De-mystifying the Choice of Vocation
The overall goal for the Catholic adult is to ensure his sanctification. Sanctification leads to salvation. Growth in holiness is the common vocation of all people. Thus, the question young people should be asking themselves as they approach adulthood is:
"Will the course of action I’m considering help me toward my salvation, or hinder my salvation?
1. The term “state of life" is useful shorthand to discuss obligations we have at various phases of our life. But strictly speaking, there are three states of life: the priesthood, religious life, and the married state.
2. Once a state is chosen and marked by vows, it cannot be departed on a whim. That is why this choice is very serious. States of life are intended to be permanent to foster stability. Restless souls are often troubled; stable souls grow in virtue because a well-regulated life is the first means of acquiring and perfecting the interior life.
Things to Remember about Christian Perfection
• Christian perfection consists in union with God by the practice of virtue, requiring love of God and our neighbor, and detachment of heart from things of this world. This is the recipe for sanctity and sanctity is for everyone. It's an achievable, realistic goal.
• God requires all of us to aspire to Christian perfection. All states of life can be sanctified. Some states and conditions of life may be better suited to some than to others, but everyone is capable of loving God and showing that love through fulfilling the requirements of his state or condition.
• Our Blessed Lord is the pattern of perfection for everyone, no matter what vocation is chosen.
What are the general means of perfection?
After observance of the 10 commandments and the precepts of the Church, the general means of perfection are:
Faithfulness in small things
Self-control and self-denial
Order and regularity (have a schedule and stick to it)
A habit of prayer
Frequent recourse to solitude (retiring from worldly concerns to draw closer to God)
Reading spiritual books and meditations
Frequenting the sacraments.
These means are suited to everyone. How much one does of some depends on the state of life one is in. Because our state of life is our path to unity with God, faithfully fulfilling its related duties is of the utmost importance.
The key question.
"Will this path help me achieve my salvation?"
That is the most important thing to consider when choosing a vocation. Will this path sanctify me? Which path will best sanctify me? What is the most generous choice to God?
You need grace to make this choice, but you don't need extraordinary grace. You don't need a messenger from heaven to present you with a roadmap of what to do. Nor do you need a dramatic "sign" from above. That doesn’t happen to most people!
Some other questions to consider:
• Is the option I'm considering good (not sinful)?
• Do I have the means and opportunity to do what I am considering?
• Is it within my strength to do what I am considering? If I need more strength, can I develop it?
• Would I be undertaking this option for the glory of God or for selfish or worldly reasons?
What do to do while deciding on a vocation?
Making serious decisions is hard. Making serious decisions based on emotions and feelings is unwise. Instead, serious decisions should be made using reason, and by seeking guidance from those who have our best interests in mind. Ultimately, the young adult must make his own decision and take responsibility for it. While he is free to flee the nest on his 18th birthday, doing so without a realistic plan shaped by constructive guidance would be foolish.
Most young, singles will attend university, seek a job or apprenticeship, or continue to help their parents & family at home. They should be developing and refining the skills needed to be successful and faithful Catholic adults.
Most people at 18 are in the condition of being single. This is a condition, not a state, because a person may depart from it, such as by opting to become married or by entering religious life. A state is a condition that one enters into by a vow and is not meant to be temporary.
The hopeful single aspires to matrimony but hasn't yet or isn't ready to find an eligible spouse. This is a temporary condition for most.
The voluntarily single embrace being single as their condition of life.
All single people, no matter what state or condition they aspire to, should seek to serve God in some way. God did not give us our lives to serve ourselves, but to serve Him and to serve others. Every vocation or condition involves serving. If one is not serving God in the married state or in the religious life, then they must still seek a way to serve God and serve others.
For those who need “something to do,” start with the Works of Mercy.
Some paths may reach dead ends. One may try something that ultimately does not work out. This is not a failure, as long as you have done your best. If it is best to move on, have no regrets.
A Prayer for Direction in the Choice of a State in Life
O Almighty God, Whose wise and amiable Providence watches over every human event, be Thou my light and my counsel in all my undertakings, particularly in the choice of a state of life. I know that on this important step my sanctification and salvation in great measure depend. I know that I am incapable of discerning what may be best for me; therefore, I cast myself into thy arms, beseeching thee, my God, who has sent me into this world only to know love and serve Thee, to direct by Thy grace every moment and action of my life to the glorious end of my creation.
I renounced most sincerely every other wish than to fulfill Thy designs on my soul, whatever they may be, and I beseech Thee to grant me the grace which, by imbibing the true spirit of a Christian, will enable me to qualify myself for any state of life to which Thine adorable Providence may call me.
O my God, whenever it may become my duty to make a choice, do Thou be my light and my counsel, and mercifully make known to me the way I should walk, for I have lifted up my soul to Thee. Preserve me from listening to the suggestions of my own self-love, or worldly prudence, in prejudice to Thy holy inspirations.
Let Thy good spirit lead me into the right way, and let Thine adorable Providence place me, not where I may naturally feel inclined to go, but where all things may be most conductive to Thy glory and to the good of my soul.
Mary, Mother of Good Counsel, Seat of Wisdom, Help of Christians, pray for me.