Blessed is the man (…) who delights in the law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1)
Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green. (Psalm 92)
The Psalms contain many beautiful images of life in the service of the Lord. They provide a good picture of the call we receive, which can grow, mature and develop in faithful love throughout a long life.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. (Psalm 1)
A call to follow in the steps of Jesus Christ is a life close to this wellspring, the source of life. Through baptism, all Christians are called to follow Jesus. Some are called to live this life in a religious community.
Living in a religious community is a life in service to God and other people. It is God who calls us to this life. God calls whom He wills; it can seem as incomprehensible to those who receive the call as to those in one’s environment.
The call or vocation is identified gradually, through prayer and counselling, and by sincerely seeking God and His will. Oftentimes, seemingly chance events can be the signposts one needs: a person, a text, an event, a meeting. Most all religious orders are open to receiving and counselling people who seek after God and His will for their lives.
The call presupposes faith; faith in God, who wanted the world for its own sake, and who saves and upholds His creation. The call is also conditioned upon a desire to participate in working for God and our fellow human beings. The final confirmation that one has received a call to join a religious community is when one is officially accepted by a religious order.
Would you like to find out more? Contact: Sr. Anne Bente Hadland O.P.
