In the years since I entered seminary at 19, I have heard many of the questions people bring to God as they discern his calling for them. Asking God questions about our vocation is not a lack of faith; it is how we come to know that deep, intimate knowledge of who we truly are in God’s eyes.
In seminary, I encountered seminarians, priests and bishops who seemed to me far more suited by nature and temperament for priestly ministry than I. The abiding question between the Lord and me was, “Why do you want me?” The answer God revealed then — and continues to reveal in each blessed day of priestly service, the gift from his heart to mine — is that he “summoned those whom he wanted, and they came to him” (Mk 3:13).
God called me because he wanted me to be fulfilled in this life and in eternal life by being a priest. That promise unfolds more and more each day, and I am confident that every person who seeks Christ will find this same abiding joy.
Father Avery Daniel
Archdiocese of Atlanta
St. Benedict Council 10633
Johns Creek, Georgia
Learn more at archatl.com/faith-life/vocations/priesthood-vocations.








