Chapter Two

Gods Plan for Your Life

Finding a Calling
Finding a calling is different from
finding a profession
A profession is associated with a career
Career:
A chosen occupation that is more likely to
express ones talents than a job
While one might have several jobs, people
tend to change careers less frequently

Finding a Calling
While thinking about future professions, it is also
important to choose a course of life based on
vocation

The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare,

which means to call

The primary Christian vocation is to love and serve God

by loving and serving other people

Finding a Calling
Laity
All of the baptized faithful except those who
have received the sacrament of Holy Orders
Seek the kingdom of God by engaging in daily,
worldly tasks and directing them towards Gods
will

Finding a Calling
Married people
Priests

Bishops

Religious sisters
and brothers

Share a love for each other and

raise a Christian family
Dedicated to the service of
the Church
Entrusted to teach, sanctify, and
govern the Church in the name
of Christ
Engage in missionary work
dedicated to community

Created in Gods Image

A persons vocation is much different from
having a job or choosing a career. The risks
are greater but so are the rewards.

Journeying to Perfection
Besides choosing a college and an academic major, you
will face other decisions involving a particular Christian
vocation

?Will you enter the ordained priesthood?

?Will you be married?
Will
you
be
a
religious
sister
or
brother?
?

Journeying to Perfection
The universe, including each person, is in a state of
journeying toward an ultimate perfection

Divine Providence: the ways in which God guides his

creation towards perfection
Jesus tells us to put our trust in divine providence, the will of
God
Trusting in God means we depend on him for every detail of
our lives

Journeying to Perfection
The more we seek Gods plan for us, the more we
advance toward perfection

When we resist Gods plan for our desires we go

backward.
We are given free will, the choice to shape our own lives and
direct ourselves to the goodness that God intends.
Because this choice is free there is a possibility of going
astray and committing evil acts

Discernment through Prayer

Constant and consistent prayer helps us determine
what God intends for us.
Types of Prayer

Vocal
Meditation
Contemplative

Discernment through Prayer

Discernment: name for a process of prayer that
incorporates many types of prayer
Helps us determine what God intends for us

Calls us to look at many sides of decisions considering all of

the different alternatives
Involves praying over a decision and asking for guidance from
the Holy Spirit, then making a decision and evaluating it

Discernment through Prayer

A first step for discernment is finding a time and
place to center prayer

This is done with the purpose of

finding God within the depths of
yourself

Discernment through Prayer

As a child you may have been taught that prayer is
talking to God
However, prayer is a dialogue with God in which the
most important part is listening to what God has to say to
you
Other sources of prayer:

1
.

Sacred Scripture

2. Liturgy of the Church

3. Practice of Virtues

Discernment through Prayer

Steps of Discernment:
Step One: Find a quiet place to pray. Relax and find a
comfortable position. Close your eyes and become aware of
Gods presence.
Step Two: Select a special word that makes you
think of God and recite this word over and over in
order to keep distractions away.
Step Three: Thank the Lord for his presence, tell
Jesus of your love for Him and ask the Holy Spirit
to remain with you always. Then slowly recite an
Our Father.

Planning for a Vocation

A discernment process is not intended to predict what
may end up being your ultimate vocation, only to begin
the journey to a particular vocation while allowing God
to direct and guide you.
Prayer is the most essential element of this process
Three steps of planning:
Dream and imagine
Gather information
Pray over the options

Planning for a Vocation

Discernment is really a prayerful pondering or
deliberation of the many options available to
you in life.
The more you pray and think about
the many options in life, the more
likely a sense of direction will emerge

Exploring Christian Vocations

Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are intended for
our personal holiness and salvation
They provide us with the graces we need to live a life in
Christ and evangelize the world with our words and
actions

Exploring Christian Vocations

Holy Orders and Matrimony are directed to the holiness
and salvation of others

These sacraments are also called Sacraments at the

Service of Communion

Exploring Christian Vocations

Committed Single Life
Single people can have a dedicated devotion to their career
They have a greater opportunity for silence and solitude
leading to a deep prayer life
Single persons are free to love all and have deep friendships
with many men and women
Loneliness is a large challenge faced by single people
Living a chaste life is also difficult in this day and age

Exploring Christian Vocations

Consecrated Life
Those who have made a commitment to follow Christ and
give themselves to God above all other things
Teaching and the operation of Catholic education has been
one of the primary ministries of religious
Many are involved in various types of service to the Church
The most common characteristic is belonging to a community
Contemplative religious spend their days in solitude and
silence, praying, studying, and doing penance (eremitic life)
Active religious are out in the world participating in active
ministries

Exploring Christian Vocations

Other types of Consecrated Life
Consecrated Virgins

Women who live a life of perpetual

virginity but remain lay women and
support themselves
Support clergy through prayer and
sacrifice

Secular Institutes

Forms of consecrated life for single

lay people and diocesan priests
Profess evangelical counsels but do
not take public vows or live in
communities

Exploring Christian Vocations

Other types of Consecrated Life

Societies of
Apostolic Life

Members do not take public vows

but engage in many good works for
the church
Example: Knights of Columbus

Exploring Christian Vocations

Marriage
Modeled after Christs union with the Church
Man and woman work in their marriage to duplicate for each
other the committed and eternal love that God has shown to
them

Priesthood
Holy Orders confers a sacred power on the priest for the
service of the faithful

Conferred only on baptized men following the example of

Jesus

Vocabulary
Career

Evangelical counsels

Laity

Eremitic life

Divine providence

Vocation director

Free will

Messianic secret

Centering prayer

Religious novices

Seminarians

Sacraments at the
Service of Communion