Religious Giddiness

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

This is something I felt calls to address--
For some in vocation station, their sense of a religious vocation was a gradual nagging that eventually made it to a place in their hearts where they could address it with openness and recognize the privilege and sanctity of a religious/priestly vocation. For others, it was a sudden or semi-sudden "wake-up call," where they realized that what the world has to offer them is nothing in compare to what God does. Oftentimes, but not always, this is synonymous with a conversion/reversion of heart. Either back to or new to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Euharist and/or the healing/freeing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Perhaps there was some other way, but those seem to be generally the most common experiences of vocational reception.
In a general way, then, a lot of people discerning tend to take a very excited, giddy, and assertive view of their vocation, e.g. someone discovers they're called to religious life and immediately gives away their college money to a charity because they want to become a Franciscan the minute they graduate.
Of course, there is no problem with making radical changes in your life and/or sacrificing things because of what you feel called to. Just because there is an initial call, however, doesn't mean that we are already a religious. Certainly, however, never cease in your pursuit of sanctity and self-denial and denial of the fleeting things of earth.
What I'm getting at is that a religious/priestly vocation is something so extraordinarily solemn, precious, holy, and permanent, that it should not be based on the way any aspect

[ChristinaTherese]

It looks like you ended in the middle of a thought. Did it just cut off some of what you wrote, and you meant to post more?

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

[Continued]
of it makes you "feel" in the human, emotional sense. The word vocation means "to call" and discerners out there need to undertaker and remember that though God always calls us to Himself, we can't always hear Him as clearly as other times. Becoming a religious is such a mystical, internal transformation, that it should NEVER be based on who the members in the order are, how you think the world will look upon you before/after you enter (positive or negative), a selfish decision of an easy way to Heaven/escaping the world, a "plan B" after marriage and family, and many more.
A vocation to the religious life/priesthood is supernatural and sacred, not something to be thrown around as an idea of fun because of the enthusiasm of a certain community. No matter what, God has a plan for you, don't make yourself a plan and show it to God for approval, unless you were attempting an April Fool's prank on the Big Man, But then again he'd already know...
Anyway, of course many, if not all people who have/are discerned have experience some sort of romantic giddiness in our relationship with God. One of those times where you desire to make a complete fool out of yourself for God. These are beautiful, desirable times, but they don't always last. Just because they don't last, however, doesn't mean that you should attempt to keep these romantic epiphanies alive on your own accord. God chooses to touch out hearts and souls in His perfect time, don't prematurely stimulate what you want to have as a vocation.

Thanks to everyone for reading this. Please let me know what you think.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Two Hearts Uniter, protect, guide, and teach us.

It looks like you ended in the middle of a thought. Did it just cut off some of what you wrote, and you meant to post more?

Yes, sorry about that, when you're typing on an iPod touch at midnight after a long day of philosophy, biblical theology, Latin, and composition, you can hit the wrong keys...
You'll find the rest of my thoughts on the thread now ;)
God bless Edited February 5, 2013 by Mary+Immaculate<3

[Catholicterp7]

I find this very interesting because it's something I've often struggled with in the past three and a half years. I think you're right but I also would caution against over intellectualizing your vocation. There needs to be a balance, I think, in feelings and knowledge, solemn respect and joyful acceptance, and listening to God speak to your heart and listening to those who know you well. Like I said I've gone from one extreme to the next and it's been a tough lesson to learn. I guess like many things it's a matter of finding the right balance.

JMJ+ :heart: 

[ChristinaTherese]

Yes, sorry about that, when you're typing on an iPod touch at midnight after a long day of philosophy, biblical theology, Latin, and composition, you can hit the wrong keys...
You'll find the rest of my thoughts on the thread now ;)
God bless

Okay. I just knew that there is a history of posts sometimes getting cut off for no good reason, so I wanted to check that that hadn't happened to you. ;)

[maximillion]

Feelings are never a reliable guide to action, no matter what the feelings.

 

However, God gave us our emotional repertoire for a reason, and they are another source of information welling from within which can assist WHEN TAKEN TOGETHER WITH OTHER EVIDENCE AND INFORMATION as to a possible direction for action.

 

I can remember getting 'giddy for God' both before entering the convent and, more often, once there!

 

I think there are some souls who are called to a wild, radical, immediate love affair with their Lord.

What action they take as a result could affect how the love affair progresses.

