 Is God
Calling?
Learn to
Discern
The
following article offers practical solutions
to finding God's will concerning a vocation in one's
life.
Determining
God’s Call for Your Life
The quest for discovering God’s
call for your life should be paramount. Nothing is more
important. There can be no doubt that a person’s earthly
fulfillment and ultimate happiness greatly depend on
properly discerning God’s will, especially in terms of
the particular vocation a man or woman may choose.
Your
God-given Vocation
Deciding upon one’s specific
state in life is not the same as merely choosing a career
or picking a profession. While they may be closely
connected, discerning your God-given vocation will
greatly influence your response to the Christian call to
holiness and it could even affect your eternal salvation.
Without a
doubt, all that Almighty God requires of us is the
faithful observance of His Commandments. And strictly
speaking, it is possible for a believer to be saved under
every circumstance and in every situation, since
sufficient grace to keep God’s Commandments will never be
denied a person. Yet a Christian who turns a deaf ear to
the specific call of the Lord may expose himself or
herself to eternal ruin—or to say the least, runs the
risk of never reaching the heights of spiritual
perfection, unless he or she embraces the grace of one’s
particular calling in life.
Seeking
Divine Guidance
It is important to remember that
discovering one’s vocation is a supernatural work, and is
impossible without the help of Divine grace. This being
the case, it is absolutely necessary to seek the guidance
of the Holy Spirit, through the intercession of the
Immaculate Virgin Mary, to enlighten our minds and to
touch our souls. With regard to our own personal activity
on the matter, we must be careful to fully cooperate with
the prompting of the Holy Spirit.
To do so,
it may be most beneficial to discern your call in life by
employing time-tested and proven steps of vocational
discernment. St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual
Exercises originally proposed this simple three-step
method. It has been adapted and updated to meet the needs
of young people today.
The Method
of Discernment
A young person about to embark
upon a career faces endless choices and challenges. The
many opportunities for education or training can at times
cloud one’s ability to determine what particular vocation
or state in life God is calling you to follow. Is it to
be married and raise a family? Perhaps the Lord wishes
you to be a priest or religious? Does God want you to be
a missionary or possibly to serve Him as a cloistered nun
or monk? Is He inviting you to be a leaven in society as
a member of a secular institute or perhaps as part of a
society of apostolic life? Does being a hermit or
consecrated virgin for the Lord attract you?
Whatever
the call, rest assured that if you are truly open to
God’s will in your life, the Almighty will manifest His
desire in regards to your particular vocation. Either
your calling will be made known in some altogether
unusual manner, or else with extraordinary clarity as
expressed in some ordinary ways of His Providence.
To Know
With Certainty
 For whatever reason,
perhaps known only to God, should He not make known your
call in either of these ways, you can draw upon your
intellect and heart. These gifts from God will assist you
to determine properly the path in life to follow. In this
way you can know with certainty how best to serve the
Lord and lead many others, including yourself, into a
deeper, more intimate relationship with God. This is your
Divine destiny.
St.
Ignatius was given special spiritual gifts to share with
others, including the ability to shed light on discerning
one’s vocation. In his Spiritual Exercises, Ignatius
identifies three specific situations, which he calls
“times” or circumstances favoring a good choice. His
doctrine is as follows:
I. “First
Time”: A Miraculous Vocation
“The first time,” says St.
Ignatius, “is when God our Lord so moves and draws the
will that without doubting, or even being able to doubt,
the pious soul follows that which is shown it.”
Almighty God, does at times,
speak thus directly to a soul, or else sends an angel or
a saint to convey His will in explicit terms. Such was
the case of St. Paul when he was struck to the ground on
his way to Damascus (cf. Acts 9:1-18); or Matthew and the
other Apostles when He called them. Many of the saints
throughout the history had similar experiences.
At other times God’s grace is so
strong that a man is drawn toward the priesthood or a
woman to the consecrated life almost irresistibly. In
these particular circumstances, he or she sees things in
such a light that it is impossible to entertain any doubt
that he or she should embrace this particular state of
life. Such cases are rare, and may be classified with
miraculous vocations and extraordinary graces.
