Higher Vocation?

[Sister Marie]

[quote name='JoyfulLife' timestamp='1314489703' post='2296042']
[/quote]

I've been watching this thread because I agree that there is something special about religious life (as there is about all the states in life) but I am extremely uncomfortable with the words "perfect" and "superior" to describe religious life. I am newly out of initial formation and so have studied a lot about religious life rather recently and when I saw the first quote from Vita Consecrata I thought... hmm, how did I miss that? After reading those documents over and over and over again... how could I have not gotten that it was a dogma religious life is the objectively superior calling. So I just went to the Vatican website to look at the context of that quote and it gives a much different view and tone when taken in the entire paragraph.

Here is the entire paragraph from Vita Consecrata:

"Within this [u][b]harmonious constellation of gifts[/b][/u], [b]each of the fundamental [u]states of life[/u] is entrusted with the task of expressing, in its own way, one or other aspect of the one mystery of Christ.[/b] While [i]the lay life[/i] has [i]a particular mission [/i]of ensuring that the Gospel message is proclaimed in the temporal sphere, in the sphere of ecclesial communion [i]an indispensable ministry is carried out by those in Holy Orders,[/i] and in a special way by Bishops. The latter have the task of guiding the People of God by the teaching of the word, the administration of the sacraments and the exercise of sacred power in the service of ecclesial communion, which is an organic communion, hierarchically structured.[u]As a way of showing forth the Church's holiness, [i]it is to be recognized that the consecrated life,[/i] which mirrors Christ's own way of life, [i]has an objective superiority[/i]. [/u]Precisely for this reason, it is an especially rich manifestation of Gospel values and a more complete expression of the Church's purpose, which is the sanctification of humanity. [b]The consecrated life proclaims and in a certain way anticipates the future age, when the fullness of the Kingdom of heaven, already present in its first fruits and in mystery,will be achieved, and when the children of the resurrection will take neither wife nor husband, but will be like the angels of God[/b] (cf. [i]Mt [/i]22:30).The Church has always taught the pre-eminence of perfect chastity for the sake of the Kingdom,and rightly considers it the "door" of the whole consecrated life.[b]She also shows [u]great esteem[/u] for the [u]vocation to marriage[/u], which makes spouses "witnesses to and cooperators in the fruitfulness of Holy Mother Church, who signify and share in the love with which Christ has loved his Bride and because of which he delivered himself up on her behalf".In this perspective, common to all consecrated life, there are many different but complementary paths.[/b] Men and women Religious [i]completely devoted to contemplation [/i]are in a special way an image of Christ praying on the mountain.Consecrated persons engaged in [i]the active life[/i] manifest Christ "in his proclamation of the Kingdom of God to the multitudes, in his healing of the sick and the suffering, in his work of converting sinners to a better life, in his solicitude for youth and his goodness to all".Consecrated persons in [i]Secular Institutes[/i] contribute in a special way to the coming of the Kingdom of God; they unite in a distinctive synthesis the value of consecration and that of being in the world. As they live their consecration in the world and from the world,"they strive to imbue everything with an evangelical spirit for the strengthening and growth of the Body of Christ".For this purpose they share in the Church's evangelizing mission through their personal witness of Christian living, their commitment to ordering temporal affairs according to God's plan, and their cooperation in service of the ecclesial community, in accordance with the secular way of life which is proper to them."

I think the tone is quite different in the full context. I would reframe this conversation to say that the single life, married life, consecrated life, and priesthood all show an image of who God is and what He is doing in our world - they image the eternal Kingdom. A man and a woman image in matrimony the final wedding between the Bride - the Church and the Bridegroom - Christ. According to John Paul's Theology of the Body, their love images directly the giving, receiving, and life giving nature of the Trinity... THAT IS HUGE! Meanwhile, priests offer us the great opportunity to experience Christ in the sacraments. The sacrifice of their lives in imitation of Christ is an image of the eternal love of Christ for His Church. In my mind and heart, what is implied by this "objectively superior" language is just that we as religious have already wed Christ in that eternal marriage feast. When I say "just" I don't mean to say that it is not profound but it certainly doesn't make US superior - all it means is that the image we offer is more closely linked to the heavenly marriage that awaits. It certainly also does not make us more perfect.

