Thoughts From A Newcomer

[Aloysius]

everyone should just consider the board lucky I didn't get called in to moderate ... I'm the loose cannon regulator (so loose, they have to hide my identity and list me as Church Militant so there are no assassination attempts)

anyway, one point: the word "vocation" has always referred in a special way to the religious vocation, coming from the Latin 'vocare' it refers mainly to being called out by God to live a life different than the ordinary biologically natural life of marriage and procreation. of course anyone is welcome to discuss marriage or any other station in life here, and in a certain sense they can be called "vocations", ie called by God to live out the natural human life, but don't be surprised if a board named "vocation station" is over-croweded with people thinking of the priesthood or religious life.

anyway, no topics were silenced, threads which had devolved into bickering were closed to diffuse the situation. any topic is free to be discussed when it relates to vocations. of course, the discussion of moderator decisions does not relate to vocations

[gloriagurl]

[quote name='EWIE' post='1487653' date='Mar 29 2008, 11:57 AM']Thanks for the welcome. Anna, no problem. Ewie, I wrote to you privately but I'll give a quick recap for the people here. Just to clarify...my spiritual director gave me a list of websites/forums/discussion groups, etc.,
'

PS.....Anna....I WISH I were Mother Praxedes at the Abbey of Regina Laudis! Great artist!

as is Mother Placid.
Magnificent stations of the cross, she did for the original chapel.[/quote]

Glad to see others familiar with both MP's from RL.....they are absolutely fabulous artisits....and how about that coagulated milk NUN???? Mother Noella's coagulated milk is fan-dang-tastic.....dontcha think?

[cmotherofpirl]

Generally we mods stay off of the vocations board unless we are actually discussing where God is calling us in our lives. It is usually a rather peaceful place, full of encouragement. I marvel at the actions of the Holy Spirit as hints are dropped by time, circumstance, and other people as to what direction each of us should be heading. So when people lose their sense of proportion and good judgement, it is much harder for the mods to deal with. Most of us are not called to religious life, and so in a sense we are cheerleaders not participants in your vocations. So when the "roaring lion seeking someone to devour" stops here I personally get bit testy. Threads here will tend to get shut done more quickly on other boards, to limit the possible damage, and people can get a grip.
Nobody is asking you to be stilted, or pretend to be saintly, or not to be real, but we are asking for decent manners and a sense of we are ALL working our our salvation in fear and trembling as best we can, knowing it depends on God in the end. If you disagree with someone, do it charitably and back it up with actual facts, not opinions, and understand you well may be wrong. Almost all topics and discussions are welcome if you do it with politeness. In the many years of phatmass , we have literally discussed everything under the sun, in fact we have had some really interesting a astronomy discussions. All people are welcome here. We have had wonderful debates on other boards with non-catholics, non-christians and even wicca and pagans. Feel free to post on all the boards on whatever you want to discuss. Here we like on concentrate on religious vocations.
But if you are tempted to be uncharitable, try going to confession instead.

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='gloriagurl' post='1487702' date='Mar 29 2008, 12:47 PM']Glad to see others familiar with both MP's from RL.....they are absolutely fabulous artisits....and how about that coagulated milk NUN???? Mother Noella's coagulated milk is fan-dang-tastic.....dontcha think?[/quote]
Whatever this is please start a thread on it, it sounds interesting, especially if related to food

[EWIE]

and how about that coagulated milk NUN???? Mother Noella's coagulated milk is fan-dang-tastic.....dontcha think?

The absolute best I have ever tasted.
I sat there one day with a pitcher of warm grape juice, fresh baked bread and a chunk of coagulated milk and felt I had gone to heaven.
I have tried to eat simply and "monastically" ever since, but nothing can substitute for her coagulated milk.

[sr_betsy]

Edited April 2, 2008 by sr_betsy

[praying4carmel]

Peace, Sister and Welcome!

This is a lively forum! There are great people here and lots of Prayers. I can honestly say I learn something new here each day about my Faith and my Discernment, and I am very grateful for that. Even when we don't always agree, there is still something new to learn and another point of view to consider. This helps my Faith alot.

I will keep you in my prayers!

P4C

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='praxedes' post='1486978' date='Mar 28 2008, 03:02 PM']I would like to introduce myself. I am in religious life. For the sake
of privacy and countless other reasons too numerous to list, I am not
going to tell you what kind (other than I assure you it is a valid,
Rome-approved form of religious life!) and/or where. I am not going to
announce the community I am a part of because I would like this to be
about me, and only me. I don’t want to represent my community or defend
it. I don’t want to talk about my habit or lack of; the length of my
veil or my headpiece. I will tell you my community follows the Rule of
St. Benedict, so my language, temperament and ideas might certainly be
colored by my formation, education and experiences.
.....

