Moving To God

This is an age of insensitivity and inertia. There is information and stimulation directed at our minds twenty-four hours a day. There is a building desire to respond to all of this information and stimulation instantly. There is a great severity called loneliness which although technology electronically and digitally connects us leaves us all a little more vulnerable, a little more cynical. Meditation and reflection are in direct opposition to the world of email, online updates, texting, voicemail. Discernment requires quiet, requires solitude. Discernment requires free access to the imagination. Each Christian is asked to love his neighbor. How we go about that task will for many of us require some deliberation, some discernment. We need to look inside of ourselves to form lasting changes in a daily routines. How we serve God and when we serve God requires prayer, reflection, discussion, more prayer, more reflection. Discernment is truly interactive. There is an unwritten statement requiring interaction with others, communication with others. This will be a time of sinking and rising, exploring and settling. It is a time for remembrance of past hopes, remembrance of past joys, remembrance of past hurts. Review everything, learn from everything. Illuminate both the good and bad in your life; everything has value, everything can lead to God. Remember that you have unique gifts. Remember that you have an unique vocation. Remember that living a Christian life is a sacrament. Discovering a vocation is a time of joy, time of beauty, time of serenity. Anxiety might be present; learn how to control it. As you discern, moderate and mute your anxiety, for anxiety can lead you to the shadows of confusion, angst, and apathy. Finding a vocation requires more than judgments; it asks for true affection and true experience. The search for vocation, for our calling is an inquiry o the most supreme order, it is an inquiry of faith, an inquiry of love, an inquiry of service. It is the love-making of eternal hope, eternal life. What we do and what we say in the name of God and in the service of God is important. Our vocation should reflect our belief in and love for God. Discernment is a time to examine our personal humanity and then to strenghten those areas which need extra attention. We are children of God. We are asked to be servants of God. Each day presents an opportunity to learn something new about ourselves and our God. We are all called to share our faith, the share the Good News. We each have something beautiful and unique to say about our individual life with God. Seek only the best of human nature within yourself. Seek the path of gentle illumination of God’s Spirit in your daily actions. Loving and serving God is an adventure. Allow your soul to beautify all which leads to salvation for our vocation must direct and prepare us for salvation. Vocation is neither a means or an end. Vocation is simply a call, an inner need, interior desire to do the work of the Lord. Resist the temptation to limit or restrict your thoughts on how to serve the Lord. Open your heart, soul, and mind to God. Allow God to be an active participant in this conversation. Allow yourself to be an active part of this conversation. Avoid saying or thinking phrases like “I can’t because” or “I’m not good enough”. God always needs help, always needs volunteers. The work of God is never done. Our individual vocation is a call for charity and mercy for ourselves, for our neighbors. We are called to search for and to share the sovereign good of humanity, the love of God for his children. We are asked to do this guided and encouraged by our free will. God’s call is a call to action. Finding the right vocation requires patience, diligence, persistence, and a sense of humor. Remember always that God loves you. Do not rush to find a vocation. Breathe, pray, reflect, breathe, pray giggle. Allow yourself time to find that space where you can hear God’s voice clearly, calmly. Discernment is a time of wandering, a time of shadows, a time of mists, a time of anxiety, a time of errors, a time of hope, a time of illumination, and a time of love. Mostly it is a time of love, an expression of love and hope for ourselves and for God.