Vocation in a religious context is how God calls you to serve Him in the world.
God calls you through Baptism and Confirmation to serve Him in a specific way of life. You can follow God's call as a single person, married person, ordained priest or a vowed religious. It is important to first determine which way of life God is calling you to. This process of determining God's call for your life is known as discernment.
The Catholic Church supports and teaches us that there are three vocations:
We have a primary vocation to follow Jesus Christ. Lumen Gentium, the Vatican II document on the Church,
calls this call the “Universal Call to Holiness”. We are all called first and foremost to be holy.
How to discern one's call:
The best way to discern your vocation is in prayer. Prayer, simply put, is having a real conversation with God.
Spend quiet time with God reflecting on His call for your life. Don't look for an earth-shattering message that says
"This is what you are to do!" God generally does not communicate like that.
we need to tune out the noise of the world in order to hear the voice of God in our lives
Gifts: What are the gifts that you have been given by God? Remember that grace builds on nature, so the gifts
we have been given will be instrumental in how we are called to live.
Others: What do others say? Oftentimes others, especially those who are already living a life of holiness can serve as mouthpieces for God. Remember Samuel? How did he finally recognize that it was the Lord calling him? It was through the advice of Eli. Maybe there is an Eli for you out there who will help you recognize the call of the Lord.
Desires: What are your deepest desires? God will not give us a desire that he cannot fulfill, that he does not want to fulfill.
Others: What do others say? Oftentimes others, especially those who are already living a life of holiness can serve as mouthpieces for God. Remember Samuel? How did he finally recognize that it was the Lord calling him? It was through the advice of Eli. Maybe there is an Eli for you out there who will help you recognize the call of the Lord.
Desires: What are your deepest desires? God will not give us a desire that he cannot fulfill, that he does not want to fulfill.
Did you know that being single is a vocation that is fully supported by the Catholic Church? For clarification,
this does not mean being single by default because you are not having any luck in the dating world.
Unlike married people, people in religious life, and priesthood, single people do not take vows.
If you are called to marriage, God will, in his timing, place the right individual in your life.
Here’s the thing- an individual who is truly being called to the single life will feel strongly about this choice
in his or her heart. There are many reasons why someone might feel drawn to the single life.
For example, some desire to have the time to do more service work, church projects, or activities that require
much of their time and attention. Now, you can certainly still do service projects while being married,
but your time will also be occupied by your spouse and children. Another factor that makes up the single life
is celibacy, which means abstaining from any sexual relations/activity.
The Catholic Church teaches that individuals should practice chastity because our sexuality is a beautiful gift from God that was created
and intended for a man and woman in marriage, so that the union of the two allows for the blessing of new life- and this is so sacred. So, for a consecrated single person, this means devoting one’s life to God in a pure and faithful way, one that is free from sexual activity.
A vocation of marriage is God’s call for us to make a union with a person of the opposite sex to help each
other grow in holiness and love for God. One of the major goals of marriage is to get our spouses to heaven.
It is the most popular of the three vocations, but this doesn’t mean that it is better than the others.
Maybe you have dreamed of marriage your whole life or planned out the perfect wedding in your mind. But, marriage
is much more than an elegant white dress, fancy flowers, and suits. If you are called to the married life,
there are a lot of responsibilities that come with this.
Our sexuality is a gift
from the Lord, and is not intended to be abused or misused. In marriage, two people, husband and wife, come
together in a beautiful union. The two fleshes are united into one, and the Lord showers his blessings upon
the couple. Now, as a united couple, the man and woman can be open to the fruitfulness and blessing of children.
There are many graces that come from marriage- but it is so important to open your heart to such blessings,
so that you may be a channel of grace in which God can pour out his mercy.
Campus Minister Angela Carlin remarks,
“It’s not enough to discern a call to the married life. Choosing the right partner is its own process of discernment.
The hard work of marriage – putting another’s needs, hopes, and dreams above your own, communicating with patience
and respect, and nurturing love through the mundane parts of day-to-day life – is truly worth it when love can
flourish and serve as an echo of God’s love for us.”
Religious life is a call to join a community for love of God and building up of the Kingdom of God. A sister,
brother, monk, or nun serves God and his people in a unique way through prayer and service.
Sisters and brothers are members of religious orders who do work in the world. They may run soup kitchens,
teach, serve as missionaries, or fulfill many other needed tasks in the world and in the Church. Monks and nuns
typically stay in monasteries and convents. Their primary ministry is through prayer.
The priesthood, which is a calling for men, is also part of this vocation. Catholic priests take vows and devote
themselves to serving God and the people by administering the Sacraments, working in parishes, and doing service
work. Priests can choose to either join a religious community or work for the diocese. Women who are called to
the religious life can become nuns, and such women also take specific vows to offer and devote themselves fully
to God and their religious community.
If you are unsure as to where you may be called, remember that God will lead the way and show you the path.
Continue to pray and be open to the will of the Lord, who always has your best interest in mind.