I am so blessed right now to work in a school with some of the most dedicated teachers I have ever met and you know what - they are a million times holier than I can even hope to be. I am in awe of them and God continually uses them as an example to me of how to live a committed Christian life of love and service. I am continually humbled by them.

I'm sorry if I sound like a lunatic, haha. This is a really "heavy" topic and I don't believe that Christ would ever want us to cringe at our own calling when compared with another but I found myself cringing a little bit as I read. I reread this post a few times and I'm still not quite happy with it either... haha. You are all so precious to God and He desires your love. That is all. Everything else is a detail - important but still only details. Know I'm praying for you.

Sister Marie

[Sister Andrew]

Sr. Marie,
Thanks for that paragraph from Vita Consecrata. Putting the quote in context is very helpful. I don't really know what else to say in this topic. It is a very big topic! and sometimes I have a hard time articulating myself by typing! If I can think of something to contribute I'll be sure to post!

[MarisStella]

[quote name='jennyanne' timestamp='1314489688' post='2296041']



Wow! I just read this from the post above. ouch! Doesn't that seem odd that one would be so much less for following God's will as a faithful Christian than as a religious? Isn't the whole point to do His Will? Why the big difference then? Is it possible that St. Faustina was just wrong about this?
[/quote]

I know, I agree. :/ I thought that was a little harsh but I don't know..

[begin_again]

Beautifully said, Lillabett. I was a Sister in the "old" days and the opinion of a religious vocation being a "higher" calling/vocation was definitely taught to us. When I left, one of the sisters in "charge" of Junior sisters told me, "You know you have a vocation, you are turning your back on God and you will loose you immortal soul." I cannot tell you (because we all have our own pain) the horrors on my one night on a train back to my home town. I had been given not a dime and had to sit up all night with no money for food, just drinks of water. It took me years of being so lost and feeling so that I had "left" God. God gifted me with a holy, prayerful, wise SD to help me overcome and to plow through this sense of having rejected God, walked out on Him who I loved.. As you so beautifully stated, Lillabett, God needs roses and God needs violets and God even needs some of the lovely weeds. He does need those of us who have experienced rejection, feeling lost and, I would say even, cruelty so that we can be for others. I would not trade my years in religious life for anything in the world because I know it was where God wanted me at that time in my life. Now it has proven to be an invaluable lesson for me in my profession as a teacher....to find God in each student. To see Christ in each and every one of them...that together to help them make something of their lives because of Him is something I am not sure I would have ever grasped had I not had those experiences.

God loves us all; He truly does! To internalize that fact sometimes takes a long time, a lot of prayer, and asking, begging for that understanding. One drop of His precious blood shed on the Cross for our sins, one drop, is enough to save the entire world. How could He not love you unconditionally and forever and forever (I love it in Spanish, "por los siglos de los siglos)? I may not have the time set aside for Mass, prayer, LOH, rosary, etc., as I would have had in the convent, but I have minute by minute opportunities to offer my each action of each day to Him. At midnight after I have graded 160 papers am falling asleep praying Compline (when I am seeing words that are not on the page or my mouth is saying one thing and I am so tired I am thinking of something entirely different) I know that God loves me such as much if I simply nod off doing what I think He is calling me to do now. Never forget that God created you, you were in His thoughts before the world began and he knew you, you knew your every thought, word and action. He created you in your mother's precious womb; you are precious in His sight, He longs for your love no matter what you are doing in life. Return His infinite love and listen, listen, listen to Him. He will whisper in your ear in silence how much He loves you and He will ask you to love Him in return.

I think the higher calling is the one to which we are called!

[BarbTherese]

I am having problems editing - Apologies. This post is cancelled, duplication.

