Most Inspiring Vocation Quote :)

[Cherie]

Recently there was a thread about the least inspiring vocation quote -- (which STILL gets me giggling when I think about it! )

But since I love quotes, I thought it would be a good idea to post some quotes that actually DO inspire people to religious life. I don't have a religious vocation, but there were definitely some wonderful quotes that inspired me to try the life. Even now they often encourage me to never stop striving for holiness and inspire me to pray for vocations to the priesthood or religious life!


Here are some that I can think of:

"There is only one failure in this life - not to become a Saint." - Bd. Teresa of Calcutta

"Anyone who loves God and something else loves God less." - St. Augustine

"The more someone rejoices in something outside God, the less intense will be his joy in God." - St. John of the Cross

"Let self-will cease, and there will be no hell." - St. Bernard [Great to remind us of the beauty and necessity of religious obedience!]

"You have entered religion not to indulge the flesh but to die for Jesus Christ." - St. Teresa of Avila


So ... what are your favorite vocation quotes?

[aalpha1989]

A vocation is so very sacred that one does not like to speak of it; Inever mentioned it to anyone -- my classmates, my parents, nor to thepriests (except Father Kelly, a curate in the cathedral parish). Alwaysassociated with that sense of the gift of a treasure was the frailty ofthe earthenware pot which was to house it. I would often drive it outof my mind, only to have it come back again. For the most part, thereligious vocation is rather a silent but insistent whisper, yet onethat demands a response; no violent shaking of bedposts or loud noisesin the night. Just "you are called to be a priest."

Neither isthe vocation so imperative that it makes acceptance a necessity ratherthan a willing obedience. In the Old Testament story, when God spoke toyoung Samuel, there was no voice audible to anyone but the child. Norwas there anything to prove it was divine; that is why Samuel twicewent to Eli after his name was called, believing that it was Eli whohad summoned him. The experience of the aged priest, Eli, was necessaryfinally to convince the boy of the divinity of the speaker: "Eli,perceived that the Lord had called the child." Samuel did not at firstknow it was the voice of the Lord. Neither do most of us, when first weare called, recognize it as such except by its persistence and thecalmness and peace with which it possesses the soul.

-Fulton Sheen

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='aalpha1989' date='12 April 2010 - 12:17 PM' timestamp='1271085475' post='2091495']
A vocation is so very sacred that one does not like to speak of it; Inever mentioned it to anyone -- my classmates, my parents, nor to thepriests (except Father Kelly, a curate in the cathedral parish). Alwaysassociated with that sense of the gift of a treasure was the frailty ofthe earthenware pot which was to house it. I would often drive it outof my mind, only to have it come back again. For the most part, thereligious vocation is rather a silent but insistent whisper, yet onethat demands a response; no violent shaking of bedposts or loud noisesin the night. Just "you are called to be a priest."

Neither isthe vocation so imperative that it makes acceptance a necessity ratherthan a willing obedience. In the Old Testament story, when God spoke toyoung Samuel, there was no voice audible to anyone but the child. Norwas there anything to prove it was divine; that is why Samuel twicewent to Eli after his name was called, believing that it was Eli whohad summoned him. The experience of the aged priest, Eli, was necessaryfinally to convince the boy of the divinity of the speaker: "Eli,perceived that the Lord had called the child." Samuel did not at firstknow it was the voice of the Lord. Neither do most of us, when first weare called, recognize it as such except by its persistence and thecalmness and peace with which it possesses the soul.

-Fulton Sheen
[/quote]



That's one of my absolute favorite Sheen quotes. I posted that very same part you just did in [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=97448&hl=Rexi&st=0"]Rexi's Random Quote Thread[/url] a few months ago!

Here's two others I quite like from [i]Come Be My Light[/i]:

[i]Love demands sacrifice. But if we love until it hurts, God will give us His peace and Joy... suffering in itself is worth nothing; but suffering shared with Christ's Passion is a wonderful gift[/i]. - Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

[i]Love is proved by deeds; the more they cost us, the greater the proof of our love[/i]. - Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

[laetitia crucis]

So... I was looking about to add some more, but pretty much I'd have to say I love the entirety of St. John of the Cross' [url="http://www.ocd.or.at/ics/john/dichos.htm"][i]Sayings of Light and Love[/i][/url].

Here is my attempt at picking out some favorites:

[quote name='St. John of the Cross']- 15. Deny your desires and you will find what your heart longs for. For how do you know if any desire of yours is according to God?

- 102. He who seeks not the cross of Christ seeks not the glory of Christ.

- 115. Love consists not in feeling great things but in having great detachment and in suffering for the Beloved.

- 116. The entire world is not worthy of a human being's thought, for this belongs to God alone; any thought, therefore, not centered on God is stolen from him.

- 131. My Beloved, all that is rugged and toilsome I desire for myself, and all that is sweet and delightful I desire for you. [/quote]



And these two for good measure:

- [i]We have no right to rest; I repeat, we have no right to rest for a single moment, as long as even one soul is in Satan's grasp![/i] -- St. Maximilian Kolbe

- [i]There are very few people who realise what God would make of them if they abandoned themselves into his hands, and let themselves be formed by his grace.[/i] -- St. Ignatius of Loyola

[Tridenteen]

JMJ
My signature, or whatever you call the thing by Monstsy Grases underneath this post. I have some good LOTR stuff too that is in my LOBVM.

