What can you do if you don’t know
where God is calling you?
Ask God to guide you.
For example, pray each day to fulfill God’s
will and purpose in your life. We don’t always know what that is, but
sometimes we are given clues. Look at the deeper questions in your life
that concern
you now. How would you categorize them?
Listen to God speaking in your life.
God’s gentle
guidance can come in many ways such as prayer, scripture, music, books, dreams,
multimedia, events
and other people in tune with the Holy Spirit.
Find a good spiritual director.
Look for someone who is deeply spiritually
connected, someone you can trust who has the ability to listen deeply,
someone wise and understanding who can also challenge you to grow. Religious
communities, retreat centers, or diocesan vocation directors may be able to
help you find a spiritual director.
Trust God.
“I know the plans I have for you, says
the Lord, plans for a future full of hope.”
— Jeremiah
29:11
The answers
to your questions will come, but not necessarily all at once. Sometimes
we have to risk stepping
out in faith. Then "trust your visions" and dare to live
according to the Spirit’s guidance. God's amazing grace will
be with you.
If
you are thinking about a religious vocation…
Consider religious life as a real option, just as you would marriage
or the single life.
This means prayerful discernment over a period of time,
not
just a quick “No, I could never do that.” It’s important
to consider all your options.
Find out about religious communities.
Most have websites. Explore this
one. You can request more information and also find other links in the
Contact Us/Resources section. Visit http://visionguide.org and request a
copy
of Vision, a religious vocation discernment guide with information on many
religious
communities. The website has some good articles too.
Talk to a vocation director.
Don’t worry—a good vocation
director will not try to “recruit” you. If a person is not being
called to a particular religious community, it would not benefit the
community
to encourage that person to join. A vocation director is there to help.
A directory
listing of our vocation directors is provided on this website.
Gather information about a community, schedule a visit and get
to know some of the members.
It may take more than one visit to really get a
feel for
whether you think you could live in that community. You may want to
consider the following:
-
Do I feel God calling me here?
-
Could I feel at home
with people
in this community?
-
Do I resonate with their mission?
-
Can this community
use my particular gifts? (Keep in mind that you can also
develop gifts later that you may not be aware of now.)
Contact one of our vocation directors to help
you schedule a visit and to find out about discernment opportunities. Nothing substitutes
for meeting people in person, but you can click
on Travel Companions and Why
I am a Sister of Notre Dame to
find out a little about some of our sisters. Take a look at the Next Steps pages for additional information.
Someone who decides to continue the discernment with a religious community
has a number of years before making a final commitment. But it doesn’t take that long to feel the sense of welcoming
and belonging from the people in it.
