The Best Discernment Advice.

[Veritas]

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[font="Book Antiqua"][size=2]Blessings in your discernment.[/size][/font]

[b][font="Book Antiqua"][color="#339999"][size=2]Prayer IS essential to discernment, but in my own discernment, I often found the solitary advice "just pray" insufficient. I recently came across some of the most prudent and practical advice for discernment. (p.s. This would be GREAT to pin!)[/color][/b][/size]

From [url="http://www.10000vocations.org/content.asp?id=22"]http://www.10000vocations.org/content.asp?id=22[/url] ~


[size=3][b]Discernment is the practice of distinguishing God's voice, the promptings of Love, from:[/b][/size]

*The tug of unmet needs and fears.
*The urges of personal compulsions, such as guilt, control, etc.
*The legitimate attractions and pleasures of created goods.
*The weight of our own rationalizations.
*The urge to do-it-yourself.
(Sherry Anne Weddell)


[size=3]If I am serious about discovering God's will, I must be clear about what it is that I desire.
[b]
What is my goal? [/b] [/size]

1. What questions need to be asked in setting a goal?
2. What is your short-range goal? your immediate goal? your long-range goal? What present strengths do you possess that will help you in achieving this goal?
3. How soon, realistically, would you like to achieve this goal?
4. What new strengths might be required to achieve this goal?
5. What leads you to believe this is a good idea?
6. What barriers, if any, do you anticipate that might keep you from achieving this goal?
7. What other factors play a part in helping this goal become a reality?


[size=3][b]If I am serious in my desire to know God's will, it implies the following:[/b][/size]

*Openness to get in touch with one's self, one's fears, concerns, gifts
*Openness to hear the word of God even when it is difficult to accept
*Openness to continual reflection upon our faith experience
*Openness to remove obstacles that were within us, preventing our hearing or accepting the word of God, the call of God
*Openness to scrutiny of our responses to God, to people
*Openness to face past failures with hope for the future
*Openness to the possibility of needing to head in the direction not originally intended
*Openness to personal prayer - to trust in God[/b]


[size=3][b]A Discernment Process: [/b] [/size]

1. Write down the decision to be made.
2. Write down the decision not to be made.
3. Make two columns for each decision. Write down the pros and cons for both decisions.
4. Evaluate the weight of those things that you have written down. Are both decisions about choosing something good?
5. Does one weigh more heavily than the other?
6. Choose one of the decisions. Live with it for a week. Talk to friends about it, listen to your own feelings, thoughts, dreams, sleeping and waking patterns. Wear the other decision for a week. What are your feelings now? How has prayer been during this week?
7. Make a choice. Live with the decision.


[size=3][b]Discernment Exercises[/b][/size]

*What advice would you give someone in your shoes regarding a vocation as a priest or as a Religious?
*Shadow a priest, Religious Sister or Brother for a day. Accompany them through the various aspects of their ministry.

[size=2]Blessings in your discernment![/font][/size]

Edited January 27, 2007 by Veritas

[illeat]

Yeah, this is good stuff! With all that said I would even encourage those discerning to go to a "Come and See" gathering or vocation retreat and talk to the vocation director of the diocese .

[SisterAli]

Might I add something that I found on the web....?



HOW DO YOU HEAR God’s call in your lives? How do you understand what you hear?

These questions have been asked throughout the ages and continue to be asked by all who seek to discern God’s presence and call in their lives. If you look at scripture, you find several examples of people struggling to understand God’s call to them.


YOU ARE LIKELY to hear God’s call several
times before you realize who is calling.
Your task is to listen, to listen well,
and, once you’ve heard God’s voice,
to follow it.
Consider the story of the call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-10). Samuel was a young boy serving in the temple when he heard a voice calling his name. He assumed this voice was that of the priest, Eli. Eventually, Eli realized that Samuel was hearing God’s voice calling to him and instructed him to respond, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Samuel needed Eli to tell him that the voice he heard was God’s. He didn’t recognize God’s voice on his own.

Or consider the story of Andrew and the other disciple when they were with John the Baptist. John sees Jesus walking by and points out, “Behold the Lamb of God." With that the two disciples of John follow after Jesus and become his disciples (John 1:35-40). They needed John the Baptist to point out Jesus to them. Then, they could follow and respond.

