what a vocation is: it is a call from God to live your life in the...
Vocation cultivation
From a perspective of faith, everyone shares some common fundamental questions: What is the true meaning for my existence? What is God's plan for my life? To what fruitfulness am I called? To discern one's vocation is to find the answers to these fundamental questions...
Discernment advice from St. Ignatius
I’ve always wanted to be a priest and heal souls! That’s why I’m discerning the priesthood. But lately, I’ve lost interest and think maybe God isn’t calling me any more. One of the most difficult parts of discerning your vocation is knowing when to accept a motivation...
Discerning with a screen
You can’t discern totally online — you need to talk to a person! The internet has made it really easy to find all kinds of information about discerning a vocation, and that’s great! Information about religious orders, seminaries, and discernment in general, is...
What St. Joseph can teach us about discernment
We know almost nothing about St. Joseph. Scripture tells us relatively little, and pious tradition should be taken with a grain of salt. But what we do know about his life can be a great help and consolation to one who is in the turmoil of discerning his vocation....
Wait and see
“...if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself. But if it comes from God, you will not be able to stop it.” (Acts 5:38-39) In the first chapter of John's Gospel, we read about Jesus inviting two of his disciples to "Come and see." Bl....
Discernment and desire
When Pope Francis was a young seminarian in his twenties, he had to think about celibacy very carefully. A few years ago, when he was a cardinal, he recalled in an interview: "I was dazzled by a girl I met at an uncle's wedding... I was surprised by her beauty, her...
Priestly courage
The extreme heroism of a few priests is well known. You've heard stories of priests who were martyred, or sacrificed their own lives for others, or endured great hardships for the sake of the Gospel. Imagine a man who comes home to see his house on fire, and risks his...