On the topic of discernment
Several brother bloggers have chimed in lately about discernment and vocations to the priesthood:
Karl from Summa Contra Mundum gives some directions to solving the priest shortage in his diocese. His first point is that if you a single guy you owe it to God to ask if he is calling you to the priesthood. If you think the answer might be yes you must come to understand that you don’t have a better plan for your life than God does. Pray and earnestly seek God’s will in the matter. He will take your measly five loaves and two fishes and multiply them in ways you can’t imagine.
Fr. Sibley also has a post on the topic, quoting Hans urs von Balthasar:
In obeying his calling a person fulfills his essence, although he would never have been able to discover this, his own archetype and ideal within himself, in his nature, by descending into the center of his natural being, his superego, his subconscious or superconscious, by studying his pre-dispositions, yearning, talents, his potential. Simon the fisherman could have explored every region of his ego prior to his encounter with Christ, but he would not have found “Peter” there; for the present, the “form” summed up in the name “Peter”, the particular mission reserved for him alone, is hidden in the mystery of Christ’s soul. – From Hans urs von Balthasar’s Prayer
A verbose but remarkable insight. That book is going on my wishlist.