By Fr. Paul Robinson, SSPX

How do I know if I have a vocation?

Neither a young man entering the seminary nor a young woman entering a convent knows if they have a vocation. What they do know is that they are willing to offer their lives to God and discern their vocation in a house of formation. That is all that they need to know for the moment; the answer to whether they have a vocation comes later.

From this perspective, young people should not be asking themselves whether they have a vocation. Rather, they should be asking themselves whether they should try a vocation. The only way to know if you have a vocation is by entering a house of formation; the question simply cannot be answered—or, at least, it cannot be answered affirmatively—in the world. But the question of whether one should try a vocation is obviously answerable before one enters a seminary or convent.

So, if the real question is really “How do I know if I should try a vocation?”, how is that question answered? Clearly, the first step to answering the question is simply posing it. Not a few young people fear to seriously bring up the possibility to themselves. They fear that, if they seriously ask themselves whether they should try a vocation, the answer might be “yes”!

This fear is understandable because of the fact that the pursuit of a vocation is daunting. It is a very high ideal: dedicating one’s life to God, setting aside the having of a family, living a life of celibacy, not living where you choose and living in a community made up of diverse members.

It is here that trust in God is crucial. We all know that He has a plan for each one of us and also that His plan is the one that will give us the most happiness, both in this life and in the next. We also know that we are often confused and uncertain about what is best for us and what will truly give us satisfaction in this life.

Meanwhile, it is important to realize that entering a house of formation is not really a risk, precisely because that is not the moment when the question “Do I have a vocation?” is answered. This is a crucial difference with marriage, where all of the risk is assumed at the moment of marriage, that is, at the same time that one starts living the married life.¹ With a vocation, on the other hand, you live the life associated with it for years before committing yourself to it definitively.

It is for this reason that St. Thomas Aquinas famously said that, even if the devil advised us to enter the religious life, we should follow his advice! The objection that he poses and the answer that he gives are worth quoting.

Here is the objection: “Counsel is most needed before taking a step wherein there is the greatest danger of being deceived. There is great danger of deception on entering religious life, since Satan transforms himself into an angel of light (II Cor. 9:14) and, under an appearance of good, misleads the unwary. Therefore it is only after grave deliberation that a man should enter on the religious life.”²

And the answer: “The statement that Satan transforms himself into an angel of light and inspires good desires with the intention of deceiving us, is very true. But, as the Gloss says, ‘when the devil deceives the bodily senses, he does not withdraw the mind from a praiseworthy and holy intention; for whoever leads a faithful life is in no danger. Even should Satan, pretending to be good, do or say things befitting the holy angels, and should he delude a man into believing him, the error would not be dangerous or harmful.’”

Furthermore, “St. Augustine in his book De praedestinatione sanctorum says that ‘all the saints are taught by God, not because all come to Christ, but because no one comes to him by any other means. Thus the desire to enter religion, from whomever such a suggestion may proceed, comes from God.’”

Does this mean that everyone should try a vocation, then? Clearly not. For one thing, those who do not want to try a vocation should not do so. They should not be forced by pressure from parents or friends or scruples. Entering a house of formation must be a free choice.

Spiritual authors speak of an interior attraction and St. Thomas, in the response that was excerpted above, says that the suggestion to enter the religious life must be accompanied by an interior attraction of God. This interior attraction may simply be a sincere desire to follow God’s will; it does not have to be a love for the vocation as such. In other words, the candidate need not say “I want to become a priest/nun” to decide to enter a seminary or convent; it is sufficient to say “I want to discern God’s will for me.”

If one makes it to that stage, the point where they are both willing to entertain the possibility of pursuing a vocation and willing to enter a house of formation, one should move in the direction of trying a vocation. This would consist in speaking to a priest who knows you well, going on a vocations retreat, visiting a seminary or convent, and ultimately applying. Sometimes, even these preliminaries might reveal that the vocational path is not the one intended by God.

The main thing for every one of us is to discover God’s will for our life. One of the most important decisions we can make is the choice of our state in life. Sometimes, we choose too quickly, without having given serious thought to the possibility of a vocation, or without having given God a serious opportunity to show us what His will is for us. This is why it is crucial for all young people to prayerfully and prudently seek to answer this question, “Should I try a vocation?”

Endnotes

¹ It goes without saying that those who start living the married life without actually being married show their incapacity for marriage by their unwillingness to take on its risks.

² Contra Retrahentes, ch. 8. Translation taken from https://aquinas.cc/la/en/~ContraDoct.C8.3.