Father Scott Wallisch is the archdiocesan vocations director. You can email him at: frscott@archkck.org
by Father Scott Wallisch
Being the youngest in my family, I spent a few years as the only child at home.
I missed having my siblings around, so it was a treat when one of my brothers would join us for breakfast. Our house was not his first stop. He had already been to 6 a.m. Mass. While he was single, he quite frequently made the sacrifice to rise early and begin his day with the Eucharist. His dedication to the Lord inspired me.
Over 10 years later, when I found myself as a single man in the work world, I thought back to my brother’s morning routine. Although I had never been a morning person, I still found myself starting to wake early for the trip to Mass. It meant going to bed early, but the sacrifice was worth it, because it was a great way to kick off the day.
As daily Mass became a regular part of my life, I found myself being drawn in by the Lord. I also found him speaking in my heart, especially about his love for me and his plan for my life.
Listening to his word and receiving him in the Eucharist, I could not help but feel strongly drawn to the priestly vocation he had in store for me. The liturgy was not the only way he spoke to me, but I could hear him most clearly when at Mass or at my weekly hour of adoration.
As I continue my series on tools for discernment, I am encouraging you to make daily Mass a regular part of your life and your vocational discernment.
Now, lest you think that my suggestion of daily Mass is my subtle way of convincing all of you to become priests and Sisters, I can assure you that daily Mass discerners do not all follow the same path.
A few weeks ago, I presided at a wedding for a young couple that met at daily Mass. Just as clarity of my priestly vocation was only possible with frequent Eucharist, their clarity about God’s plan for marriage relied on daily Mass. (Mass also helped my brother find God’s call to marriage.)
It is this simple: Our vocational discernment is about finding God’s will in our life, and only God can reveal his will. It makes sense, therefore, to spend time as close to him as possible, and he is closest to us in the Eucharist and other sacraments.
If we follow my brother’s example and make these encounters with him a regular part of our lives, we cannot help but be drawn closer to him and be given greater clarity of his wonderful will for our lives
