by Dan Masterton
One of the great blessings of staying close to my faith throughout high school, college, and young adult life has been the grace of discernment. This is a time of life when there are tons of major decisions to make. The Catholic spirituality of discernment provides us such a wealth of wisdom and structure through which to make faithful, thoughtful choices.
I found bits and pieces of help through my time as a Mentor-in-Faith with Notre Dame Vision, through my theology classes and thoughtful college friends, through intermittent exposure to Ignition spirituality, and now through my work in Vocation Ministry with the Viatorians, working to support both those discerning religious life as well as discernment of all vocations and states of life, especially among young adults.
My latest article at Grotto Network tries to distill some of the central tenets I've learned and practice into something nicely usable.
"We like to ask kids, “So, what do you want to be when you grow up?” When we become adults, our questions and answers get a little more real. We can still hope and dream, but we have to conquer a certain amount of naivete and adopt more realism. We can still follow our passions but also must find a way to make a decent living, too.
There may be times when we’re moving in a clear direction, and other times when we’re more uncertain. So how do we work our way toward a life-path that’s fulfilling and stabilizing? We could certainly do some trial and error, trying different jobs and living situations and locations to see what feels right. We could have some informal conversations with family and friends. But we may find greater progress and richer answers if we adopt a more intentional — perhaps more spiritual — approach.
Whether you’re looking for a fresh path, or to retool and refine the one you’re already on, consider these ideas for finding direction in life."
Read the whole article at Grotto Network, and follow their social media to stay in the loop.
