A vocation is a gift of pure grace from God, directed towards humankind and desiring to call them to count on Him in His plan of love. At some point in life we may stop to ask ourselves about the meaning of our existence, what we were called to do to mark our passage through this world. The anxieties we carry in our hearts are God's touches in our lives, it is His voice calling us. To the Lord who calls, we need to give an answer.

When we talk about gifts, words like service, talent, something that is given, may immediately come to mind. In our daily lives, we sometimes say: So-and-so sings so well, they have a gift. We understand that a gift is something very specific, a striking characteristic in a person. Similarly, when we talk about vocation, we enter into the dynamic of gifts, since we understand that vocation is a calling from God, the Lord who, out of pure grace, calls and desires to count on us in His project of love.

In many ways, God speaks to our hearts, most often in the simplest things in life. When we talk about calling, we can certainly fall into the temptation of imagining the most fantastical situations involving even supernatural elements. However, the Lord can speak powerfully to us in various ways, in our capacity to be sensitive to situations of injustice, pain, and human misery. Also in the joy of community life, feeling touched by the Lord in the beauty of the liturgy of the Holy Mass, in the preaching of my Parish Priest, in the example of life of a saint I am devoted to. These are the realities that, in the dynamic of calling, lead us to question the meaning of our lives, why we came to this world, how we will mark our journey on this earth.

Vocation will always be within the realm of mystery, in the relationship between man and God. The truth is that every human being carries within themselves a thirst for God. Expressing this reality well, Saint Augustine said: “You have made my heart for you, O Lord, and my heart is restless until it rests in you.” Before the Lord who calls, it is up to each one to give their answer. The truth is that it is not a static answer, but one that is renewed each day, in the daily situations that question my choice, that challenge my faith and my option for Jesus Christ.

Finally, faced with the gift of vocation, this mysterious action of the Creator in the human heart, our attitude should always be one of surrender and trust. Anxieties stir the spirit; fear and uncertainty in the face of so many possibilities can speak loudly in the discernment process. It is only possible to clearly hear the call when, faced with the realities that challenge us, we are able to be silent and, through prayer, seek to know God's will for our lives. Every decision requires discernment, every life choice has its challenges, but when one finds the vocation to which God calls, happiness is guaranteed.

Published by: sscc.org.br