Canine conundrum

[gloriana35]

 Get past RCIA and your Confirmation for now. You indeed may be called to some form of consecrated life, but it's not time to make other decisions as yet. (I dearly hope no-one becomes a solitary because of critters....)

[islandanchoress]

18 hours ago, gloriana35 said:

 Get past RCIA and your Confirmation for now. You indeed may be called to some form of consecrated life, but it's not time to make other decisions as yet. (I dearly hope no-one becomes a solitary because of critters....)

Interesting distortion!

Surely various lifestyle facets and choices will guide and inform our future. I don't think we are meant to ...brutalise.. ourselves to live our vocation.  If that applies then we do need to think again and loo at other facets. The solitary life is a full vocation equal to every form of religious life. Which is what I was expressing. And we are pointed and guided to it within ourselves and within our life facets.  So why wrong then to decide on solitude for a deep love of animals? 

 

many hermits and others do have pets etc. Many. Two facets of the same diamond. l  

[GraceUk]

I think fair enough if you feel attracted to a solitary life looking after animals. But I don't think it should be confused with a religious vocation. 

[gloriana35]

My comment about 'it's not time yet' had to do with the original post, and our contributions. I myself am a solitary. Though I had been a religious Sister, illness prevented my continuing in community life (40 years ago), and I made private vows and was in various ministries. I did not recognise that I was going to end up as a solitary until I had been in vowed life for about 18 years. (Though I am urban.) 

It is a disciplined life - crafted around the liturgy - and contains no horror stories. We don't wear hair shirts or live on bread and water. :D But I would not recommend that anyone who is only just preparing for Confirmation, even if she is past 30, embark on consecrated life without more direction and consideration. I love my cat, indeed, but, since being a solitary usually means one is quite mature in religious life, I was teasing that I hoped no-one would embrace this very lonely (at times) way because of the dogs.