And then you learn that the plank in your own eye was far, far larger
than that splinter in the eye of the other.[/quote]


Dearest "Newcomer" (you'll be an "oldie in no time at all )

I have only been on this forum for just over a year and yes, there are passionate people who post here, and sometimes the water gets a bit heated. But this is the most loving and supportive place you will ever find, especially for those who are discerning, discerning, discerning what Our Lord wants for them in their lives.

Someone once asked Mother Teresa of Calcutta how she could support a Church that had been part of so much suffering through the ages. I can't quote her exactly but she made a comment about how the Church was a human insititution and therefore inherently flawed, but that one had to see beyond the human, to the divine in Christ's mystical body, the Church. I would say something similar about these forums. We are all humans, therefore we fall and we sin. We are selfish and we often lack charity towards each other. But I don't believe that anyone here purposely sets out to hurt another person or to post something that is hurtful. I think that passions get stirred up, opinions get stated in ways that sound harsh or critical and people get offended. Usually after this, things cool down again, people are sorry and the phorum goes on again. The secret is for us all to see beyond the human, to the divine - and to realize that God uses absolutely everything that happens for our good - even if the source isn't good, He transforms events to teach us and help us.

This is a good place full of truly good people - welcome!

[marysfriend]

[quote name='praxedes' post='1486978' date='Mar 28 2008, 05:02 PM']I would like to introduce myself. I am in religious life. For the sake
of privacy and countless other reasons too numerous to list, I am not
going to tell you what kind (other than I assure you it is a valid,
Rome-approved form of religious life!) and/or where. I am not going to
announce the community I am a part of because I would like this to be
about me, and only me. I don’t want to represent my community or defend
it. I don’t want to talk about my habit or lack of; the length of my
veil or my headpiece. I will tell you my community follows the Rule of
St. Benedict, so my language, temperament and ideas might certainly be
colored by my formation, education and experiences.

I was introduced to this forum by my spiritual director. For various
reasons, again, too numerous to mention, I am struggling. I am sure it
hasn’t slipped anybody’s attention that vocation is an ongoing process,
and just because we find ourselves “somewhere” – by whatever means! –
doesn’t mean that we stop growing, questioning and or listening. We are
all here because we desire one thing (supposedly) to find our way to
cuddle with my weeble and wub and serve God with our whole body, mind and soul. I’m trying to
answer God’s call, but God is too mysterious and profound to even begin
to comprehend and that call is deep, profound and multi-layered. It
cannot be answered by one single “yes,” – in fact, The Call asks for
constant listening, a never ending commitment to conversion (and not
just for Benedictines!) and a million “yes-es” – in little things as
well as big things.

What a time to find myself entering the world of the fartmass Vocation
Station! I have spent the last two days reading the posts, going
through as much as I possibly can to absorb this world. I have looked
at profiles, followed threads and made some notes. Here and there, I
have jumped off the Vocation Station and have looked at the other
departments within fartmass.

When one logs on to fartmass, and sees the "phorum" description, the
word "inclusive" is right underneath it. I took that to mean that all
of us should be included and respected, not just consecrated persons.
I’m really curious as to what “inclusive” means to the founders and
moderators. Does that mean that only the posters who sweetly agree with
someone they perceive to be in authority (because of their status as a
religious or pseudo religious) can post? Does it mean that someone who
disagrees, and voices their opinion with support is shut down?
Christian charity cannot be enforced, sadly. Shutting down threads
because of heated discussions, in my opinion is counter-productive.
Leaving is also counter-productive. It is akin to a child picking up
his or her toys on the playground, with a great big foot stomp and
returning home to Mommy!

At some point or another, we are all called to accountability and we
are asked to defend our faith, our position, our beliefs and/or
thoughts. Communicating through the web is not perfect due to the loss
of face to face interaction and subtle body language and other means of
communication. People are (obviously) more apt to react without censor
because they are often alone and the only thing between them and the
rest of the world is the send button. But that’s okay, as far as I am
concerned. That’s what I was hoping to find here.

I was hoping to find some honesty, and some depth. I was hoping to find
a forum that lived up to its description of being “inclusive.” I was
hoping to find adults who are (were) able to walk up to the plate and
defend their choices and thoughts. This is impossible when threads are
closed and people are chastised as children for their behavior. Why is
it so difficult in this forum for people to express a variety of
opinions without being immediately put-down, corrected and/or labeled?

I have read a couple of times the chastisement that people expect more
out of this forum than any other because this is the forum that
reflects an individual’s desire to serve God as a religious. This is
very misleading, for religious are human beings first. They have no
more control over God’s call than the young man does who falls in cuddle with my weeble and wub
with his bride. I find it interesting that the Vocation Station centers
around the vocation to religious life only. How do you include and
support those who feel called to marriage? Consecrated Virginity?
Diocesean Hermit? Single Life? Aren’t we all called to serve and cuddle with my weeble and wub
God wholeheartedly? Aren’t we all called to consecrate our very lives
and selves to Him?

