God Is Calling Somebody To Be A Nobody?

[withouthavingseen]

Paddington,

Yeah. Right now, I am in a major transition period, and kind of feel that God is preparing me for something, but what I cannot even guess, except in the roughest outlines.

I kinda feel like I am on a private retreat. Still busy enough with some service work, and spending time with family and a few long-term friends. Lots more time praying than I've been used to. I've deliberately been avoiding less intimate friendships, dating, partying, and all the things I used to be really into. I've gone from a social butterfly to a semi-hermit. Praised be Jesus Christ, God got me a job where my boss is really supportive of all of this spiritual sorting out business. Doesn't even mind an occasional blog post or personal email, provided I get my work done.

If you ever wanna talk, I've got a gmail account (with IMing): withouthavingseen at gmail.com. If you email me we can arrange to speak on the phone, or if you live in the Washington DC area, to meet in person sometime. Whatever. It's all good.

Let's pray for each other. God is at work. He'll show himself when the time is right. The key thing is not to give up seeking after Him.

In Him,
Ryan

[LouisvilleFan]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1400309' date='Oct 10 2007, 09:13 AM']A small life, could be asked of various people. One example would be an old friend who recovered from alcoholism in his 40's and was a drifter. I don't think God asked him to take out a student loan and/or impregnate some pre-menopausal woman. God could've asked him for volunteer work, but not at the expense of doing his own laundry which he was not used to doing. The only thing about that example that I don't like is that nobody will disagree and somebody with a less extreme set of details might qualify for a simple life as well and they won't feel justified in it if all they hear about is recovering vagabonds and singles who are Church All-Stars.[/quote]

Well, there are a lot of thoughts that I come to mind regarding the "small life." For one, we're only looking at things with our eyes. Compared to the greatness of God, we all live small lives. Yet at the same time, compared to Christ laying down His own life to redeem us, our lives aren't so small to Him. If you read about the saints, you'll find some of them lived relatively small lives on earth. Sometimes I listen to one of the local country radio stations and hear a song about being thankful for having a house, some land, and a family, and it reminds me that most people are fulfilled with that kind of humble existence. Vagabond, Church All-Star, or whatever... we're all sinners and we trust God settles all the scores in the end. When you're following Christ, you're not living for this world anyway, and we'll all be perfectly satisfied with Heaven.

[withouthavingseen]

VaticanIILiturgist,

I used to work for the Church full-time, in a couple different capacities - that's what I did for the first 7 years after college. It can be really hard. A priest friend of mine told me something along these lines, "You can make friends with parishioners, but you've gotta both be striving for holiness, or you will scandalize each other." If you and they are both striving for holiness, then you can let your hair down and be yourself.

What area do you live in?

[Lena]

[quote name='LouisvilleFan' post='1400684' date='Oct 11 2007, 01:25 AM']Well, there are a lot of thoughts that I come to mind regarding the "small life." For one, we're only looking at things with our eyes. Compared to the greatness of God, we all live small lives. Yet at the same time, compared to Christ laying down His own life to redeem us, our lives aren't so small to Him. If you read about the saints, you'll find some of them lived relatively small lives on earth. Sometimes I listen to one of the local country radio stations and hear a song about being thankful for having a house, some land, and a family, and it reminds me that most people are fulfilled with that kind of humble existence. Vagabond, Church All-Star, or whatever... we're all sinners and we trust God settles all the scores in the end. When you're following Christ, you're not living for this world anyway, and we'll all be perfectly satisfied with Heaven. [/quote]

I love those country music songs.....!

Also, look at Emily Dickinson--she lived almost her entire life in her house, rarely venturing out, and look what she wrote.

"To live is so startling, it leaves little time for anything else"....sorry, I love quotes and this one by her came to mind!

My life isn't very exciting. But I like it.

[johnnydigit]

"a member who does not work at the growth of the body to the extent of his possibilities must be considered useless both to the Church and to himself" DEI VERBUM

[hyperdulia again]

You are not a nobody! God put on flesh and died for you! You are awesome!

[bonoducchi]

[quote name='withouthavingseen' post='1400770' date='Oct 11 2007, 12:06 PM']VaticanIILiturgist,

I used to work for the Church full-time, in a couple different capacities - that's what I did for the first 7 years after college. It can be really hard. A priest friend of mine told me something along these lines, "You can make friends with parishioners, but you've gotta both be striving for holiness, or you will scandalize each other." If you and they are both striving for holiness, then you can let your hair down and be yourself.

What area do you live in?[/quote]

I see the point, but I guess I just disagree. It only takes one stupid moment of human fallibility to either create scandal, or at least reveal attitudes or information about parish life that need not be revealed. Relationships with parishioners also has massive potential for rumor-mongering, which isn't helpful or beneficial and can create a scandal that isn't there.

