Hearing the call, but yet you have fear

Friends,

The next question I wish to write about is: "I've had these feelings about joining the priesthood, but I don't feel like I can talk to anyone. What do I do?"

My first observation is to tell people that you can talk to people. The couple of people you would most likely approach are your parents, and your parish priest. They would be more than happy to talk to you about your feelings. But what you are talking about is actually getting up the courage to talk to someone about it.

I think this is a common element in most vocation stories I have heard over the years, that for a while the man was afraid to say something to anybody. He may go for even years without saying anything. I say this to reassure you that it is probably pretty normal for you to go through a period where it is hard for you to say something.

At the same time, this gives you the opportunity to examine why it might be hard for you to say something. Perhaps you know yourself and your failings, and you are afraid you might be dismissed because of those failings and your short comings. There might be a sense of unworthiness that you feel, and you might feel ashamed to go to a priest or your family because they may know your failing as well. Let me reassure you that if only the worthy were called to the priesthood, we would have had only one priest, and that was Jesus Christ himself. Nobody is really worthy to undertake such a task, so if you can't talk to anybody about it because of this, do not fear, and realize that no one is worthy in the end.

You might also feel rejected. We must realize that some parents are against the idea of their son becoming a priest because they fear it will make them unhappy. But really, it is in following your vocation that you will become happy, and maybe that is something to remind your parents, that every person has a vocation from God, and through that vocation will they find the most fulfillment. Find more information out about seminary and the priesthood, and try to inform your parents about it. Have them talk to a priest about their life. While I say all this, we must remember to honor and respect our parents, and remember that they try to do what is best for us. So go about this respectfully, and respect their opinion. Also, prayer goes a long way in this respect. It would be good to pray for your parents that they may be open to the possibility of their son becoming a priest, God willing.

You might also feel as though you will be targeted if you talk to a priest. So you talk to the priest, and then he has the Vocations Office on speed dial, and tells us about you. At this point, you probably fear that you won't be left alone after that, and that we will call you constantly. This isn't the case. While a priest may tell us about a man he had a conversation with, we encourage the priest to continue the conversation with you. We might send you a letter and invite you to an event, but we mostly encourage the priest to continue working with you. When you are ready, you then call the vocation office and talk to us about vocations. We work with the priest in providing you good resources to assist you in your discernment. Our office is stocked full of vocations materials that you can use, and we do our best to provide to you and the priests of the Archdiocese that material for your use. So, in short, we don't harp on men, but we gently encourage them to continue their discernment, and when they are ready, they can talk to us more seriously.

In the end, I pray that you may not be afraid in talking to somebody about movements of your heart that are telling you that you may be called to go into the seminary. Please know of our office's prayers for you and your continued discernment. May you remain close to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.