In every generation, young people are burdened with thoughts of the future. They are told that they must “find their purpose,” “discover their vocation,” and “make the right decisions” to live a fulfilling life. In modern Catholic culture, this anxiety has taken the form of prolonged periods of “discernment,” often without action. Students are encouraged to spend months or even years thinking about the possibility of a religious vocation, debating college choices, and imagining future careers, all while neglecting their present duties and failing to cultivate the habits that will make those vocations possible. This confusion is not only unhelpful—it is dangerous to their spiritual and intellectual development.
The purpose of this article is to explain why true vocational discernment is not a time of wishful thinking but a time of action. If God has called a person to a specific way of life, He will provide the grace necessary for that person to begin walking in that way. Waiting for signs or feelings is not prudent. God reveals His will by the circumstances of life, by the promptings of reason and grace, and by the commandments and teachings of the Church. If a student is called to the priesthood or religious life, he should already be doing, in a preliminary way, what priests and religious do. If a student is called to academic life, he should already be studying. Discerning a vocation is not about “what God wants” one to do, but one is able and willing to do for God.
True Vocations Are Manifested in the Present
Our Lord taught that a tree is known by its fruit. “Every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit” (Matthew 7:17). A vocation is not some invisible identity waiting to be revealed–another life to be chosen and lived. It is a calling that becomes visible through action. St. James warns us against hearing the word of God but not doing it. He writes, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves” (James 1:22). If a young man believes he is called to the priesthood, his life should already bear the fruit of that calling. He should be praying regularly, attending Mass daily if possible, frequenting the sacraments, and studying theology and the teachings of the Church. These are not optional extras for a priest—they are essentials. If a young man is not drawn to these practices now, he is not being drawn to the priesthood.
The same principle applies to all vocations. St. Paul teaches that “we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). These “good works” are not future possibilities; they are present interests and activities. A student must learn to recognize and embrace the work that is already before him. God’s will is not hidden in some secret plan for the future—it is found in present duties.
Religious Vocations Require Present Action
Many students speak of the priesthood or religious life as a possibility they are “discerning.” But if they are not living a devout life now, what are they really discerning? The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “prayer is the life of the new heart” and that the habit of prayer is necessary for growth in holiness (CCC 2697). If a student is not developing the life of prayer, he is not preparing for a religious vocation. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that grace builds on nature. A religious vocation does not transform a worldly person into a saint by ceremony. Like canonization, it confirms a reality that has been made known by the life of an individual. We are not called to begin religious activities at some time in the future, but now. We are all called to religious life; the question is whether we have the interest and ability to respond to that call, and to what degree we can do so.
This is seen clearly in the lives of the saints. St. Dominic, while a student, gave his possessions to the poor and immersed himself in Scripture and theology. St. Francis of Assisi gave up a wealthy life and lived in poverty long before he received formal approval for his order. St. Therese of Lisieux lived a life of heroic virtue as a child and begged to enter the convent as soon as she was able. Their vocations were not vague feelings about some future occupation or way of life—they were already visible in the lives they lived each day. The same is true today. If a student is not drawn to the daily practices of a religious life, he is not responding to Christ’s call to religious life (which was made to all men). There is nothing to “discern” in that case.
Academic Vocations Require Zeal for Study
In the same way, if a student is wondering whether he is called to pursue higher education or an intellectual career, he should look at his present activity. He should already be working diligently in his studies. There is no mystery here. The academic life requires habits of study, attention, and perseverance that are gained over time, by experience. If a student has no interest in reading, avoids hard work, and shows no care for truth, he is not responding to any “call” to academic work. St. Paul urges us, “Whatever your task, work heartily, as serving the Lord and not men” (Colossians 3:23). The academic life is no exception. It is a serious and demanding calling. Students who wish to go to college must prove that their interest is for academic work and not merely to enjoy campus life or delay the need to take on adult responsibilities. This is shown by their present discipline, not by talk of applications or promises of future work.
Too many young people are encouraged to pursue college without any evidence that they are suited for academic work. The result is debt, distraction, and wasted years. A true student is marked by love for learning, patience in difficulty, and the ability to work independently. These traits are not magically conferred by enrollment in a university—they must be visible long before. Colleges know this, which is why schools worth attending seek students who have already shown promise of success in academic and professional work. If these qualities are not present, the student should consider a different path. Again, there is nothing to “discern” here. Reality speaks plainly.
The False Notion of “Waiting for a Sign”
One of the great errors in modern religious culture is the idea that God’s will is to be discovered by waiting for signs. This can be a form of superstition rather than any Catholic virtue. The Church has never taught that vocational decisions should be made by feelings, visions, or extraordinary events. God speaks through reason, tradition, and the circumstances of life. The Catechism says clearly: “Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience” (CCC 1782). But this conscience must be formed by truth. It is not based on emotions. The Catechism continues: “A well-formed conscience is upright and truthful. It formulates its judgments according to reason, in conformity with the true good willed by the wisdom of the Creator” (CCC 1783). That is the path of real discernment.