When you seek to discover God’s call in your lives you enter a time of discernment. The dictionary defines discern as: to separate, to sort out, to sift through. Discernment, then, is a time of sifting and sorting. Religious discernment is also a time to see with the eyes of your heart so that you can choose life in God. It is a time when you allow yourselves to be open to God’s will, and it is an opportunity to allow your hearts to guide your mind more than only trusting your own reasoning.

What do you hear?
While discernment has many parts, I would like to suggest four basic steps in any time of discovering one’s vocation. The first is a call to become aware. You are called to listen to God, to yourselves, and to those around you.

If you are to listen to God, then prayer is essential. You need to take time to be in conversation with God, to ask God for help and guidance. You have only to look to the life of Jesus to see the prominent place of prayer in discernment. As you read the gospels you find that before every major decision Jesus went off alone to pray. He did this prior to choosing the 12 apostles, and he spent much time in prayer as he prepared for his Passion and death.

While you need time alone, you also can find God’s voice in the voices of those around you. Your call is not for you alone. While you may grow personally and your relationship with God may develop as a result of your call, your vocation is always a call for others, a call to be of service to others, a call to pray for others.

Gail, a young woman considering religious life, says, “Without the voices of others, I know I would not be where I am today in my spiritual process. God has sent me ‘voices’ throughout my life, people that I may have only known for a short time and others whom I have known for a long while. I feel so alive and filled with love when we have spiritual talks. It is their voices echoing mine that bring light and peace into my life."
Follow the four-step process

TAKE THESE STEPS as you go through the process of discernment:

1. BECOME AWARE
Questions to ask yourself: Has anyone ever suggested that I might want to consider being a brother, a sister, or a priest? Has someone invited me to be active in ministry? Has anyone recognized gifts and talents in me and called them forth? Do I acknowledge that these voices could be the voice of God leading me toward my vocation in life? How do I sift through all of it? How do I discern God’s voice in the midst of the cacophony around me? What do I hear? To whom am I listening? How much time do I spend in prayer? Have I asked God for assistance as I strive to listen for my vocation in life? What do others have to say to me, about me?

2. GATHER INFORMATION AND INVESTIGATE THE MANY AVAILABLE OPTIONS
Questions to ask yourself: What are my gifts? Where am I best suited to serve? What motives are driving me in my choices? Where am I resisting God’s invitation?

3. CHOOSE WHAT YOU UNDERSTAND TO BE GOD’S WILL
Questions to ask yourself: What is the most loving choice I can make? What is the choice that will help me be most fully myself?

4. LOOK FOR CONFIRMATION OF YOUR CHOICE
Questions to ask yourself: What happens within me? Is there peace, even in the midst of some doubts? What happens when I share my choice with other people? Do others say, “Oh, I can see you as . . . ."? How do I understand negative responses that occur within me? How do I interpret negative responses that I receive from family members or from friends? How do I listen to these guides? Do I seek to find God’s voice in the voices of those who know me and who love me? Do I take any criticism or concern as an opportunity to examine my motivations and find myself strengthened rather than weakened in my resolve?
What do you need to know?
The second step in discovering your vocation is to gather information and investigate the many options in front of you. Nicole says, “As I discern God’s call in my life, I find that the perspective and input from people who know me in a vast array of settings helps to gain deeper insight and self-knowledge. For each person whose life path has connected with my own, I have been enlightened to my weaknesses as well as uncovered some of my hidden strengths."

Discerning a call to religious life is a two-way street. It calls for mutual discernment—on the part of the individual as well as the community. Just as with marriage, entering a religious community involves two parties, and both are called to be open and honest in order to discern if God is calling someone to join this particular community or not.

During this step it can be extremely helpful to have a spiritual director, someone with whom you can share your prayer, your relationship with God, your questions, and your fears. A spiritual director can help you sort and sift and discover where God may be leading you. Jennifer recalls how her own spiritual director has helped her and challenged her in her discernment of a vocation: “My spiritual director introduced me to communities that I would not have necessarily visited and to new ways of praying and worshiping our God. He encouraged me and pushed me out of my comfort zone to truly be what God had created me to be. He has helped me to be the best ‘me’ I could be."

