How To Be Open..

[MarysLittleFlower]

I was wondering, does anyone have any advice on how to not really care what vocation God has for you? But just to be trusting and open with Him? Often my own will gets in the way and I want to just surrender that. How do you not be so attached to one vocation that if God calls you to something else, you become really upset, discouraged, or even angry?

thank you

[FutureSister2009]

I'm going through the same thing. I just keep telling myself that I will accept whatever God wants of me because I don't want to do my Will, I only want to do HIS Will. I also keep telling God that every time I go to Adoration. I say over and over again, whatever You want God is what I want. You know what You're doing and I will accept whatever You send me

[Divine Mercy 9999]

I kinda think that it takes a lifetime to be detached (in a good way). Adoration is a great thing. There are two things that have helped me. One is remembering that God wants good things for me. amesome, spectacular, wonderful, really razzle dazzle things. The other thing kinda balances that one. No life is perfect. Married, single, Religious, Priest - everyone has bad days, months, or years.

One thing that I am trying to do is just kinda take things day by day.

Edited March 1, 2012 by Divine Mercy 9999

[somethingfishy]

I think you will want to define your terms a bit. "Not really caring" is more apathy than anything else, and you don't want that.

In my (limited) experience, a vocation finds you when you aren't expecting it. When you aren't stressing and agonizing and worrying about it, when you're just living your life where God's put you for the moment. Now he is forming you in the world; someday you will continue formation with a family or a community. But "now" is part of his will for you -- don't ignore the grace of now, hoping for the grace he will give later.

The kind of trust that I'm talking about is not something you can think yourself into, by the way. It's prayer, really.

Trust will build upon trust. Trusting God in all the very tiny small things, putting your will in his hands every moment that you think of it, will open you more and more to the workings of grace. To accept, and to trust, and to tell him "I love you" and mean it even in the most difficult times, that will not happen overnight. In every moment be faithful, in every moment trust, in every moment love. And when you fail, reconcile. Again and again and again.

And imperceptibly, in hindsight, you will see the fruits -- grace working in your life and within your soul, transforming you until you are ready to accept whatever he wants to give you.

I love this prayer (by Charles de Foucauld) and find it helpful. It's a good one to memorize, and makes an excellent morning offering.

Father,
I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will.
Whatever you may do, I thank you:
I am ready for all, I accept all.
Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.
Into your hands I commend my soul;
I offer it to you
with all the love of my heart,
for I love you, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into your hands,
without reserve,
and with boundless confidence,
for you are my Father.
Amen.

[mantellata]

St. Teresa of Avila would say that the movement of the Spirit is found in peace. If the idea of another vocation brings discouragement and anger.... well.... I'd venture to say it's not your vocation.

Struggle is normal when considering a vocation that is so off the radar screen for a modern girl or woman. Disquiet is likely an indication that it is not God's will - or at least not His will right now.

What is hard is speaking in generalities. To discover if it is inordinate attachment to this or that thing, or fear of sacrifice or ego or whatever - a good mature Christian friend or spiritual director would be the best guide to help you sort out the root of the problem.

The best thing (in my opinion) to do is talk the matter over with a vocation director of any of the communities you are interested in. They would be most able to help you quickly and effectively.

[Orans]

[quote name='MarysLittleFlower' timestamp='1330617970' post='2394951']
I was wondering, does anyone have any advice on how to not really care what vocation God has for you? But just to be trusting and open with Him? Often my own will gets in the way and I want to just surrender that.[b] How do you not be so attached to one vocation that if God calls you to something else, you become really upset, discouraged, or even angry[/b]?

thank you
[/quote]

[color=#0000cd]"Ask and you shall receive" [/color]

[color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Pray, ask for the grace that you need, that you desire. It will be GIVEN to you (in due time). [/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]We need to keep on asking for the grace even while we try and do the best we can, like the good suggestions already given above.[/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Pray, pray, pray. And if you cannot pray, then tell Jesus and Mary the short emergency prayer:[/font][/color]
[color=#ff0000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]HELP!!!!!!!![/font][/color]

[color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif]I use it all the time. It works[/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=arial, helvetica, sans-serif] [/font][/color]

[MarysLittleFlower]

[quote name='mantellata' timestamp='1330756983' post='2395593']
St. Teresa of Avila would say that the movement of the Spirit is found in peace. If the idea of another vocation brings discouragement and anger.... well.... I'd venture to say it's not your vocation.

Struggle is normal when considering a vocation that is so off the radar screen for a modern girl or woman. Disquiet is likely an indication that it is not God's will - or at least not His will right now.

What is hard is speaking in generalities. To discover if it is inordinate attachment to this or that thing, or fear of sacrifice or ego or whatever - a good mature Christian friend or spiritual director would be the best guide to help you sort out the root of the problem.

