Which is the most suitable vocation for a young man to serve the Lord?

Answering this question is difficult because there is not one single answer to it.

“Vocation,” put in simple terms, is the calling God has given to a person. Some vocations are common, and some are unique. For instance, many people have the vocation of marriage. But maybe your particular vocation is to lead a mission to Tanzania! The journey of discovering one’s vocation is lifelong, and it is always built upon one vocation which is universal–that is, for all of us: the call to holiness. We are all called to be holy through a lifelong relationship with God. This must always be the foundation for any other vocation!

Although we may use the word “vocation” in these different ways, we often speak about “vocation” to refer specifically to the different states of life we may choose, which represent a kind of culmination of our vocational journey. God has called some people to marriage, others to consecrated life, and others to priesthood. All of these vocations are about making a free and total gift of our lives in some way. This gift of ourselves is always made to God, but the manner in which we do so is different according to each vocation. In marriage, we make a gift of our lives to God through our self-gift to another person and our lifelong fidelity to him/her. In consecrated life or priesthood, the gift of one’s self is given directly to God. That is why it is sometimes said that the religious vocation is the “higher” vocation, because the gift of self that it makes is not made “through” one’s spouse to God; instead, that self-gift is made to God directly.

However, one vocation is not better than another. Why is this? Because God has called each person in a unique way! If God has called a young man to be married, then priesthood would not be the “better vocation” for him, because he was not created for it. The inverse is also true: a young man may really love marriage, but if in his heart he strongly feels the calling to priesthood and it is true, then priesthood may really be the better vocation for him. We are always called to be saints, whatever our vocation may be. The highest holiness is possible in every vocation.

That is why the most important element of choosing one’s vocation is discernment, which is the process of listening to God’s voice day by day. By growing closer to God and listening to him, we not only learn more about God, but about ourselves. We learn how we may better love and serve him, and eventually, we can make that full gift of our lives in the unique way God has called us to do so.

So if you are a young man thinking about what your vocation is, praise the Lord! Start by growing in deeper relationship with God. Go to Mass, go to Confession, pray every day, read the Scriptures, and do good works. Doing this is part of your universal vocation to holiness. Then, as you do all of those things, see what draws your heart and gives you peace and joy. Over time, you may find that some things draw you more than others. Listen to what speaks to you in prayer. What words in Scripture really stand out to you and touch your heart? Doing these things may seem ordinary, but you are actually learning how to listen to the Lord–who speaks to us in moments of silence and reflection. Over time, your vocation will start to become clear! I can say this with confidence, because the Lord will always help us to grow closer to him.