St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that prudence is the virtue by which we make right decisions in practical matters. It does not rely on feelings, which are often used to excuse present contradictions. It considers the end, the means, the circumstances, and the consequences. He writes, “The work of prudence is to apply universal principles to particular cases” (ST II-II, q. 47, a. 3). If a student claims to be discerning a vocation but does not apply himself to the duties of that vocation in the present, he lacks prudence. His desire is empty. The true way forward is to begin living in accordance with that calling today. God does not ask for dramatic gestures. He asks for faithful obedience.
Discernment Means Obedience in the Present
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the model of vocational discernment. When the angel announced God’s will, she did not ask for more signs. She asked one question that she might understand what she already accepted by faith, and then answered, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). She did not spend years “discerning” her role. She understood and obeyed. This is the Catholic model.
When Jesus called His apostles, He did not suggest that they take a year or two to think about it. He said, “Follow me,” and they left their nets and followed Him (Matthew 4:19-20). When He called Matthew, He said, “Follow me,” and Matthew rose and followed Him (Matthew 9:9). The call of God is not something we wait to feel. It is something that the Lord has been preparing us for by His providence in our lives and when the opportunity arises, those so prepared pursue it–voluntarily.
Parents and Teachers Must Speak Clearly
Part of the problem today is that parents and teachers fail to speak clearly to students. They encourage endless speculation instead of practical guidance. They tell students that “anything is possible” and that they must “take time to find themselves.” Parents and teachers must help students face the truth of their lives. Are they living in a way that suggests they have interest and ability in the duties of future priests or religious? Are they living as those who will do the work scholars? Are they taking responsibility for their work? Are they serious in prayer and study? If not, they must be corrected gently but firmly. They must be shown what is required and helped to begin doing it now. They should not be allowed to pretend to have an interest in something that their lives do not actually give evidence of.
Encouraging students to think about future vocations while they neglect the truth of their present activity is to deceive them. It is like encouraging a young man to think about marriage while he plays video games all day and refuses to work. A good father would say, “First prove that you are capable of providing for yourself, then you can begin to talk about the responsibilities of marriage and family life.” The same should be said to students dreaming of other vocations they are not preparing for.
“Without God, the supreme source of order, without his providence, which directs all things, our life is totally lacking in direction. To gain eternal life, we must then humbly receive from him the general direction of the precepts, and that particular direction which the Most High, from all eternity, has chosen for each one of us. This particular direction is manifested to us by our superiors, who are the intermediaries between ourselves and God, by the counsels to which we should have recourse, by the events of life, by the inspirations of the Holy Ghost.” ((Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange, O.P., “Humility according to St. Thomas,” The Thomist 1 (April 1939): 3–21.))
The Danger of Delayed Responsibility
The spirit of the modern world encourages young people to delay responsibility. Childhood is extended indefinitely. College is treated as a time for exploration and entertainment, though all on campus are adults. Young adults are told they are not ready for commitment. But this is not the Catholic view. St. Paul writes, “When I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1 Corinthians 13:11). Responsibility is the mark of adulthood. It begins with the acceptance of present duties. The student who accepts his present work—his studies, his prayer, his service to others—is preparing to serve God in the best way possible. The student who avoids these duties isn’t preparing for anything noble.
St. Augustine warns against the danger of delay in his Confessions. He writes of his own youth, “I was saying: ‘Soon, soon, but not now. Let me enjoy a little longer.’ But ‘soon’ was never ‘now,’ and I continued to delay” (Confessions, Book 8). This is the voice of many students today. They want to be something great in the future, but they refuse to act in the present. This is not the path of holiness.
Conclusion
St. Catheine of Siena famously said, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.” What she means is that if men and women fulfill their potential as human beings, and live to serve the Lord in the best way possible, their lives will be very influential. Most students today are not living to fulfill their human potential, let alone whatever potential God’s grace may make possible above and beyond human nature. There’s no use talking about supernatural or extraordinary vocations when we are failing to perform natural and ordinary responsibilities.
We must restore a realistic and Catholic understanding of vocation. A vocation is not a secret identity waiting to be revealed. Rather, it is God’s universal call to love Him with all one’s heart, soul, mind and strength and, in the service of that love, to love one’s neighbor as himself. How we respond to that call has more to do with our free will and circumstances than any secret destinty God has appointed for us. God does not ask us to follow our feelings or look for signs—He asks for obedience. If a student is called to the priesthood or religious life, he will be drawn to the practices of those vocations now, for God’s sake. If he is not drawn to them, there is nothing further to discern. If a student is called to academic work, he will devote himself to diligent now, for God’s sake. If he does not do so, there is no academic calling to speak of. In every case, the question is not, “What does God want me to do?” but “What am I willing to do for God?”
As a teacher, I have worked with students wrestling with these issues for decades. Most students who went on to become priests and religious were devout when they were young–not necessarily religious, but dutiful. Most students who went on to become academics were studying and arguing and asking questions when they were younger. This is not always the case, but is ordinarily true. Let students be taught that the will of God is not mysterious. When the rich young man came to Jesus and asked, “What good must I do to gain eternal life?”, Our Lord responded, “If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.”.” (St. Matthew 19). There was no profound discussion of vocations or different states of life available for him to discern his way into. He, like all of us, is called to obey God’s commandments and serve Him in the best way possible. Let students be taught that the best way to discover their vocation is to look at what they are and ask whether they are responding to God’s call to “Seek first the kingdom of God.” (St. Matthew 6:33).
Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.
Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academy
