Discerning God’s Call to a
Life of Prayer
Jesus calls everyone to a life of intimacy with Him. For some, this call will be lived out in the context of marriage and the family. Others are called to serve Christ in the single state. Still others are called to follow Christ through the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience in religious life.
The religious vocation is a mystery, and it is a gift. It is a call to intimate friendship with God. The Book of Psalms in the Scriptures tells us that “God knit me in my mother’s womb” and “He calls us by name.” The life-vocation of each person is as unique as their own fingerprints or their DNA.
Discerning. As a community, we endeavor to discern the will of God using many means. Especially by endeavoring to listen respectfully to each other, we are better able to perceive God’s call to us as a community. Like Mary we ponder God’s Word in the Holy Scriptures. We hear the voice of God speaking to us through the Church, and we study the Carmelite saints to come to a better understanding of our charism.
Signs of the times. In the events of daily life and in the signs of the times, God speaks through ordinary people and ordinary events. We also listen attentively to God in the silence of our own hearts. God will guide us if we are open to all the ways He manifests Himself. We invite a woman who feels called to follow Jesus in a life of prayer as a Carmelite nun to enter into this discernment process with us. Here are some questions for her to consider:
