Blogger Contest 2010

It seems that every day is a cloudy one. The weather outside may be crisp and clear, but on the inside, it's cloudy. In the minds of most high schoolers, this is the daily forecast since we are still trying to discern our vocation, our calling. What will we be in life? A doctor? A lawyer? An artist? And for me, a priest?

The word vocation comes from the Latin vocare meaning "to call." Basically, God calls each and every one of us to fulfill a vocation. His call, however, might not be obvious at first. This is to say that one should keep quiet and listen for a big booming voice from the heavens. If only it were that easy. At times, a vocation might just disappear altogether because of distractions erupting from society. After all, the secular mentality seems to be that the only way to be successful in life is to get married, have kids, and make money. Emphasis on the money part.

If I could describe the process of discerning a vocation to the priesthood, it would be like a cloudy day. The clouds are so thick with doubts and discouragement that nothing is visible. So one day, you decide to do something. Research. Discussions. Prayer. You try anything to make those dark clouds vanish until you're rewarded with a penetrating light from the sun. I imagine that this is what it feels like to find purpose, to finally see what's coming ahead.