benedictaj Posted September 30, 2005 Share Posted September 30, 2005 [quote name='srmarymichael' date='Sep 30 2005, 04:28 AM']One of my favorite things about this topic is how closely related I feel to married people. I have friends that are married that also love to talk about the Theology of the Body. They help me understand my vocation because their vocation is so closely tied to mine. What do I mean by that? Sometimes they'll tell me about their trials, their having to trust God with their finances, or trust Him that He is guiding them in the right way. Or they'll tell me how they try to have enough time to pray but their children take their time instead. Wow. Sometimes it's a direct parallel with my life. I too am trusting God with big things. I can pray for them and support them since they don't have as much time as I do to pray. I love the mysteries of God -- 2 seemingly opposite vocations that are not so opposite. [right][snapback]740981[/snapback][/right] [/quote] Yes, I completely agree! God is so amazing, I love it how everyhting is really the same, just being done or shown in different ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixtina87 Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 EWTN is having a specail on Life on the rock about Theology of the Body on thursday!!!!! are you gunna watch it sister!!!!! i cant i have to work!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 I've been listening to Christopher West's tapes on the Theology of the Body. He tries to take Pope John Paul II's thinking and break it down so that we can understand it. He quotes quite a bit from Genesis. Think about Genesis 2:25 [b]"Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame."[/b] The "Original Man" as JP2 calls him, was "naked without shame". What does this mean for those that are in the consecrated life? I'm sure there's much more to it (something to ponder), but I like to picture myself before God without anything to hide. Sometimes we think we can hide things from God. Sometimes we think we can hide our sins, our thoughts, our motives, or whatever.... So, I pray and try to be really upfront -- really open to show God all that I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 (edited) Christopher West goes on to say, "Every man, by virtue of being a man, is a husband and father. Every woman, by virtue of being a woman, is a wife and mother. We don't call Father Joe 'father' for nothing. We don't call Mother Teresa 'mother' for nothing." [b]"Happiness is rooted in love. If we do not love, our life is meaningless."[/b] Awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Edited October 3, 2005 by srmarymichael Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 3, 2005 Author Share Posted October 3, 2005 [quote name='Sixtina87' date='Oct 3 2005, 10:52 AM']EWTN is having a specail on Life on the rock about Theology of the Body on thursday!!!!! are you gunna watch it sister!!!!! i cant i have to work!!!! [right][snapback]744421[/snapback][/right] [/quote] What time? (Texas is central time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sixtina87 Posted October 3, 2005 Share Posted October 3, 2005 7pm central Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 8, 2005 Author Share Posted October 8, 2005 More quotes from Christopher West on the Theology of the Body: "Everything John Paul II writes has this Theology as the basis." "Mary is the model of the Theology of the Body." [b]"Holiness is described in the Catechism as 'the response of the bride to the gift of the Bridegroom'." "Holiness is not doing.... Holiness means to receive the love of God into our being."[/b] "Mary said, 'Let it be done to me as you have said.'" May we be receivers of God's Love! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionheart Posted October 8, 2005 Share Posted October 8, 2005 [quote name='srmarymichael' date='Oct 8 2005, 12:37 PM']More quotes from Christopher West on the Theology of the Body: "Everything John Paul II writes has this Theology as the basis." "Mary is the model of the Theology of the Body." [b]"Holiness is described in the Catechism as 'the response of the bride to the gift of the Bridegroom'." "Holiness is not doing.... Holiness means to receive the love of God into our being."[/b] "Mary said, 'Let it be done to me as you have said.'" May we be receivers of God's Love! [right][snapback]750557[/snapback][/right] [/quote] You are so Right Sister!!!!!. Only now, I am learning what that truly means. I was 18 when I had my experience of God's Love and I wanted to be His Saint. I wanted to serve but I was afraid to allow God to touch me because of some of the wounds I received in life. As a result , I became very bitter and left church and Him. I felt I was doing all the work and where was God?? and why wasn't my life changing for the better. Only now, over 20yrs later, I allowed God's healing to touch my wounds and with His Grace, now I could receive His Love. Truly, before I loved God but after allowing His Love in my Heart, I fell in Love with Him. So everyday is another day to be drawn closer and to fall more deeply in love with my Beloved. God is truly Merciful!!! Peace, DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 [quote name='passionheart' date='Oct 8 2005, 12:30 PM']You are so Right Sister!!!!!. Only now, I am learning what that truly means. I was 18 when I had my experience of God's Love and I wanted to be His Saint. I wanted to serve but I was afraid to allow God to touch me because of some of the wounds I received in life. As a result , I became very bitter and left church and Him. I felt I was doing all the work and where was God?? and why wasn't my life changing for the better. Only now, over 20yrs later, I allowed God's healing to touch my wounds and with His Grace, now I could receive His Love. Truly, before I loved God but after allowing His Love in my Heart, I fell in Love with Him. So everyday is another day to be drawn closer and to fall more deeply in love with my Beloved. God is truly Merciful!!! Peace, DM [right][snapback]750576[/snapback][/right] [/quote] I am soooo glad for you! Is God calling you now to the Religious Life? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 10, 2005 Author Share Posted October 10, 2005 More quotes from Christopher West: The Holy Father says, [b]"Celibacy is the fulfillment of the nuptial meaning of the body ... because the ultimate meaning of the body is to make a gift of ourselves to God...and that is precisely what the celibate person is doing." "Celibacy is in no way, shape, or form a renunciation of sexuality. It is a living of it out in a different way. It is a bodily vocation. Angels cannot be celibate because they do not have bodies. Angels cannot be virgins because they do not have bodies. So it [Consecrated Life] is a bodily vocation to nuptial love."