“The glory of God is man fully alive!” St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Hey everyone! So here's yet another testimony concerning the religious life for you all. This is a bit of advice for anyone who is discerning their vocation, whether that be to religious life or marriage..., and it is all based off of his own experience as a young man discerning religious life as a Salesian. "I like making lists. On my closet door is a list of things I am thankful for and I try to add at least 10 more each night. Then inside a box on my bookshelf sits the list of people I pray for each night. Also I tried to write a book and every chapter had a checklist for the reader to look over. What is my point? I am about to give you the list I compiled in my six years of discernment. In that time I looked at Diocesan, Benedictine, and Salesian Life. As my discernment continued with the Salesians I had to discover whether I would be a Salesian priest or brother. I am happy to tell you in August of this year, God willing, I will profess as a Salesian of Don Bosco to become a brother. Ok, onto the main list. 1) Do not make the journey alone! This means we need to be open to God, duh. We cannot discern His will without his help, but we also need to let others (Jesus with skin on) join us for the journey. Friends definitely play a part in this, along with a spiritual director. If you do not have a spiritual director, I would without a doubt encourage you to find one. The spiritual director, friends, and others are huge in bouncing ideas off of, especially when you think you are about to go crazy. They are the ones that remind you that you were crazy to begin with. You cannot go where you already are. So again, do not go it alone! 2-4) My first week living in a Salesian house I overheard this advice about discerning which has helped me through some difficult moments in the past four years. 2) “Do not make a decision on the spur of the moment.” Gaining perspective on a situation takes time. 3) “Do not make a decision on emotions.” Emotions come and go. 4) “Do not make a decision because of one person.” People change. 5) Be Honest. Be honest is the simplest guideline, but also the hardest to keep sometimes. The question that comes with this guideline is, “Be honest with whom?” Everyone! Be honest with yourself, God, spiritual director, family, friends, strangers, and those you are serving. (That means admitting you do not know all the answers.) Like the old phrase goes, “Honest is the best policy.” 6) Be Yourself. If you are still discovering who you are, that is perfect! Discernment means finding ourselves and the Child of God we are called to be. So if you are still discovering then you are on target! May God bless your discernment that you may live life to the fullest, whether that means as a mom, dad, single, priest, brother, sister, nun, monk, vegetarian, social worker, soccer player, or ventriloquist. “The glory of God is man fully alive!” St. Irenaeus of Lyons Have a good morning, day, afternoon, evening, night, week, month, year, decade, century, and life!"