Is this really an inclusive “home” as so many of you call it? Are older
women welcome? What about older men? Are people who don’t know what
they want – or better yet – what God wants – welcome? Are people who
feel called to live in the world in an active order, without a habit,
welcome? Are people with life experiences, stories, handicaps,
problems, issues, welcome? Do we represent the Catholic Church when we
control and interrupt others’ speech? We have a rich history of
communication being paramount to our faith experience. As someone
already put it beautifully, our last great Holy Father was only too
able to stand tall and claim responsibility for our past mistakes! He
named them. He listened, and he broke the silence. It wasn’t
comfortable, for him, or for us. It was embarrassing, it was shocking,
it was hurtful. We heard things we wished we never heard, and oh….how
much easier it would have been if he stood in the middle of St. Peter’s
and shushed us all! But he didn’t do that….much like another great
Pope, he opened wide the windows and let the fresh air break through,
and the silence and secrecy that caused so much pain began to
ease. As Catholics, we are not in a cult that lives in a black and
white world, or enforces “doctrine over person,” (Lifton). One of the
most amazing aspects of our faith (at least to me) is our willingness
to live in mystery – to even acknowledge that we have mystery! We don’t
– as Catholics – have an explanation for every little thing. Sometimes,
we shrug our shoulders and claim the mystery to be what it is – a
mystery - and we celebrate this mystery in faith.

To become a fully integrated member of a religious community takes a
lifetime. Just because you have a veil on your head and a Rosary
dangling from your belt does not mean you are living the life. You live
the life when you can cuddle with my weeble and wub your community members as you cuddle with my weeble and wub yourself.
When the Sister who clicks her pen during Lectio and drives you crazy,
smiles at you over her breviary during the LOH because she loves you,
and your heart melts because you realize… even though she’s driven you
crazy day in and day out … that you cuddle with my weeble and wub her, too. You live the life
when you watch the Sister who never spoke a word to you the first four
months of your time in the convent die a horrible death from pancreatic
cancer; and you pray for her release and eternal joy with every breath
you have as you hold the bucket for her vomit. You live the life when
you cleanse her body after death and you realize she helped purify your
soul. You don’t live the life by having Mother Superior standing
over you, telling you to behave and stop it! You live the life when you
sit in her office, crying over something stupid, and she tells you to
get out there and start over. That’s when you live the life.

If this is a forum, then it should be a forum. People should be allowed
to express their thoughts and opinions without fear they will be called
a name or put down. People can co-exist and have differing opinions.
And reactions. And likes/dislikes. OR…if I am wrong, and this is not a
safe place for people to express their thoughts, questions, opinions
and experiences, then restructure it. Don’t threaten the posters with
insulting comments like “We’re watching this carefully.” Is this for
adults or not? Moderators…if you want the children to ask questions, to
be answered with carefully scripted approved answers, then modify the
format of this forum. Otherwise, accept the fact that adults can
disagree and still cuddle with my weeble and wub one another and be in community with one
another, and allow them to work it out.

Anybody who thinks that religious life is easy, or that living in
community is a walk in the park doesn’t know what they are talking
about. Deigning to tell us with a condescending remark that “we” had
better get it together doesn’t work. When you enter religious life, you
get what you get. Maybe …. an alcoholic, a passive-aggressive door
slammer, a caustic laundress, a bi-polar cellarer, a depressed choir
teacher. In religious life, once you say your yes (after final/solemn
vows that is!), you can’t pick up your toys and leave. You stay. You
learn to work it out. You learn to cuddle with my weeble and wub your brothers and your sisters
in all of their frailty and with all of their faults.

And then you learn that the plank in your own eye was far, far larger
than that splinter in the eye of the other.[/quote]

[marysfriend]

What a wonderful post! I am generally just a lurker, but sometimes there is a post that speaks to me. Yours did. Thank you.

[cathoholic_anonymous]

Welcome Sister Praxedes! I will keep you in my prayers. Please pray for me also - I'm struggling as well at the moment. (Not with knowing what my vocation is, but knowing how to live it.)

And hello to Mary's Friend. I've never seen you about on PM before, but you have a lovely username.

[marysfriend]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1491827' date='Apr 3 2008, 09:19 AM']Welcome Sister Praxedes! I will keep you in my prayers. Please pray for me also - I'm struggling as well at the moment. (Not with knowing what my vocation is, but knowing how to live it.)

And hello to Mary's Friend. I've never seen you about on PM before, but you have a lovely username.[/quote]

[marysfriend]

Thanks for the comment about my user name - it is double-sided - I have a friend named Mary and Mother Mary is also my friend. Can't get much better than that!