Have you received The Call? Are you inspired to commit your life to the service of others? Here are a few reflections on The Call and what it means…

The word “vocation” comes from the Latin vocare—“to call.” When we speak about an individual’s vocation, we are referring to a distinct and personal invitation from God to become the person we are intended to be.

The call is an invitation: we are not compelled or forced; we are attracted, drawn, stirred. For some, this attraction is so intense and insistent that no doubt exists about God’s will; we long to follow, and cannot rest until we do so. For others, the attraction is gradual: slowly, over time, we discover, often in surprise, the path that that is ours. God’s invitation does not expire; when we recognize our path, God gently leads us.

The call is distinct: each of us has special talents, capacities, and abilities that become identified with us as individuals. We discover, over time, our strengths, and build on them. We learn, through experience, how best to combine our talents to achieve our goals. Our vocation permits us to utilize these unique abilities freely and completely.

The call is personal: a vocation comes from God and is issued to each individual. The invitation is not found within a fortune cookie or a toss of the dice; it is not found in a crystal ball or in a communique from the government. God’s call to each of us is discerned and received ‘within.’ Some may call this call a “discovery”; others may call it a “revelation.” The point is this: our vocation is God’s invitation to us to become who we are meant to be; our task is to be alert to the signs of that call and to answer “yes.”