If you are discerning a call to a particular community, part of this step involves conversing with the community’s vocation director. “It is a real blessing to find a vocation director whose only agenda is to listen and to help you listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit within you and the respective community," Hillary says. “One such vocation director I met with really helped me to probe both myself and the life which I was discerning. She never pushed me one way or the other, but through many visits and conversations, I found plenty of affirmation and encouragement to stay open to this calling."

Where is God leading you?
Discernment calls for patience on all our parts. There is usually not a quick answer to the various questions posed. You need to take time to pay attention to the Spirit’s movements within you. Eventually though, you do need to choose—to make a decision. This is the third step of discernment.

This step calls you to choose what you sense to be God’s will as you can best understand it at this moment. You can’t expect your decisions to be always right or that you will be 100 percent certain when you do make your decision. Rather, you are called simply to make the decision that you believe will lead you to become the most loving person you can be, to become the person God created you to be.

What happens now?
The fourth step of discernment follows this time of making a choice, and it is a critical step in the process. You look for confirmation of your choice. While prayer needs to be an element throughout the process, it is vital during this time. You have made a decision.

While some may support you in your choice, you may also encounter those who disagree with your decision and try to persuade you to do otherwise. At these moments it is important to pay attention to what happens within you. Do you find your choice weakening, or do you find it strengthened, even in the face of adversity? Sometimes such negative reactions actually can help strengthen your resolve.

If, however, after making a choice, you find yourself feeling more and more uneasy or even get sick physically, you may need to look more deeply again. Is this a simple case of the “jitters"? Or is your body trying to tell you that you’ve not made a good choice? Again, at such moments, the guidance of a spiritual director is imperative. A lack of confirmation may be a call to reconsider my choice. Such a time of reconsideration may, then, lead me to a different choice. Or it could simply point out some areas in which I’ll need to find extra support as I continue living out my previous decision.

Lynn is a member of a large family and has a grown son herself. She recently told her family that she is considering a call to religious life. She said, “My son was surprised. But over time he seems to be OK. My father is a good old Irishman who just couldn’t contain his pride. . . . My mother is not so happy about this at all. . . . She can’t see, as I do, that everything I’d be doing as a sister would be by choice and would make me happy; that it wouldn’t be a sacrifice. . . . I have told some of my close friends [because] I really needed to do so. . . . Most of them don’t understand it at all. But they are so supportive and see it makes me happy. Most of them have the same questions that I’ve already asked. That’s great, because it gives me a second chance to talk about my own concerns."

While discernment requires that you spend time alone in prayer and conversation with God, you also need other people to help you sort out the fruits of your prayer, to help show you the way to follow God’s call. As members of the body of Christ, you need one another to uncover your talents and abilities. You need the other members of the body to assist you on your journey and, at times, to show you the way. We are all members of a community, a family of faith. Your discernment in life, therefore, leads you naturally into that community, not away from it. God uses those around you to lead you, to guide you, to spur you into action.

Listen well
Discernment takes a lot of energy. Listening is not easy! Like Samuel, you are likely to hear God’s call several times before you realize who is calling. But, with the help of your friends, your families, and your communities of faith, you can find where God’s call is leading you. Your task is to listen, to listen well, and, once you’ve heard God’s voice, to follow it as did the disciples of John—following Jesus who asks each of you, “What are you seeking?"

Edited February 17, 2007 by SisterAli

[Jennifer]

quote:- my I add something I found on the web

Discernment put in perspective................thank you for sharing Sister Ali.

[SisterAli]

You are certainly most welcome dear.

[happynun]

These are really great!

[JuCa]

My spiritual director has been my biggest help in discerning on what path to take in life. Daily Mass and adoration are huge too!

Sister Ali- are you from the Evansville Diocese?

[SisterAli]

[quote name='JuCa' post='1210120' date='Mar 7 2007, 10:06 PM']My spiritual director has been my biggest help in discerning on what path to take in life. Daily Mass and adoration are huge too!

Sister Ali- are you from the Evansville Diocese?[/quote]



JuCa,

I am not a Sister yet.. I just have this as my name because it is a common nickname that people call me from my hometown and all around. I'm discerning to find the right community that the Lord is calling me to. I am not from the Evansville Diocese.

