A Vocational Snob?

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Sister Marie' timestamp='1318733140' post='2321894']
Sometimes I have felt so dumb for my immediate judgment when I've been told the REAL reason behind a decision - which I don't always have a right to know anyway. It really gives me a good dose of humility, which I pray for but don't really want to experience (who does?... it hurts!). Sometimes there is a reason we do things the way we do that I never think of and its definitely the better way... but I never would have seen it that way had someone not brought my attention to it. I also recognize sometimes that I could be right... not by any merit of my own but because I have a different perspective to share. If my principal doesn't know how to use facebook... I could have some more information on cyberbullying than she does... .

It goes both ways. That's part of the beauty of religious life too that you get so many gifted and talented and diverse people together to try to bring the Kingdom to life in our world now. God works it all out for us... but it is never as clean as most of us would like. We always have to struggle with the fact that we have put our whole life in the hands of our community and they will make mistakes no matter what... it's human nature, and its every community and we are joined together for better or for worse.

It all just makes me glad that God doesn't mind messes!

I used to get upset about how my community has an unstructured day each week - prayers in private and attendance at Mass are assumed but its pretty much free. When I was a novice I didn't like it at all. I thought we should be praying together and keeping up our same practice as before. However, now that I'm on the mission I realize that without that day, I wouldn't make it! In fact, we spend more time together as a community on our free day than on any others. We also need the rest we receive that day to carry on our apostolate which is physically and emotionally taxing - education. Now I understand.

Anyway... I have plenty of other examples but the point is that God gives us one another to make these decisions together to bring about the kingdom and sometimes I have to give up my own ideas for the greater common good of my community... sometimes it ends up being the greater good for me too even when I think it isn't.
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Very good examples Sr Marie! Thank you for sharing those.

[Hna.Caridad]

So, I've been perusing some of the old threads & came across this one. Wow--there's a lot of wisdom in here. Therefore...*bump*!

[inperpetuity]

Having preferences is normal. I wouldn't even consider a community that doesn't ................that doesn't make you a snob.

[emmaberry101]

[quote name='inperpetuity' timestamp='1349545367' post='2490703']
Having preferences is normal. I wouldn't even consider a community that doesn't ................that doesn't make you a snob.
[/quote]

Yes. You are hardly a snob if you do the same in dating-why is it any different in discerning religious communities?

As the OP said, the attitude is really what makes the thing snobbish, but genuinely discerning ("distinguishing between things") is never snobbish.

[Catholicterp7]

I honestly had the same exact revelation this weekend. I was on a Nun Run put on by the Daughters of Charity. While I know that I personally am called to a more structured community life I came away from the weekend with a very profound respect the Daughters. It really opened my eyes to the vast number of different ways to live out the vocation to be His spouse.
Thanks for even more food for thought here.
JMJ+