Byzantine Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Any advice for ruling out a possible vocation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhuturePriest Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 [quote name='Byzantine' timestamp='1347212837' post='2480629'] Any advice for ruling out a possible vocation? [/quote] From my spiritual director: [i]When discerning a vocation, it is so easy to overwhelm yourself with romantic thoughts about it. Praying in Community, doing the apostolate with your Brothers, living joyfully in Community, etc. But we need to remember to also picture the bad in order to discern. Think about Brother Joseph being annoying and antagonistic, when you must obey your Superior even though you are strongly opposed to what he has decided, when your schedule is messed up by the Community's schedule, when you think about these things, does your zeal for living in Community go out?[/i] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleWaySoul Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 [quote name='Byzantine' timestamp='1347212837' post='2480629'] Any advice for ruling out a possible vocation? [/quote] Does this have to do with what I think it has to do, Byz? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted September 9, 2012 Author Share Posted September 9, 2012 [quote name='LittleWaySoul' timestamp='1347218590' post='2480676'] Does this have to do with what I think it has to do, Byz? [/quote] You can prove nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmenchristi Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 I have three suggestions: Pray, pray.... and then pray The only time one vocation is totally ruled out is when you have definitively chosen another. Still, as we proceed we find ourselves growing closer to one path and further from another. It is a process that is different for everyone. I don't want to put too much of my personal story out there, but I've recently been through this. I NEEDED to rule out one option in order to proceed with my life and not be hung up on the past. The Lord granted me, through prayer, the grace and clarity to do that. It depends on where you're at though. Sometimes we just have to accept not knowing. Heaven knows how long I've had to do that for! We have to trust that God has a plan for our lives and is leading us and will reveal in due time what our next step should be. So is there a process to rule out an option? Yes and no! It's one of the final steps of the whole discernment business. I don't believe either that it should be looked at negatively, but rather while it is saying no to one thing, it is saying yes to another. Your yes is the most important part. Your no may be painful and suffered but all this is in order to adorn your YES. I believe we discern our Yeses and Nos at the same time, not one before the other. After the big yes and no are sorted out for example yes to the priesthood, no to marriage we can sort out the smaller yeses and nos like yes to the priesthood and no to the religious life. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specifics on my personal experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihil Obstat Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 Well for me I did at a certain point consciously come to the conclusion that the priesthood was not for me. My specific reason for coming to that conclusion was that everything that was, at that time, drawing me to the priesthood, was in reality a desire to escape from a situation that was not healthy for me. Basically, I was looking at it for the wrong reasons. Once I discovered that, I shifted my focus and tried to 'purify' my motivation, at which point I found, a couple years later, that I was being very strongly called to marriage. For real reasons, rather than reasons not connected to reality. I am sure that some people have had this same experience, either for or against married life or the religious life. Hopefully most people do not follow through on unrealistic motivations. I cannot imagine a greater trial than having to live one's life having permanently chosen the wrong path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
To Jesus Through Mary Posted September 9, 2012 Share Posted September 9, 2012 (edited) [quote name='carmenchristi' timestamp='1347220599' post='2480694'] I have three suggestions: Pray, pray.... and then pray The only time one vocation is totally ruled out is when you have definitively chosen another. [/quote] This. This. This. A million times over. I would strongly recommend speaking with a spiritual director about this. God speaks to us all very differently. Your discernment is sacred ground, where I don't know the whole situation nor am properly trained would be reluctant to offer any advice. I will pray for you!! Also Fr Gallagher's books on discernment have been very helpful. [url="http://www.frtimothygallagher.org/books."]http://www.frtimothy...gher.org/books.[/url] Edited September 9, 2012 by To Jesus Through Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted September 10, 2012 Author Share Posted September 10, 2012 Thanks all! [quote name='LittleWaySoul' timestamp='1347218590' post='2480676'] Does this have to do with what I think it has to do, Byz? [/quote] I'm actually not quite sure what you mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LittleWaySoul Posted September 11, 2012 Share Posted September 11, 2012 [quote name='Byzantine' timestamp='1347236594' post='2480808'] I'm actually not quite sure what you mean. [/quote] That thing that we both have to prep for next Friday. It's about vocations, right? I was wondering if that's part of the reason why you asked Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantellata Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Looking at it as "ruling it out" is perhaps a flawed approach..... .... generally I find it tends to be those who try most vehemently to "rule out" a vocation who actually have one. If you don't have a vocation, there is nothing to worry about "ruling out". .... sort of a "me thinks he/she doth protest too much". Try writing God a blank check. You might be surprised at the results.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Byzantine Posted September 16, 2012 Author Share Posted September 16, 2012 I know I have a vocation, but I'd like some clarification as to which of the four... That's what I was asking. Though at this point I'm probably going to enter the seminary right after college unless there's a good reason not to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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