How to recognise the divine call

If you ask me how we can discern the divine call, how a person recognizes it, I will tell you that it is a new vision of life. It is as though a light had been lit within us; it is a mysterious impulse which drives a person to dedicate his noblest energies to an activity that, over time, becomes the thing that defines us. This vital force, which is like a sweeping avalanche, is what others call “vocation”.

Consequences

This vocation leads us, without realizing it, to take a stance toward life that we will maintain with enthusiasm and joy, one that is full of hope even up to the very moment of our death. It is a phenomenon that bestows a sense of mission on our work and ennobles and enriches our existence. Exercising his authority, Jesus enters into our soul, into yours and into mine: that is the call.

Vocation is a treasure

The words of the Book of Revelation are then realized: Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20). This call from God is something very precious. There comes to my lips the parable which St Matthew relates in the thirteenth chapter of his Gospel: The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it (Matt 13:44-45). This is our call, and if we accept it lovingly and learn to appreciate it as something divine, it is a precious stone of infinite value.