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Vocation is, in the
first place, a thing of the heart. We may hardly
understand what is going on, but we are aware of
an attraction to monastic life. It is basically
not so different from falling in love, however
different God is as the object of our attraction,
and it is a spiritual attraction not a physical
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But
we will be able to understand what God wants of
us only by respecting this sense of attraction,
listening to it and letting it take shape and grow.
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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