Marie Dennis is co-president of Pax Christi International and the director of the Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns in Washington, D. C. Her books include St. Francis and the Foolishness of God and Oscar Romero. As she reveals through accounts of her own experience, "discerning one's vocation is a life-long process, requiring a heart finely tuned to the voice of God. It suggests the long-term task of matching the cadence of one's being to the rhythm of God's language."
After ten years working a farm and raising six children, Dennis founded with two friends the Center for New Creation, an ecumenical organization for peace and justice. She then moved into the Assisi Community in the inner city of Washington, D.C.
The process of discerning vocation, she states, is about establishing and nurturing right relationships, listening to God's voice at the margins, seeing reality with new eyes, and taking very seriously the spiritual practice of listening. She also believes that vocation potentially encompasses every level and dimension of our lives including marriage, parenting, and taking care of our fathers and mothers when they are older. The vocation of the Christian community is to incarnate the Beatitudes and work for justice and participation in the transformation of the world. Under the auspices of the Holy Spirit, Christians can discover new forms of discipleship. One path is the following:
"Those who answer the call to be peacemakers now will walk on yet unknown pathways and create a new framework for applying the tenets of our faith tradition in our profoundly un-peaceful world."
To discern and even change our vocation over a lifetime means that we must take the time to slow down and listen to the prodding of the Spirit. This can be a great adventure for the faithful, one filled with joy and mystery and meaning. This paperback is part of the Catholic Spirituality for Adults Series.
