How Do I Know What God Wants of Me?

Discernment is a popular term for when you’re wondering about your future and when making decisions for your life. Discernment is the process in which we come to know God’s will for us. It is asking for and being aware of God’s guidance.

This process can be used for any decision, from the small ones, like – how can I give back to my community or how do I go about forgiving my friend? To the bigger ones, like – what college should I go to, what should I major in, and to what vocation am I called?

Here are the steps involved:

Self-Awareness: Get in touch with and identify your questions, desires, thoughts, and feelings around the situation.
Connect with God: Pray. Bring your questions, fears, desires – all of it – to God and ask Him to send the grace you need to be attentive to how He answers you and how His Holy Spirit moves and guides you. Discover a way to pray that helps you to best communicate with God – for both talking and listening.
List your options for the decision at hand and continue to be inquisitive and curious.
Talk with someone you trust who has made life decisions while trying to align them with God’s will. Ask for their feedback and wisdom.
Pray some more and bring what you’ve learned and what more you’ve become aware of. Pay attention to how God is responding to you and guiding you in your decision-making.
Determine your steps to take action.
Now, trust and take the first step … and keep connected – with God and with those you trust to talk with.

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Doesn’t My Vocation Happen by Default?

Isn’t It God’s Will Anyway?

God has blessed you with the gift of free will. Why? Because love cannot be forced. You can’t force a friendship. You can’t force a relationship either. God wants to be in relationship with you and to be a key part of your life. You are not a puppet on a string. You have a say in the matter and God invites you to partner with Him to fill the world with His mercy and love, to continue the mission of Jesus.

So, it’s a partnership. If you have a business partnership, for example, it necessitates communication and relationship between the partners; otherwise, the business will be negatively affected. It’s the same with God. While God has a plan – His will – we are invited to partner with Him in manifesting it. Why? Because God knows you best and has a purpose for you. You have a necessary role in God’s will!

You see, God allows you to choose, and He’s hoping you will grow to love Him fiercely with not just your heart, but with your life and the way you choose to live it. You have a say in how your life plays out … but God would like to see you have a life that is filled with meaning and purpose, joy and love – a life that only He can guide you to what is good and fulfilling for you. “I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly” (Jn. 10:10). Because God has placed your deepest desires within you, only He can fulfill them.

As Fr. Michael reminds us in Scivias Episode 26:
“In Catholic Theology, we believe that our cooperation is essential for salvation. It is of course 100% God’s grace, but He still gives me the freedom to resist and reject that grace or to embrace and let it permeate my life. The same is true with our vocations, God has a plan for each one of us, but He gives us the freedom to accept it or not. Ultimately, He’s the one who knows what’s best for us and the world, but even once we know God’s will, we have to choose to do it.”

God certainly has a purpose for your desires, which can be manifested in a variety of different ways that go beyond your current vision – just look at what God did with the desires of the people of the Bible and the saints!

God knows how your purpose can be best fulfilled, so you must connect with Him to discover how to best manifest His love through a vocation – both the little ones (through a career, civic duty, or supporting a particular charity, for example) and the big ones (sacramental marriage, religious life, or priesthood).

Begin to find your answers today. Take time with God, ask and listen, then connect with us! You’re not in this alone – we understand all this very well and want to be of support on this journey with you.

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Stuck in the Belly of a Whale –

Are You Running from Your Calling?

Do you remember the biblical story of Jonah and the whale? God called Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh to bring attention to their sinful ways – to repent and transform their lives to have that same joy and fulfillment God wants for you.

Jonah’s message to deliver was important, as the choices and behaviors of the people of Nineveh were leading to what would be their demise. Jonah had no desire to go, knowing how difficult and dangerous it would be for him, and he was angry with God for offering these notorious enemies a chance at repentance.

Jonah quickly came to realize that his ways are not God’s ways and that a true calling never goes away. It follows you until you answer it … because it’s wrapped up in your purpose. Fighting that call, Jonah ended up in the belly of a whale for three days… all to find himself spit up on the shores of Nineveh!

When we are called and meant to do something with our lives, it will eventually manifest – doors will open, opportunities will present themselves, or we may be spit up on the shores of where we need to be! Unfortunately, some of us choose to learn the hard way, like Jonah. Don’t run. Trust and depend on God’s grace.

Three important tips:

Be open to how God will work through you, even though it may look different than what you imagine. It will lead to a joy and peace like no other option will bring. It requires trust – something that’s not so easy when you can’t see the big picture.
Remain focused on the process, not the outcome. Don’t be so concerned with the end result as with the desire and your openness to how God will work through you. God will reveal the rest in His time.
Work on trusting God. Bring your desires to God and ask Him to work through them for His will. And pay attention to how you’re led by the Holy Spirit

Now, get ready for an adventure!

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Prayer – How Your Daily Dose Can Change the World!

Prayer is all about communication between you and God – including both talking and listening. Take a look at the stories of the saints on the previous page whose lives were transformed by prayer. They affected the world around them and beyond for the better. Prayer is transformative. It’s powerful and it has a ripple effect. Go ahead, dive in!

One of the neat things about being Catholic is that there are so many different ways to pray and communicate with God! Here are some to give a try …

There are 4 basic forms of prayer:

Blessing and Adoration (praising God)
Petition (asking for what you need, including forgiveness)
Intercession (asking for what others need)
Thanksgiving (gratitude for what God has given and done)

And many different ways to pray:

Holy Mass and Receiving the Eucharist
Confession/The Sacrament of Reconciliation
Praying Before the Blessed Sacrament (Adoration)
Praying with Scripture
The Rosary
Lectio Divina
The Examen
Formal Prayers, like the Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be, and others
Contemplative Prayer
Communal Prayer (praying with others)
The Liturgy of the Hours
Meditation
Devotional Prayers
Novena Prayers
Mantra Prayers
The Angelus
Informal Prayer
Spontaneous Prayer
And more. The list just goes on …

If you’re having difficulty communicating with God – remember to both talk AND listen – try a different way of praying and get your daily dose!

Learn more about Catholic ways of praying here with descriptions and steps on how to pray.

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A Change in Direction –

From Computer Geek to Saint

Blessed Carlo Acutis was born in 1991 to a wealthy Italian family and grew up in Milan, attracted to computers and the tech world. His family was not religious, though his babysitter had a profound impact on the growth of his faith, following his grandmother’s death. Thus began Carlo’s interest and commitment to the practice of his faith through daily Mass, regular confessions, and a strong devotion to the Eucharist, including praying before the tabernacle before Mass.

Because of this deepening relationship with the Lord, Carlo became aware of the sufferings and needs around him. He responded by volunteering to work with the homeless and he would stand up to bullies who would pick on disabled students at school. He loved movies and video games, and he created a website that cataloged and shared the stories of the known miracles of the Eucharist to inspire the faith of website visitors.

During his short lifetime, Carlo impacted the Catholic Church and the faith of many. After contracting leukemia, he gave his suffering purpose and used it as a prayer intention for others. Carlo died at the young age of 15.

God certainly used Carlo’s desires and love of technology to share the Good News of the Gospel! How will God use your desires and skills?

Let's Find Out Together

Just an Ordinary Guy –

Maybe Like You?

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati was from a well-to-do family. His parents were not religious and didn’t understand Pier Giorgio’s attraction and devotion to his faith. His parents had problems in their marriage, and he had a difficult relationship with his father who wanted his son to have a worldly and successful life.

Pier Giorgio was humble and always chose to ride in the lowest class and to give away his belongings to the poor. He stood in solidarity with those who had nothing through his own sacrifices, by eating with them and by spending time with them. He went to Mass every day, knowing that the day would unfold with God using him in the ways he was needed that day.

Pier Giorgio wasn’t a great student. He loved sports – especially hiking and climbing, running, canoeing, fencing, horseback riding, and skiing. He found “verso l’alto” – going to the top – was where he could feel closest to God.

Pier surrounded himself with a tight-knit group of friends who shared adventures, as well as going to Mass together and praying. One important commitment each made to the group was to pray for each other. It was a friendship that was something more – they never felt alone and shared the presence of Jesus among them.

Pier Giorgio was a completely normal and ordinary guy…but because he chose to keep God at the center of his every day, extraordinary things happened. He lived his life for others – even in the final moments of his own life. When he was dying of sickness, he sent word for medicine to be sent to a family in need. At his funeral, to the surprise of his family, 4,000-5,000 of the poor and needy gathered outside the church in gratitude for the life he lived and shared.

God certainly used Pier Giorgio’s ordinary life to serve the poor and to lead others to Him! How will God use your life?

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You see signs. We know the way. Life's Calling.

ENGAGE WITH US

You have a purpose but figuring it out is a process …

The fact that you walk the earth and have been given life is evidence enough that you have a purpose. God breathed His life into you with a plan for your life!

Now, that doesn’t mean your life is all figured out, or that all will just happen by default. God doesn’t work that way. He wants your participation – your partnership in living your life to the full. It’s actually required.

God knows you better than you know yourself. He knows your desires and wants to work through the good of them. He knows the best of you and all that you are capable of doing and being for the common good. God has given you life to share His love, compassion, mercy, and joy, and to reflect Him to the world in ways unique to you.

Here are the steps involved:

Three important tips:

There are 4 basic forms of prayer:

And many different ways to pray:

You see signs. We know the way. Life's Calling.

You have a purpose but figuring it out is a process …

How Do I Know What God Wants of Me?

Doesn’t My Vocation Happen by Default? Isn’t It God’s Will Anyway?

Stuck in the Belly of a Whale – Are You Running from Your Calling?

Prayer – Your Daily Dose Can Change The World!

A Change in Direction: From Computer Geek to Saint

Just an Ordinary Guy – Maybe Like You?

We know the way.