Keeping Your Vocation To Yourself...

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[url="http://www.xanga.com/AnchoressNun/597348631/of-discernment.html"]http://www.xanga.com/AnchoressNun/59734863...iscernment.html[/url]

[quote]Of "discernment"

This is a theme that recurs frequently for us.

It has become a technical term, a "buzzword"

Simply, it means that there is the idea of becoming a Sister; so then there needs to be a time above all of prayer, of walking towards that possibility.... of exploring the many ways to serve ..

It needs to be a private and intimate time.... because if this is the urging of the Lord Jesus Christ? Then it is essentially between the person and Jesus.... Not to be broadcast widely or announced.

Mary, when the angel visited her, did not shout it from the rooftops.. She "pondered these things in her heart."

If someone is seeking status or human approval, then this is not true to Christ... That is not a calling to a hidden life in the cloister.

Find one good adviser; often priests or lay spiritual directors know very little about religious life. So seek someone within that life already who, of course, has been through it all herself. And who is used to listening and guiding.

Speak at that stage to no one else then of this. This is the Lord Jesus calling; listen to Him in the silence of your heart. An awesome time.. for you and for no - one else... Honour that intimacy and privacy; hug it to your heart.

Like Samuel in the temple; the wise old priest told him to listen and obey that calling...alone in the night....

There are so many Orders; those with an active life, those who are enclosed.... So many...

And this is something that cannot be done in a vacuum, or by reading web sites. Anyone can write a good web site...

There needs to be active participation from the start. Putting into real life and fact what is being thought of.

As Jesus says so often, "Come and see...".

So from the start there needs to be visiting as many Orders in the type you are drawn to as possible, again with good guidance. Always telling the Order that you feel drawn to this life.. Most will gladly allow a visit and will talk and listen face to face.

And they have done this so often. Their trust; their commitment to the future of hwat has been entrusted to them.

Attending services etc at a convent is not the same.... By no manner of means.

There is far, far more to being a religious than formal prayer which is open to the public.

So many get a vague idea that they would like to be a nun. Especially as they appoach middle years when maybe their life has not been as fulfilling as they would have liked.

Many who have entered in their youth and not found it to their liking; that will not be different now..

" Time and forgetfulness sweeten memory".

This is not true vocation to that life... Those who think like this blench at the reality.

Yet exploring and seeing that, if a woman is prepared to be honest with herself, can be growth and a settlement within herself, and a step on the way to a fuller and richer life in Christ.

Not easy; but worth the walk.

Blessings this day........ always here for you. Always at the Master's Feet in Prayer....[/quote]

Funny thing, I've been kinda thinking about the same thing for a bit now... Although, I have been thinking about other things that somewhat have to do with this as well. Hmmm...

[Totus Tuus]

Good to hear. Thanks for posting. Things are much simpler when you're not running around with a banner that says "I'm discerning!". I never advertised the fact but people seem to figure it out (generally through my family). But I do think that if someone (who is not trying to cause trouble, but is being genuine) asks you what you're discerning as a plan for your life, we shouldn't hesitate to tell them that we're discerning the religious life. It shocks people in a good way Personally it is always hard for me to admit that I am discerning religious life when people ask me what I'm doing; not because I'm ashamed of it, but because I know a shower of questions, quizzical looks, or the "let me talk you out of this" conversations usually follow suit. But it is nice for me now, when those things happen, to say "well, I've done it before and I really loved it". That puts most people at ease.

Edited June 15, 2007 by Totus Tuus

[Mary-Kathryn]

[b]So many get a vague idea that they would like to be a nun. Especially as they appoach middle years when maybe their life has not been as fulfilling as they would have liked.[/b]

Wow. I find that to be quite a mean-spirited thing to say. One can have an un-fulfilling life at any stage, not just in "middle" age as she puts it. I like to think that most of us in our 40's [and up] have enough common sense to know that running away isn't the answer to life's problems. Though I haven't discerned religious life, I think there are older women who would make fine religious--in various forms--like consecrated virgins, secular institues, sisters, nuns, etc... Also, don't the religious orders have a process that "weeds out" those who try to enter for the wrong reasons?

Edited June 15, 2007 by Mary-Kathryn

[alicemary]

I share your sentiments. I found the writing to be condescending. I guess in their writing anyone over 25 is middle aged and ready for the retirement home.

[brendan1104]

Unfortunately, the woman who publishes that Xanga is actually a member/nun in the schismatic and often-heretical Old Catholic Church.

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='alicemary' post='1296262' date='Jun 15 2007, 06:36 PM']I share your sentiments. I found the writing to be condescending. I guess in their writing anyone over 25 is middle aged and ready for the retirement home.[/quote]

I have to confess that I did not read the whole article, and now I see that they were written in an air of pride. It's unfortunate. Though a couple of good points were made, it's sad that there is this misconception that anyone past thirty must be senile.

[Graciela]

How do you know that she's an Old Catholic Church member? I couldn't tell from the xanga info... or did I miss something? Is there another web site about her or her hermitage or community?

[brendan1104]

She used to be a member here, and I'm not sure if she got banned or chose to leave - this is around August 05? - but she admitted it, and it was on one her sites/xangas, and she has the phishy label.

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='FutureNunJMJ' post='1296104' date='Jun 15 2007, 01:17 PM'][url="http://www.xanga.com/AnchoressNun/597348631/of-discernment.html"]http://www.xanga.com/AnchoressNun/59734863...iscernment.html[/url]
Funny thing, I've been kinda thinking about the same thing for a bit now... Although, I have been thinking about other things that somewhat have to do with this as well. Hmmm...[/quote]

Hey, I've been thinking the exact same thing myself! ... and also about the internet - how it can so easily become a distraction from prayer.

