Three Ways God Calls To A Special Vocation

[sismaria]

I found this in a book about vocations from the 1950's. (Recruiting for Christ by Fr. Godfrey Poage, C.P.)
Did you know that according to theology (my guess is St. Thomas Aquinas' teaching), there are three ways God manifests his call to a special vocation:
1) formal revelation (that would be as one like St. Paul's vocation where God actually speaks to the person through internal or external means) obviously not a very common way to be called.
2) divine inspiration..."When a vocation comes to a person in this way, he feels himself inclined and as though carried toward the priesthood or religious life. This movement proceeds neither from the suggestions of his imagination nor the deliberation of his intelligence. It comes rather from a supernatural source and can be attributed only to the direct touch of the Holy Spirit acting upon the soul through one of the seven gifts." This way of receiving a call is more common than revelation, but still unusual. (I think often today people are waiting for an inspiration of this type to know whether they are called, and perhaps that is why there are so few who are responding to the call to the priesthood and religious life. Most people aren't called this way)
3) supernatural election In this way of being called "the intention to enter the clerical or religious state comes as a result of one's own free and personal choice, but under the action of grace." This call comes from pondering, inquiring, following more natural means and using supernatural prudence to come to know the call to priesthood and religious life. "Without waiting to feel itself pushed, the person carries himself or herself toward the call, asking God to help and guide and lead the way. " This is the most common way that God calls to a special vocation. Technically this is called "supernatural election springing from the infused virtue of prudence."

Can anyone relate to any of the ways of being called?

[AlterDominicus]

Number 2, and thats all that I am saying. Thanks for posting this...

[philosophette]

Is there is a 2.5..... like feeling an attraction to religious life at first that is very intense... but them calmly discerning religious life?

[shortnun]

3 for me... grace building on nature... a pretty awesome way to be made, if you ask me.

[puellapaschalis]

[quote name='philosobrat' post='1272251' date='May 13 2007, 06:47 AM']Is there is a 2.5..... like feeling an attraction to religious life at first that is very intense... but them calmly discerning religious life?[/quote]

I'd go with this, I think.

PP

[AccountDeleted]

I think there is actually a fourth one -- the way I was called -- it is called "relentless pursuit by God"

[Starets]

I had an intense attraction to the religious life that started when I was an anglican choirboy in the lat 70's. My choir was singing vespers with the monks of a Trappist monastery then at the south edge of Winnipeg. We then had a Question and Answer session in a meeting room somewhere in the abbey afterwards and one of the monks did a great job of answering the boys' questions about the life of a monk.

My foster parents at the time, who were recent emigrants from a town in Surrey, England, made sure to tell me what Bad People monks were. Nevertheless, my fascination with that life began at that moment. It's not something that I pursued until late 2000, having reverted to the Catholic church in early 1997.

From then till late 2001, I discerned through pondering and prayer that I did inded have a vocation to religious life after all. From then till 2005, it was a question of where not whether. I am still going through the process of removing impediments to my entrance. I have a court hearing coming up in July sometime that will help clear matters up. No date has been set yet, but there's lots to do behind the scenes.

So definitely 3 for me.

[Ora et Labora]

3 for me...as far as i know.

[Margaret]

I guess it would be a mixture of two and Three. I never felt an attraction to religious life, and I wasn't even thinking about any thing like it. till one day... I knew, I just felt like I was supposed to pursue it... so I did.... and [i]then[/i] I learned about it.

[Tina44]

I think a little of each one for me......

I certainly didn't hear any distinct voices like someone who is talking next to me, but I did receive signs that could not have been from anywhere/anyone other than God Himself......

A large part of my choice to apply to the IHM's was what is described in #2. And of course I made my decision which encompasses #3.

I also agree COMPLETELY with Nunsense....the relentless pursuit by God.........oh yes!!!!!

[Ora et Labora]

[quote name='Rose_of_Sharon' post='1273090' date='May 14 2007, 01:36 PM']I guess it would be a mixture of two and Three. I never felt an attraction to religious life, and I wasn't even thinking about any thing like it. till one day... I knew, I just felt like I was supposed to pursue it... so I did.... and [i]then[/i] I learned about it.[/quote]

See not me! I am VERY attracted to the Religious Life...and have always been. I always thought they're way of living was very beautiful, but I haven't always wanted to pursue it.

[johnnydigit]

2+3?

2 because of my conversion, 3 because.. ya what it says.