How could I have been so wrong in what God was calling me to do?

Q I had thought that I was doing God’s will; I had prayed, and every indication was that this was the direction that God wanted me to pursue. But after some time, every roadblock was put in front of me, and I had to go elsewhere. How could I have been so wrong about what God was calling me to?

A This is such a great question. So many people have been in your shoes and know the frustration of believing that God had called them to do one thing only to realize that the door they thought God wanted them to go through was shut. I hear you. I also hear you asking where you went wrong.

I see this most often with people in relationships. There are times when two people will have been very thoughtful and prayerful about discerning whether God was calling them to be in a dating relationship (or even engagement) with each other. They could have sought out wise counsel and really submitted their plans to whatever God wanted. In that, it might have become very clear to them that God was inviting them to enter this relationship. (I have also seen this with men entering seminary and women entering discernment with a religious community.) Then, sometimes suddenly, the other person breaks up with

Ring. Frodo becomes fearful, remembering his last encounter with Boromir. But Faramir relies upon the wisdom and counsel he has received, and lets that wisdom form his heart, so that his desires are already disposed against taking the ring. He holds true to his word. “Even if I were such a man as to desire this thing, and even though I knew not clearly what this thing was when I spoke, still I know that there are some perils from which a man must flee.” Faramir holds to the wisdom he has received, and so remains free from sin.

We are often like Boromir. Amid temptation, we start to rationalize why this sin should be allowed to us, or even why it’s a good thing. Yet rationalization leads us out of the wisdom of the Lord, which we receive in his word. Faramir is a character who follows in the way of Jesus, even as Christ faced temptation. Jesus clung to the wisdom God had given to his people, and so Jesus overcame every temptation. So can we. The Letter to the Hebrews reminds us, “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly been tested in every way, yet without sin.” In the humanity he has assumed, Jesus shows us that in our humanity we can overcome the temptations that befall us, if we cling to the wisdom and love that we have received from him, particularly by clinging to the words of Scripture.

As we begin our Lenten journey, we begin a journey to fight against temptation and sin. I encourage you to examine your heart and your life. See what temptations you are particularly vulnerable to or the sins you easily rationalize yourself into committing. Then search the Scriptures, or ask someone who knows the Scriptures well, for a passage or two that can speak wisdom against that temptation. Then, when the temptation comes or the rationalization begins, speak this verse against the temptation. Cling to the wisdom that God has given you in his word. Then you may find a new strength to rise above the temptation, invite you out of your sins, and keep you in the grace of God.

Father Aamodt is associate pastor of St. Hubert in Chanhassen. He can be reached at aric aamodt@st hubert org them. Or the seminary instructs them that they are not called to continue formation for the priesthood. Not only can this be incredibly painful, but it can also send a person into a kind of tailspin when it comes to their ability to hear the voice of God. They begin to doubt whether they can ever wisely and accurately discern God’s will again.

There are a few things to keep in mind when discerning God’s will. The first is that God’s will is not always obvious or even specific. We know that God’s will is always that we become saints. God constantly wills that we say yes to him and surrender our lives to him. But he also gives us quite a bit of leeway when it comes to our choices. While there are some things that God has always prohibited (like murder or adultery — you don’t have to discern whether he wills you to kill an innocent person or break marriage vows), and there are some things that God has always commanded (like going to Mass on Sundays or loving our neighbor), there seem to be quite a few choices that God is quite OK with us going this way or that.

A general rule of thumb could be: If God hasn’t revealed his will on a topic through Scripture or the Church’s teaching, and he hasn’t made it absolutely clear to you that he wills a particular choice for you, then he is giving you the freedom to choose for yourself.

Many of us often say that we want this. Of course, when it comes down to it, many of us want to do God’s will so that we have some imagined guarantee that things will turn out well, or because we want someone to blame if things turn out poorly. It could be worth our time to reflect on why it is that we want to know God’s will. Is it because we desire to submit our entire lives to him or because we want someone else to decide for us?

In creating us with free will, God is also entrusting us with the responsibility of exercising that free will. And this means that sometimes we will not choose the best for ourselves. But it was

PLEASE TURN TO ASK FATHER MIKE ON PAGE 12B

DAILY Scriptures

Sunday, Feb. 26

First Sunday of Lent Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7 Rom 5:12-19 Mt 4:1-11

Monday, Feb. 27 Lv 19:1-2, 11-18 Mt 25:31-46

Tuesday, Feb. 28 Is 55:10-11 Mt 6:7-15

Wednesday, March 1 Jon 3:1-10 Lk 11:29-32

Thursday, March 2 Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25 Mt 7:7-12

Friday, March 3 Ez 18:21-28 Mt 5:20-26

Saturday, March 4 Dt 26:16-19 Mt 5:43-48

Sunday, March 5 Second Sunday of Lent Gn 12:1-4a 2 Tim 1:8b-10 Mt 17:1-9

Monday, March 6 Dn 9:4b-10 Lk 6:36-38

Tuesday, March 7 Is 1:10, 16-20 Mt 23:1-12

Wednesday, March 8 Jer 18:18-20 Mt 20:17-28

Thursday, March 9 Jer 17:5-10 Lk 16:19-31

Friday, March 10 Gn 37:3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a Mt 21:33-43, 45-46

Saturday, March 11 Mi 7:14-15, 18-20 Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

Sunday, March 12 Third Sunday of Lent Ex 17:3-7 Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 Jn 4:5-42

KNOW the SAINTS

ST. CASIMIR (1458-1484) Born in Krakow, Casimir was the son of Casimir IV, king of Poland and grand duke of Lithuania, and Elizabeth of Austria. Known for his refusal to take up arms, as well as his personal piety, generosity to the poor and devotion to the Blessed Mother, he rejected the idea of marrying in favor of voluntary chastity. During a visit to Lithuania, he fell ill, died from tuberculosis at the age of 25 and was buried in the cathedral in Vilnius. Canonized in 1521, he is the patron of Poland and Lithuania. His feast day is March 4. — OSV News eal challenges. Catholics are called to respond.