One of the most common questions I am asked as a priest and vocation director is, “Father, when did you receive the call from God to be a priest?” There is nothing wrong with that question, and I am always happy to answer it. I am, however, usually prepared to disappoint people a little when they discover that my call did not come in some dramatic or angelic moment—no angels descending from heaven to proclaim, “You will be a priest!”
While I cannot speak for everyone, I am willing to bet that most people do not receive their vocational call in the same way Mary, the Mother of God, did through the visit of an angel, or in the way Saint Joseph did through a vision in a dream. God calls each of us differently, at different times, and in different ways. And I’m not only talking about men who receive a call to priesthood. God calls everyone to the vocation they are meant to live out in this life.
It is not uncommon for a newly engaged couple to overlook their engagement as part of God’s call in their lives, or to see their marriage (hopefully celebrated in the Church!) as a full response to that call and the beginning of a life rooted in faith and trust in God. No matter the vocation we are called to—married life, priesthood, religious life or single life—we are all invited by God to say “yes” and to embrace the life He is calling us to live with great faith.
For me, the call from God has been present in my heart since I was about five years old. I vividly remember watching the priest during Mass and at work around the parish where I grew up—even from my kindergarten years. Over time, that quiet call became clearer and louder, thanks in large part to the people God placed in my life. Family members, friends and especially the little old ladies of my parish, who faithfully encouraged me to follow my heart and listen to God’s voice, helped me realize that I needed to enter the seminary to properly discern His call. I am deeply grateful that, from the age of five until this very day, God has continually sent people into my life to support me and help me understand who I am called to be and what I am called to do. But not everyone’s call unfolds in the same way.
One of my spiritual directors in seminary once shared that his call to priesthood became crystal clear on the day of his First Communion. Another priest friend admits he did not seriously consider priesthood until high school. Every story is different, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. What can quickly lead us astray, however, is closing our hearts and minds to the possibility that God may be calling us to something more. As Psalm 95 reminds us, “Oh, that today you would hear His voice: do not harden your hearts.”
God also calls people to marriage and to single life—they, too, cannot harden their hearts to the Lord. In marriage, we often refer to the discernment process as “dating.” Couples take the necessary time to truly get to know one another, to share what matters most, and to discover both strengths and weaknesses. Dating, much like discernment to priesthood or religious life, brings out the best and the most challenging parts of who we are. Though we may be searching for different relationships—one with God and the Church, another with God and another human being—the process and the goal remain the same: to love unconditionally, to worship with faith and trust, and to work together toward holiness.
In the end, vocation is not about having all the answers or receiving a perfect, unmistakable sign from heaven. It is about listening, trusting and responding—often in small, ordinary ways—to the God who continues to call. If we remain open, patient and prayerful, God will lead us where we are meant to be. Our task is simply to hear God’s voice, to say “yes,” and to walk forward in faith, confident that the God who calls us will also give us the grace to follow and respond.
