When to do the first vocational experience?
The gauge is peace.
During my vocational discernment I clearly understood that the Lord was calling me to do a vocational experience in a religious community so that I could experience first-hand what it meant, and thus have the final certainty that that was my vocation. So, I began to reflect on when would be the best moment to go, but in the end it was the Lord himself who would give me the answer.
As I had just begun the last year of university, I humanly though that maybe it would be better to first get my diploma and then maybe begin my experience with no rush. The problem was that as I reasoned like this, all the peace and serenity in my soul went away and I instead began to feel a deep sense of restlessness. Because I understood, thanks to the rosary meditations of our founder, that peace is a sign to discern the will of God (cf. Jer 29:11), and since I lost my peace immediately when I thought of delaying my experience until June, I sensed that the Lord did not want me to wait so long.
For the second time, I began to reflect and thought first to spend Christmas with my parents (it was November) to not pain them on account of my departure, and then in January go to do my experience. But once again, I lost peace! So, I thought maybe just to wait until the end of the month, given that I had an exam to take and I was the lead in a dance recital and it would be difficult to call it all off at the last minute. But nothing…I felt peace not even with this plan!
So, I surrendered: there was no doubt that it was the will of God that I did a vocational experience as soon as possible! I said: “Okay, Lord. I understand. Next week I will do the experience” and immediately I felt peace, a great joy, as well as fire in my heart (cf Ps 119:16, Jer 29:11, Luke 24:32)!
Sr. VMD