I've been asking myself lately, was life better without the internet? My immediate reply is, yes! Like in high school, when I could only go online in the library in my town, and I got like 1 or 2 emails a week ... I do think life is much better when we're more present to the actual people in our lives, without so many connections and correspondences online, if you get what I mean. We will all meet, with the grace of God, in Heaven someday. And this world compared to eternity is so short!

Although I don't mean to say anything against phatmass or Vocation Station, because truly it has been so neat learning about so many different communities, and seeing so many people entering .. Wow! And of course the internet in itself is very resourceful for finding information on great communities, don't get me wrong. It's incredible for that! And all the wonderful people I've met here. Truly I will keep everyone in my heart wherever I end up entering!

About keeping your vocation to yourself .. I do think it is good to for other people to see that many are entering religious life .. and when people ask me what I'm doing with my life, I am always happy to say I'm discerning religious life. [i][u]But[/u][/i] at the same time, as far as the cloistered life goes, it[i] is[/i] a call to a hidden life. I think some are called to share their vocation story to give witness to Christ, but I don't think everyone is called to this. It is something between God and the soul.

I did speak with a priest the other day though about it and about this internet question, and he did highly recommended I leave the internet ... so very soon I do plan to heed his advice .. But guys, this life is so short, when I do leave .. nevermind! eternity is right around the corner!

[the lords sheep]

I'm with many of the other people who felt like her article/reflection was very "holier-than-thou"

As far as telling others you are discerning, I think both prayer and prudence are necessary in this situation. I often try to push myself on the side of telling people that I am considering joining the religious life, because very few people on the college scene ever consider the religious life because they don't realize its an option. They just assume only incredibly religious and I suppose dull people look into the religious life.
One friend even told me "but you can't be a Sister.... you're too.... fun!"

I don't shout it from the rooftops, but I try not to hide it. I just try to be prudent about it (for example, I make no real secret of it at school, but my family doesn't know yet.)

Each person has his or her own situation. Some will be called to be a witness not only in their vows as a consecrate vocation, but also in their willingness to walk the path of the Lord.

God bless you all!

In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Graciela' post='1296299' date='Jun 15 2007, 06:39 PM']How do you know that she's an Old Catholic Church member? I couldn't tell from the xanga info... or did I miss something? Is there another web site about her or her hermitage or community?[/quote]
[url="http://www.iol.ie/~anchorhold/"]http://www.iol.ie/~anchorhold/[/url]

She is in the Living Stream Sisters of Faith. From looking it up online, I can only find a couple references, and one, that they're from the Celtic Catholic church. So yes, this sister is not a Roman Catholic.

Regardless of that, and what she wrote in her blog, the topic of keeping one's vocation to yourself is interesting.

I think it's good on one hand to let people know to let your light shine before men - but at the same time, I also highly value hiddenness. I'm probably somewhere in the middle - to let those in your family and community share in the joy & hope for the Church of your vocation, but not to broadcast it or anything. You guys get what I mean.

Edited June 16, 2007 by Margaret Clare

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='the lords sheep' post='1296467' date='Jun 16 2007, 01:07 AM']I'm with many of the other people who felt like her article/reflection was very "holier-than-thou"[/quote]
Yes, I agree. In saying that a vocation should "not be broadcast widely or announced" ... it seems to be saying those that do tell others are doing something wrong. But there are definitely times when we do need to announce that we are discerning, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I remember when I first told my mom when I was calling from college, that I wanted to become a nun, it was so joyful!! And it was great sharing this with others in college.

Yeah, Lauren, I think it's really really important to share this with people, especially in college, with so many other people around trying to figure out what they're going to do. Definitely examples of other people are important. I grew up with no sisters in my life, a few in my later youth, but without habits. So I never realized very much the option of religious life - only once from this one young women that became a Sr. of St. John. And that definitely made a difference for me!

But regarding older vocations, actually this sister also entered religious life at a later age. I was just reading through this thread from 05 the other day - [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=35082"]Older/Late Vocations[/url]

Edited June 16, 2007 by Margaret Clare

[Lioness For Christ]

I have a few thoughts... Okay there isn't a problem with age IMHO.... God calls people at different times and sometimes it takes one a little longer to respond in some cases... So yeah...

And about "broadcasting".... Well, I dunno I have mixed feelings... I'm not telling people at work and I'm not running about the streets on the matter... But I HAD to tell my parents--and it was wonderful! (Though Allie knows it wasn't easy to get to that point!) And talking online has really helped me to... You know? Sometimes it's good to talk with other discerners not to "broadcast" but rather to I dunno... Ask questions get answers and support each other and pray for each other and such!

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Lioness For Christ' post='1296566' date='Jun 16 2007, 08:32 AM']And talking online has really helped me to... You know? Sometimes it's good to talk with other discerners not to "broadcast" but rather to I dunno... Ask questions get answers and support each other and pray for each other and such![/quote]
Yes, I do agree though. I've learned so much from talking online, it is true! And the supporting and praying for each other is great!

[DiscerningSoul]

If it wasn't for online sharing, I would have never even consider my discernment of a vocation.
Thru sharing, I have learned that I am not the only one to go thru struggels.
However I do admit I have in the past talked way to freely about my vocation, however I have noticed that while talking about discernment to others, it is a great oppertunity to share about God!