[VeniJesuAmorMi]

When I hear the word feelings in regard to the spiritual life, I think of St. John of The Cross who wrote very much about what your talking about. :)

 

I think in the beginning when one comes to know and love Our Lord and is being brought closer to Him (however it came about) and now they are on this new found path and journey, there is going to be many different feelings, but in speaking of those sweet kinds of feelings; they are very much there at the start. One should be really cautious not to fall into spiritual pride during this time, in thinking that they are more important than others and start thinking highly of themselves. Usually those sweet feelings of Our Lord and the consolations and reassurances are to help strengthen us and help us to stay on the path we are supposed to be on, but one may not see this that way at first. At first when they start to go on and off, during the off times we are faced with seeing ourselves as we really are which can become discouraging, and then there can be the anxieties and temptations. When one matures and grows in their spiritual life, these feelings are going to become less and less and we won't need those feelings of consolations and sweetness we may have had in the beginning to help us persevere on our way. One shouldn't rely on feelings to let them be reassured of what their path is and where they are supposed to be going, but with the will to be faithful to that which was in your heart to begin with despite anything that comes your way, and go along in pure faith and trust that Our Lord is doing His part and will not leave you alone. This doesn't mean that we won't have those feelings of sweetness and sensible joy, they will come if Our Lord wants to give them, but at a certain point your going to learn not to rest in them. Feelings are changing constantly, and we have to grow and be detached. I heard this recently a couple of times: that being completely detached from all things is to be completely attached to Our Lord. This is for everyone, and maybe especially those that are called to enter the religious life.

[Gabriela]

Duplicate post.

Edited February 6, 2013 by curiousing

[Gabriela]

This is something I felt calls to address--
For some in vocation station, their sense of a religious vocation was a gradual nagging that eventually made it to a place in their hearts where they could address it with openness and recognize the privilege and sanctity of a religious/priestly vocation. For others, it was a sudden or semi-sudden "wake-up call," where they realized that what the world has to offer them is nothing in compare to what God does. Oftentimes, but not always, this is synonymous with a conversion/reversion of heart. Either back to or new to the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Euharist and/or the healing/freeing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Perhaps there was some other way, but those seem to be generally the most common experiences of vocational reception.
In a general way, then, a lot of people discerning tend to take a very excited, giddy, and assertive view of their vocation, e.g. someone discovers they're called to religious life and immediately gives away their college money to a charity because they want to become a Franciscan the minute they graduate.
Of course, there is no problem with making radical changes in your life and/or sacrificing things because of what you feel called to. Just because there is an initial call, however, doesn't mean that we are already a religious. Certainly, however, never cease in your pursuit of sanctity and self-denial and denial of the fleeting things of earth.
What I'm getting at is that a religious/priestly vocation is something so extraordinarily solemn, precious, holy, and permanent, that it should not be based on the way any aspect

 

You identify two groups:

 

1) Those experiencing a gradual call, who resisted at first but eventually surrendered.

 

2) Those who felt a sudden call, which they accepted immediately.

 

In my research, I have found a third group is quite substantial in numbers:

 

3) Those who have felt called ever since they can remember.

 

 

For the purposes of writing my research findings, I have developed "handy names" for these groups:

 

I call the first group "stage-calleds", because their experience of the call typically proceeds in stages.

 

I call the second group "once-calleds", because their experience of the call began and ended in a single experience. (Although obviously the call doesn't end the moment you say 'yes'. It's just that the experience of the call, the moment of recognition, happens in one clear moment for these people, and does not need to be repeated or prolonged, as for "stage-calleds".)

 

I call the third group "forever-calleds", because their call "has just always been". (Again, we often say that people who have a call have had that call from eternity. These names refer only to the experience of discernment from the perspective of the called individual, not to the "God's-eye view" of the matter.)

 

 

I have met many religious who got the idea to enter religious life and just as soon gave up everything they had and entered—in some cases, it took less than two months (this was back in the olden' days, before lengthy psych evals and the like ;-). Some of those women have been religious for over 50 years. As one abbess said to me, "Grace builds on nature"—and some people's nature is rather "sudden", impetuous. If God calls them, and they feel certain He is asking them to take immediate action, then I say: God bless your sacred hurry. ;-)

[Gabriela]

I think that the caution about feelings is very much a Carmelite notion. If you read St. Ignatius' Rules of Discernment, he urges people to pay close attention to their feelings as a way of discerning God's will for them. Thus, I don't think hard and fast rules apply in the matter of attention to feelings, as different saints have had different views on this. Ultimately the best approach for any given individual seems to depend on which spirituality appeals to that person.

