by Fr. Ethan Moore, diocesan priest - Archdiocese of Cincinnati
Vocation, Vocation, Vocation…it can kind of sound like Marsha, Marsha, Marsha (sorry for the Brady Bunch reference), but really what is it all about? A vocation is a call from God to live in heroic happiness. Now check it, no matter what way of life God is leading us to: da’ hood that is to say priesthood, da’ life specifically religious life, da’ bond meaning marriage, or as a single person (da’ just won’t work with this one) God desires a fullness for us. We know what this is when we open our hearts to Him. God will speak to us if we silence ourselves enough to hear His gentle voice. The thing is God moves, but not in a way that leaves us in the dust. Our vocation no matter what----will always be the fruit of our relationship with Him. Whatever we are called to the one thing we should all have in common is that our relationship with God will be our fuel and our foundation. We draw strength from Him in His Church and in the Sacraments, from there we go out to where we are drawn to be His presence.
To discern a vocation is to become aware of how God is leading us to live heroically in His footsteps. This dynamic can be somewhat complicated because it works on two planes. On one level, there should be somewhat of a natural appeal---you probably should marry someone you actually like spending time with (I’m just saying). This is where the happiness factor comes in. God won’t call you to something that, well, won’t be for you. Our vocation will bring us great joy, but we have to be careful here, because that doesn’t mean that we won’t necessarily have difficulty or suffer, because guess what---we will. This is where we recognize that our vocation is also something supernatural because it’s in these moments happiness means more than just “a room without a roof” it’s so much more, it is to be deeply united with our Savior. Now here’s where the heroic piece fits in because to be one with Christ will require each of us to make choices that are beyond our own power. Whether that’s serving the poor in a foreign country as a missionary, teaching a classroom full of 3rd graders, offering a funeral Mass for someone who died in a tragic accident, or changing a diaper at 4 am---God is an active part of every aspect of our lives and our vocation is how we make our life His own.
As this week wraps up remember that if right now you don’t know what God is calling you to, don’t freak out, because where it all begins is in your identity as His son or daughter. Live in the Father’s love and your life, your vocation will be da’ bomb.
To discern a vocation is to become aware of how God is leading us to live heroically in His footsteps. This dynamic can be somewhat complicated because it works on two planes. On one level, there should be somewhat of a natural appeal---you probably should marry someone you actually like spending time with (I’m just saying). This is where the happiness factor comes in. God won’t call you to something that, well, won’t be for you. Our vocation will bring us great joy, but we have to be careful here, because that doesn’t mean that we won’t necessarily have difficulty or suffer, because guess what---we will. This is where we recognize that our vocation is also something supernatural because it’s in these moments happiness means more than just “a room without a roof” it’s so much more, it is to be deeply united with our Savior. Now here’s where the heroic piece fits in because to be one with Christ will require each of us to make choices that are beyond our own power. Whether that’s serving the poor in a foreign country as a missionary, teaching a classroom full of 3rd graders, offering a funeral Mass for someone who died in a tragic accident, or changing a diaper at 4 am---God is an active part of every aspect of our lives and our vocation is how we make our life His own.
As this week wraps up remember that if right now you don’t know what God is calling you to, don’t freak out, because where it all begins is in your identity as His son or daughter. Live in the Father’s love and your life, your vocation will be da’ bomb.
![Picture](/uploads/5/6/0/7/56072731/9576022.jpg?189)
Fr. Ethan Moore was ordained in May of this year and now serves as the Parochial Vicar for the parishes of St. Peters, Our Lady of the Rosary, Holy Cross, and St. Albert's in Dayton, OH. He hopes to one day form a Catholic biker gang centered around a devotion to the Eucharist. On most days he rides a skateboard to the office and above all else loves the Holy Mass.