[Veritas]

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Excellent Discernment Advice Follows:

[color="#800080"][b][size=4][font="Impact"]A r e Y o u B e i n g C a l l e d ?[/font][/size][/b][/color]

[b][font="Palatino Linotype"]Discerning a Vocation
by Fr Anthony Bannon, Legionaire of Christ[/b] [url="http://www.legionariesofchrist.org/"]http://www.legionariesofchrist.org/[/url]


[size=3][b]INTRODUCTION [/b][/size]

Over the years I have had occasion to speak to many young people who have told me they were trying to discern if they had a vocation to the priestly or consecrated life, and I have had to tell them, sometimes to their surprise and consternation, that they were on the wrong track, that they should not be ‘discerning’ but doing something else.

[size=3][b]Let me explain lest you think I am against vocations. [/b][/size]

The big problem with discernment, at least as many understand it, is this: it often turns what should be a vital conversation with 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 élan, and overrides love as a factor in our decisions.

The nature of discernment itself has something to do with this, and also the fact that in the matter of vocation, discernment is only one element, and perhaps the one that we have least control of, though it commandeers most of our attention and is the one we are most anxious to embark upon.

[size=3][b]THE WHOLE CONTEXT [/b][/size]

The fundamental truth about a vocation is that its source is not us but God. God calls. From the moment he creates us God has a specific dream for each one of us. It follows that God in his providence and intelligence will make sure we receive sufficient indication of what it is he wants of us. We need not worry about that.

The other side to the equation is that for God’s plan to come true we have to perceive it and act upon it. This perception and acceptance has to happen at all levels of our nature, not only the intellectual but also the spiritual and the emotional.

Though a person will pray about it, what is commonly understood as discernment is a process of trying to satisfy our skeptical intellect as to the existence of our call. Purely and simply. This involves many an omission.

We do not normally take into consideration as a factor, for example, our willingness to accept the call — nor do we consider the influence of this willingness on our ability to perceive it, nor the obstacles that there may be within us to perceiving and acting upon a call. Yet all of these are of enormous consequence in our vocational search, and frequently are the hidden factors in determining its success or lack thereof.

[size=3][b]THE KEY TO SUCCESSFUL DISCERNMENT [/b][/size]

Discernment will be truly successful if we find out what God wants of us, and then go do it. So much is obvious. It is not difficult to see how pointless it would be to search for our vocation if we are not willing to follow it.

What some might find surprising is that our willingness to follow our vocation is a major factor in our willingness to accept it, and our willingness to accept it is a major factor in our ability to discover it. Discovery is acceptance on an intellectual level that the vocation is there, acceptance is to admit it is something that should be acted upon, and action is the crown of the whole process — it is love made practice.

We cannot help but approach discernment with a certain number of prejudices and biases, be they positive or negative. Indifference in this matter is not part of our nature. The sacrifices we know are entailed in following a vocation do color our willingness to accept its existence. Often, like a border guard faced with a person of questionable origin, we can question the vocation to death, playing it all by the book, prudently.

So the real challenge for a person considering a vocation is to be willing to follow it if he has one. The real problem is to acquire this disposition of willingness, unconditional openness. And this, rather than mere discernment, should be our concern.

[size=3][b]OPENNESS AND ITS RIVALS [/b][/size]

Often we understand by openness that we accept intellectually the fact that conceivably God could call us. There is a more useful form of openness. It consists in the ability to say to God, and mean it, ‘whatever you want of me I will do.’ It is therefore a fruit of prayer, and is expressed in prayer that is more offering than petition. This kind of openness faces significant obstacles, most of them at work inside us. The parable of the sower can help us understand some of these. (cf. Luke 8, 4-15)

The devil comes and takes the word out of their hearts. Because we haven’t invited him, we practically never consider the tempter as an active participant in our vocational discernment. But he gatecrashes anyway. Remember Peter? As long as he followed the Holy Spirit he could see (‘discern’) that Jesus was the Messiah; but when he thought ‘as men did’ he was unable to accept Christ’s passion and death, and Christ had to call him a ‘satan’ for the one he was following.

