Beginning Discernment... Kind Of

[Xanti]

Welcome!! (a little late but I was away from VS for a while).

 

Thanks!  Everyone has made me feel so welcome

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

Thanks! Everyone has made me feel so welcome

Sorry I feel dumb now. I commented about Gandalf before welcoming you. So, welcome :)

[Not A Mallard]

 [I commented about Gandalf before welcoming you.] Sorry I feel dumb now.

So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide.  All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.

[cartermia]

Hey! Welcome to PM! I will keep you in my prayers as you continue to discern your vocation! :pray:

[Xanti]

Sheesh you guys are so delightful. I'll be praying for all of you as well! And I'll come back and post an update when I get back from the retreat! (I'm leaving on Monday and getting back on Friday)

[TheresaThoma]

I hope that this retreat is a fruitful one for you!

[Xanti]

Sorry I feel dumb now. I commented about Gandalf before welcoming you. So, welcome :)

 

None taken.  You just have your priorities in order, unlike the rest of the people in this thread  :lol4:

 

...just kidding thank you everyone!

[littlesister]

Whichever way you decide, don't write yourself off.  God will give you whatever you need for whatever he wants.

[PhuturePriest]

Hello all,

 

I'm new here, so... hi!  I've been a lurker for a little while, and you guys have a pretty amesome community here.

 

Background: I'm a 21 YO guy who grew up in Suburbs of City in the US.

 

Since about sophomore year of high school I've been contemplating and discerning whether or not I'm called to the priesthood/religious life.  That puts it at roughly 6 years of non-serious discernment and thought.  6 years of trying to figure out who I am and who I'm supposed to be. I've convinced myself at one point that I was called to be a priest, at another that I was called to be father (not the priestly kind), and another that I'm supposed to be a monk. Needless to say it's been kind of a confusing ride, but I like to think I've been open to the promptings of the Spirit when they come.

 

Right now, as a senior at a Catholic University in the US, I'm (hopefully) going to graduate in May 2015 with a degree in Computer Science.  I have a job offer from a Catholic software company (not too many of those... I really lucked out!).  But despite that particular opportunity and its implications of living as a laity, I've decided to delve a little more seriously into discerning my vocation, whether or not it ends up being as a lay person.  

 

This coming week I'm going on a 4-day directed retreat at a Jesuit retreat house in a nice, quiet area.  I feel like it signifies a turning point in my life.  Instead of me trying to figure it out, I've decided to let God do that, and I'll ask him continually to show me.  Not my will but His.

 

I'm not entirely sure why I'm posting here, I just felt compelled to do so, and was hoping maybe to get some encouragement/advice from those here.  So if you have some encouragement or advice, please leave a comment or send a PM!  Thanks for reading, if you made it this far :joecool:

 

Pax,

Xanti

 

My advice: Take the job and talk to your parish priest and ask him for spiritual direction. If after having your job for a while you still feel something missing, like what you are doing isn't filling a longing in your soul to do something more, look seriously into the seminary.

[TheresaThoma]

I second taking the job for now. Discernment can be expensive, especially if you are discerning with a place far away. Also God does things in His time and not ours. 

[SilentJoy]

I second taking the job for now. Discernment can be expensive, especially if you are discerning with a place far away. Also God does things in His time and not ours. 

 

This is true. "It's gonna take patience and time...and money, a whole lotta spendin money, to do it right, chile."

 

I was a little aghast at what it cost me to discern (nobody warned me about that part). Then I realized that I had made enough extra to cover it. I had been thinking, "Aa! If I'm going to enter a religious community, I'm going to have to be able to handle the stress; can I do this?" so I took on more work than I would normally have accepted in my right mind (I was self-employed) and it didn't occur to me until later - duh - that more work might also equal more money. (And more self-employment taxes to pay...)
 

[TheresaThoma]

SJ that is true, God will provide but we have to put in some effort too!

(Boo on taxes though. I'm not looking forward to doing mine this year)

[Xanti]

Retreat Follow-up: 

 

Hey guys, just finished the retreat on Friday.  It was a pretty amazing experience.  It's strange all the things you can go through in just a few days of silence, I felt like I was making leaps and bounds in my faith.  I'd like to share with you my journal entry from the final day, just so you can kind of get at what I was feeling towards the end.  It sums up how I'm feeling right now

 

I think I know the next step for me, and thank God for showing me.  The next step is to be completely absorbed by love and truth.  At the intersection of the two is the Catholic Faith.  At the intersection also is an individual's vocation.  To give oneself over in love to serve the Truth is the ultimate realization of one's destiny.

 

And that's all I've got.  So, as generic and abstract as that is to my 'vocation problem,' it's undoubtedly the solution.  Grounded in prayer, if I move forward in Love and Truth, there's no way I can be led astray.  Now I know not if that means religious life, or married life, but that's almost beside the point.

 

...

 

So here I sit, scribbling away at the end of my retreat with an effervescent idea as the only real result.  Nonetheless, I have a sense of direction now, and a means by which to travel in that direction: prayer.  So by opening up my mind and heart to God, he can transform me into the person I ought to be.

 

 

So that's where I stand.  I'm going to take the job offer, and I'm going to continue in prayer and discernment.  I know not where it will lead me, but that's kind of the beauty of discernment.  Thank you all for your prayers, I'm pretty certain they're working! 

 

[TheresaThoma]

I'm glad you had a wonderful retreat! Finding some peace and direction is always good!

[Xanti]

I've decided that I'll just keep updating this thread as I have particular revelations or experiences related to my discernment.  Even if it's not particularly interesting to you guys, at least I'll have it typed out in a somewhat coherent form. :)

 

This past weekend I went on a retreat/visit with Capuchin Franciscans, mostly just to learn what they're about, their various charisms, and ministries.  It was a very educational experience.  I now am seriously considering the Capuchins as a viable path for me if I'm to become a religious.

 

Though I did have an odd experience I'd like to share with you all.  One of the parts of the weekend was a little info session on Fr. Solanus Casey (which I also really enjoyed).  During the session, we were told that Fr. Solanus Casey came from a family of 14 children.  I immediately thought "Wow, that's something I want!"

 

When I took a moment to actually process that thought, I was a little shocked.  Here I was on a weekend learning about what life of a Capuchin is like, and one of the most moving moments for me had nothing to do with the life of a Capuchin.

 

This is not to say, however, that I didn't enjoy or profit from this weekend.  It's just now I'm even less sure of what my vocation.  God is certainly not making it easy for me at this particular moment  :think:

[Charbel]

JMJ

 

(edited for space)

I've decided that I'll just keep updating this thread as I have particular revelations or experiences related to my discernment.  

 

This is not to say, however, that I didn't enjoy or profit from this weekend.  It's just now I'm even less sure of what my vocation.  God is certainly not making it easy for me at this particular moment  :think:

 

Pray to the Blessed Virgin, lay your sorrows at her feet. She will bring them to Our Lord. Try praying the Ave Maris Stella (Hail Star of the Sea) daily, and remember to pray your rosary. Try out the Divine Mercy Chaplet as well if you don't pray it regularly. Persevere in your prayer! Jesus craves our prayers. Give everything to Him. Trust in Him. He will guide you where you need to go. I am still praying for you my brother, and I will always pray for you. May the peace of heaven be upon you.  

 

Your Sister in Christ.