Which Are You Discerning?

[laetitia crucis]

I recently came across [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=22082&view=&hl=poll&fromsearch=1"]this post[/url] which has a poll asking "Which of these are you discerning, or already have chosen?". It originated in 2004, so I thought it'd be nice to see how the Vocation Station is doing five years later - with more choices listed. (Hope I covered them all..)

And it's also [url="http://www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2009/09-255.shtml"]National Vocations Awareness Week[/url]! (Hmmm.. there should be a "nun/religious sister" icon, too!) I thought this would be a nice way to "celebrate".

So... anyone wanna take a survey/poll?

[AccountDeleted]

It's a good poll, but for me there were two different discernment periods, so I just focused on this last one that started three years ago. I did discern religious life back in 1975, and that is why I became a Catholic in the first place - through love of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. At that time I wasn't called to her community so I started discerning elsewhere, but all of the religious sisters in the States that I satrted contacting were just being affected by the post-Vat II feelings, and things were shaking up in ways that I wasn't comfortable with, so I decided then that religious life wasn't for me. Nearly 30 years later, I am back discerning at the insistent call of the Lord, although only He knows why!

[TeresaBenedicta]

Well, the first question was easy for me. :-) I'm discerning the religious life, active/missionary.

But the second two questions make me pause and really think. I encountered the same questions from a vocations director for the community I'm interested in and, well, I don't know [i]when[/i], exactly, I began discerning or why. It just kind of happened, I think. I was baptized and brought into the Church 2 & 1/2 years ago, and I don't think it was long after my baptism that I began feeling a tug toward religious life. Honestly, I think Our Lord captured my heart and sealed it for Himself the night of my baptism.

Only a few months after my baptism I went to a priest to ask about what I was feeling and what it meant... he became my spiritual director and for the past two and a half years he's helped me to grow in prayer and virtue, drawing closer to Our Lord so that I might hear even more clearly His call.

So... there hasn't been any big "revelation" or anything like that. It just kind of... [i]happened[/i].

I mean, I think others recognized it in me as well. I have two very dear friends of mine who were seminarians and are now priests who have been very helpful in my discernment. Always encouraging me, sometimes even challenging me. I remember even just last year [as a junior in college] thinking that I'd be doing Grad school and maybe even work for a few years before I was even going to consider looking at religious communities. One of my then-Deacon friends was talking with me and said, "Why are you going to wait? Why not right after graduation?" I brushed him off at the time, but what he said has always stayed with me... and now I'm looking to apply with a community. :-)

So, basically, God has been leading this whole adventure, even before I knew [i]what[/i] He was doing.

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='nunsense' date='15 January 2010 - 05:50 PM' timestamp='1263592246' post='2037898']
It's a good poll, but for me there were two different discernment periods, so I just focused on this last one that started three years ago. I did discern religious life back in 1975, and that is why I became a Catholic in the first place - through love of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity. At that time I wasn't called to her community so I started discerning elsewhere, but all of the religious sisters in the States that I satrted contacting were just being affected by the post-Vat II feelings, and things were shaking up in ways that I wasn't comfortable with, so I decided then that religious life wasn't for me. Nearly 30 years later, I am back discerning at the insistent call of the Lord, although only He knows why!
[/quote]

Nunsense, I didn't know you were a convert, too.

Like you, I guess I would say I've had two different discernment periods as well. (Or maybe one spread-out period of discernment? )

The first time was shortly after I became a Roman Catholic (about a year or so). Little by little I found myself drawn to the religious life, though I don't think I even consciously realized it until the day my parish priest blatantly asked me in a meeting, "So, have you ever discerned a vocation to the religious life?" And we talked about it in length. I think he kind of opened a can of worms with that one question. I wasn't ready to face what had been brewing in silent prayer for quite some time -- mostly as a passing thought that passed a little too slowly for my liking. However, once it was out in the open I more than willingly took it on full force. I scoured whatever material I could find on the religious life and religious orders, avidly reading and researching.

That priest eventually became my spiritual director and with his guidance I visited various communities and eventually entered an active missionary order.

The second time around -- where I am now -- the discernment has been a tad more passive on my part. I thank God for His patience and His mercy in dealing with me. (He'd be a living saint having to put up with me -- if He wasn't already God!) He knew the delicate situation I found myself in after leaving that community and has been really...good. So [i]good[/i]. I tried so hard last time to find where God wanted me and once I thought I knew where it was, I jumped in as soon as I could. One might say that I let my passions overwhelm my intellect and will. Granted, I know without a doubt that that time wasn't wasted and I was meant to be there for as long as I was... but passively (on my part) I was made to see that being an active religious Sister was simply not my vocation. Instead, He has put into my path the semi-contemplative vocation, and looking back I can see that this is where He's always been leading me, always in the quiet. I was just too busy to see/hear Him telling me so. Again --

So now, He's leading me down this path of pursuing the semi-contemplative vocation. I think I'm matured at least a little in my discernment. (Or perhaps I've found a better "hearing aid". ) No more passion-led jumps, but what I hope to be a balanced discernment of faith and reason.