In struggling to open ourselves to a vocation we are trying to open our minds and, more difficultly, our hearts to God. But the Enemy, the father of lies, is doing all he can to cloud our judgment and harden our heart. At times the chilling indifference with which we stand on the sidelines while our brothers and sisters suffer need, and die of hunger and thirst for the truth, is due to this action of the evil spirit. And when we go through our difficulties and trials we often forget that they are not in themselves indicators of God’s will, but may also be the action of the same evil spirit, allowed by God for our purification.

[size=3][b]Emotions [/b][/size]

‘They are enthusiastic for a while but then they fall away in times of trial.’ The ups and downs of our emotions often affect our openness. One day we are, and another we aren’t. One day we would give our lives for Christ, and another we say we do not know him. At one moment we want to know what he would have us do, and the next we walk away sad at what he asks. To be truly open we have to overcome the instability of our emotions. Our Christian life must not be a matter of emotions but of convictions and love.

[size=3][b]The attraction of the world [/b][/size]

Many things pull at our heart and mind. We have instincts and passions which have their place in God’s plan but are not the final arbiters of truth nor of God’s will. Further, it is still an understatement to say that the ‘worries and riches and pleasures’ of this life exert an enormous attraction on us through these same instincts and passions. There is a real battle to be fought at the very core of what we are, flesh and spirit, at the encounter of these two elements.

Jesus’ words here put us on guard against thinking that just because we have not out and out rejected God’s will, we are necessarily following it. The seed is not lost, it does not die for lack of moisture, but still it does not bear fruit — other things get in the way and do not let it grow. Perhaps a common fate for many a possible vocation. We don’t dare say no to it outright, but we do put it off, occupy our minds and engage our energies in activities and projects that take us away from it, and so let other things displace it. The result is the same: no fruit.

[size=3][b]Good soil [/b][/size]

Jesus gives here a wonderful description of the person who is truly open to his vocation, he is of ‘noble and generous heart, who hears the word and takes it to himself, and yields fruit through perseverance.’ Shouldn’t that be the description of each one of us? Isn’t that what attracts us about the saints, the living ones we see and those we read about?

How much richer we all are for the good soil God’s word found in the heart of a Pope John Paul or a Mother Theresa, and what wonderful fruit they have brought forth in their perseverance – a perseverance by which they withstood temptation, let the Word go deep into their lives and make extraordinary demands of them, and cleansed their hearts of any attachment or ambition that might smother that seed.

Christ here opens an invitation to each and everyone of us. He describes his dream for us. He tells us that this is what we can be with his grace.

[size=3][b]ELEMENTS OF DISCERNMENT [/b][/size]

Though ‘discernment’ is not the most important facet of a successful vocational search, let us nevertheless insist that it is necessary, and find a way to do it well.

[size=3][b]Attitude [/b][/size]

At the risk of repetition: if you are scared stiff of what a vocation entails, you will find it harder to be open and accept that it might be happening to you. But take heart, besides prayer there are several other relatively simple and practical means that can be of help to overcome this fear.

One is getting to know people in the walk of life (Community, Movement, Seminary...) that you are thinking of. Visit them, see that they are made out of the same stuff as you, that they had (and have) their trials, and that still they are answering the call.

Another is to try the life yourself. A visit. Long enough to get a good feel for it. If this is where God wants you, you will begin to discover the aids that God has built into that way of life for a poor, weak human being like you to be able to live it. This is a great vocation enhancer.

Another is to shake of all spiritual narcissism. Stop thinking about yourself and your gifts. Think about how best you can help others and Christ. Do not seek personal comfort.

Read. But read inspiring things. The Gospels. The Acts of the Apostles. Lives of saints. Their heroism can help us transform our attitudes. They can set our hearts on fire.

[size=3][b]Prayer for enlightenment [/b][/size]

There is not much — as a matter of fact there is nothing — we can do as regards getting in tune with God without the help of the Holy Spirit. This enlightenment comes through the exercise of faith, allowing faith to let us see everything in a new light. (Without faith your birth was a chance event explicable by the confluence of certain conditions; with faith your birth, life, is a gift given you by God….)

