You Will Know
“You will know your vocation by the joy that it brings you. You will know. You will know when it’s right.” ~ Dorothy Day
When I taught at Bishop Noll Institute the first three years of my priesthood, several students came up to me through those years contemplating their future and asked me what I thought they should do with their lives. They wondered what vocation they might have.
My response to them was always the same thing: What excites you? What fills you with joy? What would you like to do on a regular basis throughout your life? You see, I am of the firm conviction that God wants us to be happy and fulfilled in our lives. God does not want us to be sad and feel as if our lives are meaningless.
Dorothy Day is of the same conviction. We will know our vocation by the joy that it brings us. We will know. It really is that simple.
We observe National Church Vocation Awareness Week. During this week, we ask people to consider a couple of things:
- Is God calling you to a Church vocation? Do you feel pulled to the diaconate, priesthood, or religious life? Can you imagine yourself serving God and His people in a Church vocation?
- Is God calling someone you know to a Church vocation? Do you recognize in a son or a daughter, in a sibling, in a relative, neighbor, or friend the potential of a Church vocation?
If you believe God is calling you to a vocation in the Church, do yourself a favor and pursue it. He will give you the grace that you need to see clearly what He is calling you to do if allow Him the opportunity to do so.
If you believe God is calling someone else to a Church vocation, be His voice and invite that person to consider a vocation. There are many deacons, priests, brothers, and sisters who will tell you that the first thought of a vocation came to them through someone else mentioning it.
That was the case for me. While I might have thought about being a priest when I was younger, I did not pay it any real attention until Sr. Grace Clemens, OSF told me that I would make a good priest and that I should pray about it. After telling a priest I knew well about that, he, too, said the same thing. The rest is history.
FAITH ACTION: Pray for those who are being called to become a deacon, brother, sister, or priest, that they may have the grace to consider the call and the courage to respond to the call. Pray, as well, for all who serve us in the Church.