What Is A Vocation?

[NotreDame]

 I would like to comment on the above separately.  There is some truth in what has been said; however, is it God's Direct and Indicative Will or His Permissive Will would be up to you to decide.  God has either willed or permitted you to have your "run-ins".  Since they were "shady sects" it would be His Permissive Will - He has permitted you to have the run in for some reason from which He intends to draw good (Doctrine of The Lord's Divine Providence).  It would then be up to you to decide how you are going to act in an adverse situation which The Lord has permitted - and were it me, I would thank them for their welcome and advise that I had decided that their beliefs were not for me and that I am a committed Catholic.  An alternative could be to stay and present Catholic beliefs to them, which would probably lead to a debating situation.

There may be other alternatives.

Were it me again, no matter what I prayerfully decided to do in a Permissive Will of God situation of Divine Providence, I would pray for them and all "shady sects".

Sometimes we can know and recognize the good God intends to draw from an adverse situation that He has permitted - more often that good is a mystery and must wait for Heaven.  We trust confidently in God's Eternal Goodness in all things.

 

Thanks BT!   As for everything else (theology on divine providence, celibacy, single vocation) thank you very much for the links, I am going to read up on all of these over the course of this week and hopefully reflect on them for a long time to come.

 

As for the "shady sects", I'm less worried about my own experience.  I was given very sound advice that I'll "never know why God allowed it to happen" and that above all I can't hold any anger at the individuals.   God permits evil only for a higher good. 

 

My concern was more oriented toward how to properly combat the "you are here, therefore it's the will of God" argument those groups often use.  Just sort of a hypothetical.  It's obvious not everything that happens is automatically good (duh!) and hopefully using the links you gave I can express that in a more 'theological' sounding way. 

[BarbTherese]

Motherhood is the Vocation for life everlasting
With which Our life's will never end
Motherhood is mankind's salvation

 

Apologies Add, I am not too sure what you mean.  Without a doubt, every vocation has its vital importance - essential importance - to mankind and The Church or else they would not exist and The Lord would not call people to the various vocations and states in life.

 

 

 

 

Barb :)

Edited November 17, 2013 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

Thanks BT!   As for everything else (theology on divine providence, celibacy, single vocation) thank you very much for the links, I am going to read up on all of these over the course of this week and hopefully reflect on them for a long time to come.

 

As for the "shady sects", I'm less worried about my own experience.  I was given very sound advice that I'll "never know why God allowed it to happen" and that above all I can't hold any anger at the individuals.   God permits evil only for a higher good. 

 

My concern was more oriented toward how to properly combat the "you are here, therefore it's the will of God" argument those groups often use.  Just sort of a hypothetical.  It's obvious not everything that happens is automatically good (duh!) and hopefully using the links you gave I can express that in a more 'theological' sounding way. 

 

:)

I hope you will find what you need amongst the links.  You might like to pose your question re the shady sects and a reply on Open Mic or "Catholic Q & A - Ask a Scholar" - or even "Ask an Apologist" on the Catholic Answers website http://forums.catholic.com/  These just might be more helpful than the links. God's blessings on your quest.

[BarbTherese]

To bring things back to the subject of this thread.  And my take - a vocation is a call from God to a certain way of life.   Obviously, most of us are not going to hear The Lord speaking to us telling us His Will for us.  One of the prime ways that He does speak to us re our vocation is through the circumstances in our lives, our various gifts etc. even our negative circumstances; our desires and passions, appeals and non appeals - and He may call one into service in The Church in the priesthood or some form of consecrated life - or He may not and the person remains in the laity, either single (lay celibacy) or married.  We consider prayerfully all these things in discerning one's vocation in life. One of the ways The Church recognises a new charism and gift to The Church is that it meets a need in The Church or in the world.  So too, to my mind, in considering Divine Providence and our vocation in life, we too can ask ourselves if there is some need in The Church or in the world that one might be particularly gifted to meet.  I don't mean (in the main) something unique and unusual - most often it is going to be something very ordinary and not at all uncommon.  Most of all we consider all these things prayerfully.

 

If one chooses to remain in the laity, either in lay celibacy or The Sacrament of Marriage, there are many institutions in The Church including Third Orders that may permit one to have a close community and a specific spirituality orientation.  There is not, however, any necessity to join one of these organizations.  It's all a matter of discerning and getting in touch with where The Lord may be leading.

 

Here is a link to a site with a "discernment process" that I felt anyway was fairly comprehensive : http://vocationsreno.com/discernment/whattodo.shtml