dominicansoul Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I'm pretty sure that you "discover" your charism, it's not really something you choose...at least that's what happened to me anyways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vee Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 3 minutes ago, dominicansoul said: I'm pretty sure that you "discover" your charism, it's not really something you choose...at least that's what happened to me anyways... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dominicansoul Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 1 hour ago, dominicansoul said: I'm pretty sure that you "discover" your charism, it's not really something you choose...at least that's what happened to me anyways... I think so too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatitude Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I think it helps to differentiate between feeling drawn to a charism, and finding that charism very beautiful or inspiring. All charisms are beautiful. They all have the ability to inspire us and make us think. This is not the same thing as a calling. A more helpful way to phrase the question might be, "Of all these charisms, which one is most likely to help me grow in holiness and nurture me in my love for God?" There might be more than one answer. In that case, you just have to make a choice. God blesses good choices that are made in love. I've always loved Carmel, I have a great devotion to several Carmelite saints, and I try to practise the silent prayer that is at the heart of the Carmelite tradition - but ultimately I did not join a Carmelite secular institute, but one modelled on the spirituality of Little Brother Charles of Jesus. This is because I recognised that Little Brother Charles's emphasis on ordinariness and the humble hidden life of Nazareth would enable me to challenge my biggest weaknesses (pride, a desire to be seen as doing good) as well as drawing out and enriching the loves that are already present within me: love for the Blessed Sacrament, for solitude, desire to serve people who are neglected and unwanted, and so on. Even as a member of this institute, I can still read Carmelite writings, Dominican writings, whatever other writings - it's not like joining one community puts you beyond reach of everything else in the Church. You can still enjoy and benefit from the rest of the garden even while you live in one specific part of it. Just think and pray about where you could put down deep roots and really flourish. Again, there might be more than one place, and in that situation, don't be afraid of making a choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarysLittleFlower Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 That makes sense! there is a certain spirituality I've been drawn to consistently for years now. I guess I'll see if God would call me to something like that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4LoveofJMJ Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 On 2/15/2016, 11:33:34, DominicanHeart said: I swear I'm half Dominican half Carmelite This sounds like me at the moment! I love the Dominicans and their love of study but recently the Carmelite spirituality has been calling to me. The more I read of it, the more I love it. Oh how I wish I was closer to the Carmelites back in California. I miss them so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlowerofCarmel Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 4LoveofJMJ, I have been the opposite! I have mostly been drawn to the Carmelite life,though the possibility of the Dominican spirituality and way of life come up every now and again in between the sweet solitude of Carmel... God knows what he is about... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4LoveofJMJ Posted February 20, 2016 Share Posted February 20, 2016 2 hours ago, FlowerofCarmel said: 4LoveofJMJ, I have been the opposite! I have mostly been drawn to the Carmelite life,though the possibility of the Dominican spirituality and way of life come up every now and again in between the sweet solitude of Carmel... God knows what he is about... Lol yes He does! As for me, I can only wonder. I seem to be stuck in a perpetual discernment phase. I can think and pray about it but am not in a position to visit any communities at the moment. Well maybe one since it's close enough. I certainty can't enter for a while even if I wanted to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgnesHolyInnocents Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I've also been pondering what charism I am called to. I too love Carmel and the Visitation. Today it struck me that one might also avoid a charism in some kind of unconscious way. Actually God showed me in prayer that I tend to choose what is comfortable. What Beatitude wrote really resonates with what God showed me about myself in prayer... Beatitude wrote "A more helpful way to phrase the question might be, "Of all these charisms, which one is most likely to help me grow in holiness and nurture me in my love for God?" This is the same question I came to today in prayer. I have come back to Charles de Foucauld and I am reading more about him. When I first was learning about this saint, I was in love and wondered if this was my place. My heart was on fire reading about him and the Jesus Caritas Fraternity, but the more I pondered it, the more I thought it would be too hard for me right now- perhaps in the future when my circumstances change. I also thought to myself that it was probably then not my calling, so I put the idea away completely. Some time has passed and again I am reading more and wondering again if this could be where I am called. Then I read these words from Pope Francis.. "Every family is always a light, however faint, amid the darkness of this world. Jesus’ own human experience took shape in the heart of a family, where he lived for thirty years. His family was like any number of others, living in an obscure village on the outskirts of the Empire. Charles de Foucauld, perhaps like few others, grasped the import of the spirituality which radiates from Nazareth. This great explorer hastily abandoned his military career, attracted by the mystery of the Holy Family, the mystery of Jesus’ daily relationship with his parents and neighbours, his quiet labour, his humble prayer. Contemplating the Family of Nazareth, Brother Charles realized how empty the desire for wealth and power really is. Through his apostolate of charity, he became everything to everyone. Attracted by the life of a hermit, he