What does vocation discernment mean?Sometime during his Christian life, every Catholic young man has to take the first step towards discerning if he has a calling from God or not. He has to ask himself, "Is God calling me?" A basic way to begin the discerning process related to a calling is by answering the following questions:
1. When you hear the Word of God, does it make you want to share it with others?
2. Do you find yourself more uplifted when you speak of spiritual things versus holding a full-time job in the world?
3. Have you considered religious life before?
4. Do you like to serve others?
5. Have others ever told you that you should become a religious Brother?
6. Do you find that you are different from the others and have been told so?
7. Do you feel that while you are in the world, you are not of the world?
8. Are you detached from the worldly ways of fame, pleasures, wealth, believing that there is more to life then what can be gained?
9. Do you have a natural inclination towards doing charitable works?
10. Has your mind been preoccupied with the fact that you must now make a major decision regarding your future, either to serve God or not?
If you have answered "yes" to a few of the above questions, you may have a calling to the religious life. With an increase number of "yes" as an answer to the questions, there is a greater likelihood that God is calling you to the religious life.
To follow-up on discerning if you have a calling, sit down with one of the Marianists Brothers.
May the grace of God be with you.
