Can an unimportant ordinary person have a vocation?

[oratefratres]

You know the people who are:
> Leader of the SVP
> Chair of the Parish Food Bank Committee
> Appointed EMHC and Lector
> very self important and ostentatious in their many ministries

I am not talking about those people.

I am talking about the normal but devout and holy people who spend a lot of time praying and reading scripture and are involved in some things, but do not have many talents. Or quiet people.

Can they have a vocation? How? Because they are not impressing anyone.

 

[PrayerSupporter]

I would respond with a definite "Yes."  There are no unimportant or ordinary people in God's eyes.  And He calls whoever He calls.  Impressing people is not what it is about.  He can use the humble to confound the 'wise' and He does. 

[Spem in alium]

Everyone has a vocation, whether it be to marriage, single life, religious life, or the priesthood - a particular vocation that will help them to be the person they were created to be. And yes, to God, we are all important, special, and unique, and if we simply trust and follow Him He will lead us to fullness of life.

[bardegaulois]

Vocation is not about impressing people. If you're thinking about it in that sense, then stop it immediately. First of all, we're all unimportant and ordinary, in a certain way of thinking, and that's something that we'll need to accept, unlike the "self-important and ostentatious" types you describe. If you look at some of our greatest saints and mystics, you'll find that they very often resemble the type of people that you describe as "normal but devout and holy." In fact, I think you'll find infinitely more of them in the martyrology than you will parish committee members.

Edited May 30, 2015 by bardegaulois

[Pia Jesu]

..And it's often said that the roads to God are as many as there are individual human beings.  Social standing, occupation, education--committee membership--do not count.  The only important thing is to be open to the Spirit of Love.  Delete "unimportant" as a personal descriptive.  Like Bard noted, there are many "ordinary" people who became saints--and had spiritual experiences of astonishing depth.

[NadaTeTurbe]

Ste Jeanne d'Arc was a little shepherdess. And God called her to release the King of France ! To lead army ! 
St Jean Marie Vianney has little education, he did not know latin, he was not charismatic, nothing beautiful on his exterior. And he was one of the most important priest of all time ! 
And Judith ? She was an unimportant widow. And God called her to freed the hebrews ! 
There is many story of ""unimportant"" people being called to amazing vocation and becoming Saint. In fact, if you look well, there's more story of "unimportant" people becoming Saint than of "important" people.

You say "there are not impressing anyone". 
Maybe they are not impressing you, or the parish priest, or the lady who gossip at the end of the mass. But I'm sure God is proud of them. God loves humility. And what matter ? What the man think of us, or what God think of us ? 


God look at us with a look of love. He doesn't see the appearance, he see the hearts. He doesn't think that anyone is "unimportant". God want the salvation of all souls. Read the gospel, and see how much Jesus speak to the "unimportant", and what he say to the pharisee : 
 

39 Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? 41 But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

Luke 11:39-41

 

Matthew chapter 23 (here are little parts) 

Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."
 

“Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries[a]wide and the tassels on their garments long; 6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.

8 “But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father,and he is in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

 

[MarysLittleFlower]

You know the people who are:
> Leader of the SVP
> Chair of the Parish Food Bank Committee
> Appointed EMHC and Lector
> very self important and ostentatious in their many ministries

I am not talking about those people.

I am talking about the normal but devout and holy people who spend a lot of time praying and reading scripture and are involved in some things, but do not have many talents. Or quiet people.

Can they have a vocation? How? Because they are not impressing anyone.

 

St Faustina was told in her revelation that "true greatness is in loving God and in humility". A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross. God often chooses the smallest and weakest people to show it is His work. That is greater than being on any committee in fact people who are really involved may get distracted from their interior life and become proud and we need to have an interior life and do God's Will first. An interior life is more important to a religious vocation than being involved in anything... It is about loving God, not what we do. God bless you

[PhuturePriest]

St Faustina was told in her revelation that "true greatness is in loving God and in humility". A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross. God often chooses the smallest and weakest people to show it is His work. That is greater than being on any committee in fact people who are really involved may get distracted from their interior life and become proud and we need to have an interior life and do God's Will first. An interior life is more important to a religious vocation than being involved in anything... It is about loving God, not what we do. God bless you

​Keep in mind that what you say relates only to cloistered religious, not active religious, who make up the majority of religious.

[oratefratres]

I would respond with a definite "Yes."  There are no unimportant or ordinary people in God's eyes.  And He calls whoever He calls.  Impressing people is not what it is about.  He can use the humble to confound the 'wise' and He does.

