Preview

The root of the word 'vocatio' in Latin means "a calling." From a Catholic point of view, we commonly understand vocation as our state of life as a vowed religious, or as a single, married or ordained person. While God inspires us in our Christian lives to embrace a life of commitment, we might note that a vocation is not so much a thing or an object that we take and have so much as a form of life that we grow into. As a wife of fourteen years and a mother of four children, the meaning and content of my life changes and shifts regularly. Along with my husband and children, I frequently need to discern how to respond to the continual transformation of my primary vocation as a wife and mother. This discernment involves a deep listening to self and God in reflection and prayer and to the important people around me who have accompanied me throughout my vocational journey. Times of retreat and prayer should be as important to us as they were to Jesus, especially when we face times of crisis and major decisions regarding our "vocationing." Making and taking opportunities that allow for deep listening provide for us the meaning and energy to reinvest in the commitments of our lives. Listening and actively responding to the voice of God within us and around us allows for the meanings of our vocations to unfold.