Should I receive Holy Orders if I haven't heard the call?

[Bobek]

I’m a young man entering college this year. I have carefully considered studying to become a priest. My faith is unshaken and I pray every night thanking God, begging for forgiveness, and asking for guidance. I kneel almost everyday in silence to open my heart to Him. My biggest roadblock is that I haven’t heard a calling to the priesthood; I’m uncertain if it’s my place to take. I don’t know if I’m deaf to the call or if I’m even meant to hear it. Should I abstain from Holy Orders and the priesthood if I haven’t the call?

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear friend,

I’m not sure what you expect the call to be. What do think a call is? Do you want to be a priest? If so, why? Why are you even considering the priesthood? If you are expecting to hear the Lord actually tell you that He wants you to be a priest, you need to know that this isn’t how He usually calls us. Let me know what you think, now that you have read this response. You are in our prayers.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.