In each Vocation Newsletter we’ll be sharing a practical means to hearing that still, small voice that comes from God, and also a story from one of our Sisters related to discernment. We’ll also occasionally share a mission story or a quote from our Foundress, Servant of God Mother Mary Teresa Tallon and some Community news.
Let’s start here by exploring the question: What is discernment?
Discernment 101 is Prayer 101
Discernment is the art of listening to and recognizing God’s voice in my heart that says, “This is the way, walk in it” (Is 30:21). This listening, recognizing, and responding to God’s voice is also known as prayer.
We can hear God’s voice in many ways – in private prayer, through the words or actions of a friend, in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, during Eucharistic Adoration or a spiritual talk, in the beauty of a sunset or the sight of trees on a snowy hillside…and there are many more ways!
We can also hear other voices that might contradict or overpower God’s voice in our hearts. These contradictions and distractions can even come from family and friends (even those who mean well and love us dearly). The world (the part of the world that doesn’t care about God’s ways), the flesh (the part of our nature that is wounded by original sin) and the devil (fallen angels) try to keep us from following God’s Will through many thoughts and feelings (“voices in our hearts”), including discouragement.
The way to stay on track with what God is saying to us is through a dedicated prayer time. Here is one Sister’s story about prayer and discernment.
Real Life Discernment – Dedicated Prayer Time
Spiritual Direction was a big help in my vocational discernment, but I often tell people what a horrible directee I was! One of my Spiritual Director’s constant refrains was the need for a set daily prayer time. I resisted this in many ways, so much so, that God had to reach me through other means.
Only recently, while reflecting on my vocational journey, did I realize that there was a period of daily prayer along my path. As a young professional, active in my parish in Elkhart, IN, I attended a parish mission given by Fr. Larry Richards. He strongly recommended stopping at the Church each day, even for just a minute, to say ‘Hi’ to Jesus and spend some time with Him.
I took this advice to heart and so did my parish, adding opportunities to say hi to Jesus. The doors of the Church were already unlocked during the day, and there was a daily Adoration Chapel. The parish started offering communal Morning Prayer on weekdays before the 7am Mass and leaving the Church doors open longer. Although I rarely made it to the early Morning Prayer, I did make a point to have a short visit with Jesus in the Church sometime during the day, often on my way home from work, and regularly participated in the Monday evening Mass as well.
This daily quiet time with Our Lord in the Church slowly opened the ears of my heart and helped lead me to seek out a Spiritual Director, the next step along the path Our Lord had marked out for me.
What’s my next step?
One of my favorite sayings of our Foundress is “Take time to be holy.” As Religious Sisters, we have a considerable amount of dedicated prayer time each day built into our schedule. It is necessary for us as we continue to walk with Jesus and serve His people.
You also need to stop and listen and talk to Him. Neither you nor I can live a life with little or no prayer and assume we’ll end up where God wants us. If you’d like to talk to a Sister about where you are on your vocational journey, or would like to know more about what it means to be a Parish Visitor of Mary Immaculate, please respond to this email or click here to fill out our Vocation Inquiry Form.
You are in my daily prayers as you continue your journey with Jesus.
In the hope of Christ,
Sr. Theresa Marie, pvmi
Vocation Director
Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate
845-542-1086
“Take time to be holy.” ~Servant of God, Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, PVMI
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