Following Pope Benedict's address to the Bishops of the United States yesterday, one of the Bishops asked a question about the current number of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. I appreciated the Holy Father's response, especially his emphasis on the need for prayer.

"The discernment of a vocation is above all the fruit of an intimate dialogue between the Lord and his disciples."

Time and again, I am reminded that a life of prayer and communion with Jesus is foundational to all discernment. All the research, experiences and marketing one can access is insufficient in the end. It is when one comes to a deep and intimate experience of Jesus that one is able to know His will and plan. I'm reminded of a quote of Pedro Arrupe, SJ:

Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. it will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.