Vocation is fundamentally something personal that takes place between a person and God. It is an interior call of grace, which falls into the soul like a seed, to mature within it. The Creator has a specific task in life for each and every one of us. Each one of us is hand-picked, called by name by Him. From the homily of John Paul II on 1st June 1982, there is no one among us who does not have a divine vocation. Some are called audibly by God, but the usual kind of call is internal, through the inner working of the Spirit. A vocation consists of two internal elements: a good intention, and a firm will to make use of the means necessary to pursue that intention, the qualities and capabilities needed inorder to live the way of life one desires. The primary factor can be summed up with a single word – Love. “Love is fundamental and innate vocation of every human being,” and thus having vocation means being drawn by love and in love to commit oneself to a way of life.

A vocation is nothing other than the firm and constant will possessed by the person called, to want to serve God in the manner and in the place where the Divine Majesty calls him/her. St. Francis de Sales makes the point repeatedly: for a true vocation, what is necessary is not a multitude of virtues or a disposition to practices of devotion, but a resolution to work preservingly towards perfection.

The idea that we need special signs usually comes from thinking about the fact that we ought to choose the way of life God wills for us. We sometimes forget that God’s will is also, and usually found in the commandments and the counsels, in ordinary events, in the judgement of conscience, and in the inclination of “faith working through love” (Gal 5,6). It isn’t strictly necessary to have “special” signs of God’s will , because there are normal and general signs of God’s will. God’s calling is not something external; God speaks within a person’s will itself, moving it to a way of life by which that person may draw near to him.

Yes. It is a gift. It can be called a grace of life. The grace of the call is part of the human condition. The vocation is a grace that passes through the mediation.

God Calls… in HIS time… It is often a wonder why God calls some people to a particular age while others at a different age. Some join lives of commitment when young while others at a later stage. How come!! Is it because some are more matured than the others? Salvation History tells us stories… Look at the Age of Abraham, Noah, Saul and many like them… rather old I would say. And now look at Moses, David, Jeremiah.. yeah Jesus too! God Calls in His time. And hence, at different phases of history different congregations arose, just like prophets of the Old Testament When the CALL comes… that is the time, His time. Don’t wait till you are mature!! HE knows it better.