Are You Experiencing a Call? Sr Kathy Bryant, RSC Most of the young adults I have worked with as a diocesan vocation director describe God's call as a very gentle invitation that comes and goes in their lives, enticing them to think about priesthood or religious life. It is not violent. It does not contradict their value system. People often describe a call as a thought that keeps recurring. During high school it's a fleeting hope. Perhaps a few times during college they consider it again. Most then experience the call more persistently after they have achieved their "dreams'. They earn their degrees and begin climbing the corporate ladder or settle into the career they thought they always wanted. They have the job, the status, the flat, and the car - yet they want something more. This "more" is their call. People experiencing this tell me, "I want to be more; I want to give more". One tell-tale sign of a call is that their one hour of parish ministry or service is more satisfying or enjoyable than their 40 or 80 hour work week. During ministry, they feel more authentically who they are realy meant to be. "An invitation leaves the person free to say yes or no. God invites us and never coerces. A vocation is a free invitation from God without pressure, coercion or manipulation." Irresistible invitation The word vocation comes from the Latin vocare, "to call". Implicit in this call is freedom. An invitation leaves the person free to say yes or no. God invites us and never coerces. A vocation is a free invitation from God without pressure, coercion or manipulation. That is not to say that God won't try to seduce us. I myself have been seduced by God many times into doing things I initially did not want to do. God has a way of inviting that sometimes is difficult to resist. Consider the words of Jeremiah, who was called to act as a prophet: "You seduced me, O lord, and I let myself be seduced; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter, everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message. The word of the Lord has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself 'I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more'. But then it comes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones. I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it." (Jer. 20:7-9) A joyful embrace When Mary is called in Luke's gospel, she is startled by the greeting and the invitation. Luke says she is "deeply troubled". Mary asks questions: "How can this happen?" She knows who she is: "I am the servant of the Lord." Her yes comes out of freedom - as she responds, "Let it be done to me as you say". After saying yes, Mary skips off to stay with her cousin Elizabeth, singing a song proclaiming God's greatness. I have seen Mary's experience repeated in many people's lives. Initially they are disturbed by the fact that maybe God is really calling them. They ask questions. In discernment (that is, the prayerful process of exploring a vocation) they go deeper to discover who they really are. When they respond generously with a yes, they experience a joy and peace that echoes Mary's joyful praise in the Magnificat (Luke1:47-55) Some men and women go through a discernment process with a guide and discover a call to marriage or to the single life. Because they, too, were open and generous with God and true to themselves, they experience the same joy and peace. The unanswered invitation is the thing that drives people nuts. Harmony with our desires It isn't easy to know where we are called. God wants to leave us free to respond, so the invitation is gentle. If God were to dramatically intrude into our lives, we would be knocked off kilter. We would not have the freedom to respond honestly. Sometimes people talk about discovering their calling in terms of knowing God's will for them. This concept of God's will is frequently full of fears and unfounded beliefs. For example, as I meet with men and women discerning a church vocation, occasionally they tell me, "God has called me to be a priest/religious". When I ask about their desires, it turns out they have no desire, only a compelling conviction that it is God's will. Without a desire to be a priest or religious, how can there be an authentic call? God's will is in harmony with our deepest desires. If we feel a sense of joy, peace and life when we contemplate a future as a priest or religious, these are signs of a vocation. These feelings are not the only signs of an authentic vocation, but they are important. A vocation is also from the community and for a community. If a person's awareness of God's will is only a private revelation that isn't confirmed by others - by a community - it is contrary to the Catholic sense of communal call. And chances are it is not a true call. Peace and joy Sometimes it can be frustrating to discern God's will. People often think of God's will as a big blueprint somewhere up in heaven: "If only I could get just a little peek at it". They want God or someone else to tell them exactly what to do. This sentiment implies that we have nothing to do with how God's will unfolds in our lives. God's will is not a predetermined blueprint. God's will, the key to our future, lies in the desires of our hearts as they correspond to God's infinite goodness and wisdom. God's will is our salvation, and the word salvation means "well-being". God desires our well-being. Sometimes we fear discovering God's will. What if it means pain? What if God's will means I'll be miserable and suffer? Remember: God's will is our well-being. If we are faithful to responding to God's will, we will be our best selves, our most authentic selves, our most genuinely joyful selves. That's not to say we might not suffer pain. But the bottom line will be peace and joy. |
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