Panganiban, Janina Maria L.

(Section H) Reflection paper (Recollection & Module 1)

The recollection on vocation revolved on three significant concepts: gifts, crosses, and

desires. Through the narratives of the guest speakers, I was able to understand the importance of

each concept in living out one’s vocation or the desire to find meaning in our lives (Asis, Module

1 Summary). Gifts are what we are good at. Crosses, on the other hand, are the challenges that

we face. Lastly, desires are what we want to pursue. The spouses Mr. Rem and Mrs. Renee both

wanted to pursue law. Meanwhile, Sister Cris wanted to get married. Indeed, we all have our

own plans for our lives. Every goal we set that is aligned with our desires is our attempt to live

out our own vocation or to make our life meaningful as we see fit. However, the desires of the

speakers were not met. The spouses had different jobs and Sister Cris became a nun. With that,

they all pointed out one shared lesson—vocation as per God’s will and call gives much more

meaning to life. The life stories of the speakers correspond to what the module indicates about

vocation. Our vocation or personal mission is to respond to God’s call (to serve others) through

our gifts, and we are sustained in that mission through prayer (Asis, Module 1 Summary).

Collating what I have learned from the recollection and from class, I realized that, in the midst of

finding their God-given vocation, it was the speakers’ gifts that actually led them to their

respective professions/vocations now. Moreover, we could reckon from their stories that their

crosses had humbled them enough to seek God through faith and prayer. They all said that

pursuing their vocation was an absolute journey of faith and it was faith that sustained such

journey. Aside from vocation being a faith journey, the module also indicates that vocation,

given with what we have (gifts, desires, and crosses), are all meant to be shared—vocation is a

life lived with and for others and God (Asis, Module 1 Summary). Indeed, the respective
marriage, jobs, and nunhood of the speakers showcased a life that was lived with and for others

(their spouse, clients) and for God.