The discernment experience is an attempt to discover God’s particular call that comes in baptism. This calling from God is also referred to as an individual's vocation. In discernment, a person comes to know in a greater way what God is calling them to: married, single, or religious life.

"The call from God can come to us in prayer, through the words of sacred scripture. It can reach us in all manners of ways—through literature, through human love, through happiness or suffering or both, through the unconscious witness of some holy friend, through a sudden outpouring of compassion for another."

To Walk in the Footsteps of Jesus:
Pastoral Letter on the Ministerial Priesthood
Most Reverend Donald W. Wuerl

THE REALITIES

• Although personal, discernment is not a private affair, God’s will is mediated through others. Thus the person in discernment needs to be attentive to whomever God puts in his path. Family, friends and the community play a significant role in discernment.

• Discernment is open-ended. Someone once said, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans." Discernment demands that one put aside his own agenda. Above all, discernment takes time. Often additional information is necessary that can only unfold through the course of time.

• Discernment is rooted in prayer. Prayer is the key that slowly unlocks the door to God’s will. The silence and solitude often associated with prayer can yield discovery. Sometimes in the course of discernment one is challenged to embrace different prayer forms.

VEHICLES OF PRAYERFUL DISCERNMENT

Centering Prayer: Choosing a simple mantra and/or phrase and repeating it regularly      before a candle or image. This is one way of removing worldly distractions.

Examination of Conscience: Examining daily one’s conscience and reviewing the      events of one’s life is helpful in developing a better awareness of self.

Spiritual Direction: Meeting regularly with a trained spiritual director to talk about      one's spirituality in the midst of daily challenges and hardships.

Journaling: Writing regularly about one’s prayer and life experience is benefical because      one can track the progress and development of a deeper spirituality.

Meditation on Sacred Scriptures: Praying reflectively with the Scriptures, particularly       the vocation stories of biblical figures. Here are some vocational passages: