May have a Vocation

adaltarepatris · #1 Aug 11, '12, 1:29 pm

Hello Catholic Answers!
I'm a catholic considering the priesthood. I've always been into my faith but i often feel like i cant get in a truly prayerful state. i try my hardest, pray a rosaty every night, read the bible every night and morning, and go to mass as often as i can.
Suggestions?

pangaious · #2 Aug 11, '12, 2:13 pm

First let me give you my encouragement and support!
Keep on trying to improve on your devotional life with God. Perhaps pray the Rosary or any other that calls to you, like the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, for instance. Sometimes devotional books are practical, but neither that or the Rosary or any other organized system is necessary, but it is very practical. It is also good to speak to God as you would a best friend and develop a relationship with Him. Do it as you would with a close friend.
How are you doing in your parish? Become acitve. Become a eucharistic minister, reader or any other involvement that will connect you to the Liturgy. - All these provided you have not done them yet. After you have done these things for a year or two, try contacting religious orders that you feel affinity with or the diocese vocation office and tell them that you would like to start a discerning process concerning a possible vocation.

pangaious · #3 Aug 11, '12, 2:17 pm

BTW, I'm not Catholic Answers. When you wrote here it was understood that you were writing to the members like you and not to the staff. But, questions like the one you asked are usually not asked of apologists. People just asked them to the members.

RedDuke50 · #4 Aug 11, '12, 2:51 pm

Maybe find a proper environment to pray in. Such as a quite church, before the Blessed Sacrament (very good

), before images and so forth. Try to think of what will distract you least from your prayers and actually lift you up to God while praying.

I greatly encourage the Holy Rosary and Mass and well, all you said that you are doing. What the previous poster said sounds good as well.
And I am happy that you do feel you are being called to the Priesthood, keep on going

.

**po18guy** · #5 Aug 11, '12, 3:13 pm

Everyone of us has a vocation. The question which remains is, just what is that vocation? It calls for prayer and reflection - before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament if possible, and before the Tabernacle at other times. Before and after mass are perfect opportunities for this. A young fellow parishioner would spend time in prayer following each vigil mass. He is now studying in Rome, after entering seminary in the US. The discernment process can be excruciating, and I note that the origin of the word "excruciating" is:

Latin excruciatus, past participle of excruciare, from ex- + cruciare to crucify, from cruc-, crux cross