We
also need to be wise, and think how we can best respond
to God’s call. We must use our heads as well as our
hearts, and the Holy Spirit will enlighten our minds
if we seek his help. It is certainly a good idea
to visit one or two monasteries, and to explore other
vocational possibilities, to try to see what God
may be calling you to do.
No vocation can survive
in a heart congested with known and unrepented sin.
Only by letting God purify our hearts will there
be room for the Holy Spirit to act in us.
Regular prayer, however
weak, brief or elementary, must accompany any process
of discovering God’s will. In our prayer we must
not only share our own thoughts and desires with
God; we must also listen to him and open our hearts
for him to make his will known.
There is also the question
if we are ready to let go and to be changed. Love
can never be a conditional thing. We have to be aware
that a vocation is always a call to commit one’s
life to God, to follow him and to trust in him. The
best sign of a vocation is the readiness a person
shows in persevering with the challenges to keep
him- or herself open to God and ready to let God
work through the community to help them grow to the
fullness of life in Christ.
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