Saturday after Epiphany
Vocations Discernment Retreat
St. Mary’s Seminary & University
January 11, 2025
Steps Along the Vocational Journey
First, let me thank all of you for your presence at this discernment retreat.
Some of you are at the beginning of your discernment. The thought of becoming a priest may interest you, fascinate you, maybe even scare you a little bit – but you’re here to find out if the Lord wants you to take the next step – and I hope he does!
Others among you are somewhere in-between. You’ve been thinking and praying about become a priest for a while. You’ve may have talked it over with a parish priest or with Fr. Roth or Fr. Himes. Perhaps you’ve done some reading. Maybe you have a regular confessor. It’s my hope and prayer that this time we spend together will be helpful as you seek God’s will, as you seek to discover how the Lord is asking you to put your life at the service of his Church.
And still others among you are far along in your discernment. You have prayed. You have sought advice. Spent time in adoration. Opened your mind and heart to the Scriptures. You have already done a lot of discernment and may well be in the process of making application for entry into the seminary this coming year.
Wherever you are in your vocational journey, I’m glad you’re here and I look forward to meeting with each of you throughout the day. And I am thankful to reflect with you on the Scriptures we just listened to, passages from the Word of God that speak to you and to your discernment. What is the Lord saying to us this morning through the Word proclaimed?
Confidence in Christ
First is that we should approach discernment confidently. But let us place our confidence, not in ourselves, but in the Lord. St. John says as much in our first reading. He tells us that “if we ask anything [of the Lord] according to his will he hears us . . . [and] we know that what we have asked him for is ours.”
This doesn’t mean that you’ll receive an Instagram message this afternoon giving you the results of your vocational discernment. It does mean that if we prayerfully and sincerely seek the Lord’s will, one way or another the Lord will help us discover how he is calling us, and he will give us the strength we need to embrace our call.
In the same vein, St. John also instructs us that the Son of God has come to give us discernment . . .discernment to know the true God and the path to eternal life. Discernment is not solely something we do – it is a gift of God’s Spirit. The Lord is at work in your heart, prompting you to ask: “Could it be that my path to friendship with God is the priesthood?
Listening to the Voice of the Bridegroom
The Gospel also says something important to you this morning. The disciples of John the Baptist ask him about Jesus and his Baptism. In response, John reiterates that he is not the Messiah. He goes on to describe himself as “the best man”, here as Jesus is the bridegroom espoused to his bride. John continues, “The best man who stands and listens for [the bridegroom] greatly rejoices at the bridegroom’s voice . . . so this joy of mine is complete.”
Being here today, you are imitating John the Baptist. You are stepping aside from your wants, desires, and daily concerns. You are here to listen for the voice of Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church. You are saying to the Lord as did John, “I must decrease, you must increase!” And, in fact, you are saying something more than John said. You are saying, “Lord, increase your presence in me!” You are asking, “How can I be the instrument of your love for your Church?” Perhaps he is calling you, not to be the best man, but to be his alter ego.
Discerning Worthiness
Inevitably, part of your discernment involves the question of worthiness. Am I worthy to be a priest? Do I have the moral fiber for it? This brings us back to the 1st Letter of John where the Beloved Apostle tells us that if we sin, we have a remedy in Jesus Christ. For if the whole world is under the power of God, surely the Lord himself has dominion over our weaknesses and sins.
We experience Jesus’ power and dominion as mercy. The Lord does indeed have power and dominion over our sins and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation he grants us absolution of our sins through the ministry of priests – and what a beautiful part of priestly ministry to serve as a confessor. Seminary formation also helps candidates for the priesthood to open their hearts more and more widely to the grace of Christ, the very One who came from the Father to cancel out our sins. The question before us is not whether you have achieved perfection. The question is about your openness and readiness to work with the Lord and the Church to deepen your relationship with the Lord, to help you be well-integrated, finally to be an apt candidate for priestly ordination. In this journey, you are accompanied by the grace of Christ and the support of the Church every step of the way.
Conclusion: “Let It Be Done to Me . . .”
Throughout the Christmas season, we have honored the Blessed Mother, Mary through whom the Savior of the World was born. Let us now ask her loving intercession as we begin this time of reflection, that she may lead us to Jesus and that through her prayers we may be able to say to the Lord, as she did, “Let it be done to me according to your Word.”
God bless you and keep you always in his love!