Vocations

You are called to be a saint…and nothing less. At Newman, our goal is to help each and every person who steps through our door or attends Mass to achieve God’s plan for their life. If you thinkg that God might be calling you to holiness through a vocation to the Priesthood, Religious Life, or Marriage, here are three simple things that can help you enter into discernment:

1. Be in a State of Grace.

If we have commited a mortal sin, our souls are no longer in a state of grace, and we are unable to receive God’s grace as He reveals Himself and His Will to us in our daily lives. In order to be forgiven of those sins, in order to be restored to being in a state of grace, we need to be seeking out the Sacrament of Reconciliation on a regular basis. Confession is available 1/2 hour before every Mass, or by scheduling an appointment with Father Mike.

2. Pray.

“Ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9 Once we are in a state of grace, and we are seeking out Confession regularly, we are able to converse with God freely. Prayer is quite simply a conversation with God. If we do not spend time with Him daily, whether it be in contempletive prayer in Eucharistic Adoration, reading Scripture, attending Mass, how are we to know what He is asking of us? Join us for Eucharistic Adoration Monday through Friday mornings at 6:45am at the Newman House.

3. Do Your Daily Duties.

We are called to be like Christ, we are called to live the Cross. The vertical aspect of our lives is often referred to as prayer, that raising of our minds and hearts to God. But we are also called to reach out horizontally, one might say, to others, especially to our brothers and sisters in our community, the Church. We are asked daily to accept where the Lord has placed us in our life at this exact moment, whether that means being a student, working, etc., and allowing God to work through those roles, revealing His Will for us in our daily activities. For more information, contact Father Mike, Father Rich Kunst, Deacon Mike Knuth, or visit the Diocese of Duluth’s Website.

MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone. – Thomas Merton, “Thoughts in Solitude”