Edited August 28, 2011 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

[quote name='jennyanne' timestamp='1314489688' post='2296041']



Wow! I just read this from the post above. ouch! Doesn't that seem odd that one would be so much less for following God's will as a faithful Christian than as a religious? Isn't the whole point to do His Will? Why the big difference then? Is it possible that St. Faustina was just wrong about this?
[/quote]

We are not bound to believe all a saint may write. Certainly, there is no Church Teaching that the souls of religious and faithful Christians are different in Heaven by virtue of their vocation per se. There may be differences according to their state of Grace meaning that possibly some souls may shine brighter than others. But this is according to Sanctifying Grace in the soul, be it a religious or faithful Christian. It is the Grace that shines.

[u][b]Mark Chapter 9[/b][/u] - and with the authority of The Gospel behind it:
[url="http://www.drbo.org/x/d?b=drb&bk=48&ch=9&l=33#x"][33][/url] But they held their peace, for in the way they had disputed among themselves, which of them should be the greatest. [url="http://www.drbo.org/x/d?b=drb&bk=48&ch=9&l=34#x"][34][/url] And sitting down, he called the twelve, and saith to them: If any man desire to be first, he shall be the last of all, and the minister of all.


If we have a desire to be first, then in life we must strive to be the very least and last, and a servant to all - Jesus is very clear on this. Hence if I want to shine like the moon as compared with the stars in Heaven, then in my life I will be striving to be the least of the least and the humble servant of the least and of all. Interstingly, the above quotation from Mark occurs in the context of the apostles arguing over who should be the greatest among them. If a person is great and does great things for God in our human understanding, then praise God and all Glory to God and may they shine brightly in Heaven.

If indeed the souls of faithful religious shine brighterin Heaven than the souls of faithful Christians, then this is by virtue of God's Will - and it is God's Will that is lovingly embraced and with praise and thanksgiving for whatever He may Will. In Heaven it will not be of concern, other than to illustrate The Glory of God, since "every tear will be wiped away".

Edited August 28, 2011 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

Referring to this Post: [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=115168&view=findpost&p=2296062"]http://www.phatmass....dpost&p=2296062[/url]

Vita Consecrata is an important document also for those living the single celibate life for the sake of The Kingdom :

[quote]
We are all aware of the treasure which the gift of the consecrated life in the variety of its charisms and institutions represents for the ecclesial community. [i]Together let us thank God [/i]for the Religious Orders and Institutes devoted to contemplation or the works of the apostolate, for Societies of Apostolic Life, for Secular Institutes and for other groups of consecrated persons,[u] as well as for all those individuals who, in their inmost hearts, dedicate themselves to God by a special consecration.[/u]
[/quote]

It is an important document for laity as well, as well as the one on the laity per se and the priesthood:

[quote]
4. In response to the desire expressed by the Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops which met to discuss the theme "The Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World", I intend to set forth in this Apostolic Exhortation the results of the Synod processand to point out to all the faithful — Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and laity, and to any others who might be interested — the wondrous things which today too the Lord wishes to accomplish through the consecrated life.

Whereas the Second Vatican Council emphasized the profound reality of ecclesial communion, in which all gifts converge for the building up of the Body of Christ and for the Church's mission in the world, in recent years there has been felt the need to clarify [i]the specific identity of the various states of life,[/i] their vocation and their particular mission in the Church.Communion in the Church is not uniformity, but a gift of the Spirit who is present in the variety of charisms and states of life. These will be all the more helpful to the Church and her mission the more their specific identity is respected. For every gift of the Spirit is granted in order to bear fruit for the Lordin the growth of fraternity and mission.
[/quote]

The various vocations in The Church disperse the gifts of The Holy Spirit according to God's Will "in order to bear [u]fruit for the Lord[/u] in the [u]growth of fraternity and mission[/u]". As we insight and come to an understanding of an appreciation of other vocations, so we grow in insight, understanding and appreciation of our own.

Our various vocations do not compete with each other, but complement each other giving their particular and ordained witness by God. We are a community of individuals in the one Mystical Body of Christ, bound by mutual love and appreciation and assigned on mission for the Glory of God building up the Mystical Body of Christ on earth.