[size=3][b]Self-knowledge[/b] [/size]

We have a certain amount of self-knowledge, but in order to be sure we are not deluded, we need the benefit of an outsider’s objectivity. We need:

[size=3][b]Spiritual direction [/b][/size]

We have to run by somebody else, someone we trust, our thoughts and experiences. And then heed his advice.

[size=3][b]Signs? [/b][/size]

We need them, but most especially we need to recognize the ones we already have. This means:

[size=3][b]Acceptance of the ordinary [/b][/size]

There is a certain compulsion afoot to go seeking for extraordinary signs and experiences. Here are some of the ordinary ones that we risk missing, and are more compelling: the fact that you are thinking about a vocation; your personal spiritual journey and experience; God’s providence in your life (from the gift of life itself, to the circumstances in which you have had to live it; the blessings God gave you; the trials he allowed you to go through…), all of these mark us and show us the path God has been nudging us along.

[size=3][b]Shake off the skepticism [/b][/size]

Idealism is no longer kosher. No wonder, in an era that has reduced love to sex and happiness to self-indulgence.

To discover your vocation and accept it you must dream and hope at least as much as the young man and woman who are getting married. You have to dream even more.

To discern a vocation you have to loosen the ties that bind us to the merely pragmatic, the distrust that our society breeds in us. You have to believe in a dimension of life and of people that is not tangible — the dimension of the spirit, the thirst for goodness and truth there in each one’s soul, untapped and unsatisfied.

You have to believe enthusiastically that Christ is more necessary to your fellowmen than the new boat, the second house, the third car or the next promotion. That society needs him more than NAFTA, the EURO or IMF handouts. That success and happiness are measured in the next life rather than in this. That eternity lasts whereas this life is passing.

You have to be ready to do what almost without exception your friends think is madness.

[size=3][b]BALANCE IN DISCERNMENT [/b][/size]

From the above it is clear that the step of discernment (which only has value if it is a prelude to action) involves two different aspects that could be interpreted as conflicting.

One is to intellectualize, turn it into a problem to be solved mostly in my head — although perhaps, yes, with the help of prayer — but the emphasis is on me figuring it out. The other is intuitive, an inner recognition, guided more by the movement of my heart, with the emphasis on faith, and which is often sparked by living example and direct experience.

Both have to be present. The mix will depend on the individual, but the analyst in me has to make room for the believer, and the believer has to use God’s gift of reason. And neither should forget that it is where we put our treasure that our heart will be, and that our heart more than our reason will determine our actions, at least in the long term.

[color="#800080"][i]So it is ultimately a question of giving God his place, and making him my treasure.[/i][/color]




[b]~ [url="http://www.adorationsisters.org/called.html"]http://www.adorationsisters.org/called.html[/url][/font][/b]

Edited May 10, 2007 by Veritas

[Veritas]

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[size=4]
[color="#0000FF"][b]Discernment[/b][/color][/size][font="Book Antiqua"]

From Saint John Vianney Minor Seminary
[url="http://www.vianney.net/content.asp?id=13"]http://www.vianney.net/content.asp?id=13[/url]

[b]Every follower of Christ is called[/b] not only to believe in the message of the Gospel and the teachings of Jesus Christ recorded there, but it is the calling of every Christian to strive to lead a life that reflects the Gospel in everything they think and do. Regardless of what state of life you may be called to--marriage, priesthood, religious life, or lay consecration--every Christian is given the mission to enter into the fullness of communion with God by growing closer to Him in love, and by brining the actions of daily life into accord with that love. This is the universal call to holiness.

[b]Besides the call to holiness, God creates each person for a particular purpose[/b]--a purpose that is unique to each person, called vocation. Since your vocation in life is deeply connected with who you are as a person, finding and living out God's intended vocation for you naturally brings greater self-confidence, fulfillment, and satisfaction to your life. Noticing these natural fruits beginning to flourish in your life, accompanied by a more profound response to God's call to holiness, are good indications that you are on the right path to living your life in the service God created you for. The process of seeking the will of God in life through prayer, self-reflection and evaluation is called discernment.

[b]Although discernment necessarily looks[/b] for indications within the self of finding the true vocation God intended for you, discernment must always be about who God wants you to be, not about who you want to be. Because you are trying to discover who God wants you to be, discernment involves a life of prayer and closer relationship with God. Only with a firm foundation of prayer is it possible to open yourself to the will of God, and perceive the movement of His Spirit in your life that brings you to your true vocation.