 

Granted, we can't rely on our feelings alone to lead us, or trust that we will always feel elated about the spiritual life, or get depressed or believe that God has abandoned us if we don't have those feelings. I'm pretty sure every religious writer would agree to that. Everyone knows that "the Desert" is ultimately very spiritually productive, despite being dry, empty, and painful.

 

Still, in my experience, there is too much eagerness to discount feelings as "untrustworthy" or "suspicious". I think we ought to pay attention to them.

[BarbTherese]

I agree, although probably putting the same concepts differently. 

Feelings are important, I think, and tell us IN PART who we are - positive feelings can also 'inflame' the will and Love primarily is in the will, not in positive feelings.  Love (in the will) need persevere through 'spiritual deserts' when feelings are anything but supportive and certainly not 'inflaming' to good of any kind, rather feelings can pull in an entirely opposite direction.  Relying on the feeling level alone can lead to that despondancy and even despair through times of the 'spiritual desert' simply because all those fine feelings have vanished and one is left with contrary feelings pulling one in an entirely different direction.  One can feel abandoned - and one might well be, but only abandoned by all those lovely feelings for we know in Faith and theologically that God abandons absolutely no person.  Hence if one is experiencing wonderful feelings, for me it is a time to question decisions that I may make as to the why of it all (the decision I mean).  Why am I making this decision? Personally, I need to discern positive reasons in my will, sound theological reasons that speak to Faith that will stand if the feelings vanish, as indeed they can do and sometimes quite unexpectedly.

 

Aspiring to religious life and then into postulancy and even often through the noviciate years, feelings can be entirely supportive - perhaps even after these stages of formation.  But at some point we are all faced with a 'spiritual desert' of some kind or degree, to some length of time or other, when one needs more than feelings (they have vanished) to persevere onwards on our course.  Love is a commitment, and a commitment of the will in freedom.

[BarbTherese]

I think all taken into account, I am probably Carmelite orientated in spirituality.  I read recently, however, an excellent book on the Ignatian way to discover Cod's Will "God's Voice Within" (Mark E Thibodeaux SJ) - I found it very simply written and easy to read and quite profound.  It has become one of those 'bedside books' kept on hand and to which I often refer.  It is broken up into many chapters, hence easy to locale some particular subject one may want to consider. As an example of some quite random chapters only:

• Observe the 'course of the thoughts'
• Look out for false consolation
• The tentative decision
• Making the final decision and acting on it
• Weighing desolation and consolation

[TheresaThoma]

I think that the caution about feelings is very much a Carmelite notion. If you read St. Ignatius' Rules of Discernment, he urges people to pay close attention to their feelings as a way of discerning God's will for them. Thus, I don't think hard and fast rules apply in the matter of attention to feelings, as different saints have had different views on this. Ultimately the best approach for any given individual seems to depend on which spirituality appeals to that person.

I'm glad you brought up St Ignatius' Rules. The important thing that I have discovered is you have to get at the "base" of the feeling.  Kind of my thought process is identify the feeling (happy sad, frustrated, restless etc) and then figure out where it is coming from, (is this drawing me towards God or away from Him) then decide if I should act on that feeling or not.  An example of this would be I am frustrated with where I am in my prayer life, I feel like I am in a desert and it is just dry dry dry.  So that frustration may be one of two things either it is the devil trying to pull me away from prayer, or it is God trying to strengthen me in prayer (helping me persevere or telling me to "mix things up"). 

 

So I think there will be moments of giddiness (you are falling in love after all!) but you need to be able to determine how you will act on that feeling of giddiness. Some of us might need to mellow out for a bit where others may need to act immediately.

[carmenchristi]

Great posts on this thread. Religious giddiness is a good description if what many of us have ecperienced at one time or another. At the moments when I have been in the midst of it, my SD has always called me on it, telling me not to let myself be carried by it. When we are so high (or low for that matter) on emotion we are more easily led into temptation. So while t is true that it would be wrong to completely intellectualize te concept of vocation, when strong feelings are involved it is a case for EXTRA discernment, and then some. And this not only in the area that specifically connects with those feelings, in this case vocation, but in every aspect of the life of the person experiencing them.