Vocation and the Objective Context

[BarbTherese]

After the above, went outside under the pergola for coffee and a smoke when something occurred to me.  My SD once asked me where I felt closest to God - I feel closes to God alone in the Australian bush or sitting outside with a coffee and smoke.  And hey, it is comforting to have someone share with me that beer is a consolation!.........in the quite rough at times, confusing at times, downright ridiculous at times, journey of life.  I mean, I can experience things as rough, be confused and seemingly ridiculous...........who on earth am I to point the finger at another and judge when I am in a glass house myself picking up stones............and all because another is not dealing with the same subject manner as me.  "I just want to be myself while others want me to be like them" (paraphrased lyrics Bob Dylan)

I must get into my day - load of ironing just arrived and that means extra pennies in the bank.

But anyway, Love is not wishy washy and sweet talk and weakness.  We only need to look at the life of Jesus to see this.  He sure did tear strips regularly off the religious Jewish leaders of His Time.  I do not think at all that it was because He did not Love them or even like them in a weird sort of manner to my reflections, rather Jesus was invested in Truth all the way and in a Loving manner.  It was because He indeed did Love them that He challenged them with severity. Even Peter He gets really upset about because Peter was trying to turn Him from His Mission, His Truth.   Love is not wishy washy - showering sugar and honey on all regardless.  For the Jewish religious leaders, Jesus was challenging the pictures in their minds and pictures they had implanted into the Jewish people as well - and all were being led away from Truth.  It is not at all that those religious leaders did not believe in their teachings.  They sure did and as absolutely correct and there was a quite earthly reward for them too in that thinking and teaching as long as the Jewish people did believe them.  Jesus became dangerous for the religious leaders as they had quite a cushy existence at the financial expense of the people even the most poor and as the demand of the law they presented, which was not The Law at all - and through the demands of the law they advocated as truth believing it themselves - as excavations are probably revealing it is felt (residences of religious leaders at the Time of Jesus).  Jesus had to go, be got rid of, before the whole edifice of the religious leaders and their teachings crumbled into the dust and their cushy existence with it as more and more of the people began to praise and advocate Jesus -  and so it was organised that He did go by cruel execution..........or so they thought quite wrongly.  He did not go at all and changed the whole course of history and still does and will until the end of time

No, Love is not of necessity wishy washy sweetness on all regardless.

[BarbTherese]

I learnt something yesterday about people around here.  I used to wonder why people never smiled and said hello unlike my previous suburb.  Now I realise that I had become conditioned into it.  Coming home from Mass yesterday, as I met someone's eyes, I was the one to smile and say hello without thinking about it -  and straight back came another smile and hello.  Mmmm that's interesting I though as I walked along.  Next person, I did the same thing and got a smile and hello or good morning or similar.  So I did the same all the way home to every person that passed me and got the same response.  Of course, some did not meet me at eye level - and I thought that very often people have problems, perhaps big problems that totally absorb them - unaware of surroundings as they walk along.

I called in at my supermarket on the way home.  I sat down to unpack my groceries out of supermarket trolley into my own.  A woman was sitting next to me and we struck up a conversation after a smile and greeting.  She was on holidays from Queensland. I hope I will recognise her again if I see her. She was a lovely woman and informed me that the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo was being telecast live from Melbourne live that evening.  It just warmed my heart to chat with her on a very ordinary level.  I did watch some of the Edinburgh Tattoo and it was absolutely beautiful - I just love people - the simple ordinary everyday person who always has so much to offer.  My SD told me last Wednesday that Thomas Merton had said that every book has something to offer in a positive vein, even a very ordinary murder mystery.  That's what we are to each other I reflected later - a book with a story and something positive always to offer if one is open to it. The Holy Spirit is no snob and can often speak in the most unlikely 'garments' - not conforming to our stereotypes, not paying much attention to the confining nature of them either, it seems to me.

But a smile on eye contact and a greeting will be my behaviour in future.

Well, I have sorted the ironing and that will keep me out of mischief I hope for the next few days.........and help to pay for the cigarettes.  Deo Gratius.  The Psalms and indeed the Reading at Morning Prayer are particularly beautiful. Morning Prayer Online (Universalis site)

I am just so totally reluctant to get into my day which is why I am plonking away on this keyboard I know, but duty is calling...........unfortunately...........there is the feeling level sometimes opposed to whatever the head is telling one including that plonking on this keyboard is just self indulgence.

[BarbTherese]

3 hours ago, Tab'le De'Bah-Rye said:

Sorry i'm Charismatic Catholic Christian and vocation to me is very simple and vocation is Gods plan for your life and Gods plan pretty much is to receive/accept his Love for all people including you and if that is granted than if it is truly Gods love over time with your main focus on his Love you should grow in love for God and Others and with Gods love no matter what sub vocation (priesthood, lay single, doctor etc etc) you will succeed as scripture has told us that Jesus goes before us in all things. Deciding where God wants you as far as i'm aware begins with Him and ends with Him if we are truly open to his will which is Love than to me it doesn't matter as much where you go but whom you go with ie: go with the LORD.

