If your child tells you they want to give their life to God

One day your son or daughter tells you they feel God is asking them to give him their life: the priesthood, consecrated life, celibacy in the middle of the world. Even if you're a believer, it's normal for it to shake you: fear that they're making a mistake, sadness over the plans you had for them, questions about their future. Parents can and should give their opinion, their advice, what they see. But then it's time to step back gently so that nothing gets in the way of their freedom. God wants to be loved and served freely, and he respects each person's decisions. From the outside, many vocations look like a loss: a promising career left behind, plans that change. From the inside, they're usually the fruit of what those same parents sowed: generosity, faith, the capacity to love.