Is God calling you to be a priest?
Prayer- The first step in discovering your vocation....
You ask. God responds. Then what do you say?
The first step in praying well is to realize to whom you are speaking - God who is your Father - and ask for what you need. In discernment, what you need is God's light to discover his plans for your life. Ask him with the confidence a child has in his mother or father when he asks for something that is truly good for him. How many times did Our Lord tell the Apostles the basic step of asking in prayer for what they needed? Faith and asking in prayer for what we need are two threads woven throughout the Gospel.
It sometimes happens that you pray and ask for an answer from God but seem to receive no response. This makes you wonder why: is it because it is too late to be asking the question? Is it because the path you already are on is the correct one? Is it a question of your motivation?
I don't know the exact answer to this, but let me ask you and then do some imagining: what kind of an answer are you expecting to your prayers? How do you think the answer is going to come to you?
At times we expect our prayers to be answered in the form of some unmistakable visible sign (like someone who does a novena to discover his vocation, and tells God to send him someone to give him an answer. Then, as soon as he finishes it, a perfect stranger asks him if he is going to be a priest... ). It is not good to look for this type of sign, because by doing so we are setting out conditions for God to fulfill. That's not the way it works.
God, of course can send us a sign like this if he wants. But we shouldn't be counting on it, and much less stipulate it.
Other times we expect our prayers to be answered by an almost overwhelming interior illumination. We expect to be flooded with an absolute conviction in answer to our prayers, and no longer have any doubt whatsoever about the path to follow.
This is not good either. It is too subjective. It begs the question: couldn't this be just my imagination, some sudden euphoria; how can I be sure it really is God's answer?
So, how do we know what God is saying in answer to our prayers?
Remember what Jesus tells us, in essence: "your Father knows what you need even before you ask him for it. If he loves you, will he hold back anything that you need? You wouldn't do that to someone you love, and he loves you much more."
Jesus also tells us how to pray, "seek first the Kingdom of God, and then you will receive all else as well."
The important thing in prayer is not so much to ask, but to change. Often when we pray to find our way in life we say, "Lord, tell me if it's A or B." Then we don't seem to get a clear answer. Could be it really is C, or maybe even D. So to get our answer we have to change: not limit him to the choices we see, but to tell him we are willing to do anything he wants us to do. When we start praying we are usually looking for what is good for us (of course, for all the right motives, but we are still looking out for ourselves). The outcome of prayer is that we begin to look out for what is best for his Kingdom.
As you pray better, certain convictions will take root in your life. You will be more sensitive to the needs of the Church and to the unique gift God gave us by giving us life; you will grow in the sense of how little this life can compare to the next, and how short life really is. All of this will affect your attitude towards the way you are going to live yours, and the choices you make. You will see God's hand and providence in your life more easily. You will have more of a 'sense' of what he wants you to do.
But it will never be absolutely clear. You will still need some prudent advice and direction from a spiritual director.
How to Get Started in Prayer
There are several good prayer books, but let me suggest this. Get a copy of a Daily Missal (for example, the 'Vatican II Missal' published by the Daughters of St Paul). Check the index to make sure it has a section called 'A Treasury of Prayers' or something similar, usually in the back. It will include prayers before and after Mass, morning and night prayers, popular devotions, prayers for special intentions, etc....
The reason for my suggestion is this: if you want to cultivate your prayer life, and especially if you think God might be calling you, you will want to go to Mass more frequently, and you will want to prepare and participate in the Mass more fully. The missal will help you do both.
On the days you cannot go to Mass you will be able to read the scripture readings from Mass on your own, and the missal I mentioned has short, helpful reflections for each day's readings that I am sure you will find useful.
After you read through the Treasury of Prayers a few times you are going to have a few favorites that you like to pray every day. That is usually a good sign for your spiritual life.
visit
www.vocation.com for more information.
