Personally

God acts differently in the life of each person.  He adapts Himself to us.  There are as many vocation stories as there are people called to religious life. Some feel called at the age of ten, others at thirty.  Some are excited about the call while others resist it strongly – and for a long time.  Some are called to contemplative life, others to apostolic communities. Many are called to work in their own countries, while some are invited to be missionaries in faraway lands. What they all have in common, however, is a personal loving look of Jesus that gently invites them to respond to His plan for them.

Through Ordinary Means

God speaks through ordinary means such as a homily, a question of a friend, a book or film, an example of a saint or an inspiration of a priest. We do not hear words spoken or see angels flying and announcing God’s will for us.  Rather, a person called experiences a desire to know God more intimately, be with Him, and serve God and His people.

Gently

God never forces His call upon us.  Scripture tells us a story of a young man whom Jesus invited to walk with Him (Mk 10:17).   The young man was not willing to leave his possessions so he went away sad.  Jesus did not try to convince him to stay. This is one of the saddest Scripture passages.  The young man had his focus set in a wrong direction.  Instead of looking at what he would gain by following Jesus, the Eternal Reward, he looked at what he would lose, mere possessions that would one day be lost anyway.

The home is the natural seedbed of priestly and religious vocations.  Parents provide the soil.  Young minds and hearts should be formed at an early age to be eagerly attentive to the call of Almighty God.

IN CHILDREN

• Teach them to love God.  Vocation is a matter of love, or it is not a vocation.
• Teach them to pray and pray with them.
• Tell them that in order to be happy in life, they will need to discover God’s plan and purpose for them.  It is not too early to pray for this.
• Talk about priests and religious well.
• Teach them generosity and encourage them to do things for others.
• Teach them to love all, especially the poor and needy.
• Read the lives of the saints to them.  It was a daily practice in the home of our mother Foundress.  Three of the nine children in her family became religious.

IN Teens

• Encourage them to read Sacred Scripture and take part in Bible study.
• Encourage them to participate in pilgrimages, prayer meetings, retreats, etc.  Create a place and time for reflection and solitude.
• Give them good books to read and wholesome videos to watch.
• Without being pushy, adults should not be afraid to gently introduce the subject of a vocation with teens (“Mary, did you ever think about entering a religious order?”).  They may resist it at first, but it may give them something to think about later.
• Teach them that happiness is found not in self-fulfillment, but in the emptying of personal desires to serve others for the love of God.

IN those who mention Relgious Life

• Assure them that religious life is very rewarding.  How could it be otherwise?  You know that you are doing God’s will, and that your whole life is dedicated to a good cause.  What else can give a person greater peace of heart? What else is greater than peace of heart?   Jesus promised that if you leave your family and possessions for His sake you will receive a “hundredfold and eternal life.”
• Make sure they know that religious life is a joyful life.  True joy comes from serving others; religious life is a life of service.  If you see unhappy, sad religious, you see a person that does not live their vocation to the fullest.
• Direct them to some other young people that are interested in religious life. They will need all the support they can get. They will be ridiculed and laughed at by those that are interested only in this life and in what you can get out of others, not in what you can give. They will have to face society that shouts out values that are different from Gospel values.
• Help them to find someone who can direct their vocation, help them to discern where God might be leading them. This is very important. Don’t lead them to someone who does not value their own vocation. They will need help. They will be surrounded by obstacles: themselves, the world and the devil.

R – Realize that God has a plan for you from all eternity.

God gave you certain talents and He wants you to do something for Him that nobody else can do.  Realize also that it will make all the difference in the world how you respond to this plan.  Scripture scholars tell us that Mary was about sixteen years old when God asked her if she would fulfill his plan.  Think what would have happened if she had said NO to God.  We have in our lives our own little Annunciations.  If we say no to God, the work will remain undone.

E – Experience some solitude

Solitude is different than loneliness.  Loneliness is feeling empty and lost; solitude is working through those feelings to find Someone and communicate with Him in the depth of your soul.  We are very busy people.  It is good to spend some time in solitude to read about Jesus in order to know him better.  We will never become friends with someone we do not know.  Read books on the lives of the saints.  Arrange for a retreat or time of prayer in the evening when nobody will disturb you.

Father Robert Fox talks about a young lady who debated strongly whether she could give up seeing her boyfriend for two weeks while on a “Youth for Fatima” pilgrimage.  One week and a half into the pilgrimage she whispered to him, “I want to be a nun.  How will I tell my parents this when they know I hesitated to leave my boyfriend for a short time?”  Solitude helped her to awaken her vocation.  It has been said that every fifth girl receives a vocation to the religious life, but many are never awakened.

S – Surrender your life in total trust.

You need to learn to trust Jesus.  Do not be afraid of such thoughts as “How will I ever respond in the way God wants me to” or “How will I do what He asks of me?”  The prophets tried that before, as did the saints.  Moses told the Lord to send someone else because he did not speak well.  Jeremiah thought he was too young.  Isaiah called himself a man of unclean lips.  When God asked Jonah to go to Nineveh, he got on a ship heading the opposite direction!

If God asks, He will give you the grace to do something.  To all excuses, His answer is that He will be with you.

P – Pray daily to discover God’s plan and receive the courage to do it

To discover God’s plan is a secret to happiness and peace.  Ask the Holy Spirit every day to tell you what He wants you to do.  Ask Him for the help to do it, and then learn to listen to Him in your heart.

O – Overcome obstacles on your way to God. If you want to follow God’s call you will encounter various obstacles.

The devil does not like to see anybody pursue a vocation.  He will surround you with countless doubts and objections.  It is important to be forewarned about them.

Family and friends may not understand what  you are doing.  This is a very common occurrence.  As much as you would like their support and approval, it is not absolutely necessary.  There are times when fulfilling God’s plan for your life may be contrary to what your family desires for you.  In some instances, family and friends have actually been a deterrent to an authentic vocation.  They will one day have to answer to Almighty God for obstructing His holy will.

Your fallen nature shrinks from every sacrifice.  Though you may be sorry to give up some things you are doing, do not dwell on them.  Rather, concentrate on the things you can do for the good of humanity.  Some time ago, a 75 year old lady said, “I always wanted to be a sister, but I could not give up swimming.”  Respond with joy.  Joy makes it easy!  And God loves a cheerful giver.

N – Nourish your vocation by talks with someone you trust.

A vocation is like a little seed that God plants in the soil of your soul.  Jesus said that soil will either choke the seed, dry it out or bring it to a rich harvest.  Be of good soil.  You know that a flower needs sun, water and nutrients to grow.  Talk to someone who has walked the same road before you about your desires and fears.  If you don’t, your flower of vocation may never grow. D

D – Devote yourself to Our Lady.

Mary is our Mother and our model in responding to God’s call.  As a Mother she wants what is best for us.  She knows what God’s plan is for us.  Nobody every responded to God’s call as perfectly as she did.  She was a young girl when God asked her to be the Mother of Jesus.  She did not understand what all this meant, but God asked and that was enough to say YES!  Her yes changed the history of the world forever.

RESPOND with generosity, courage and joy. God needs you!  The Church needs you!