The Call of a Lifetime

You’re kneeling in prayer or sitting in a quiet space and you wonder what God has in store for you. Well i personally do not know what that may be. That is only between you and God. There was a period in my life where i was praying and discerning a call as a priest or a brother. As we know in a previous post that i wrote, God had other plans for me.

If there ever comes a time where you feel that God is tugging at your heart, my advice is please don’t ignore it.  With God, he has big plans for each and everyone of us. Only he knows what those plans are. Psalm 139 even proves this because it talks about how the Lord knows us. Our society has had many great men and women over the years who have been called to religious life . Even though that may be the case, we are always in need of more people to answer the call.

Every day when i spend in prayer,  I make it a point to pray for vocations.  Vocations are an important part of Catholicism.  There are many great resources for prayers that can be said for Vocations.

An important Sacrament in the Roman Catholic Church is the Sacrament of Holy Orders. All Sacraments are important. The Sacrament of Holy Orders is an important part of the journey for men who feel they’re being called by God.

The Sacrament of Holy Orders is a continuing of Christ’s priesthood which he bestowed upon his Apostles.  In the Sacrament, a man is called at one of three levels which are : episcopate, priesthood, or diaconate.  The word Ordination which is commonly used in the Sacrament of Holy Orders comes from the latin word Ordinatio. The Sacrament of Holy Orders can only be conferred upon baptized men. A man cannot demand Ordination; the Church has the authority to determine eligibility.

While we are on the topic of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, I have had the privilege of being present for ordinations to the priesthood, diaconate, and Bishop. Unfortunately, I haven’t been present for any ceremonies for women who have become nuns.

If you are a man or woman and you feel God is calling you to bigger things ( life as a priest, nun, etc…)  I encourage you to speak to your diocese’s vocation director or check out local vocation retreats like Come and See. For women who are considering the call of being a nun, I encourage you to click here to view a great article on the  A Nuns Life Ministry blog. For Men, There are various resources online for those of you who are exploring a call.

While I have been involved in Social Media, I have met many wonderful men and women who have answered God’s call.  There are a lot of men and women who have answered the call and who are active in Ministry whether it be online or offline.  If you have a chance to meet someone online who has answered God’s call, speak to them and ask questions about being a priest, nun,etc…

While this post was mostly about the Sacrament of Holy Orders, please know that a call by God to any Vocation like Marriage or even Single life is just as important.  A phrase that I came across just recently said ” God enables Ordinary People to do Extraordinary things.”

That phrase is so true. No matter what vocation we are called to , God will give us the necessary tools and place the right people in our lives so we can do what we have been called to do.  The same can be said for another phrase ” God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called”.

In closing,  My question for you, If God calls you to whatever he has in store for you, Will you answer?  Whatever that call maybe, it is the Call of a Lifetime.

[author] [author_image timthumb=’on’]https://ignitumtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Joe-Sales-e1321895023762.png[/author_image] [author_info]Joe Sales is an Educational Assistant with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board. He has a college diploma through the St Clair College’s Developmental Services Worker program at Thames Campus. He is also a loving husband, blogger, and loves to serve God through Word and Action. Joe was born and raised in Chatham Ontario, Canada. He currently resides in Waterloo Ontario with his wife. During his spare time, Joe is a strong advocate for people who have disabilities. Joe also speaks to groups and conferences across the province of Ontario and other locations as well. Joe’s faith as a Roman Catholic is very important to him. Joe also has a passion for technology and new media. If you would like to check out Joe’s blog, it can be found .[/author_info] [/author]