[b]Next, by working in the service of others[/b], such as volunteering at local service agencies and projects, you develop a greater focus on the needs and desires of others (see the Christian Life of Service). Then, the selfless focus on the will of others you develop will equip you to recognize God's will for you as He does inspire you to see who He wants you to be. This is why a life a service is also a crucial element to the discernment process.

[b]With a firm foundation of prayer[/b], openness to the will of God, and a selfless focus that recognizes and responds to His will, you will be ready to seek and find your vocation in life, a vocation that is about who God wants you to be, a vocation that brings greater fulfillment in being that person, and a vocation that will lead you to a greater union with God in personal holiness.

[color="#0000FF"][size=3][b]REFLECTION:[/b][/font][/size][/color]

"Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers; then deeds of power, then gifts of healing, forms of assistance, forms of leadership. Strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way."
1 Corinthians 12:4-7, 31

Edited May 15, 2007 by Veritas

[Veritas]

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[size=3][font="Book Antiqua"][color="#008080"][b]Signs of a Religious Vocation[/b][/color][/font][/size]

1. A desire to have a religious vocation, together with the impression that God is calling one to His service. This desire is most strongly felt when the soul is calm.

2. A growing attraction for prayer and holy things in general, together with a longing for a hidden life and a desire to be more closely united with God.

3. A conviction of the emptiness of the world and of its insufficiency to satisfy the soul. This feeling is often strongest felt in the midst of worldly amusements.

4. A longing to sacrifice oneself and abandon all for the love Jesus Christ.

5. A longing for God's glory, a realization of the value of immortal souls, and a desire to cooperate in their salvation.

6. A willingness to be received in any capacity is a proof of a real vocation.

7. The happiness which the thought of religious life brings, its helps, its peace, its merits, and its reward.

8. A desire to atone for sin, to make reparation.

9. A desire to devote one's whole life to obtain the conversion of sinners.

10. It is sometimes the sign of a vocation when a person fears that God may be calling her; when she prays not to have it and cannot banish the thought from her mind. If the vocation is sound, it will eventually give place to attraction. Though St. Thomas explains that one need not havce a natural inclination for the religious life; on the contrary, a Divine vocation is suitable with a natural distaste for that state

~ [url="http://www.carmelitedcj.org/vocation.asp"]http://www.carmelitedcj.org/vocation.asp[/url]

Edited May 28, 2007 by Veritas

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Silly double post.

Edited June 24, 2007 by Veritas

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[center]Discernment Advice from JPII via the desert nuns:

[font="Georgia"][color="#00BFFF"][size=4][b]Some Words of Pope John Paul II

on Discerning One's Vocation
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[b]"I turn especially to you, boys and girls, young and not so young, who find yourselves at the decisive moment of choice.[/b] I would like to meet you one by one, call you by your name, talk to you heart to heart of things extremely important not only for yourself, but for the whole of humanity.

[b]I would like to ask each one of you:[/b] What will you do with your life? What are your plans? Have you ever thought of committing your existence totally to Christ? Do you think that there can be anything greater than to bring Jesus to people and people to Jesus?

[b]Our interior gaze extends to the limitless horizons of our hopes and aspirations.[/b] And in the midst of all of life's contradictions, we search for life's true meaning. We wonder and ask, Why? Why am I here? Why am I alive at all? What must I do? None of you is alone in posing these questions. Humanity as a whole feels the pressing need to give sense and purpose to a world which is increasingly complicated and difficult to be happy in.

[b]You are at the great crossroads of your lives and you must decide[/b] how your future can be lived happily, accepting the responsibilities which you hope will be placed squarely on your shoulders, playing an active role in the world around you. You ask me for encouragement and guidance, and most willingly I offer some words of advice to all of you in the name of Jesus Christ. In the first place I say this: you must never think that you are alone in deciding your future! And second: when deciding your future, you must not decide for yourself alone!

