A question of trust in God: Hearing the callOver the years as Vocation Director, I have had occasion to speak to many men who have told me that they were discerning if they had a vocation to life as a priest or brother. To several I have responded rather surprisingly that they were on the wrong track; that they should not be "discerning" but doing something else.
It begins with GodThe problem today with this buzz word discernment is this: it often turns what should be a vital conversion to God, the experience of the breath of God on one's life, the stirring of our deepest and noblest aspirations, into a cold examination and spiritless calculation of risk, preferences and rewards, and the ceaseless rummaging for signs. Instead of increasing trust, discernment — as practiced by many — stifles it, robs our search of all enthusiasm, and overrides the three virtues of faith, hope, and love as the primary factors in our decisions. I like to use the image of men acting like pilots in an airplane who continue to put their vocation in a "holding pattern" as they wait for that message from the tower telling them: "Everything is clear. You can now proceed to land on the narrow runway of Apostle Airport!"
In the matter of a vocation, discernment is only one element, and believe it or not, the one we have least control of, though it commandeers most of our attention and is the one we are most anxious to embark upon.
Linkback:
https://tubagbohol.mikeligalig.com/index.php?topic=72320.0
Topic: The Discernment of Priestly Life (Read 698 times)