 Etymological Meaning: "Discernment" comes from the Latin word "discernere,"

which means "to separate" or "to distinguish." It involves seeking God's will and
making choices in alignment with His plan for our lives 3.
 Role of Discernment: Discernment is crucial in understanding one's vocation. It
requires listening to God's voice in prayer, seeking guidance from wise mentors, and
reflecting on one's gifts and desires in light of God's calling
As you explore the meaning of vocation and engage in the process of discernment, remember
that God has a unique plan for each of you. Embrace this journey with open hearts, seeking to
discover how you can best serve Him and His people in the world.

May God's grace guide you as you discern your vocation and respond generously to His call.

remember that vocation is not merely a destination but a journey—a sacred pilgrimage of
self-discovery, service, and love. As you navigate the terrain of vocation and discernment,
may you be guided by courage, faith, and an unwavering commitment to answering the call
of your heart.

Developing discernment is a vital aspect of the Christian walk. By pursuing a close

The Catholic Church teaches that the primary vocation of every person is the vocation to
holiness, to the perfection of love. This notion of love as the essential form of every Christian
vocation provides the key to understanding vocation to particular states of life, such as
marriage, religious life, or the priesthood. We speak about different vocations such as a
"religious vocation", a "priestly vocation," and so on. But all these different vocations come
from love, from God's love for us, and aim at leading us in our turn to love him and all our
brothers and sisters in Christ. "Discerning a vocation" needs always to be always understood
in light of this fundamental vocation, the vocation to love.

(1) First, the aim of all considerations and choices should be to do the will of God and to
draw close to him. Therefore also the decision to enter a state of life should be made in light
of this aim, and in the presence of Christ, in prayer. However, normally God’s will is not
immediately manifested to us, but it is the will of God, who created us as rational creatures,
that we should decide our path using our mind and our heart.

(2) Thus, secondly, the ordinary means by which we should make a choice of a state of life is
by a consideration of our situation, placed in the light of faith, and animated by love. “When
a prudent man listens to his conscience,” which is a judgment about what to do in a concrete
situation, “he can hear God speaking.”1 So it is also in the choice of a state of life: the
Christian usually finds God’s will by means of loving and prudent reflection. (3) Among the
circumstances involved in our situation, both subjective and objective factors are important,
since the value of what we choose is important, and the attitude we have towards it is
important. (4a) It is absolutely necessary that the state we choose be good and holy in itself, if
our choice is to be good. (4b) But after this, the most important factor is the subjective
attitude with which we are going to approach that state, i.e., how fully we will use that state
as a means to the goal of doing God’s will, drawing close to him ourselves, and bringing
others to him. (5) Of the various particular elements that affect how capable we are of
devoting ourselves to a way of life, love is the most significant.

In summary:

1. The beginning of our consideration, and the aim, should be God and his will.
2. The process for making a decision should be based on the facts about ourselves, God,
and the needs and circumstances of the world in which we live.
3. Both subjective and objective factors are important, since the value of that which we
choose is important, and also the attitude we have towards it.
4. Supposing that the objective choice is good, what is then most important is the
ultimate subjective attitude—how fully we will be able to seek to serve God in the
way of life.
5. Love is the greatest single determining factor in the ability to have this attitude of
complete service.

A vocation is all about love. It is a life of love in a concrete, particular form that comes
from God. Each vocation begins with His love for us. In that love for you He is calling
you to a particular form of life. This love involves first His total gift of Himself to you,
and then in response your total gift of self to Him.

Listen to His voice in prayer. He is speaking in the depths of your heart right now. He is
calling you to do something important with your life. He is calling you to give your life to
Him. He is calling you to fulfill your call, your vocation.

Jesus Christ is calling you to holiness and wants to help you get there.

What is discernment?
Discernment is seeking God’s will. To find the happiness God created us to experience, we must
listen to His voice, discern His voice and embrace our vocation, our mission to serve Him.
Six Steps in Vocation Discernment
Christ our Lord tells us in the Gospel according to St. John, “You did not choose me, but I
chose you” (Jn 15:16). His choice for you is what makes a vocation different from an
“occupation” or a “career”. You can choose an occupation or a career for yourself, but a
vocation (from the Latin vocare, “to call”) is HIS choice for you and which He invites you to
undertake for love of Him. Often we are taught to ask, “What do I want to do in the future” or
“What life will I choose?” The better way to think is, “What does Jesus want for me?”,
“What life will bring Jesus the greatest glory?” and ultimately to say, “I want what Jesus
wants.”A vocation is the particular life He has chosen for you, and for which He has
specifically created you. He is God and therefore knows which life will best bring about your
salvation, your happiness, and His greatest glory. His call will completely fulfill you as a man
and a father. A vocation means to be sent by Jesus on a mission to help Him bring His
salvation to the world, and so will call for much love, heroism and sacrifice on your part,
made possible by the grace of God. The key to discovering your vocation is first to allow
Jesus to show His tender love to you. This love will make you capable of loving Him in
return.
It is vital to discover ones vocation precisely because our fulfillment, happiness, and
ultimately salvation depend on accepting that plan which God has known from time
immemorial.
Below are six steps of vocational discernment. These steps, however, are not merely taken
and finished. We are always engaging these steps at deeper levels, even after finding and
following our vocation. Sometimes these steps are going on at the same time, and there is
always more work we can do at each step.
1. Know you were created with a purpose: The Lord has loved you into being, and even
before the moment of your conception has had a plan for your life. God the Father has created
you for some specific mission, and wants to reveal it to you.

The Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman wrote, “God has created me to do him
some definite service; He has committed some work to me which he has not committed
to another. I have my mission… He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I
shall do His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place,
while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and serve Him in my
calling.”
Jesus loves us so much that He invites us to help Him save the world. He alone is the
Savior, but He opens up His life to us that we too may share in this work. So the first
step in discerning your vocation is to understand that God has created you out of love
and in His love invites you to share in His work of salvation.
2.Accept His Love: Accept His Love and His Choice for You
3.Listen: Make Yourself Available to Listen to the Lord
Since a vocation is not our will but a calling from God, we must attune ourselves to His
Voice so that we can hear His call. Prayer is how we primarily listen to the Lord’s
Voice.
4. Cooperate with Him in Clearing Away Obstacles to Free You to Say “Yes”
Distinguish Between the “Four Voices” of Discernment
In the process of discernment we should become aware of four voices and need to learn
to distinguish them from one. These four voices are the Lord’s, our own, the world’s,
and the devil’s. Being attuned to the voice of God, as the previous steps have led us
toward, will make the other voices easier to separate. It is not always easy to tell these
voices apart from one another, therefore discernment requires time, patience and
perseverance in the face of struggle.
THE VOICE OF THE LORD
The Lord’s Voice is that which is communicating His constant and unfailing love to us.
We hear His Voice through Divine Revelation, both in Holy Scripture and in Holy
Tradition, and in the Magisterium of His Church, urging us to do that which is good, to
trust in Him and to sacrifice out of love. Discouragement and confusion are never the
voice of Jesus, which expresses courage and truth as he calls us to a deeper conversion
in the face of sin.
With regard to your vocation, be assured that He is calling you, as a man, to one
vocation – either the priesthood, consecrated life or marriage. His voice is never
deceptive and He will give you the graces to accomplish whatever that particular
vocation is. When we are tempted to think that Jesus is calling us to a life that we do not
want or cannot accomplish it is not His voice that we are hearing, but that of another.
THE VOICE OF ONESELF
Our own voice is expressed in the deep down desires of the heart. With maturity comes
an ordered awareness of these desires and the ability to fulfill them. As a man you are
designed by God to desire to be heroic, to change the world for the better, and to love
and serve the Lord Jesus with all that you are by loving and serving his creation. Be
assured that because it was He who put those desires in your heart it is He who will
allow you to fulfill them. Sometimes, however, our deepest desires are in conflict. Our
own sinfulness, that part of ourselves that is still under the dominion of Satan can
clamor loudly. Sometimes our voice is in conflict with the Voice of the Lord. Our voice
always stands in need of more conversion.
THE VOICE OF THE WORLD
The voice of the world is a voice that is under the dominion of the devil, and thus could
be considered an extension of his voice. It calls us to put our trust in the things of this
world: prestige, money, fame, relationships, importance. It is the voice we hear in
advertising, on TV shows, and in much of the music on the radio. The “noise”
mentioned before is part of the voice of the world. This voice tempts us to forget about
Heaven, our salvation and the Lord’s call in our life. By means of alluring things that
appeal to the flesh it drowns out the Voice of Jesus and His love.
THE VOICE OF THE DEVIL
The voice of the devil is that voice that is always trying to lead us away from Jesus and
to keep us enslaved to him. His voice always tells us to doubt the Lord’s goodness and
not to trust in Him. It is the voice that says, “I know more than He does.” It is the voice
that tells us to say “no” to Jesus. The most obvious example of the voice of the devil is
the temptation to sin, but he can be very cunning, and as St. Paul says can appear as an
angel of light. If the devil cannot get us to listen to sin, he then will try to get us to
choose something that, while good in itself, is not the good that Jesus wants for us. In
other words, the devil’s voice can try to make us choose a less perfect life than that
which God has prepared for us.
Be Not Afraid Confusion, frustration and sometimes outright rebellion can be part of
the discernment process. Nevertheless Jesus tells us, “Be not afraid. I am here.” His love
can conquer everything, and if we open ourselves to the power of His grace, we will
come to find our vocation. Jesus’ desire to tell us is infinitely greater than our desire to
know. We need but say with simple hearts, “Jesus, I trust in Thee.”