For example, at my current parish, we had a newly ordained priest assigned as the associate. He started to be friendly with a group of people his age (late 20's). Within 2 months, the rumors swirled that he was having an affair with one of the women in this group. Totally untrue, but it left him open to questions about his personal life that he should be have been asked. I told him privately that it may be best to limit his contact with this group, but he insisted on continuing it until the rumors got too loud for comfort, at which point he reduced his social time with them.

Should lay ecclesial ministers be any different? I don't think so. Should we live lives of solitude? No. But we should be careful about who we associate with and it should not be those we minister to.

[GodChild]

[quote name='Paddington' post='1399364' date='Oct 9 2007, 03:09 AM']Could God be calling somebody to just be single, have a tiny job, a very small social life and to go home and be alone, do the laundry and eat a microwave burrito?
No monastery/convent considered either.

I know you might think, "we are supposed to be nobody in the sense that we lose ourselves for Jesus."
Or, you might think...."you can do that as long as you go to Mass and Confession and pray some and give a lil money and a lil time."

Other than those possible objections, is it okay to aim for that? Or at least to settle for it after some failures trying to be "successful" by normal standards of people of the world and Church?

Also, I'm not asking if it is okay to do this for a year or two. I mean one's whole life.[/quote]


- I don't get where this importance of this comes in - you may say this a "slackers" life whereas others have to work [i]hard[/i] to achieve this - (ie: someone who is mentally ill etc)

The only "slacker" in life is the person who doesn't [b]love[/b] God with [b]all[/b] they've got - geez as if God cares if you live in a tiny house with a mundane job - and as for what the Church considers successful? Who Cares!
Greatness of the SOUL is what God looks at - God sees through the trinklets of this life and in the end he will pierce your heart to see whats inside - your greatness will be measured by how much LOVE is inside

PS - those who fail to love God are the BIGGEST slackers in life

[withouthavingseen]

[quote name='GodChild' post='1401926' date='Oct 13 2007, 08:27 PM'] - I don't get where this importance of this comes in - you may say this a "slackers" life whereas others have to work [i]hard[/i] to achieve this - (ie: someone who is mentally ill etc)

The only "slacker" in life is the person who doesn't [b]love[/b] God with [b]all[/b] they've got - geez as if God cares if you live in a tiny house with a mundane job - and as for what the Church considers successful? Who Cares!
Greatness of the SOUL is what God looks at - God sees through the trinklets of this life and in the end he will pierce your heart to see whats inside - your greatness will be measured by how much LOVE is inside

PS - those who fail to love God are the BIGGEST slackers in life[/quote]


Very well said, Godchild.

[-I---Love]

[quote name='VaticanIILiturgist' post='1401922' date='Oct 13 2007, 06:05 PM']But we should be careful about who we associate with and it should not be those we minister to.[/quote]

I agree with some of the idea, but this last part rings a little fishy. The problem is a line b/t ministering and friends can not be so clear cut. While such a line must be maintained, if you minister to someone and then "won't be friends w/ them" that's insulting to the other person to say the least. I doubt I'm articulating myself well, sry...

[bonoducchi]

[quote name='-I---Love' post='1409973' date='Oct 27 2007, 12:30 AM']I agree with some of the idea, but this last part rings a little fishy. The problem is a line b/t ministering and friends can not be so clear cut. While such a line must be maintained, if you minister to someone and then "won't be friends w/ them" that's insulting to the other person to say the least. I doubt I'm articulating myself well, sry...[/quote]

Very good points. I guess I was referring to those we minister to in a professional capacity. Letting those people too far into our personal lives is inviting trouble.

[Jaime]

I think we're all called to be a nobody

[Paddington]

[quote name='hot stuff' post='1410269' date='Oct 27 2007, 11:04 PM']I think we're all called to be a nobody[/quote]

Richard Greco,

You see right through me.

Paddington

[Jaime]

[quote name='-I---Love' post='1409973' date='Oct 27 2007, 12:30 AM']I agree with some of the idea, but this last part rings a little fishy. The problem is a line b/t ministering and friends can not be so clear cut. While such a line must be maintained, if you minister to someone and then "won't be friends w/ them" that's insulting to the other person to say the least. I doubt I'm articulating myself well, sry...[/quote]

Yes it can and it should. I may have been a friend to some who I ministered to but they were not allowed to be a friend to me.


[quote name='Paddington' post='1410293' date='Oct 27 2007, 09:23 PM']Richard Greco,

You see right through me.

Paddington[/quote]

I didn't see nothin

[nowak.chris]

To quote Tolkien: "But today, of all days, it is brought home to me, it is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life."

If I do not enter a seminary, that I can easily see myself living a similar kind of life (well, maybe eating a little better and socializing a little more). There's nothing wrong with not being an over-achiever from the world's view, so long as it is in God's plan for you.