[/b] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionheart Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 [quote name='srmarymichael' date='Oct 10 2005, 10:59 AM']I am soooo glad for you! Is God calling you now to the Religious Life? [right][snapback]752427[/snapback][/right] [/quote] I believe that God is calling me to Religious Life. I believe I had this call years ago but things didn’t work out with the orders I contacted. So I felt I didn’t have a vocation but try as I might this question never stayed buried. However, when I looked at orders, I was rejected and hurt. After the last rejection, which left me crying for a day, I said “No More. I looked at Secular Institutes, Third Orders and I was even part of Penitential Group which disbanded and since our diocese doesn’t allow Cons. Virgin, I thought God wanted me to live the single life and so I settled down to this vocation. However, at the Institute of Religious Life meeting in 2003, something happened. As I walked with the religious with their novices and postulants, I felt a stab of pain in my heart. I realized how much I wanted to live the life these people were living and I was always rejected. I started to cry and kept on crying during Mass. I decided I had to have this question settled once and for all. I am older now and so it is even harder but I know this truth. If I had entered religious life when I was younger, I would have left or they wouldn’t have allowed me to take my vows because I was a MESS!!!! God knew this even though I didn’t and it was in my thirties that I decided to do look at my pain. God’s hand was with those who help me and now I understand that to allow God in my heart and in my life didn’t mean punishment but love, healing and setting things in right order. I have come to know and experience God as ABBA and it is true He is a tender and most loving Father who desires the best for His children. Now, I can say after all these years I can love, serve and give myself to the Lord completely wherever and however He desires. I am no longer afraid. Cheers, DM P.S, If you would like to have some idea what I look like, I am the front cover of the IRL Religious Life Magazine that featured the Annual General Meeting. I am the good-looking black woman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MC IMaGiNaZUN Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 [quote name='passionheart' date='Oct 10 2005, 10:25 AM']I believe that God is calling me to Religious Life. I believe I had this call years ago but things didn’t work out with the orders I contacted. So I felt I didn’t have a vocation but try as I might this question never stayed buried. However, when I looked at orders, I was rejected and hurt. After the last rejection, which left me crying for a day, I said “No More. ... God knew this even though I didn’t and it was in my thirties that I decided to do look at my pain. God’s hand was with those who help me and now I understand that to allow God in my heart and in my life didn’t mean punishment but love, healing and setting things in right order. I have come to know and experience God as ABBA and it is true He is a tender and most loving Father who desires the best for His children. Now, I can say after all these years I can love, serve and give myself to the Lord completely wherever and however He desires. I am no longer afraid. Cheers, DM P.S, If you would like to have some idea what I look like, I am the front cover of the IRL Religious Life Magazine that featured the Annual General Meeting. I am the good-looking black woman. [right][snapback]752591[/snapback][/right] [/quote] That is beautiful. God will always have his way. The order that i just joined, has allowed some older men older than forty, for various reasons. Because to them, their call from God, is more important than their age restrictions. So look around, i believe God will have something special for you. As for Theology of the Body... Consecrated Life has a call to love, and without love, virginity, and celibacy will be deadened deprevations. With Love, realizing God as the source of the purity, these gifts are fulfilling. When it was explained to me in terms of love, i began to see the call to celibacy in a romantic dimension. I really think, if young people presented their vocations in terms of romance, more young people would be open to the call. But still, so many people think of religious life in terms of a long list of don't, shouldn't, can't, and wouldn't rules that they read to themselves everymorning or something. SHALOM SHALOM PS Jesus Loves You Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionheart Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 [quote name='srmarymichael' date='Oct 10 2005, 11:03 AM']More quotes from Christopher West: The Holy Father says, [b]"Celibacy is the fulfillment of the nuptial meaning of the body ... because the ultimate meaning of the body is to make a gift of ourselves to God...and that is precisely what the celibate person is doing." "Celibacy is in no way, shape, or form a renunciation of sexuality. It is a living of it out in a different way. It is a bodily vocation. Angels cannot be celibate because they do not have bodies. Angels cannot be virgins because they do not have bodies. So it [Consecrated Life] is a bodily vocation to nuptial love."[/b] [right][snapback]752435[/snapback][/right] [/quote] Celibacy is a beautiful gift. It is too bad that it so misunderstood. I know I feel called to love in this way and what I love most about this call is the intimacy that can shared between friends regards of the gender. I feel free to love and people feel free to be open around me. Such a blessing. DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
passionheart Posted October 10, 2005 Share Posted October 10, 2005 [quote name='MC IMaGiNaZUN' date='Oct 10 2005, 02:19 PM']That is beautiful. God will always have his way. The order that i just joined, has allowed some older men older than forty, for various reasons. Because to them, their call from God, is more important than their age restrictions. So look around, i believe God will have something special for you. [right][snapback]752726[/snapback][/right] [/quote] Thanks for words of encouragement. Please pray for me. By the way which order did you enter? DM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
srmarymichael Posted October 23, 2005 Author Share Posted October 23, 2005 The quotes that I'm sharing with you are from the very first set of tapes that Christopher West made for distribution called, "Naked without Shame". This part is from Tape 4 and from Pope John Paul II's series of talks called, "Eschatological Man". Eschatological is about the end times, or when we will be reunited with our bodies and enjoying heaven. This part of the talk is not just for Religious, it's for everyone! Christopher West, at one point is talking about us being "divinized". He then says, "The mystery of marriage, the reality of the One Flesh Union gives us insight into what this divinization will be. Listen to this:" (here he quotes the pope), [b]"Penetration of what is essentially human by what is essentially divine will permeate us. We the Bride of Christ will be penetrated by Divinity and live in eternal consummate union." "We cannot understand the meaning of life unless we understand the one-flesh union."[/b] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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