My Vocation Story
Vocation, in a religious context, is the way God calls someone to serve in the world. It is God’s will, discerned by listening to His voice and responding to it. We can also define it as a divine call to Christian service (Oxford Dictionary). Faith is a strong belief in a religion, and a journey is the act of moving or going somewhere.
The maturity of my vocation does not depend on age; rather, it is a holistic process of growth. We need an ongoing journey to reach our destination, which is God. Maturity also depends on how we carry out our discernment—through introspection, silence, and deep reflection. Silence helps us to discern and reflect beyond the surface. To reach maturity, we need a hierarchy of friends who accompany us toward growth. In our faith journey, there is always room for conversion, self-care, and reflection. We also need proper psycho-spiritual transformation to become more effective in our faith journey and vocation.
My vocation journey
I am Sr. Eusebia, a Salesian Sister of St. John Bosco. I joined the congregation in January 2007. When I realized that God was calling me to be a religious sister, I was filled with joy. I was baptized at the age of eight. After baptism, I joined catechism classes, and a year later, I received my First Holy Communion. At thirteen, I received the Sacrament of Confirmation. It was at that time that I felt a strong attraction to religious life, and I shared this desire with my mother.
I was an active member of the Pontifical Missionary Childhood (PMC), and every time we attended diocesan Masses, I admired the religious sisters. However, I lacked the courage to approach them or speak to them. When I joined high school, I shared my desire to become a sister with my friends, but they made fun of it, making me feel that my dream was strange to them. After completing high school, I volunteered as an animator for the PMC, and during that time, I met Sr. Mary Riva, FMA, who was the PMC coordinator in our diocese. I shared my vocation story with Sr. Mary, and she invited me to visit the Embu community.
During my visit, I met Sr. Regina, the vocation animator, who gave me many spiritual books to read—books I still treasure today. Reading those books deeply inspired me. Later, the sisters invited me to a vocation camp, which was well-animated and enriching. After that experience, I allowed God to be my guiding star. My parents also played a vital role in helping me strengthen my connection with God through their love and guidance. I gained a deeper understanding of my vocation by identifying the hierarchy of values that would lead me to cultivate my authentic self.
CONCLUSION
Our vocations are God-given gifts, and He is the one who guides us. If we are to walk faithfully, we must obey His commandments. Like the wise men, we should never stop seeking and consulting. We need to live in fruitful relationships, complementing and supporting one another on this journey.
