If I feel a desire to be a priest is that God telling me?

[LumberJack3]

Hello I have been praying for my vocation and I do want to be a priest but I’m unsure is that is my calling from Go for not? How do you know if it is your voice or God”s voice? Does anyone have advice

 

[julietteamdg]

When it comes to things that are good, like discerning the priesthood, your voice and God’s voice are of the same. If you feel and think you have a desire to be a priest, then that comes from God. Very very few of us will ever hear God’s voice physically in this life, that’s not how God communicates to us usually. The best thing you can do is pray and wait!

 

[Neithan]

A strong and persistent desire to pursue the priesthood, with its promises or vows — such as celibacy and obedience — could be a calling, but you cannot discern this alone. Discuss this with your pastor and contact your diocese’s vocations office.

 

[Maximian]

Im not so sure.

The fact that you are attracted by the priesthood does not in itself mean God is calling you. The priesthood is a vocation, meaning it is something you are called to, not something you fancy doing.

You have to ask yourself why you want to be a priest. Are you primarily looking for a chance to serve God? Or are worldly considerations influencing you? There are many aspects of the priesthood which can go badly to a man’s head.

 

[brown_bear]

It could be, it could not be.

In my 20 years, I have long desired the priesthood.

In the spiritual direction it emerged that God was not calling me to the priesthood.

For a while I was sorry, but it soon became clear to me that we should not serve God in our way, but in His way.

Now I am happy: you are always happy when you do God’s will.

So, for you, it will take a lot of prayer and a lot of spiritual direction, but it’s worth it.

 

[kapp19]

Here are some questions to consider:

1 - Do I possess the virtue of chastity, or is it realistically within my reach in the near future? (Do you find it easy and pleasant to avoid sin in this area?) If so, that’s a good sign to celibacy in general.
2 - Do I enjoy being around priests? Do they enjoy being around me? Do I enjoy doing “church-y” things in general?
3 - What joys do I want from life? What kind of suffering do I think I will be able to make the best of?
4 - Do other people affirm me in my desire for the priesthood (family, friends, mentors)? If not, why?
5 - Has this desire stayed around for more than a short while? Can I imagine it easily changing in the future?
6 - Can I be happy doing something else? (If so - you should probably do that… but you need time to figure that out.)
7 - Is there a diocese or order that is a realistic option for me?

There is a lot of literature on this stuff… Not hard to find. I’d recommend starting with Fr. Brannen’s nice book (To Save a Thousand Souls) - it will not go out of date any time soon and is a great primer, especially for the American context (though applicable elsewhere as well).

 

[otjm]

How do you know if it is your voice or God”s voice?

The short of it is that if it is persistent, then you approach your diocesan vocation office and start there.

It may be that God is calling you.

It may be that you are “attached” to some aspects of the priesthood, and that it is not God calling you, but rather simply your attraction to some aspects of a priestly life.

And if between you and the diocesan vocations office you both come to the conclusion that you enter seminary, you will have anywhere from 4 to eight years (and possibly, more, should you discern an order) before the Church will call you to ordination.

I thought since the eighth grade that I wanted to be a priest; the pastor put the kibosh on my entering minor (high school) seminary. He was wise.

I entered the seminary in college, and after two years, it was clear to me that I did not have that vocation.

It most definitely was not wasted time. I learned much, I am still in touch occasionally with some I was in seminary with, some of whom were ordained, and some, like me, who were not. And for those of us who did not go through to ordination, I don’t think any have thought it was a waste of time - rather, it was not our calling.

Note that I said “the Church call you”? Ultimately it is the diecision of the bishop - it obviously requires your cooperation, but the bishop can say, “um, no” - which happens rarely, but does happen.