Every so often, people come to me in a panic because they can’t shake the idea of being a priest or sister.
This was not the plan. They're talented, normal people. They expected to get married and have a family someday. Their parents expect them to have a family. Being a priest or sister is for other people, out there — not for someone from this family/school/city.
And yet...it’s often a joyful panic. As much as they did not expect this, as much as they can come up with all sorts of reasons why God should choose someone else, there’s often excitement at the possibility that this may be for them.
I've recently heard from a couple of new parents. Their experience sounds quite similar.
Discovering one's vocation and responding courageously is not for the faint of heart. It’s harder and more beautiful than imagined.
Answering a call from the Lord often involves “joy in the midst of a task so demanding and challenging that it engages our entire life.”1
Evangelii Gaudium, 12.
I love this - so simple yet so profound. God does speak to us if we can just get be present and recognize those impulses with trust and faith. Difficulty mixed with joy is so paradoxical, yet so true on this path.