Cathedral Connection

But Vocation is central to every person’s life and crucial to the Christian’s. Most everything we do in life is in response to some stimulus, some urge or compulsion linked to our specific abilities and passions, or some invitation generated by others around us who, seeing or sensing our abilities, ask and encourage. We’re being called all the time, and we decide whether and how to answer. Believers maintain that the “call” —the simplest synonym for Vocation—comes from God (by whatever name) and that response is an act of faith and fidelity.

Vocation is also essential to what we believe to be the meaning of our life: what difference does my life make? Why me? Why now? So the basic question at the heart of Vocation is one common to most all of us: Why am I here? Answering that question is the work of a lifetime.
But we don’t do that work alone. Since very few of us have God on speed dial, Twitter, or as a Facebook friend, if God is speaking to my life and its meaning, God is obviously using different media—the most common being the medium of other people.

Thus, while we sometimes sit quietly and ponder the big question of why we’re here, more commonly someone says “Hey, did anybody ever tell you you’re really good at …” or “We need somebody who can do (fill in the blank); may I nominate you?” In myriad ways we get these messages, and we respond (remember, not doing something is also a response!)
Moreover, Vocation touches every aspect of our lives. It’s not just about work and wages. It’s also about all the many decisions, small and large, that we make, including—and especially—those big ones like “I really love you. Will you share your life with me?” And, “How do you feel about children?”

Trying to figure out how we should respond to any of these questions or urges is called Discernment. Nothing deep or overly mystical. Just plain old pondering. Sometimes alone. Often with others. Over coffee, beer, or a meal. In quiet conversations or in correspondence with that BFF. Sharing and testing our own perspectives against those whom we trust to walk with us, support and love us, until we come to our own decision. Then supporting and loving us as we live out all the consequences of our choices.

Now, that wasn’t all that hard, was it? You’ve probably been Discerning your own Vocation for a long time, haven’t you? Now you have a vocabulary. And you have a community—all these people in your life. They’re gifts of God, too. Talk with them. Listen with them. Hear that? That’s God … and this is holy ground.