Along with a million other “church
words” everyone always hears and has a hard time understanding is the word
“discernment”. Discernment is the process where a Catholic man or women
recognizes their vocation in the church. I know that sounds a little too
formal so I’ll put it into everyday terms. Discernment is figuring out what
you’re going to do with your life. Scary, right? I know it was for me at first.
Sometimes as humans we don’t particularly like to hear that we need to figure
it all out. We don’t like to commit, and it’s hard to think about it.
Before I
entered seminary formation for the Diocese of Scranton, I was just a
regular high school student. Something I always heard throughout my days of
high school was, “What are you going to do with your life?” Those are scary
words to hear, especially for a teenager. We were kind of told that our whole
life needed to be figured out, and that we needed to know sooner than later.
Now I know when my fellow classmates and I heard those words the first thing
that came to our minds were the following questions: What college am I going to go to? How much money
am I going to make? Who am I going to marry? Where am I going to live? These are all very big
questions for kids who still have sixty, seventy, or maybe even eighty years of life ahead
of them. But, did we every stop to think what we were going to do with our life
in the church? Now I’ll be honest and say that a large majority of my classmates probably didn’t think about that at first because I know I didn’t. We thought
about the more specific things. But, with those specific things comes a much
larger picture and we can begin to determine what our vocation is!
Vocation is another “church word” we
always hear and sometimes misunderstand. I know when we hear that particular
word we always think of one thing and one thing only…priesthood. I know I’m
guilty of that assumption too. However, the term vocation is applied to everyone. We all have a God-given plan in place for our lives. I know for me it’s
really comforting to know that. But, that God-given plan isn’t where we are
going to live or what kind of job we will have. That plan is easily broken up
into four main categories: single life, married life, religious life, and
priesthood. Four very large areas to cover for the entire Church of God, but we
can always be considered under one of those large umbrellas.
Now before we look into discernment
itself, we have to know what we are discerning!
Single Life:
Everyone lives this vocation at
least at some point in their life time. None of us were born a priest,
brother/sister, or married … at least I never heard of it. We are all at
first single. Some may move on to another vocation, and others may remain
there. Either way, a single person devotes their time and energy to the service
of others.
Married Life:
Probably the most common of the
four vocations. Husbands and wives share a self-giving, love-giving and
life-giving relationship with their spouse, and are committed to helping their
spouse grow as a human, a Christian, and to reach heaven.
Religious Life:
A religious priest, brother, or
sister commits his or her life to sharing in the life and mission of their
religious community. Religious priests, brothers and sisters embrace the call
to poverty, chastity and obedience. They serve in areas of great need and
importance to the continued growth of the church and her message.
Priesthood:
A priest lives a life dedicated to
the church, and its people. He shepherds, teaches, and serves the people of
God. He embraces the call to celibacy and is committed to a life of prayer.
Now that pretty much sums up each
vocation, but there is much more to each vocation than what I just said.
All four are extremely beautiful and are necessary for the church and its
growth. But how do we know which of the four paths to start on? We use that
fancy “church word” I had mentioned in the beginning…discernment. It is really
confusing at first when you think about it. You want to know now! “What should
I do!?” I know that’s how I felt when I was deciding to either enter college
or seminary life. But, I’ll let you in on a little secret… you won’t know right
away. It takes time to know these things. They aren’t just handed to us like
presents at Christmas (although that would be nice). We have to pray. We have
to live life. We have to ask questions. And most importantly, we have to love!
Pray!
How else will we know where the
Lord is leading us unless we talk to him? That’s an essential key to life in
general. Now, I’m no spiritual director so I really can’t give you good advice
on how to pray. If you need to start there, talk to your pastor or a priest
you feel comfortable with. But what I do know is that it all starts in prayer!
I could never go through a single day without prayer. It would have been
impossible for me to enter the seminary without prayer, and
would be impossible for me to stay in seminary as well. That is applied with
every step to any vocation. We all need to pray.
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| Eucharistic Adoration is great way to spend time in prayer before the blessed sacrament |
Live life!
How else could you know what a certain
vocation is like unless you experience a part of it? It is important to have an
understanding of each vocation and what it entails and has to offer. If you
feel marriage is for you, then you would date and experience a part of an
intimate self-giving to another person. The same is applied to priesthood or
religious life. If you feel interested in the slightest, then give yourself
more to your parish community, talk to priests or religious, and just be involved in the
life of the church!
I know personally in our diocese there are groups of guys who get together and discuss their interests in vocations and can learn more about each one. A key factor for me was a little group at my high school. We simply called it the “God Squad.” It was just a group of guys who got together, asked questions, and talked about where we felt God was calling us. This group is among countless numbers of other groups and activities the vocation office has made possible for your benefit! I highly recommend you making use of them.
I know personally in our diocese there are groups of guys who get together and discuss their interests in vocations and can learn more about each one. A key factor for me was a little group at my high school. We simply called it the “God Squad.” It was just a group of guys who got together, asked questions, and talked about where we felt God was calling us. This group is among countless numbers of other groups and activities the vocation office has made possible for your benefit! I highly recommend you making use of them.
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| Quo Vadis Days is one of the many opportunities for high school students to learn more about all vocations. Andrew is pictured here serving at a Mass during Quo Vadis Days 2015. |
Ask questions!
I know that it is hard to admit
that we don’t know it all…I know I do. But if you feel lost and confused, don’t
be afraid to ask for a little help or guidance especially from someone who has
been where you are now. Even if you feel like you know it all like me, still
ask questions. Even if you feel they are stupid, ask them anyways because any little question can lead to a much larger one and we can be
strengthened with others answers.
Love!
It all comes down to a simple fact that each
vocation is rooted in love. Our vocations are just a mirrored reflection of
God’s love in our lives. If you give yourself fully to the love of Christ, his
church, and every individual even though it may be hard, you certainly won’t be
disappointed.
All this advice is just the tip of
the iceberg when it comes to discerning any vocation. But, if you pray, live
life, ask questions, and love, you’re on your way to a great start!
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Andrew McCarroll, a seminarian for the Diocese of Scranton, just began formation at Cathedral Seminary House of Formation in Douglaston, New York. He is a member of Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish in Wilkes-Barre.
Andrew journeyed to Krakow, Poland this past summer as part of the Diocesan delegation for World Youth Day.
He is pictured here with his cousin, Shannon Kowalski, at the International Student Leadership Institute (I.S.L.I.) retreat in June 2016.
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Andrew journeyed to Krakow, Poland this past summer as part of the Diocesan delegation for World Youth Day.
He is pictured here with his cousin, Shannon Kowalski, at the International Student Leadership Institute (I.S.L.I.) retreat in June 2016.