Chapter Two: God's Plan For Your Life

Chapter Two
Gods Plan for Your Life
Finding a Calling
Finding a calling is different from
finding a profession
A profession is associated with a career
Career:
A chosen occupation that is more likely to
express ones talents than a job
While one might have several jobs, people
tend to change careers less frequently
Finding a Calling
While thinking about future professions, it is also
important to choose a course of life based on
vocation
The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare,

which means to call
The primary Christian vocation is to love and serve God

by loving and serving other people
Finding a Calling
Laity
All of the baptized faithful except those who
have received the sacrament of Holy Orders
Seek the kingdom of God by engaging in daily,
worldly tasks and directing them towards Gods
will
Finding a Calling
Married people
Priests
Bishops
Religious sisters
and brothers
Share a love for each other and

raise a Christian family
Dedicated to the service of
the Church
Entrusted to teach, sanctify, and
govern the Church in the name
of Christ
Engage in missionary work
dedicated to community
Created in Gods Image

A persons vocation is much different from
having a job or choosing a career. The risks
are greater but so are the rewards.
Journeying to Perfection
Besides choosing a college and an academic major, you
will face other decisions involving a particular Christian
vocation
?Will you enter the ordained priesthood?

?Will you be married?
Will
you
be
a
religious
sister
or
brother?
?
The universe, including each person, is in a state of
journeying toward an ultimate perfection
Divine Providence: the ways in which God guides his

creation towards perfection
Jesus tells us to put our trust in divine providence, the will of
God
Trusting in God means we depend on him for every detail of
our lives
The more we seek Gods plan for us, the more we
advance toward perfection
When we resist Gods plan for our desires we go

backward.
We are given free will, the choice to shape our own lives and
direct ourselves to the goodness that God intends.
Because this choice is free there is a possibility of going
astray and committing evil acts
Discernment through Prayer

Constant and consistent prayer helps us determine
what God intends for us.
Types of Prayer
Vocal
Meditation
Contemplative

Discernment: name for a process of prayer that
incorporates many types of prayer
Helps us determine what God intends for us
Calls us to look at many sides of decisions considering all of

the different alternatives
Involves praying over a decision and asking for guidance from
the Holy Spirit, then making a decision and evaluating it

A first step for discernment is finding a time and
place to center prayer
This is done with the purpose of

finding God within the depths of
yourself

As a child you may have been taught that prayer is
talking to God
However, prayer is a dialogue with God in which the
most important part is listening to what God has to say to
you
Other sources of prayer:
1
.
Sacred Scripture
2. Liturgy of the Church

3. Practice of Virtues

Steps of Discernment:
Step One: Find a quiet place to pray. Relax and find a
comfortable position. Close your eyes and become aware of
Gods presence.
Step Two: Select a special word that makes you
think of God and recite this word over and over in
order to keep distractions away.
Step Three: Thank the Lord for his presence, tell
Jesus of your love for Him and ask the Holy Spirit
to remain with you always. Then slowly recite an
Our Father.
Planning for a Vocation

A discernment process is not intended to predict what
may end up being your ultimate vocation, only to begin
the journey to a particular vocation while allowing God
to direct and guide you.
Prayer is the most essential element of this process
Three steps of planning:
Dream and imagine
Gather information
Pray over the options
Planning for a Vocation

Discernment is really a prayerful pondering or
deliberation of the many options available to
you in life.
The more you pray and think about
the many options in life, the more
likely a sense of direction will emerge
Exploring Christian Vocations

Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist are intended for
our personal holiness and salvation
They provide us with the graces we need to live a life in
Christ and evangelize the world with our words and
actions

Holy Orders and Matrimony are directed to the holiness
and salvation of others
These sacraments are also called Sacraments at the

Service of Communion

Committed Single Life
Single people can have a dedicated devotion to their career
They have a greater opportunity for silence and solitude
leading to a deep prayer life
Single persons are free to love all and have deep friendships
with many men and women
Loneliness is a large challenge faced by single people
Living a chaste life is also difficult in this day and age

Consecrated Life
Those who have made a commitment to follow Christ and
give themselves to God above all other things
Teaching and the operation of Catholic education has been
one of the primary ministries of religious
Many are involved in various types of service to the Church
The most common characteristic is belonging to a community
Contemplative religious spend their days in solitude and
silence, praying, studying, and doing penance (eremitic life)
Active religious are out in the world participating in active
ministries

Other types of Consecrated Life
Consecrated Virgins
Women who live a life of perpetual

virginity but remain lay women and
support themselves
Support clergy through prayer and
sacrifice
Secular Institutes
Forms of consecrated life for single

lay people and diocesan priests
Profess evangelical counsels but do
not take public vows or live in
communities

Other types of Consecrated Life
Societies of
Apostolic Life
Members do not take public vows

but engage in many good works for
the church
Example: Knights of Columbus

Marriage
Modeled after Christs union with the Church
Man and woman work in their marriage to duplicate for each
other the committed and eternal love that God has shown to
them
Priesthood
Holy Orders confers a sacred power on the priest for the
service of the faithful
Conferred only on baptized men following the example of

Jesus
Vocabulary
Career
Evangelical counsels
Laity
Eremitic life
Divine providence
Vocation director
Free will
Messianic secret
Centering prayer
Religious novices
Seminarians
Sacraments at the
Service of Communion

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Chapter Two: God's Plan For Your Life

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Chapter Two

Gods Plan for Your Life

The word vocation comes from the Latin word vocare,

The primary Christian vocation is to love and serve God

Share a love for each other and

Created in Gods Image

?Will you enter the ordained priesthood?

Divine Providence: the ways in which God guides his

When we resist Gods plan for our desires we go

Discernment through Prayer

Discernment through Prayer

Calls us to look at many sides of decisions considering all of

Discernment through Prayer

This is done with the purpose of

Discernment through Prayer

2. Liturgy of the Church

Discernment through Prayer

Planning for a Vocation

Planning for a Vocation

Exploring Christian Vocations

Exploring Christian Vocations

These sacraments are also called Sacraments at the

Exploring Christian Vocations

Exploring Christian Vocations

Exploring Christian Vocations

Women who live a life of perpetual

Forms of consecrated life for single

Exploring Christian Vocations

Members do not take public vows

Exploring Christian Vocations

Conferred only on baptized men following the example of

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