Finding Your Vocation

Religious Education 12: Theology of the Body & Media Ethics

Vocation Discernment

 Not two words most teens

are “googling”
 Some may think they are
intimidating words
 WE ALL HAVE
CALLED TO “LOVE
AND HOLINESS,”
If we all have a call (which
we all do), then we all must
figure out what that call
from God is
 TO
First step is

LEARN HOW
TO LISTEN TO
Too Noisy

 These are not bad in themselves, but

if we could just turn off some of the
noise, we could find it easier to be
still and quiet in prayer.
“Above all, create silence in your
interior. Let that ardent desire to see
God arise from the depth of your
hearts, a desire that at times is
suffocated by the noise of the world
and the seduction of pleasure.”
Really Busy

 Set a daily prayer time, and stick to it.

 Morning and night prayers are a good start.
 Set your alarm clock ten minutes early each
day, reserve that time to say some prayers,
read the Bible and talk with God
Scared Stiff
 We don’t trust God, and we’re afraid
to hear what He has to say.
 Maybe He’s asking us to let go of
something or do something that’s
really hard– and we don’t want to
listen
Don’t Care

We simply don’t

care what God has
to say
Blurry Vision

 Our sins make it hard for us to see

clearly.
 The sacrament of Reconciliation serves
as a potent cleanser to wash away the
dirt and make the panes of the window
clear for us to see God
If we begin to create silence in
our lives, make time to pray,
trust God, and avoid sin, it will
be much easier to listen to what
God has to say.
In time of Discernment

 Find a priest to be your

spiritual director
 You could also go on a
discernment retreat
-you take knowledge of the
different vocations and choose
the one that you feel God
calling you towards.
“God does not call the
qualified; he qualifies
the called.”
Deciding between “two goods”

 A clear choice for God

or against Him.
Moral Discernment

 Judging an action,
deeming whether or not
it is right or wrong.
Discerning God’s plan

 The process can be quite involved.

 There are many more decisions to be
made than which of the vocations
one should pursue
PRAY

 The more time you spend getting

to know God through prayer, the
better you’ll be at recognizing His
voice in your life
ASK YOURSELF IF THIS DESCISION IS
IN LINE WITH GOD’S TEACHING
 God promised that his Church would be “the pillar
and foundation of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15), and that
whoever heard it, would hearing him (Lk. 10:16).
 If our decision goes against what the Church
teaches, either explicitly in Tradition or in the
Bible, we can rest assured that it is not God’s will
GET ADVICE

 Ask your spiritual director, priest or some other people

who are strong in their faith for advice
 Ask them what they think about a decision you are facing
 Ask them to pray for you
 Ask also the intercession of the saints
 Consider going straight to Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration
GO TO RECONCILIATION

 The sacrament of reconciliation can

improve your hearing.
 Making an act of humility and contrition
not only cleanses our souls, but our
spiritual hearing as well.
LISTEN TO YOU HEART

 God often speaks to us through our conscience and

our intuition.
 If we have peace about one choice and great
anxiety about another, it may be an indication of
which decision should be made.
 If you are confused, do not make decisions
 There are times when God’s
will is very obvious
 During discernment,
remember to be patient
No matter what one’s
vocation is, we are
called to a life of
HOLINESS