[brightsadness]

From a conversation of St. Seraphim of Sarov on "the acquisition of the Holy Spirit"



"And if we were never to sin after our Baptism, we should remain for ever Saints of God, holy, blameless and free from all impurity of body and spirit. But the trouble is that we increase in stature, but do not increase in grace and in the knowledge of God as our Lord Jesus Christ increased; but on the contrary, we gradually become more and more depraved and lose the grace of the All-Holy Spirit of God and become sinful in various degrees, and most sinful people. But if a man is stirred by the wisdom of God which seeks our salvation and embraces everything, and he is resolved for its sake to devote the early hours to God and to watch in order to find his eternal salvation [12], then, in obedience to its voice, he must hasten to offer true repentance for all his sins and must practice the virtues which are opposite to the sins committed. Then through the virtues practiced for Christ's sake he will acquire the Holy Spirit Who acts within us and establishes in us the Kingdom of God. The word of God does not say in vain: [i]The Kingdom of God is within you [/i](Lk. 17:21), and it [i]suffers violence, and the violent take it by force [/i](Mat. 11:12) [13]. That means that people who, in spite of the bonds of sin which fetter them and (by their violence and by inciting them to new sins) prevent them from coming to Him, our Saviour, with perfect repentance for reckoning with Him, yet force themselves to break their bonds, despising all the strength of the fetters of sin—such people at last actually appear before the face of God made whiter than snow by His grace. [i]Come, says the Lord: Though your sins be as purple, I will make them white as snow [/i](Is. 1:18).


This expresses the heart of my response to the call to Monastic life.

[aalpha1989]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='12 April 2010 - 11:28 AM' timestamp='1271086093' post='2091501']
[img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/love.gif[/img]

That's one of my absolute favorite Sheen quotes. I posted that very same part you just did in [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=97448&hl=Rexi&st=0"]Rexi's Random Quote Thread[/url] a few months ago! [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/clap.gif[/img]


[/quote]

Haha, that's probably where I got it.


[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='12 April 2010 - 11:54 AM' timestamp='1271087653' post='2091515']
So... I was looking about to add some more, but pretty much I'd have to say I love the entirety of St. John of the Cross' [url="http://www.ocd.or.at/ics/john/dichos.htm"][i]Sayings of Light and Love[/i][/url]. [img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/love.gif[/img] [/quote]

I really like these John of the Cross ones.

[Cherie]

[quote name='Tridenteen' date='12 April 2010 - 02:16 PM' timestamp='1271096213' post='2091611']
JMJ
My signature, or whatever you call the thing by Monstsy Grases underneath this post. I have some good LOTR stuff too that is in my LOBVM.
[/quote]

Monste is one of my FAVORITE Saints (or soon-to-be Saints!) EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

How did you hear about her? No one that I know has even remotely heard of her!

[vee]

[size="1"]waiting for the bunchies to show up[/size]...

Here is my favourite quote.

[i] And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life.[/i]

Pope Benedict XVI in his inaugural homily. The last paragraph is on vocations and can be read [url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20050424_inizio-pontificato_en.html"]here[/url]

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='vee8' date='12 April 2010 - 08:04 PM' timestamp='1271113454' post='2091988']
[size="1"]waiting for the bunchies to show up[/size]...

Here is my favourite quote.

[i] And so, today, with great strength and great conviction, on the basis of long personal experience of life, I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ – and you will find true life.[/i]

Pope Benedict XVI in his inaugural homily. The last paragraph is on vocations and can be read [url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20050424_inizio-pontificato_en.html"]here[/url]
[/quote]


Another great quote! I remember recording that in my journal.











[size="1"]Is that a bunchie invitation? [/size]

[vee]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='13 April 2010 - 09:10 AM' timestamp='1271113848' post='2091998']

[size="1"]Is that a bunchie invitation? [/size]
[/quote]

[size="1"] From me, never![/size]

Edited April 12, 2010 by vee8

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='vee8' date='12 April 2010 - 08:37 PM' timestamp='1271115459' post='2092018']
[size="1"] From me, never![/size]
[/quote]



[size="7"]AAAHAHAHAAHAHA!![/size]

[littlesister]

"I have called you by name. You are mine."

[Cherie]

Another one that really touched me was part of a quote from Pope Benedict during the youth rally at NYC in 2008: "Take courage! Fix your gaze on our saints. The diversity of their experience of God’s presence prompts us to discover anew the breadth and depth of Christianity. ... Have courage! You too can make your life a gift of self for the love of the Lord Jesus!"

The entire text of his message is [url="http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2008/april/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20080419_st-joseph-seminary_en.html"]here[/url] - I thought it was awesome, and when I first heard it, it made me cry!

[vee]

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you..."

Edited April 14, 2010 by vee8