Can an unimportant ordinary person have a vocation?

[MarysLittleFlower]

 

​im sorry about the formatting - its my phone... I realize it may seem that way but I actually meant it about all religious. The hidden aspect is more directly related to cloistered orders but since active orders still leave any worldly ambitions, they also become - maybe not hidden like that but unknown to the world. I realize people see them and they bring Christ to people .. But it is Christ others should see, not just the religious themselves, the religious should become smaller... I'm thinking of Blessed Dina Belanger who was in a more active order but the statement applies to her very well. Also the sacrifice of the Cross in their lives can be hidden

I didn't mean this statement in only the most visible direct way - maybe if you read about Blessed Dina that would explain it better

[MarysLittleFlower]

Yes but to become a priest or brother you need to have four priest references. A normal person has a parish priest and maybe a spiritual director. The only way one will be known well to many priests is by being ostentarious.
The ordinary and humble hidden people will never be noticed enough to have a vocation or to get loads of references. So they will not get called.

I disagree. Trying to stand out to get references is not in the humble way that religious should live. If they are involved in things it should be to serve. They can always ask someone how to find more references. 

[MarysLittleFlower]

I don't know if Oremus is the same person as OrateFratres... If you are, I don't understand why you would have two accounts, but people spend a lot of their time responding to questions on this board and I think its fair to be honest with them. If you are a different person, my apologies, you seem similar because of the type of name and questions.

[Orans]

St Faustina was told in her revelation that "true greatness is in loving God and in humility". A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross. God often chooses the smallest and weakest people to show it is His work. That is greater than being on any committee in fact people who are really involved may get distracted from their interior life and become proud and we need to have an interior life and do God's Will first. An interior life is more important to a religious vocation than being involved in anything... It is about loving God, not what we do. God bless you

​

​Keep in mind that what you say relates only to cloistered religious, not active religious, who make up the majority of religious.

​FP, I'm not sure what do you mean here. St Faustina was NOT a cloistered religious. She was a SAINT in an active religious community.

[PhuturePriest]

​

​FP, I'm not sure what do you mean here. St Faustina was NOT a cloistered religious. She was a SAINT in an active religious community.

​Why on earth are people down-voting my post? I'm afraid there is confusion as to what I was talking about. I was refuting a specific line that Mary wrote in her post, not Saint Faustina herself. If you look at my original post, I bold the line that I was speaking about specifically. For the sake of easiness, I will quote it here:

"A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross."

That line of being hidden with Christ on the Cross only makes sense in a cloistered context. And it isn't a line Saint Faustina wrote, it's something the poster said, so I'm free to disagree with it. 
 

[MarysLittleFlower]

​Why on earth are people down-voting my post? I'm afraid there is confusion as to what I was talking about. I was refuting a specific line that Mary wrote in her post, not Saint Faustina herself. If you look at my original post, I bold the line that I was speaking about specifically. For the sake of easiness, I will quote it here:
"A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross."

That line of being hidden with Christ on the Cross only makes sense in a cloistered context. And it isn't a line Saint Faustina wrote, it's something the poster said, so I'm free to disagree with it. 
 

I understood what you meant ​I think it can apply to any Sister but that's just my understanding. I think it applies most directly to cloistered religious and yes they are more hidden... But I think the heart and sacrifice of any Sister is not fully known to the world, she serves all but she lives for Jesus alone.

Edited June 1, 2015 by MarysLittleFlower

[PhuturePriest]

I understood what you meant ​I think it can apply to any Sister religious but that's just my understanding.

​Fixed.

[MarysLittleFlower]

​Fixed.

Lol ok

[BarbTherese]

But I think the heart and sacrifice of any Sister is not fully known to the world, she serves all but she lives for Jesus alone.

​I agree that it applies to any religious, active or cloistered.

[LaPetiteSoeur]

As others have said, everyone has a vocation, to married, single or religious life. It is very easy to make an idol of "being holy"--or being perceived as such. Focusing on your relationship with God and with your community is always a good way to fulfill God's commandment to love one another without flashy displays of piety. I am reminded of Luke 18:9-14. 

All religious are ordinary people. They have hobbies and loves and faults and are imperfect creations of God--just like the laity.