Yes but to become a priest or brother you need to have four priest references. A normal person has a parish priest and maybe a spiritual director. The only way one will be known well to many priests is by being ostentarious.

The ordinary and humble hidden people will never be noticed enough to have a vocation or to get loads of references. So they will not get called.

[beatitude]

You seem to have finally noticed that people were picking up on the troll questioning when you did it under the username Oremus.

It's no less obvious when you do it under the username oratefratres.

I don't know what the game is supposed to be, but it's getting pretty boring now.

[BarbTherese]

 

St Faustina was told in her revelation that "true greatness is in loving God and in humility". A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross. God often chooses the smallest and weakest people to show it is His work. That is greater than being on any committee in fact people who are really involved may get distracted from their interior life and become proud and we need to have an interior life and do God's Will first. An interior life is more important to a religious vocation than being involved in anything... It is about loving God, not what we do. God bless you

 

​Keep in mind that what you say relates only to cloistered religious, not active religious, who make up the majority of religious.

!!!

[vee]

You know the people who are:
> Leader of the SVP
> Chair of the Parish Food Bank Committee
> Appointed EMHC and Lector
> very self important and ostentatious in their many ministries

I am not talking about those people.

I am talking about the normal but devout and holy people who spend a lot of time praying and reading scripture and are involved in some things, but do not have many talents. Or quiet people.

Can they have a vocation? How? Because they are not impressing anyone.

 

​

[vee]

You seem to have finally noticed that people were picking up on the troll questioning when you did it under the username Oremus.

It's no less obvious when you do it under the username oratefratres.

I don't know what the game is supposed to be, but it's getting pretty boring now.

​why do trolls troll?  iono for kicks & giggles?  at least it gives me a chance to use the oft neglected emote

[veritasluxmea]

we need a troll board where all the troll threads can be moved. @dUSt

[vee]

we need a troll board where all the troll threads can be moved. @dUSt

​

isnt that what the lame board is for? :/

[MarysLittleFlower]

 

​im sorry about the formatting - its my phone... I realize it may seem that way but I actually meant it about all religious. The hidden aspect is more directly related to cloistered orders but since active orders still leave any worldly ambitions, they also become - maybe not hidden like that but unknown to the world. I realize people see them and they bring Christ to people .. But it is Christ others should see, not just the religious themselves, the religious should become smaller... I'm thinking of Blessed Dina Belanger who was in a more active order but the statement applies to her very well. Also the sacrifice of the Cross in their lives can be hidden

I didn't mean this statement in only the most visible direct way - maybe if you read about Blessed Dina that would explain it better

[MarysLittleFlower]

Yes but to become a priest or brother you need to have four priest references. A normal person has a parish priest and maybe a spiritual director. The only way one will be known well to many priests is by being ostentarious.
The ordinary and humble hidden people will never be noticed enough to have a vocation or to get loads of references. So they will not get called.

I disagree. Trying to stand out to get references is not in the humble way that religious should live. If they are involved in things it should be to serve. They can always ask someone how to find more references. 

[MarysLittleFlower]

I don't know if Oremus is the same person as OrateFratres... If you are, I don't understand why you would have two accounts, but people spend a lot of their time responding to questions on this board and I think its fair to be honest with them. If you are a different person, my apologies, you seem similar because of the type of name and questions.

[Orans]

St Faustina was told in her revelation that "true greatness is in loving God and in humility". A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross. God often chooses the smallest and weakest people to show it is His work. That is greater than being on any committee in fact people who are really involved may get distracted from their interior life and become proud and we need to have an interior life and do God's Will first. An interior life is more important to a religious vocation than being involved in anything... It is about loving God, not what we do. God bless you

​

​Keep in mind that what you say relates only to cloistered religious, not active religious, who make up the majority of religious.

​FP, I'm not sure what do you mean here. St Faustina was NOT a cloistered religious. She was a SAINT in an active religious community.

[PhuturePriest]

​

​FP, I'm not sure what do you mean here. St Faustina was NOT a cloistered religious. She was a SAINT in an active religious community.

​Why on earth are people down-voting my post? I'm afraid there is confusion as to what I was talking about. I was refuting a specific line that Mary wrote in her post, not Saint Faustina herself. If you look at my original post, I bold the line that I was speaking about specifically. For the sake of easiness, I will quote it here:

"A religious vocation has nothing about impressing people... Its a vocational to be hidden with Christ on the Cross."

That line of being hidden with Christ on the Cross only makes sense in a cloistered context. And it isn't a line Saint Faustina wrote, it's something the poster said, so I'm free to disagree with it.