'What are we going to do with our lives? A good question and a difficult one to work through sometimes. But what about the bigger question - 'What does God want us to do with our lives?'

This page explores Vocation and what it could mean for us.

To Call
The word vocation comes from the Latin vocare, meaning to call. So, for Christians, that means being called by God to do something or to accept a particular way of life. As baptised Christians all of us have been called - so we have already begun to fulfil our calling, by responding to his invitation to ‘Come and follow me.’

God calls us to follow Jesus. That is the vocation for all of us. But we all do this in different ways. Each of us is different and we are called to serve God in our daily lives. However, sometimes he calls us out of that situation to do something different.

Some people think that having a Vocation means being a priest. This is not necessarily the case! God calls all kinds of people to all different ways of life. For example, God may not want us to be a priest. He may want us to be a teacher or a doctor or a mother or father. Some people’s vocation may be as a musician or writer. We can have vocation if we are a plumber! Even as a priest we can have different vocations. For example, some priests are called to work in parishes, whilst others are called to a different ministry as a hospital or prison chaplain. Within our local church community there are lots of different vocations, lots of things we are called to do: it could be as a Sunday School Teacher, Altar Server, flower arranger, pastoral assistant, youth leader, reader, etc.

The passage written by Saint Paul in his letter to the Corinthians is a very good one: ‘Christ is like a single body, with its many limbs and organs, which, many as they are, together make up one body… Now you are Christ’s body, and each of you a limb or organ of it.’ (1 Corinthians 11:12-13. 27)

Remember, Vocation means trying to find out what God wants us to do with our life, trying to listen to his call.

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How do we know it’s God who is calling us?
Part of the challenge of vocation is actually knowing that it is God who is calling us, and that we are hearing clearly what he has to say. This is often referred to as ‘discerning our vocation.’ It would be all too easy to say that we are doing something because God wants us to do it!

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God speaks to us in different ways:
He speaks to us through the circumstancres of our life. For instance, if we look back over our life, we can often see how God has been shaping and directing us to the moment of decision!

He speaks to us through prayer. Prayer is being open to God and his will for us and the world. So if we spend time in prayer we will be more open to discovering God’s will for us.

He speaks to us through Scripture. ‘God’s word is alive and active. It cuts more keenly than any two-edged sword, piercing so deeply that it divides soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it discriminates among the purposes and thoughts of the heart.’ (Hebrews 4:12). So we should read the Scriptures expectantly. There may be times when some text from Scripture will speak clearly to us.

He speaks to us through the Church. By being part of the Body of Christ, the community of Faith, by worshipping regularly and taking a part in the common life, we can often get an understanding of what God is calling us to.

He speaks to us through other people. This means that someone could mention a particular minsitry or vocation to us because they can see that God is calling us in a certain way. ‘Have you ever thought of being a priest?’ ‘No.’ ‘Maybe you should!’ And so the seeds are sown! Sometimes if this happens the conversation expresses or puts into words what the person may have been thinking. Sometimes, people can see something in us that we can’t see ourselves. ’Then Eli understood that it was the Lord calling the boy; he told Samuel to go and lie down and said, ‘If someone calls once more, say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3: 8-9)

Talking to someone else is a good way of exploring our vocation. There are many people we can talk to: it could be our parish priest or another priest, a youth leader, or someone else you trust.

He speaks to us through other people’s vocation. It could be that we see someone exercising a particular vocation and we are inspired by them and may feel as if God is calling us to a similar way of life.

Some people will struggle with their vocation. This means that they feel as if they are being called by God by don’t feel ready to respond. Some people have said that they felt that that God was persistent! And in the end felt that they could struggle no longer! Or that the sense of vocation got stronger and stronger through the years until they had to ‘give in!’

It may be that we don’t feel ‘up to the job! Or that they are not worth. However, remember that if God has called us to do something he will equip us for the task. ‘But who am I,’ Moses said, ‘that I shoud approach Pharaoh andf that I should bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ God answered, ‘I am with you.’ (Exodus 3:11). God often calls the most unlikely people – but he knows what he is doing! He will equip us for the task ahead.

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Being Young
Sometimes, we may get comments from other people that we are too young! However, there are many examples of God calling young people to a particular ministry – or when we can see young people being guided to a moment of decision later in life. ‘Ah! Lord God,’ I answered, ‘I am not skilled at speaking. I am too young. But the Lord said, ‘Do not plead that you are too young: for you are to go to whatever people I send you, and say whatever I tell you to say.’ (Jeremiah 1: 6-7)

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Experience
Some people may try to gain some experience of the vocation to which they think they may be called. For example, they may have some kind of ‘placement’ with an individual or organisation which will give a small insight into that particular vocation - and it may help them to decide whether or not they think God is calling them.

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Being a Priest
But what if we feel God is calling us to be a priest? Well, our vocation to the priesthood has to be discerned not just by us – but by others too. As a priest we are called to work in the church - and so the church, too, has to decide whether it thinks we have a vocation to the priesthood.

For more information online, please go to: http://www.godcallingvocations.org.uk/

What happens?
When the time is right you will see the Diocesan Director of Ordination. He or she will talk through things with you - or you may be put you in touch with someoene else to talk through things. By doing this you will have someoene to help you understand what God is asking of you, and if ordination is for you. Perhaps you will be given some reading material to help broaden your understanding of what being a priest means.

Then you may be asked to attend a Selection Conference, where there is a group of people who spend time with you to discern together if they think God is calling you to Ordination. At the end of the Conference you may be recommended to begin some kind of training. But even if you begin a course of training your vocation is still being tested. Some people are not recommended for training. Ot they may be asked to go away and spend some time gaining more experience. Some people are called to be a deacon. All priests spend a year (usually) as a deacon before they are ordained a priest. But the diaconate (the order of deacon) can also be a permanent vocation.

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What should I do?
Talk to someone you trust, such as a priest or youth leader. They will be able to help you work through things. Remember, God speaks to us in his own way and in his own time.

In the Diocese of Llandaff there is a group for young people who would like to explore vocation. This doesn’t mean that they think they want to be priests, or that they will end up being priests. It simply provides an opportunity to meet up with other young people to try to understand what God wants us to do with our lives. Anyone who is interested in joining the Guild of St Illtud should contact The Reverend Jan Gould on 029 563116

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