[vee]

Wow cloistered nuns lead the pack with 6 votes (including mine.)

Under What provoked your initial step into discerning your vocation? I voted grace through prayer but also something else, and that something else was St Therese smacking me with a 2x4. People pray to her asking for literal roses, and spiritual ones as well, so I guess I got a spiritual rose but it sure felt more like a 2x4

Edited January 16, 2010 by vee8

[EAnn246]

The first 2 questions for me were easy. I'm discerning religious life (active/missionary). I've been discerning for about a year now.

For the third question, I had to choose 2 answers - someone asked me and something else. I've been going on young adult discernment retreats with the community I am discerning with since summer 2008. These retreats happen every few months. During a retreat (almost a year ago), one of the sisters said to me, "now don't ignore religious life." I kind of just looked at her and brushed it off. She repeated it and I told her I wouldn't ignore it. About a month before that I had started to look into religious life mostly so I could tell myself that it wasn't for me. God's funny like that. The following retreat took place on Palm Sunday and the same sister mentioned religious life to me. I brushed it off again. In June 2009, there was another retreat and I finally fessed up to Sr. that I was thinking about religious life (which of course she already figured out). She has played a big role in my discernment. But another reason I'm discerning is because I felt the need to "rule it out."

[muzikal4life]

^^^Same here. Well, kind of... I've considered becoming a Sister, in order to rule it out, but I've been discerning a vocation to married life for several years.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='16 January 2010 - 10:03 AM' timestamp='1263596582' post='2037944']
Nunsense, I didn't know you were a convert, too.

Like you, I guess I would say I've had two different discernment periods as well. (Or maybe one spread-out period of discernment? )

The first time was shortly after I became a Roman Catholic (about a year or so). Little by little I found myself drawn to the religious life, though I don't think I even consciously realized it until the day my parish priest blatantly asked me in a meeting, "So, have you ever discerned a vocation to the religious life?" And we talked about it in length. I think he kind of opened a can of worms with that one question. I wasn't ready to face what had been brewing in silent prayer for quite some time -- mostly as a passing thought that passed a little too slowly for my liking. However, once it was out in the open I more than willingly took it on full force. I scoured whatever material I could find on the religious life and religious orders, avidly reading and researching.

That priest eventually became my spiritual director and with his guidance I visited various communities and eventually entered an active missionary order.

The second time around -- where I am now -- the discernment has been a tad more passive on my part. I thank God for His patience and His mercy in dealing with me. (He'd be a living saint having to put up with me -- if He wasn't already God!) He knew the delicate situation I found myself in after leaving that community and has been really...good. So [i]good[/i]. I tried so hard last time to find where God wanted me and once I thought I knew where it was, I jumped in as soon as I could. One might say that I let my passions overwhelm my intellect and will. Granted, I know without a doubt that that time wasn't wasted and I was meant to be there for as long as I was... but passively (on my part) I was made to see that being an active religious Sister was simply not my vocation. Instead, He has put into my path the semi-contemplative vocation, and looking back I can see that this is where He's always been leading me, always in the quiet. I was just too busy to see/hear Him telling me so. Again --

So now, He's leading me down this path of pursuing the semi-contemplative vocation. I think I'm matured at least a little in my discernment. (Or perhaps I've found a better "hearing aid". ) No more passion-led jumps, but what I hope to be a balanced discernment of faith and reason.
[/quote]


Yeah, I was what people used to call a "searcher" or "seeker of the Truth" and I went from being raised with a social consciousness awareness of injustice - an agnostic/atheist/humanist through Eastern mysticism/spirituality/cult/New Age/you name it.

How Our Lord saved me was through Mother Teresa. She was the perfect embodiment of all my ideals and even though I was very anti-religion in a way, she said that the Church should not be our stumbling block to God, so I started working with her Missionaries in Melbourne. They were all saints in my mind and when I asked to join them, they told me I had to become Catholic first! Thus began my journey but it took awhile and by the time I was baptised in 1977, I was back in the States and all the nuns there were going through really weird stuff and I couldn't relate to them at all (there were no MCs in California then) so I decided that I wasn't called to be a nun.

