Is God Calling You?

• Have you been experiencing an unusual force inviting you to open up to religion? 
• Have the controversial headlines in the UK been influencing your curiosity about  the Pope´s Visit in September?
• Do you feel that something is trying to get to you, but you have no idea what it is?

It´s time to discover if God is calling you.

Faith and God may not be something you´re used to... but they could be things you´re more open to than you think. Now that the Pope is visiting our lands, you may feel something tugging at your heart strings; but you don´t know what they´re being pulled to do.

It could very well be God working through the Holy Spirit, asking you to acknowledge Him and the Catholic faith.

"How do I identify if God is really trying to communicate with me?!", one might ask.The answer is this: As long as you´ve opened up to the possibility that God exists, then you´ve made the tiniest room in your heart for Him to squeeze in. If you are capable of loving your fellow humankind, then you have already made it possible... because God is Love.

Identifying that God is communicating with you, may not seem like such a big deal... but many Catholics aren´t chosen for such a privelage as this in their faith-conscious life. It is a great and wondrous joy and honour for anybody, but can understandably be a petrifying experience if you aren´t a person of faith.

There are various ways God might call on you. I have a friend who was called to the Catholic faith through the intercession of St. Patrick in a dream. Bernadette in Lourdes, and Fatima´s Jacinta, Franciso & Lucia received apparitions from the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Paul received his message directly from God, on the road to Damascus. God can contact you in various ways, such as through prayer, an act or words of another, a place, a situation you´re in, or even whilst watching the sunset.
You may realise it straight away, or it could take you years, to realise God´s been trying to reach you.

No matter what the circumstance of you identifying God´s call is, don´t be afraid. Think about it a little, ask yourself all the questions you need to, prepare yourself for your task (this could take minutes to years!). Talk to a priest or another true believer if you feel the need to. If God is sending you a message that needs to be shared, then the Papal Visit website has a great resource for guiding you on how to communicate God´s message. As a result of your encounter with God, you might feel the need to learn more about the Catholic faith. A great way (but not the only way) to do this is to try out an upcoming event with the Pope.

The Pope is a man of great spirituality, and communicates with God probably at a rate that you and I drink water. So take advantage of the time Pope Benedict XVI will be spending here in the UK. It could be just the thing you need to help you connect or reconnect with God, and discover His call deeper. Heart speaks unto Heart was Cardinal Newman´s motto, and is the theme for this visit. Let God speak into your heart by opening it up to the possibility of the Catholic faith.

Visit the Papal Itinerary page, or speak to a priest and/or practising Catholic for some guidance.