Throughout the month of April, we have been reflecting on the idea of Vocation – receiving a call from God. We have discovered that there are three different levels of meaning behind the word vocation: the first level is the Universal Call to Holiness; the second level is what we refer to when we talk about priesthood, religious life, married life, and single life; and finally the third level refers to our careers (are we a student, doctor or mother.)

Over the last two weeks, we have been exploring what exactly the Church means by vocation. We have learned that there are three levels of vocations: Universal Call To Holiness, Priesthood/religious/married/single, and what we would call a career or job. We have also learned that there are three stages to each vocation: discernment, probation, and oblation. For the last two weeks, I would like to turn to Edward Hahnenberg in his book: Theology for Ministry: An Introduction for Lay Ministers points out that God usually (not always) calls people to their vocation through a similar pattern. Quotes from his book will be in bold.

As we continue our look at what Catholic mean about vocations this month, let us look at the three stages of a vocation. The first stage of a vocation is what we might call the discerning or searching stage. This stage is important because it is at this stage that we ask ourselves “What does God want me to do with my life?” or “What did God create me to do?” It is here that we realize that our lives are not our own. Just as Jesus laid down his life in service of the Father’s will, we are called by God to lay down our lives in the service of God’s kingdom. As Catholics we know that if we do things are way, we will only end up in trouble and so discovering God’s will for my life, is not always easy, but is worth it for it will lead us to true happiness.

For the month of April, I would like to take a closer look at what the Church means by vocations. As we enter into this month’s reflection, please note that I will not be writing about any one specific vocation in the Church but rather working on this radical idea that God chooses to let us be his co-workers.