II.
“Second Time”: Vocation by Attraction
God typically does not speak in
the manner as described above. But He does make His will
known either by certain lights and attractions of
ordinary actual grace, or through the inspiration of His
holy angels whose primary mission is to lead and guide us
to our eternal destiny.
Interior
Consolations
And so, “the second time,” St.
Ignatius says “is when a soul receives much light and
knowledge by means of the interior consolation it
experiences, as well as through the discernment of
spirits.”
It is not rare to find a young
person who for a long time—months and even years—has felt
drawn the priesthood or consecrated life. They have felt
a certain inclination or strong urge to give themselves
entirely to God. Some are even overjoyed at the thought,
and yearn for the day when they may enter the seminary or
begin religious formation. Others, on the contrary, feel
a great repugnance at the idea of giving up all things to
follow the Divine call that has been ringing in their
ears for a long time. Some even try to ignore any or all
thoughts of a priestly or religious vocation as though
they were temptations, yet they fail to do so.
How are we to account for this
light, inclination, or attraction—whatever it may be
called—which is almost unnatural, haunting a person for
years? It is to be attributed entirely to grace or to the
watchful angels, according to the teaching of many noted
spiritual writers.
Attractions of Grace
Such movements of the soul cannot
be explained in any other way except that they are the
attractions of grace. Surely such thoughts, attractions
or inclinations do not come:
•
From the devil—for devoting oneself to the
service of God means working against the rule of Satan;
• Nor from human
passions—which are properly integrated for a higher
purpose in the priesthood or consecrated life;
• Nor yet from
the world—for most people fail to appreciate or
understand these sublime vocations.
An objection could be made that
it originates by suggestion from some priest or religious
but the mere suggestion of a vocation cannot, of itself,
explain the persistence of the thought or inclination.
God’s grace sustains such persistence, even if the birth
of one’s vocation may have first emerged from the
encouragement of another.
Even St. Thomas Aquinas
acknowledges that while the suggestion to enter the vowed
life or priesthood may have originated from a source
other than the Lord, he teaches “the resolution to enter
is always from God, no matter who may have inspired it.”
According to St. Ignatius, a
person whose vocation is made manifest by attraction
should remain steadfast in his or her initial
inclination. For in moments of fervor and consolation,
the person feels drawn to God. Yet as soon as he or she
lapses into lukewarmness or falls into sin, all pious
sentiments take to flight.
How are these opposite states to
be explained? In the first case, it is a good angel who
speaks to the fervent soul and draws it according to the
will of God. In the second instance, it is the evil
spirit who is leading the tepid soul into the broad and
easy path.
Struggle
for Mastery
There is one other sign of a
vocation, which, though less manifest, is nevertheless
considered morally certain. A young person feels a
struggle, as it were, going on within, while he or she
looks on as a mere spectator. Regardless of his or her
soul’s state of fervor, the young person feels drawn now
toward the world, now toward the priesthood or
consecrated life. Here may be seen the action of good
angels and evil spirits, as they struggle for mastery.
Wisdom and prudence will naturally demand that everything
be weighed and considered very seriously before coming to
any definitive vocational decision.
This, then, is what St. Ignatius
calls the “second time.” Those who experience these signs
of the first or second “time” may have what is called a
“special vocation.” It would seem that Almighty God is so
desirous of them in His service, that He pursues them
with His grace. He is ever at hand with light and
strength, repeating the invitation, “Come follow Me!”
III.
“Third Time”: Vocation Through Reason
“The third time is an hour when
the soul is calm,” writes St. Ignatius. “Then, first of
all considering why man has been created, which is to
praise God our Lord and to save his soul, and moved by
the desire of sustaining this end, one chooses as a means
thereunto a state or kind of life sanctioned by the
Church, in order to do better work in the service of our
Lord and for the salvation of one’s soul. I call that
time an hour of calm when the soul is not under the
influence of either good or evil spirits, and makes use
of its natural powers freely and quietly.”
A
Five-Step Method
The “election” or choice,
according to the third “time,” is made as follows:
1.
