Vocations Test 1 | Ampleforth Abbey

Vocation

The word “vocation” comes from the Latin “vocare” – to call. Life itself is vocation in that all of us are called to become the person God created us to be, to make the journey to the fullness of life He intends for us, and that call is inscribed in the depths of our being, written in our hearts, to be felt in our deepest hopes, ideals and desires.

Is there anyone here who yearns for life and desires to see good days? (The Rule of St Benedict, Prologue)

The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive and he wants you to be alive! (Pope Francis, Christus Vivit 1)

The path we take in life is always completely up to us. When the Lord made us, he made us free. He never compels us to anything, but neither does He ever abandon us. Instead He constantly calls us to Himself and to the fullness of life He wants for us. That call constantly reverberates deep within us, His voice whispers to us.

Listen with the ear of your heart.

(The Rule of St Benedict, Prologue)

The call of a vocation is not a thundering demand but a ‘still, small voice’, that of God’s Spirit within us, the deepest part of us, drawing us to life. Vocation is a promise of life whispering to us, a seed planted within us waiting to awaken, an invitation awaiting a response.

Vocation is the voice of your true self calling you to be who you can be.

Be who God created you to be and you will set the world on fire. (St Catherine of Siena)

We are made for communion, to find fulfilment in giving ourselves.

So often in life, we waste time asking ourselves: Who am I? You can keep asking, ‘Who am I? for the rest of your lives. But the real question is: For whom am I’” (Pope Francis, Christus Vivit 44)

“Everything in our life, today just as in Jesus’ time, begins with an encounter. An encounter with this Man, the carpenter of Nazareth, a man like all men and yet different. The first ones, John, Andrew, and Simon, felt themselves to be looked at into their very depths, read in their innermost being, and in them sprang forth a surprise, a wonder that instantly made them feel bound to Him, made them feel different.” (Pope Francis)

For any queries regarding Monastic Life or Vocations please contact Fr Kevin

Fr Kevin Hayden
Vocations Coordinator
Ampleforth Abbey
York
YO62 4EN

Tel: 01439 766472

kevin@ampleforth.org.uk

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