The best thing (in my opinion) to do is talk the matter over with a vocation director of any of the communities you are interested in. They would be most able to help you quickly and effectively.
[/quote]

Do you mean that if a person feels disquiet when they think of another vocation, besides religious life, do you mean that their vocation is not religious life, or not that other vocation? just wanted to clarify what you meant I don't feel anger when I think of marriage, I think marriage is great too and sometimes am also drawn to it, but in a different way.. it does not bring me deep peace. I'm not saying that marriage can't be my vocation, I haven't discerned it yet, but just describing how things are as of right now.

thanks for the replies God bless!

[mantellata]

anger was probably not the right word... I think I was groping for another "disquieting passion".

As per your request for clarification -- if in prayer you have deep peace about the thought of religious life (provided you have a right and mature understanding of religious life) then it is a good indication that (barring disqualifying impediments) you do have a vocation. If in praying about marriage (with that same mature understanding) you are disquieted in prayer compared with the peace you receive in praying about your religious vocation - it is another indication that you may have a vocation to the religious life.

By "disquiet" I do not mean that one is scared of marriage, it's responsibilities, or afraid of intimacy, or lack an understanding on how it can bring you holiness of life. If someone had "disquiet" over such things they need to mature in their understanding of marriage and relationships. By disquiet I mean exactly what the word says - lack of quiet or peace, a restlessness, a "non attachment".....

Marriage doesn't really need to be discerned. It is the natural vocation of every man and woman. One needs to grow and mature into a proper understanding of all marriage entails, as well as the sacrament of marriage. What needs to be discerned is if God is calling you to religious life. This is the "unnatural" vocation if you will. (For lack of a better word).

[somethingfishy]

[quote name='mantellata' timestamp='1331118649' post='2397154']
What needs to be discerned is if God is calling you to religious life. This is the "unnatural" vocation if you will. (For lack of a better word).
[/quote]

I think the word is "supernatural"

[Antigonos]

[quote name='mantellata' timestamp='1331118649' post='2397154']


Marriage doesn't really need to be discerned. It is the natural vocation of every man and woman. One needs to grow and mature into a proper understanding of all marriage entails, as well as the sacrament of marriage. What needs to be discerned is if God is calling you to religious life. This is the "unnatural" vocation if you will. (For lack of a better word).
[/quote]

I am reminded of the welcoming speech Reverend Mother Emmanuel gives to the incoming postulants in "The Nun's Story" : she describes religious life as "a life against nature".

There is a Jewish saying that for 6 days God created the heavens and the earth, and since then He has been arranging marriages...

[mantellata]

hmm.... well "against nature" would be very un-Thomistic of me.... and well... un-Catholic. Religious life is the full flowering of our Baptism, but it wasn't around before Christ came. The old Thomistic adage is that "grace builds on nature" and so a religious shouldn't be acting against her nature or something is amiss. The nun-story is an awful misrepresentation of religious life.... it's more like Jansinism.

But as for the Jewish saying -- that's just great! I [b]love [/b]it. I imagine it must also make our dear Lord smile. As God is one, so does He love union!!

[EmilyAnn]

I remember there was a [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/119290-following-gods-will/"]similar topic[/url] while ago. This was my response:

[color=#282828]I always feel that the first thing is surrender yourself to God. That was how I first felt a calling to religious life, it was at those times when I surrendered my will fully to God that I felt that tug towards a religious vocation. It sounds easy but it needs to be continual and total. We have to trust Him to guide us and allow ourselves to be led by Him.[/color]

[color=#282828]Grace is obviously also a huge part. Frequenting the Sacraments, particularly the Eucharist and Reconciliation, can be invaluable in trying to follow God's will because of the graces we receive in these Sacraments. Making God the centre of your life, and living as holy a life as possible, and taking out as many things from your life that distract from God can all make it easier to figure out what is God's will and what is just 'noise'. [/color]

[color=#282828]Sometimes we can't know for sure and we just have to take that leap of faith and trust that God will always guide us, even when we make mistakes.[/color]

[BarbTherese]

Reading "Abandonment to Divine Providence" by Jean Pierre de Caussade might be helfpul. It is a well known spiritual classic. There is an online copy on CCEL and if anyone wants a link, I will post it. Jean Pierre can get a little long winded on a particular topic in the book but it is all invaluable - his letters which usually accompany the book at the end of the book text (but not always - the letters are at the end of the book text in the CCEL online text) are more direct and concise on a particular point. But one really needs to read the book first.
Basically the premise de Cussaude builds on is (and sound theology backed by the Catholic Catechism) is that all that happens to one, be it interior or exterior in nature comes about through God's Will. His Direct Will in all that is positive and good, and via His Permissive will in all that is contrary to the positive and good, i.e. negative and not good at all. We can trust God totally in all things, no matter the circumstances we experience interiorly or extgeriorly. Jean Pierre's book was, during the 16th century I think it was, suspected of "passivism" but his theology is anything but passive - anything but!!! The text was eventually cleared. St Teresa's writing also were suspect at one point by the Inquisition (now titled Congregation for The Doctrine of The Faith) and later cleared. The Inquisition of course now no longer exists and some functions are taken over by the Congregation of The Doctrine of The Faith. You can read about it here on the Vatican website: [url="http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_pro_14071997_en.html"]http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_pro_14071997_en.html[/url]