Prayers - Help with discernment of vocation

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hartleymartin

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When I was 19, and an Engineering university drop-out I prayed to God to find out what His plan was for my life. He answered me with “I WANT YOU TO TEACH”. I’ll be entering a Liberal Arts College next year (I’m 24 years old now) studying History, Literature, Philosophy and Theology (with some Latin and Greek along the way).

I’m now asking for intercessions to help me figure out whether this means to be a school or university educator or to go into ministerial priesthood. What God told me has implied that I would teach religion, but has left no clear distinction as to the state of life or particular vocation I will have (perhaps I’m not ready to know it?)

I suppose that during the next 3 to 4 years at college, I’ll have some time to properly discern. The worst that could happen is that I enter the Seminary for a couple of years, figure out that Priesthood is not for me, and then go back into teaching.
 
Holy Mother Mary please guide your son to the correct path. Let him hear God’s voice with clarity and grant him peace of mind.

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen
 
The priesthood is not a job, therefore comparing university professorship to the priesthood is comparing apples to oranges.

A priest is an identity (not in the sense of personality but rater calling)

One is either a priest, a single person or married. Within these three contexts there are many different types of professions and more distinct callings. You have to discern who you really are. Are you deep down inside a priest and therefore called to be one, or are you inherently a married person and called to give yourself to a woman, or are you called to be single and either serve God by joining an order or by offering up your work to God and thus being a saint in the world.

Instead of comparing being a priest to being single (or married) → then being a professor, you must discern your initial calling and then determine what God wants, instead of jumping the gun.

It can be loosely based of an analogy of gender. I am either male or female. Just as I am either called to be a priest, single or married. Only then can I determine what I am supposed to do. If I said, and bear with me on the analogy. Should I be a male? or a mother? it would be absurd, because first one must determine if they are a man or a woman before determining if they are called to be a specific type of man or woman. By the way I understand you cannot choos your sexuality, just as you cannot choose who God made you to be. Its discerning thats the hard part for vocations.

I hope this helps, I’m not tryign to scold you or anything, but I am too discerning the priesthood and a priest made a comment like this when I told him I didn’t know if I wanted to be a business man or a priest (as if vocations were about what I wanted)
 
I’ll spare you the long life-testimony that will give you the background on my current dilemma.

Basically, I’ve spent time praying about it, on and off through the past 5 years. I feel that I’m generally being lead to a married life, but I’m not sure if it is just a case of being swept up by worldly influences.

I suppose I’ll just have to speak to the vocations director in our Arch-Diocese and spend some time on retreat at the local seminary. It doesn’t help that I’m also torn between going Dominican, Diocesan or Pauline…

I’ll also admit that I’m something of a hapless romantic…

Hence you see my conundrum and need for intercessions!
 
Let me know how it goes, cause your case sounds an awful lot like me.
 
Holy Mother Mary

We continue to pray

Hail Mary, full of grace.
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb,
Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death.
Amen.
 
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