The Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis

God has created me to do Him some definite service;

He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another.

I have my mission;

I never may know it in this life,

but I shall be told it in the next.

I have a part in a great work;

I am a link in a chain,

a bond of connection between persons.

He has not created me for naught.

I shall do good, I shall do His work;

I shall be an angel of peace,

a preacher of truth in my own place,

while not intending it,

if I do but keep His commandments

and serve Him in my calling.

—Cardinal John Henry Newman

Sisters’ Advice on Discernment

Question: Sister, what is one piece of advice you would most want to tell someone discerning their vocation?

Answers: (in no particular order)

Persevere in prayer and be patient.

Figure out a way to break ties with the world and strive for personal holiness. If you don’t stay focused on those things, you’re history.

Pray before God; seek His way. Closer union with God gives you greater satisfaction when you really pursue it. The more you give to God the more He gives you; the more happiness.

Pray about it. Test yourselves really well; look at it from all angles.

Pray hard. If our Lord wants you He’ll make sure He gets you.

You should really want to know what your vocation is. Don’t try to tell God what you think it should be. Trust Him and wait for him to let you know. It’s a process and just because you want to know doesn’t mean you’ll know overnight.

Make a decision. Don’t expect a bolt out of the blue. Don’t make it more complicated than it is.

Pray to the Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother. Talk it over with your spiritual director or confessor.

God loves you and wants the best for you. He loves your loved ones more than you do. Trust Him!

Pray about it. Take time to build a relationship with God and pray for guidance on what your vocation in life is.

Pray a lot, especially in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Make Holy Hours with that intention.

Pray to the Holy Spirit.

I would like to share with you an article that appeared in our diocesan paper by Father Peter Daly about discernment. Father has allowed us to add his article to our website.

I think he very nicely explains the essence of discernment. I encourage all of you who are searching for God’s will in you life to ponder the three questions he presents.

You can view other articles by Father Daly at: http://www.sjvc.us/ParishDiary/aaaParishDiaryIndex.htm.

Sister Agnes Joseph, O.S.F.

CNS --- Finding your vocation

Fr. Peter Daly

Parish Diary

August 16, 2008

Michael Phelps was born to swim. With long arms, powerful legs and giant feet, God made him to swim. It is a joy to watch him. It is his vocation. If he did not swim, he would not be happy. He would not be using his gifts.

But even Michael Phelps had to respond to God’s call. It did not just happen. It was work.

On the surface, Phelps has every excuse for failure. He has ADHD, a learning disability. He was a fidgety kid who could not concentrate. His mother was a single parent, trying to raise three children with little money or help.

People would have understood if Michael had just drifted, but he didn’t. With the help of his mother, his coaches, his teachers, Phelps discovered his calling. He found out that his fidgety energy and gangly limbs and big feet were made for the pool.

So he swam. God made him to be the greatest swimmer ever and his swimming give glory to God.

I just love to see people find their calling. Be it humble or famous, it is their path to happiness because it is their call.

People often come to me because they are searching for their call. Mostly they are young. Sometimes they are not. Sometimes they are completely lost. Most often they are just drifting. They are not doing badly, but not really doing anything.

But God has a call for them. I tell them to listen for the voice Holy Spirit in the ordinary circumstances of life. I suggest that they ask themselves some simple questions.

First, what gifts and endowments did God give me? Did he give me big feet or a musical ear or the gift of words? Do I have a talent for relating to people?

If God gives you something, he means for you to use it. If you have long arms and size 14 feet, maybe He wants you to praise Him by swimming like Michael Phelps. If God gives you a brilliant mind trapped in a paralyzed body, maybe he wants you praise him by becoming a physics professor, like Stephen Hawking.

Second, what responsibilities do I have?

If you are a parent or spouse, you have responsibilities to your family. If you are single, you have responsibilities to society. None of us is entirely free. We decide within a context.

Third, where have I been planted? I think we are meant to bloom where we are.

There is an old saying that sums it up well.

“Do all you can,

With what you have,

In the time you have,

In the place you are.”

No one is useless. No life is unwanted.

Look at Lopez Lomong, the Olympic track star who carried the USA flag into the stadium in Beijing. He was one of the “lost boys” of the Sudan. He was a war refugee, without home or family.

But he was not “lost” to God. With the help of the Church he came to the America. He discovered that God made him to run. So he ran onto the US Olympic team and became its flag bearer. He gave hope to all the “lost boys” in the world.

Everyone, at every age, has a use to God. Young or old, sick or healthy, we have a vocation. Our call may change as we grow older. Even Michael Phelps will have to move from swimming one day.

But if we devote our lives to God’s call at each stage, we will find our happiness. St. Augustine said, “In his will is our peace.”

If God made you to swim, swim like Michael Phelps.