[b]The conviction which we must share and spread is that the call to holiness is directed to all Christians [/b](Lumen Gentium, ch. 5). This is not a question of privilege or of spiritual elitism. It is not a matter of some persons feeling inclined to heroic daring. Still less is it a question of seeking a quiet refuge adapted to certain forms of piety or certain natural temperaments. It is a question of a grace offered to all the baptized, but in varying ways (cf. Eph 4: 7). Follow Christ! You who are young or old. Follow Christ! you who feel the need of a friend. Follow Christ!"


[b]~ an excerpt from The Meaning of Vocation in the Words of Pope John Paul II [/b]


[font="Palatino Linotype"][size=3][center][size=2][color="#48D1CC"][b] Some Practical THINGS TO DO to Discern One's Vocation:[/b][/color][/size][/center][/size][/font]

[b]*[/b] Attend daily Mass if your schedule permits
[b]*[/b] Make a daily (or as often as your schedule permits) Holy Hour of Adoration
[b]* [/b]Ask for Our Lady's intercession, that she may teach you how to echo her own YES to the Father's Will for your life
[b]* [/b]Seek spiritual direction and guidance
[b]* [/b]Learn about some different Orders and visit the ones to which you feel particularly drawn
[b]*[/b] Listen, Listen, Listen. Oftentimes, the Lord leads us and speaks to our hearts in silence. It is important for you to spend quiet time in prayer, simply asking and listening.[/b]


[font="Georgia"][color="#00FFFF"][center][b]http://www.desertnuns.com/vocations_discern.htm[/b][/center][/color][/font]

Edited June 24, 2007 by Veritas

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[url="http://www.cmswr.org/spiritual_reflections..._a_vocation.htm"]http://www.cmswr.org/spiritual_reflections..._a_vocation.htm[/url]

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[size=3][color="#9932CC"][b][center]Discerning a Vocation[/center][/b][/color][/size][/font]


A woman religious is called by God to participate in the mission of the Church and to love God's love for all people. She may fulfill this same mission in a variety of ways. Her life must be one of total dedication of self to God's people for their spiritual and moral growth.

Specifically, a woman religious is a Christian who commits herself to Christ and His Church by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. She loves in a religious community patterned on the life and teaching of the founder/foundress of the community. Religious life is characterized by community life, simple and celibate lifestyle, public vows, and consecration in the service of God and His people. Prayer and work are part of the tradition of all communities. Depending on the vision of their founders, the charism of the Congregation, and the gifts and talents of their members, each community accents them differently. Thus, some communities are primarily contemplative while others are more active.

Apostolic work also varies among communities. Frequently addresses areas are education, social work, administration, communication, healthcare, etc.

There are many religious communities to choose from. . . each woman needs to find the one to which she feels called. Personal contact is one of the best ways to gain knowledge of a community and find out about its spirituality, apostolate, and life-style. Some communities offer weekend retreats or live-in experiences.

If your desire is to enter religious life, you should give serious thought to your decision. Seek information, ask for advice, seek the guidance of competent people, especially religious or priests, evaluate yourself and above all, pray to the Lord for wisdom and courage to discern and do His Will. A good spiritual director may be very helpful in receiving objective advice.

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[b][center][font="Garamond"][size=4]Scripture Related to Vocations[/size][/font][/center][/b]

[center][img]http://www.daily-bible.com/bible.jpg[/img][/center]

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[b]Old Testament[/b]

Abraham: Gen. 12:1-4a
Moses: Ex. 3:10-12, 4:1 10-12
Amos: Amos 7:14-15
Isaiah: Is 6:8
Jeremiah: Jer 1:4-8
Ezekiel: Ez 3:1-4
Kings: 1 Kings 10


[b]New Testament[/b]

Night in Prayer: Lk 6:12-15
The Twelve: Mk 3:13-15
Rich Young Man: Lk 18:15-30
Requirements: Lk 9:57-62
The Cross: Mt 16:25-28
Few Chosen: Mt 22:1-14
Temptation: Lk 4:1-13
Martha & Mary: Lk 10:38-42
Seek First: Lk 12:22-31
What Matters: Phil 1:9-10
All Things: Rom 8:26-31

Courtesy of the CFR's~ [url="http://www.franciscansisterscfr.com/discernment1.htm"]http://www.franciscansisterscfr.com/discernment1.htm[/url]



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