If you had a Catholic religious vocation where would you go?

Onesimus

If you had a Catholic religious vocation where would you go? For me? It would have to be a Monk in the Eygptian desert like the coptic monks. Not just in a desert but to be alone in a cave well away from the Late late show and Ryan Turbidy :D

gimmebroadband

I would let God choose for me! So I voted 'other'!

Onesimus

gimmebroadband wrote: »

I would let God choose for me! So I voted 'other'!

TUTTUTUTUTUT :mad::P:D

Your terrible you just ruined my whole thread lol

Don't you realise I've spent years planning this poll to perfection? ***crying his eyes out ***lol

Brer Fox

You didn't put treehouse as an option.

Onesimus

Brer Fox wrote: »

You didn't put treehouse as an option.

I could have gone the extra mile and suggested the top of a pillar like the fathers use to do of old.

Doc Farrell

Everybody has a religious vocation. A vocation is just a calling, each of us has a different calling. A religious calling is just a desire to experience God in the ordinary world.
Probably the most important religious vocation is to be a good parent, to experience the presence of eternity in the sound of delight in your child's voice. Another vocation straight from God is to defend that child and all children from any parasitic indoctrination from dangerous adults.
This definition of a religious vocation is my interpretation of Ronald Rolheisers idea from his book The Holy Longing also called in Europe Seeking Spirituality.

Brer Fox

Doc Farrell wrote: »

Everybody has a religious vocation. A vocation is just a calling, each of us has a different calling. A religious calling is just a desire to experience God in the ordinary world.
Probably the most important religious vocation is to be a good parent, to experience the presence of eternity in the sound of delight in your child's voice. Another vocation straight from God is to defend that child and all children from any parasitic indoctrination from dangerous adults.
This definition of a religious vocation is my interpretation of Ronald Rolheisers idea from his book The Holy Longing also called in Europe Seeking Spirituality.

The priestly vocation is the highest in the Church according to Church teaching,for the priest brings us God Himself in the Eucharist. That's not to say that priests are better or holier than the average person (although they ought to be very holy).

HamletOrHecuba

Doc Farrell wrote: »

Another vocation straight from God is to defend that child and all children from any parasitic indoctrination from dangerous adults.
This definition of a religious vocation is my interpretation of Ronald Rolheisers idea from his book The Holy Longing also called in Europe Seeking Spirituality.

And how do we do this? How do we define parasitic indoctrination since all parents indocrinate their children, teaching a child language itself counts as indoctrination since language structures thought, no?

Is Europe seeking Spirituality?

Onesimus

Doc Farrell wrote: »

Everybody has a religious vocation. A vocation is just a calling, each of us has a different calling. A religious calling is just a desire to experience God in the ordinary world.
Probably the most important religious vocation is to be a good parent, to experience the presence of eternity in the sound of delight in your child's voice. Another vocation straight from God is to defend that child and all children from any parasitic indoctrination from dangerous adults.
This definition of a religious vocation is my interpretation of Ronald Rolheisers idea from his book The Holy Longing also called in Europe Seeking Spirituality.

I know but I'm referring to Saint Pauls Preference for us to give our whole selfs to God over Marriage in this post Doc. So thats what I mean by religious vocation.

HamletOrHecuba

Doc Farrell wrote: »

Probably the most important religious vocation is to be a good parent

Than so why does the Gospel teach the superiority of virginity?

philologos

The OP assumes that non-Catholics can't be called to vocation / ministry.

Withdrawing yourself from other people isn't really the best option as far as I can see it. The Gospel needs to go out in society (Matthew 28). It makes sense to go to the busiest place rather than the quietest place in order to communicate it. I.E - Towns, cities, or wherever else you can find an audience.

Onesimus

philologos wrote: »

The OP assumes that non-Catholics can't be called to vocation / ministry.

Withdrawing yourself from other people isn't really the best option as far as I can see it. The Gospel needs to go out in society (Matthew 28). It makes sense to go to the busiest place rather than the quietest place in order to communicate it. I.E - Towns, cities, or wherever else you can find an audience.

