I didn't want to hijack LouisvilleFan's thread, but I though this would be a great idea for a thread.

How has God worked in your life? Have you received any blessings in your discernment? If you've decided on a community, how did you meet them? If you are married, how did you meet your spouse?
I think (at least for me) so often I get caught up in questions and wanting God to give me answers that I don't take the time to realize how beautiful God's chase after my heart has been.

[I recognize this can be really personal, so if you don't want to share, I understand. I'll try to get mine up a bit later!]

Praise God for the gift of vocations!

By the time I was a freshmen in high school I had spent three days in a juvenile detention facility, expelled throughout my eighth grade year, and was about to stand trial until my attorney plea bargained for community service and counseling. I was heading down the wrong road when I was only 14 years old and I honestly don't know where I would have ended up if my life didn't change.

I had lost all faith in God because I didn't this caring, loving and forgiving God I always heard about at work. I decided I would still go to church because my grandmother couldn't make it to church realizing also that it would tear her apart otherwise because she had hopes I would one day be a priest. I also went to confession out of routine but never really sorry for the sins I committed

I was allowed to return to my highschool for freshmen year and although I was not a trouble maker I still felt like I was going down the wrong path, tormenting the gypsies that live out in the country with friends. I was adicted to the ways of the world and was falling into traps of mortal sins.

Seeing a good boy gone bad a lady from my parish encouraged me to make a trip to Medjugorje. I had no idea where it was and later found out that it was in Bosnia. Her son was also a rebel and lost faith in God once. However he entered the seminary after going to Medjugorje and was just ordained a Catholic priest. She wanted me to make this pilgrimage especially because of her son. Although Medjugorje is in Bosnia-Hercegovina, half way around the world, my mother decided to let me go with her because she ensured her of my safety. But we knew nothing about it.

Making this trip to Medjguorje was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me. I was so encouraged in my “former faith” as a Catholic. To my amazement people actually loved God, his Mother, went to confession and the whole works. I couldn't believe how many devout Catholics I was surrounded by. I witnessed the faith that I had fallen away from and use to practice so actively. Being encouaged, I went to confession for the first time in three years when I had true contrition for my sins with all my heart, becaues I realized that God did exist and that he loved me very much. I waited in line for one and half hours to confess my sins and receive absolution and become in God's grace for the first time in such a long time. I went to daily mass and literally had to sit on the floor of the church because it was packed to capacity. When I went to Eucharistic adoration I had to adore Christ from outside the building because so many pilgrims realized the greatness that came from adoration.

While I was there I began to enkindle a love of the Blessed Mother, since it is believed that the Mother of God has been appearing in this village for 25 years daily. Similar to apparations in Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe. I made a daily trip up Podbro hill, (in English) Apparation Hill, where Our Lady first appeared to the five children. I prayed the rosary before the statue of our Blessed Mother, because I felt so alive in the faith. While I was there a dream of my childhood, the priesthood, came back to thought. Many people had asked me if I was considering the priesthood. I vehmetly responded with a brusque NO! I wanted to hold public office one day. The parish priest of St. James Parish in Medjugorje told me, “You must go up Apparation Hill and pray for your vocation. God will tell you that he has chosen you to be a priest.” I did just that, but I told God, “Give me a sign of my vocation.” I didn't pray for any specific sign for any vocation.

I left Medjugorje a new person, a man of faith, a man of prayer, and a man devoted to his heavenly Mother. I returned to the States and read in local Shrine where the Blessed Mother appeared as well in the 1800's emphasising catechesis to our youth. I met Bishop --- the day he was installed as Bishop because I had been chosen to represent the youth of the Diocese during that part of the mass. I was impressed by the Bishop and decided to attend this day of prayer at Robinsonville because of my return from Medjugorje.

Upon my arrival on August 15th at the shrine I was amazed. I saw a similar sight to what I saw in Medjugorje. Over 3,000 people had gathered together to particiapte in the Holy Sacrafice of the Mass and to hounour the Blessed Mother of God. The bishop in his homily told the story of when the angel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus. He said that Mary said Yes to help bring about the author of Salvation. He encouraged us not to be afraid to say Yes, because in the end when we do, we will be the happiest. I truly believed that this was the sign I had prayed for in Medjugorje and it affirmed a priestly vocation. It was in my inner being.

During my junior and senior year, I started to lose that faith again, my prayer life decreased. This year I applied to the seminary for the Diocese because it was an idea that kept coming back. Right after I applied during my senior year, my life began to deterioate. A lunatic attempted to murder my mother, and everything after that just went down hill. I began to go back to my old habits of sin. I started to drink again, to surround myself with people who smoked so that I could inhale the second hand smoke because I vowed never to smoke as I found it disgusting. I started to steal from my work, stealing food, and monies for work I didn't do.

I then started to think about my trip to Medjugorje and for some reason I felt the need to read a book I purchased called “Fruits of Medjugorje”. This was a book about the many lives that have been changed in Medjugorje. I was reminded of everything that I started to practice after my trip and so once again I began to implement these things in my life. I realized I needed to return to God and pray for his Divine Mercy in my life. I began to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet everyday in my car through a version I downloaded from Remnant. I realize the great mercy of God in my own everyday now and am at peace to follow Jesus in whatever way I am being called.

Thanks for sharing, rev! It's so cool to hear where we've come from and how God leads us into the Church (like he brought the scattered Jews back to Jerusalem), seeking a vocation, and sharing it all on this web site



If you check out the sidebar at LifeTeen.com, there's an announcement about a newly engaged couple who actually met by reading each others' sections of the web site. And there's also a video they have on YouTube with a guy giving his testimony about discerning until his spiritual director finally told him to go find a wife

Seems I often forget that I still have a year and a half before I'm even eligible to enroll into seminary since my Archdiocese wisely makes converts wait two years. Funny thing is, that seems like a lot of time to me, but Abraham and Sarah waited much longer than that to have Isaac and Jesus waited until he turned 30 to begin his ministry.

Hope to hear some more stories...