[maximillion]

I am no theologian, I leave that to others, but I am a good observer of life. What I observe in to-days way of being is that we are set up in direct opposition to each other, that 'success' (no matter in what it consists) is everything, that we must constantly rank ourselves against and beside others....this is the way of the world.
But it is not The Way of the Word.
'Higher' in this spiritual sense does not imply better like it does in the world. It means, to my reading of all of the above, 'different'.
God has as many aspects of His Infinite Being as there are people on the planet.....that is why we all exist in our many hued and various differences. This is a [b]perfect[/b]
outflowing of Love Abundant, Love so grand, so wide, so full, so pregnant with possibility that it takes all of us together and individually to express It.
How can any part of that magnificence be less?
I have been a sister....
I have never been a married woman, but I have had the grace of parenthood given me in my foster son. I don't imagine myself to be any the less as a person now than I was as a sister. My way of being in Him is different...........Praise Him for all our differences. Accept our differences as a full expression of Life in HIm.

[BarbTherese]

[quote name='maximillion' timestamp='1314518873' post='2296254']
I am no theologian, I leave that to others, but I am a good observer of life. What I observe in to-days way of being is that we are set up in direct opposition to each other, that 'success' (no matter in what it consists) is everything, that we must constantly rank ourselves against and beside others....this is the way of the world.
But it is not The Way of the Word.
'Higher' in this spiritual sense does not imply better like it does in the world. It means, to my reading of all of the above, 'different'.
God has as many aspects of His Infinite Being as there are people on the planet.....that is why we all exist in our many hued and various differences. This is a [b]perfect[/b]
outflowing of Love Abundant, Love so grand, so wide, so full, so pregnant with possibility that it takes all of us together and individually to express It.
How can any part of that magnificence be less?
I have been a sister....
I have never been a married woman, but I have had the grace of parenthood given me in my foster son. I don't imagine myself to be any the less as a person now than I was as a sister. My way of being in Him is different...........Praise Him for all our differences. Accept our differences as a full expression of Life in HIm.
[/quote]

Interesting concept and I tend to agree with you about "higher" or "superior" meaning different and religious life is different from lay life in that its primary call is to witness to perfection and Heaven - and of course, it can be said theologically, that perfection and the state of perfection and Heaven are the highest of calls. But what it means, I think, in practical terms is that it is a different witness to say marriage where the witness is to the unity between Christ and His Church and this is a very high call. In our daily lives, no matter our vocation, we are called to, and ideally witness to, some aspect of Christ and His Church ideally. His Love, His Mercy, His Compassion and Understanding, His Patience, His self sacrifice etc.etc. - all very high calls.

Why does God call one here and another there - because God needs some here and some there.

We need to remember, I think, that all that is good has its origin and end in God i.e. His Grace and always it is to God and His Grace alone all glory be assigned be it minute or great. If a person is called to the state of perfection and perseveres until death, then to God's Grace be all glory and thanksgiving, praise. We all cant be priests, religious or nuns or mankind and indeed The Church would be racing towards extinction. We do need witnesses to the state of perfection and Heaven however. If I am called to some quite humble role in the great scheme of things i.e. God's Plan of Salvation, then great praise and thanksgiving are due that God has seen fit in the first place to call such as I at all. It is a great mystery but each one of us in the Mystical Body from Pope to unemployed outsider has a very important part to play in God's Plan and the part only that person in the place to which they are called can play. We do have saint, St Benedict Joseph Labre (see below), who was a lay person and a beggar all his life, or what society today would probably call 'unemployed outsider' - or worse. He did not become a saint despite his 'status' but because of his perspective and attitude within that despised social 'status'.


