Andrew posted this yesterday to Truth & Charity. Though I knew his vocation story beforehand (since I am blessed to actually be his vocation), it was moving to read his thoughts on not only saying Yes to me, marriage, and children, but also No to Holy Orders and the administration of the Sacraments. I’ve heard before that a truly holy soul desires both the religious and married lives, consequently mourning the loss of the denied vocation temporarily through embracing the accepted one. From knowing Andrew and then reading this, I have no doubt that he would have been a wonderful priest and I’m both humbled and honored that life with me appealed to him as much. His concluding paragraphs, especially, are what hit me so profoundly.
My discernment of the priesthood began when I was in high school. What led me to first consider such a vocation was a series of retreat experiences and the continuation of prayer. One retreat in particular taught contemplative prayer in the presence of the Eucharist, which had been elevated and surrounded by about 80 large candles – each with the name of a retreatant on it. I took my candle home and would often light it, remembering myself to be in the presence of God through the recollection of that night of adoration.
The first inkling toward discernment was not actually the thought of becoming a priest, but the realization that God simply wanted me to serve Him. I suppose that if I had been presented with the idea of becoming a priest, I would have either rejected it or it would have been scorched by the sun for lack of roots. I continued praying, though not specifically for God’s will, and grew into a deeper understanding and love for Him.
I was through the sacraments that I first began to consider the priesthood. My family made it a point to to go confession as a family once a month, as was encouraged by Our Lady of Fatima and no one ever missed Mass on Sundays or Holy Days of Obligation. I tried desperately to find meaning in my Confirmation, though it was hard because it seemed that every other pimply-faced teenager was more concerned with simply having more oil on their forehead. Still, I would often go to confession on my own; even once a week during the Lent of my Sophomore year.
This continued through the rest of high school and college and even though I was in and out of a few relationships, the idea of the priesthood was never shut out, but put on the back burner. After my last dating relationship in college, I began to heavily discern the priesthood and/or religious life. {Continue here}