“I must first of all,” continues St. Ignatius,
“place before my eyes the end for which I have been
created, which is to praise God our Lord and to save my
soul. I must, moreover, be in a state of perfect
indifference, and be without any unreasonable desires,
so that I am neither inclined toward, nor desirous of
choosing one state of life more than another, keeping a
perfect balance and ever ready to choose that state
which will seem most proper to procure the glory of God
and the salvation of my soul.”
2.
Then, St. Ignatius suggests: “I shall ask of God
our Lord to deign to move my will, and to Himself
suggest to my soul whatever I should do in regard to
the choice which I am engaged in making, for His
greater praise and glory.”
3.
Next, ask with all sincerity to know what state
of life you should embrace, with the view of more
surely attaining the end for which you have been
created—the glory of God and the salvation of your
soul.
4.
To do this in a really practical manner, take a
sheet of paper and write the heading, “Life in the
World.” Then divide the page in two columns and write
down on one side the advantages to be gained by living
in this state; on the other, all the disadvantages,
which may come to mind.
Do the same in regards to the
priesthood and/or consecrated life. Jot down all your
reasons—spiritual and temporal—and anything else there
may be worth noting, always keeping the same end in
view—your eternal salvation and the glory that you must
procure for the Divine Master.
5.
When this is done, draw the conclusion. Weigh
each side with its reasons very attentively,
considering and comparing each vocation accordingly.
Once you have done this, you will be able to see just
which one is best for you. Before coming to a final
decision, be careful not to be led away by natural
inclinations or by passion; let cold reason be your
sole guide.
A
Three-Fold Consideration
St. Ignatius himself suggests a
means to avoid being deceived by passion or one’s own
inclinations. It is the following three-fold
consideration:
(a)
Imagine that a young person in precisely the
same position as yourself came to you, to seek your
guidance before choosing a particular calling. Having
studied the matter, you would certainly say to that
person: “Everything is quite clear. Because of such and
such reason, you must choose such and such a vocation.”
This being the case, do the same yourself, as you would
advise a stranger to do under similar circumstances. To
do otherwise would be unreasonable.
(b)
Having decided upon your vocation, ask yourself,
“How would I feel about this on my deathbed? Should I
be pleased, or should I suffer remorse of conscience?”
If I see that the latter would be the case, there is
something wrong somewhere. Review your reasons once
again.
(c)
Finally, picture yourself at your own judgment.
Will all the work that you have been doing just now in
coming to your decision, show forth as that of a
conscientious person? Or, will you realize on the
contrary that you have been trying to cheat yourself by
marshalling up silly reasons, dictated by human nature
and passion? If such should really be the case, start
over again, and this time, go about it more earnestly.
Finally, a few important points
must be insisted upon. Before starting to write anything,
pray earnestly to the Holy Spirit for enlightenment, beg
for the grace to know God’s will and the strength to do
whatever the Almighty desires of you.
Recall Jesus’ words: “What does
it profit a man to gain the whole world and suffer the
loss of his own soul?” Since you must always keep
eternity in mind, ask yourself these two questions:
• Where must I
go to save it more surely?
• Where shall I
do better work for the greater honor and glory of God?
Is not this, however, asking a
little too much? No. It is only reasonable that you
should employ the very best means to save your soul and
to assist others to do the same. Ask yourself frankly
then, “In which vocation would I most securely work out
my salvation?” Will it be in the world as a layperson, as
a secular priest, or in the consecrated life? Go about
your work seriously then, in the presence of God. Weigh
all your reasons carefully and then decide.
The next thing to do is humbly to
submit everything—reasons and conclusions—to your
spiritual director, make haste to offer our Lord the
choice you have just made, begging Him to receive and
confirm it, if it be in conformity with His greater
service and glory.
If you are really convinced, and
feel within yourself while praying, that your offering is
pleasing to Almighty God, resolve immediately to remain
faithful to it, and to carry out your decision at the
earliest possible moment. Embrace this special grace
after learning to discern!
This resource was excerpted and adapted from
the booklet, Choosing
Your Career by Rev. J.I. D’Orsonnens, S.J. It
was originally published by The Paulist Press (1951).
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