[url="http://www.ewtn.com/library/mary/stben.htm"]http://www.ewtn.com/.../mary/stben.htm[/url]


[quote]
[quote]"[b]There is no condition of life which the grace of God has not sanctified[/b][/quote]
; this is the first reflection that must rise in the mind of anyone who studies the history of Benedict Joseph Labre."
[/quote]


Thank you for undertaking a foster child and may God ever bless you both richly. I too have a foster son from 8yrs old now 46yrs old - and I have a close relationship with him still and he calls me "Mum" and a delight. And I am his Mum. It is one thing to be the parent of a child and another thing to be a Mum or Dad to a child, -I think. Thankfully and praise The Lord many are both.

[tarc]

[quote name='jennyanne' timestamp='1314489688' post='2296041']



Wow! I just read this from the post above. ouch! Doesn't that seem odd that one would be so much less for following God's will as a faithful Christian than as a religious? Isn't the whole point to do His Will? Why the big difference then? Is it possible that St. Faustina was just wrong about this?
[/quote]

Well, it is obvious that St Faustina isn't the magisterium. So this is not infallible thruth. This statement even contains some problems - the stars are suns and in fact much greater than a tiny little moon.

Edited August 28, 2011 by tarc

[Chiquitunga]

Another thing to consider .. though this is still based on private revelation, many saints tell us the lowest levels of Purgatory are filled with priests and religious (one I remember off the top of my head is St. Veronica Guilani) Yes, they have a higher calling but I'm sure many do not live up to it, at least not totally. They have a lot of responsibility. We need to really pray for them!

Also, don't forget a married or lay person [i]can[/i] surpass the holiness of a religious. Numerous saints have. You might enjoy reading this book, [url="http://www.amazon.com/Married-Saints-Blesseds-Through-Centuries/dp/0898708435"][i]Married Saints and Blesseds[/i][/url]

[Chiquitunga]

Something else I wanted to post here ..

So when I was hearing this song for the first time, I didn't particularly like it, as I felt it was sad and like settling for less .. or mediocrity, which no Christian is called to!! And we can [i]all [/i]be called to martyrdom at any time.

But then I realized how beautiful it was and how true the message! And I especially love when she mixes "just me" with "You died just for me" and the last parts of the song. We are all called to be saints, each in our unique way! and God loves us each with an infinite Love!

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh_fSNz6NvQ[/media]

[BarbTherese]

[quote]
We are all called to be saints, each in our unique way!
[/quote]

Amen to that!
This cannot change that religious life is the higher call to the state of perfection as The Church states. This does not mean that all in religious life are perfect. Nor does it mean that those in religious life are loved more by God. Certainly none are worthy of a higher call. It is simply God's Will. None of us is worthy of being called by God in the first place to any vocation whatsoever, nor of being called to holiness and to be saints. Yet we are - a very humbling thought since God guarantees the Grace to achieve what we are most unworthy of in the first place.
Not because we are yukky type of creatures in the first place, but because in comparison with The Glory of God, we almost, as it were, fade into non existence.

Edited August 29, 2011 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

[u][b]Psalm 8[/b][/u]

[sup]4[/sup] what are human beings that you spare a thought for them, or the child of Adam that you care for him? Yet you have made him little less than a god, You have crowned him with glory and beauty. Made him lord of the works of Your Hands and put all things under his feet. Sheep and cattle and even the wild beasts, birds in the sky and fish swimming through the waters.
Yahwah our God, how majestic Your Name throughout the world!


The song you linked to Chiquitung is beautiful and moving. I recall when given a book on the Lives of The Saints aspiring to great things and then slowly coming to the realization that great things were totally beyond me with some devestation including any sort of even minute courage for martyrdom. I chose St. Therese of Lisieux as my patron saint for Confirmation simply because of all the large holy pictures that adorned my classroom, only St. Therese was smiling and while all the other saints had their eyes raised to the heavens, the eyes of St. Therese followed one with that gentle smile. Later I was given her autobiography and found the Little Way of St Therese for very little souls.
Amongst the things that has most moved me about Jesus dying on the cross is that He died for me personally, for each of us very very personally, and not because of any of the good things accomplished if any, but rather at any point in my life in my complete sinfulness and lost-edness. What I really liked about the song was that it triggered me to identify with myself as I am right now, just me - the unique me with all my faults and failings - and this is the person Jesus died for and that I should find courage and consolation simply in the person I am because this is the person Jesus loved and loves so ardently it was worth a cruel death. If Jesus thought me worth all that, then I should treasure my selfhood as a potential for holiness - overwhelming thought!

amesome! Thank you for sharing! (I didn't listen to the end of it as I have a prepaid wireless broadband connection and I need to watch the KB's)
I hope this post comes out ok, I seem to be having problems.