Sorry to all the Charismatics that disagree with me and of course i'm not the dean of the Charismatic movement and truly God can do absolutely anything and however you discern who you are, what you want to do and why you want to do it just let it be done for Love, with Love, through Love.

 

God is Good, God is Love.

 

P.s and for some, half or most vocations can change at varying times, one example is for 10 years you may soak yourself in the Carmelite spirituality and another 10 years may be the Dominican Spirituality, etc etc. Just be open to the spirit of God and where he will lead you and always remember if you ever Go the wrong way that God goes with you and as with Joseph he can make Good out of any situation.

 

YahblesS.

Disclaimer: I always could be wrong  sorry i'm no prophet as far as i'm aware and conviction to me is the blessed assurance of heaven for those whom are baptized, believe and follow 'The way' to the best of there knowledge and understanding of what that is. Though if you all want an assumption about my statement as being possible, 50 50 or probable, i hesitate to do as such but can say honestly that i am speaking what is true to the best of my knowledge and understanding as to what is the truth.

Very true I think Tab - spot on.  I missed your post somehow  - and I would like to comment on Era too:

14 hours ago, Era Might said:

one of the Saints said that no man has a greater battle than the one who sets out to conquer himself. I think we can always find satisfaction in that, even if our objective context is lacking, we all have a common and unique vocation to overcome ourselves...to be less selfish, more generous, etc. That's hard work, maybe harder than going to Calcutta and feeding the poor.

I think that the above is what it is all about (and what our saints have pointed out personally, rather than the success God might have gifted them in their objective context)what holiness actually is and it is hard work and I think that that hard work is undertaken by any in Calcutta feeding the poor as much as the plumber out the back clearing blocked sewerage pipes - poor man!  I think your comments tie in well with what Tab has posted.

Objective context I think might help to keep one sane in the primary quest and duty of life - it is sort of a defined definition of a context within which to live, a compartment.  In fact, I think that the real objective context is undertaking that hard work wherever one might be in life - compartment or not - while maybe an objective context is helpful.  It provides 'boundaries and instructions' on the day to day as it were......e.g. plumber needs plumb - and a Mum and Dad needs parent.  Although I never found it helpful - and even though I did not, I did know what the hard work was and would be no matter what I was about and this is what our saints have communicated to us, I think.  Not so much their actual successes in life (Gift of God) but their interior journey within the exterior details of their life.

Anthony de Mello on "Authority"..................

A small boy goes to the movies and a very tall man is sitting in front of him.  The tall man turns around to the small boy:

"Can you see, sonny?"

"No sir, I can't"

"Oh you will be fine, just laugh when I laugh"

[BarbTherese]

 

We all do have an exterior context.  We hold to the Doctrine of God's Will - His Direct and His Permissive Will.  Nothing whatsoever comes about that it is not from God.  The circumstances in which we find ourselves.  In all the good that happens, God has willed it.  And in all the lousy things that happen, He has permitted it because (as the CCC states) He would not permit the slightest lousy thing - be it minute or some great evil to happen - unless He could bring good out of it at some point, whether we get to see that good or not. God's Permissive Will is not a call to passivity - rather the very good God intends just might be our own efforts to overcome evil in whatever clothing it might wear.

When it is a beautiful day as here, God has directly willed it.  Early this morning it was very cold and raining, grey skies - I anyway can at times experience that as not good at all.  And things (exterior circumstances) in life can get far more complex than that. God's Will is the context to which I must refer, the exterior and objective context.  I guess vocation and call comes about when one realises as from God the objective context to which one should refer ...........ideally anyway.  And I think that can apply as much for a defined vocation and call defined by exterior earthly authority from God (The Church), which includes how The Church has defined and explained laity - and this are the broader context of my vocation -  my duties of this day (gulp!)..........even if I am a very ordinary type of lay person doing very ordinary types of things each and every day.  This is what St Therese is on about, I think, in her Little Way.  It is what St Francis de Sales has communicated to us in his writings - and perhaps on a bit more of a complex level, although I don't experience it that way, what John Pierre du Caussade wrote about in "Abandonment to Divine Providence".  All are saying precisely the same thing, using different words.....some simply stated some of more complexity.....but essentially the same as do most all our saints.  And their writings apply as much to a plumber plumbing away as to The Holy Father himself guiding The Church daily........just to attempt two extremes (which they are not in reality - i.e. to God).

The objective context of our lives are the circumstances of our life.  Although a quick Google tells me that "objective context" may be a more philosophical type study, understanding. I would not know.