Archbishop Bernard Hebda spent last weekend with 60 men discerning the priesthood, 11 of whom are studying at St. John Vianney College Seminary in St. Paul. While with the group, Archbishop Hebda said he was reminded that God has a plan not only for seminarians, but for everyone.
In the “Practicing Catholic” program set to debut at 9 p.m. Aug. 22 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Archbishop Hebda said, “For each one of us, whether it be someone that’s discerning marriage or discerning priesthood or consecrated life, or even a committed single life in the Church, each one of us is being called by the Lord to serve, to build up the Church. We have gifts that we received at baptism … we’re all supposed to use those gifts, but often we don’t know (how) exactly. It’s not so clear to us.”
Sometimes, the archbishop said, God’s will can appear to us dramatically, such as St. Paul’s experience on the road to Damascus. But for most of us, God speaks to us in a quiet voice. Because of this, it is essential to have quiet time in prayer to hear that voice. But, Archbishop Hebda said, he also believes in sharing discernment with others.
“We are asking people when they come together for small groups to start off by saying where it is that they’ve seen the Lord working in their lives,” Archbishop Hebda said. “I just recently had the opportunity to have dessert with a small group from St. Peter in Mendota Heights, and they spoke about how significant that is for them, not only the actual sharing with others about where they’ve seen the Lord but also preparing for that. As they gather for their small group, they’ve already been acting on where they’ve seen the hand of God in their life.”
Discernment, Archbishop Hebda said, has to take place in the individual’s heart.
“You can’t have somebody else discern for you,” the archbishop said. “It has to be something that the individual takes responsibility for, but always in that context of prayerful discernment and the confidence that we have a God who loves us and has a plan for each one of us. … I think always the first place where we have to go in prayer … is having that deep sense of God’s love for us (so) that when we sit down to pray, we imagine God gazing upon us and it’s a gaze of love.”
To hear the full interview with Archbishop Hebda, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Aug. 23 and 2 p.m. Aug. 24.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes Kate Soucheray, a columnist for The Catholic Spirit, sharing practical advice on creating balanced rhythms, weekly planning and creating space for commitments and rest.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