[AccountDeleted]

I think someone posted it here earlier but the whole point of a human life is sanctification of the soul. There may be religious who are holier than lay or vice versa... I have seen it from both sides and have met some very holy religious and also some very unholy ones. Ditto for the laity (and even for clergy too, come to think of it).

Religious life may be considered a higher vocation according to the Church, but that doesn't mean that all religious are living that vocation as faithfully as God desires. Whatever one's vocation may be, the purpose of human life is still the same for each one of us - to sanctify our souls through our own efforts and through God's grace. For each person, that may best be done in a different way. We may certainly emulate the saints, but we should never try to imitate them, as God did not make us to become carbon copies of each other.

So for anyone striving for 'the highest' vocation - that is sanctity. Not necessarily canonisation, which is the Church's way of inspiring the faithful, but sanctity.

What worries me a little is when this whole 'comparison' thing starts to become the reason for a person's vocational aspirations. It is a sort of competitive mentality that is found everywhere in our society - wanting to be better than others. And it is also what generates the kind of reaction that some on here have experienced when they decide that religious life is not for them and they leave the monastery - they are made to feel that they will somehow be punished for 'rejecting' God's will for them. It is all very insidious and so unspiritual, in my opinion. If we extrapolate this kind of thinking, then those who have wanted to stay but been asked to leave monasteries, instead of them rejecting God, they are actually being rejected by God! And we know this is all nonsense. God loves each of us (as has been said here many times) completely and fully and beyond our ability to comprehend.

If a person believes they are being called to religious life, then by all means, they should pursue this to the best of their ability, but as soon as emotions such as obligation or guilt or fear or even competition become a part of the process, then one should take a giant step back and re-examine their underlying motives for this choice. It would be much more productive (for the soul) at this stage of the process, to spend a good amount of time in serious prayer and reflection before taking any concrete steps. God is in no hurry.

For the OP - these feelings are real for you, and need to be dealt with as with any grieving process. Give yourself time to let God show you that He is also a God of comfort and healing. Any fears or doubts that you have, either about God's love for you, or your love for Him, are like a violent thunderstorm raging on a mountain. Go inside the cabin that is placed there by God and wait out the storm - there is a place inside you where it is all quiet and still - but to get there you need to ignore all these bombarding negative thoughts for now - tell yourself you will think about them later (but later you won't want to, that's the trick). And if you need help to do this (don't we all) every time a negative thought comes, take it straight to Jesus and tell Him what you are feeling... "Jesus, right now I am scared because I don't think you love me anymore." and if you can, at this point, take it one step further, "Jesus, I don't want to feel this way because I really do know that you love me, but I can't feel it right now." And then finally, ask for help, "So, please, Jesus, will you send your Holy Spirit to comfort me, dear Lord. I'm in such pain."

I can't tell you the number of tears I have shed over feeling rejected and unloved, despite knowing intellectually that God loves me and always will. And no matter how many people like me tell you this simple truth, sometimes the only thing that helps is taking it straight to the one who truly knows what suffering and pain are - Our Lord.

I am praying for you at this time, and hoping that your time in confusion and darkness passes quickly. This is a truly valuable time for you, but knowing that still doesn't make it any easier. Remember Jesus sweating blood before His Passion - He knew what was needed, and that His Father willed it, but that didn't stop the agony. God did send Him an angel to comfort Him though, so we can be assured that our prayers for help and comfort will be answered.

May the almighty and powerful Lord, bless and keep, guard and protect you always.