came to understand that we do not grow in the love of God by avoiding the entanglement of human relations. For in loving others, we learn to love God, in stooping down to help our neighbour, we are lifted up to God. Through his fraternal closeness and his solidarity with the poor and the abandoned, he came to understand that it is they who evangelize us, they who help us to grow in humanity.To understand the family today, we too need to enter - like Charles de Foucauld – into the mystery of the family of Nazareth, into its quiet daily life, not unlike that of most families, with their problems and their simple joys, a life marked by serene patience amid adversity, respect for others, a humility which is freeing and which flowers in service, a life of fraternity rooted in the sense that we are all members of one body. The family is a place where evangelical holiness is lived out in the most ordinary conditions. There we are formed by the memory of past generations and we put down roots which enable us to go far. The family is a place of discernment, where we learn to recognize God’s plan for our lives and to embrace it with trust. It is a place of gratuitousness. of discreet fraternal presence and solidarity, a place where we learn to step out of ourselves and accept others, to forgive and to be feel forgiven." By nature, I am an introvert. The desert life, silence, being alone, adoration, these are all places where I am drawn and find my peace. When I read these words of Pope Francis "Attracted by the life of a hermit, he came to understand that we do not grow in the love of God by avoiding the entanglement of human relations. For in loving others, we learn to love God, in stooping down to help our neighbour, we are lifted up to God. Through his fraternal closeness and his solidarity with the poor and the abandoned, he came to understand that it is they who evangelize us, they who help us to grow in humanity." I saw myself in them. I see the truth in these words, and yet when I read them today, I was ready to run, and again decide that this is not where I am called to be. In prayer however, God showed me myself better. I've been looking at what charisms fit my solitary nature, which does call to my heart, and yet today I left prayer with a question... What place will challenge me, in what place will I grow and become the saint I am meant to be? Maybe it is just me, but I tend to find God has different plans than I do. So I am pondering what God showed me, and what Beatitude wrote, and will try to get some thoughts on it from an sd. I think the thought of being taken out of my comfort zone a bit may also resonate with what Swami Mommy wrote, and how we progress as we age. I thought I'd be most happy tucked away somewhere praying all day, which I am drawn to, but I wonder if God is asking something more from me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgnesHolyInnocents Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 I guess I've been seeking God's will in a way where I thought I'd know when I found "home" but I'm wondering how I know if that is God centered or me centered? Is it possible to be called to a charism which speaks to our hearts but also scares us a bit because we see the sacrifice it will require of us, that it will be hard work? It seems to me that maybe the latter is where God is calling, because it is the place which gives God the most love. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted March 11, 2016 Share Posted March 11, 2016 On 2/15/2016, 11:33:34, DominicanHeart said: I swear I'm half Dominican half Carmelite I haven't seen them talked about on Vocation Station for awhile, but the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word are very specifically Dominican and Franciscan in their spirituality, and it even shows in their habit. sisterservants.org Among other things, they run a retreat house. If memory serves me correctly, at least two Phatmassers that I can think of off the top of my head were formerly Sisters in this Order. However, for privacy, I won't identify them (even in a PM) because I don't know either of them well enough to know whether their time with the SSEW is something they want to talk about. Also, one of them hasn't logged into Phatmass for a long time. Others here may have experience with these Sisters, information, etc. Just thought I'd speak up and let you know they exist, in case you didn't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominicanHeart Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 On 3/11/2016 8:55:43, IgnatiusofLoyola said: I haven't seen them talked about on Vocation Station for awhile, but the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word are very specifically Dominican and Franciscan in their spirituality, and it even shows in their habit. sisterservants.org Among other things, they run a retreat house. If memory serves me correctly, at least two Phatmassers that I can think of off the top of my head were formerly Sisters in this Order. However, for privacy, I won't identify them (even in a PM) because I don't know either of them well enough to know whether their time with the SSEW is something they want to talk about. Also, one of them hasn't logged into Phatmass for a long time. Others here may have experience with these Sisters, information, etc. Just thought I'd speak up and let you know they exist, in case you didn't know. Oh yeah I've heard about them. But I'm half Carmelite half Dominican. Franciscan is not too high with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IgnatiusofLoyola Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 18 minutes ago, DominicanHeart said: Oh yeah I've heard about them. But I'm half Carmelite half Dominican. Franciscan is not too high with me. Gee, that's the second time this week I didn't read a post carefully. Sorry about that. I was mostly thinking about the SSEW habit which is a mixture of white and brown. Carmelite? Franciscan? What's the issue? They both have brown habits, they must be alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominicanHeart Posted March 13, 2016 Share Posted March 13, 2016 5 minutes ago, IgnatiusofLoyola said: Gee, that's the second time this week I didn't read a post carefully. Sorry about that. I was mostly thinking about the SSEW habit which is a mixture of white and brown. Carmelite? Franciscan? What's the issue? They both have brown habits, they must be alike. I know. It's fine. I've looked at them. They're cool Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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