Recognize God’s Voice in Life’s Circumstances Pay attention to the ways God may be speaking to you through others and through unexpected events. It’s not just chance if someone invites you to church, or you see a flyer that catches your eye. For instance, my mother’s encouragement to serve as an altar server when I was in 5th grade was God’s way of prompting me toward service in the Church.
Pray Consistently and Listen Prayer is a dialogue, not just speaking to God but also listening. Spend time in prayer, especially in the Sacraments, Scripture, Eucharistic Adoration, the Rosary, and Lectio Divina. Through prayer, you connect with Jesus who calls you, so learn how to pray with both heart and mind.
Seek Silence to Hear God Clearly True listening requires silence. External silence can be helpful to the silence of the heart. Just as it’s hard to talk to someone at a party with loud music, it’s hard to hear God when your life is filled with noise and distractions like phones. Regularly set aside time for quiet so you can hear His voice. Blessed Carlo Acutis experienced this in Adoration, where he likened God’s love to a beam of light shining through a chapel window in adoration that reveals and purifies the imperfections of our hearts.
Cultivate a Heart of Service Every vocation is rooted in serving others. Engaging in service—whether through youth ministry, helping the homeless, or volunteering at your parish—can open your heart and help you grow in love for others, which can lead you toward your vocation.
Form a community of good friends who will spur you on to holiness and whom you can be accountable to: Listening to God is not done in isolation. Surrounding yourself with friends and a good spiritual director who are seeking God and living their faith can help and encourage you to follow God’s path.
