Will God Appear in Your Dreams with a Sign?

CLEVELAND - June 24, 2013 - PRLog -- How do I know if I’m called to become a Sister?

Wondering if you are called to religious life? The below Q & A was adapted from an online question and answer session between a priest and several young persons on how to discern a calling to the priesthood. It provides a lot of insights into the vocation of the life as a Sister.

Q. I'm trying to discern my vocation and figure out what God wants for me and how I can best serve Him. How do you really know for sure if you’re called to become a priest or religious?

Lady Pious:  Being "100% certain" that this is the way can be a challenge in and of itself. Typically, we walk in darkness and are only shown the next best step. All we can do is keep walking the way we think that the Lord is leading and trust that he is taking us down the correct path. If our path gets derailed, then there may be a chance to review whether this is the way to continue journeying or if we need to try another road.

Fr. Resurrexi: In my discernment, while praying upon it, I noticed imagining myself doing priestly things like celebrating the sacraments. Stop and meditate for a while, focusing on God. Then, imagine yourself saying Mass or serving as a religious. I did that, and it brought a smile to my face. From that moment it was useless to fight it. You most likely will fight it for a while though. But if the feeling keeps coming back that you should become a religious, that is usually a sign.

I had a moment with God where I knew if I didn't go to seminary I would never be content. However, not everyone gets that…. they may simply have a desire to follow God’s will. Also, get a spiritual director ASAP. And if you currently face any spiritual problems or sinful activities, a spiritual director can help you work through these so that you can hear Christ clearly.

Lady Pious:  Some people tend to think along the lines of “I have a feeling
God will appear in my dreams if there is something he wants me to do, or
tell me something during adoration.” While this sort of thing is certainly always possible, it is not the norm. We need to be careful of waiting for some great sign from above. Rather, the Lord typically speaks in a still, small voice and makes use of what we already have in our everyday lives.

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I’d like to add for my readers that any Catholic can benefit greatly from a spiritual director. Finding a good spiritual director is the trickier part! The first step is to talk with the priests at your school or a nearby parish. You may already have a good confessor in mind or you may ask the opinions of others in finding a qualified priest who is willing to work with you.

Four qualities should be present in your spiritual director. He should be educated in philosophy and theology, and have an understanding of both the call to holiness and of the obstacles that present themselves along the way. He should be prudent in offering practical suggestions. He should have experience in traveling on his own journey of holiness. Finally, he should be holy, setting an example of virtue.

Sr. Jeanette Marie Estrada is the vocation director of the Mercedarian Sisters of
the Blessed Sacrament, a teaching order based in Cleveland.

In the United States, they teach catechism and other subjects from grammar schools to the adult level in Cleveland, OH; San Diego, CA; and San Antonio, TX. In Baton Rouge, LA, they operate a prayer center for the sick. They also work in the evangelization of adults.

Learn more about the Mercedarian Sisters at http://mercedariansisters.org or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mercedarians?fref=ts.