I am so glad that God didn't give up on me though. Sometimes it feels like it is too late for me, that I waited too long, but I think that cappie said here on another post, that God writes straight with crooked lines. And my faith in Him is as absolute as it can be at this point in time. So I trust.

If you put everything into His hands, He will show you where he wants you. Right now He is teaching you how to trust Him, completely. There is no greater gift than that of faith, and nothing pleases Him more than when we live in that faith!! We are truly blessed.

Edited January 16, 2010 by nunsense

[morostheos]

I chose religious sister and holy matrimony - I had discerned back in college, and I was pretty sure I was called to marriage. But just a few weeks ago I suddenly felt that God was calling me to religious life. So I'm still trying to figure it all out in my head, it's quite confusing! I finally found a spiritual director, which is such a blessing! But I'm still getting used to the idea that I need to look into religious life more now. It's quite the thing to wrap one's head around!

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='nunsense' date='16 January 2010 - 07:30 PM' timestamp='1263684625' post='2038778']
Yeah, I was what people used to call a "searcher" or "seeker of the Truth" and I went from being raised with a social consciousness awareness of injustice - an agnostic/atheist/humanist through Eastern mysticism/spirituality/cult/New Age/you name it.

How Our Lord saved me was through Mother Teresa. She was the perfect embodiment of all my ideals and even though I was very anti-religion in a way, she said that the Church should not be our stumbling block to God, so I started working with her Missionaries in Melbourne. They were all saints in my mind and when I asked to join them, they told me I had to become Catholic first! Thus began my journey but it took awhile and by the time I was baptised in 1977, I was back in the States and all the nuns there were going through really weird stuff and I couldn't relate to them at all (there were no MCs in California then) so I decided that I wasn't called to be a nun.

I am so glad that God didn't give up on me though. Sometimes it feels like it is too late for me, that I waited too long, but I think that cappie said here on another post, that God writes straight with crooked lines. And my faith in Him is as absolute as it can be at this point in time. So I trust.

If you put everything into His hands, He will show you where he wants you. Right now He is teaching you how to trust Him, completely. There is no greater gift than that of faith, and nothing pleases Him more than when we live in that faith!! We are truly blessed.
[/quote]


This is beautiful, nunsense -- how God led you to the Church, and to your vocation. Blessed be God, He is so patient with us and keeps on calling! And you are so right about God teaching me how to trust Him [i]completely[/i]. Right now, everything going on in my discernment process is pretty much out of my hands for once -- and in the hands of God, where it should have always been! And to my surprise... I'm actually really calm and at peace about that. Who knew such "lack of control" could make someone feel like that?

I am definitely keeping every here in my prayers. God has some beautiful plans in mind for us, I am certain.

May we all persevere in discerning (and doing) God's will and do all things (as my favorite saint always said), "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam"!!

P.S. -- "Religious Sister" has taken the lead!



Hey. Where are all the discerners for "priest/deacon/brother/monk"?

P.S.S. -- Wow, this is funny -- I've never seen this before:

[quote]You have posted a message with more emoticons that this board allows. Please reduce the number of emoticons you've added to the message[/quote]



For the record, the max number is 20. Aahaha!

[AccountDeleted]

[quote] You have posted a message with more emoticons that this board allows. Please reduce the number of emoticons you've added to the message[/quote]

I am giving up emoticons for Lent

[vee]

[quote name='nunsense' date='17 January 2010 - 05:10 PM' timestamp='1263766227' post='2039275']
I am giving up emoticons for Lent
[/quote]

Im going to increase using emoticons for Lent


[quote]P.S. -- "Religious Sister" has taken the lead! [/quote]


Nooooo! Come on cloistereds cease your contemplation and vote

Edited January 17, 2010 by vee8

[Hilde]

I'm discerning if I should be a cloisetered or active sister. Also marriage but I'm leaning more towards religious life.

The orders I'm liking at the moment are Dominicans, Cistercians and Carmelites.

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='vee8' date='17 January 2010 - 07:50 PM' timestamp='1263772240' post='2039335']
Nooooo! Come on cloistereds cease your contemplation and vote
[/quote]

I literally laughed out loud reading that!



[quote name='Hilde' date='18 January 2010 - 02:31 PM' timestamp='1263839502' post='2039718']
I'm discerning if I should be a cloisetered or active sister. Also marriage but I'm leaning more towards religious life.

The orders I'm liking at the moment are Dominicans, Cistercians and Carmelites.
[/quote]

May God and our Blessed Mother continue to bless you in your discernment, Hilde!

Would you by chance like to have a "[url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=102086"]Prayer Pal[/url]"?

[Hilde]

Thank you.

And what is that exactly?(I did read the thread)