(Eremites, "inhabitants of a desert", from the Greek eremos), also called anchorites, were men who fled the society of their fellow-men to dwell alone in retirement. Not all of them, however, sought so complete a solitude as to avoid absolutely any intercourse with their fellow-men. Some took a companion with them, generally a disciple; others remained close to inhabited places, from which they procured their food. This kind of religious life preceded the community life of the cenobites. Elias is considered the precursor of the hermits in the Old Testament. St. John the Baptist lived like them in the desert. Christ, too, led this kind of life when he retired into the mountains. But the eremitic life proper really begins only in the time of the persecutions. The first known example is that of St. Paul, whose biography was written by St. Jerome. He began about the year 250. There were others in Egypt; St. Athanasius, who speaks of them in his life of St. Anthony, does not mention their names. Nor were they the only ones. These first solitaries, few in number, selected this mode of living on their own initiative. It was St. Anthony who brought this kind of life into vogue at the beginning of the fourth century. After the persecutions the number of hermits increased greatly in Egypt, then in Palestine, then in the Sinaitic peninsula, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Asia Minor. Cenobitic communities sprang up among them, but did not become so important as to extinguish the eremitic life. They continued to flourish in the Egyptian deserts, not to speak of other localities. Discussions arose in Egypt as to the respective merits of the cenobitic and the eremitic style of life. Which was the better? Cassian, who voices the common opinion, believed that the cenobitic life offered more advantages and less inconveniences than the eremitic life. The Syrian hermits, in addition to their solitude, were accustomed to subject themselves to great bodily austerities. Some passed years on the top of a pillar (stylites); others condemned themselves to remain standing, in open air (stationaries); others shut themselves up in a cell so that they could not come out (recluses).

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07280a.htm

Sorry Philogos but this thread is about Catholic vocations. I understand that protestant Christians think they have some sort of vocation but this is primarily about Catholic vocations.

georgieporgy

philologos wrote: »

The OP assumes that non-Catholics can't be called to vocation / ministry.

Withdrawing yourself from other people isn't really the best option as far as I can see it. The Gospel needs to go out in society (Matthew 28). It makes sense to go to the busiest place rather than the quietest place in order to communicate it. I.E - Towns, cities, or wherever else you can find an audience.

That doesn't always work either. There is a thread on A&E about a guy upsetting a funeral with his preaching. His style is to preach in public places.

philologos

georgieporgy wrote: »

philologos wrote: »

The OP assumes that non-Catholics can't be called to vocation / ministry.

Withdrawing yourself from other people isn't really the best option as far as I can see it. The Gospel needs to go out in society (Matthew 28). It makes sense to go to the busiest place rather than the quietest place in order to communicate it. I.E - Towns, cities, or wherever else you can find an audience.

That doesn't always work either. There is a thread on A&E about a guy upsetting a funeral with his preaching. His style is to preach in public places.

Who said I was discussing anything similar to that?

What I am saying is that Christians should be active in society rather than running from it.

Onesimus - vocation isn't limited to Catholicism so I think its fine to discuss it on a broader level. If you're not happy report my posts.

Onesimus

philologos wrote: »

Who said I was discussing anything similar to that?

What I am saying is that Christians should be active in society rather than running from it.

Onesimus - vocation isn't limited to Catholicism so I think its fine to discuss it on a broader level. If you're not happy report my posts.

Ok so I am supposed to know all the religions in the whole world then when doing this poll am I right? You were unable to read the post and see how clear it was that I was speaking to Catholics and thus presumably think ''Onesimus is speaking to Catholics, this is a Catholic thread.'' But you didnt see it this way so I've edited title thread and made it more clear then.

If you want to start a different poll for all religions or Christians of other denominations then your more than welcome to.

Brer Fox

Philo, not everyone is called to preach in public squares. God creates all sorts of souls with various callings. If one is called to live an austere life of penance in a cave, out of the public gaze, then so be it. Who are we to question that?

I am reading an interesting book called Quiet: The power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking, and it mentions Evangelical megachurches in the USA, and how the impression is given that to be a good Christian, one has to be extroverted and gregarious. But God didn't make everyone the same, and to try to box everyone into the dynamic, outgoing, street-preacher mould is ignoring the beauty and uniqueness of each person and their personal gifts.

philologos

Brer Fox wrote: »

Philo, not everyone is called to preach in public squares. God creates all sorts of souls with various callings. If one is called to live an austere life of penance in a cave, out of the public gaze, then so be it. Who are we to question that?.

I never said it was. Speaking one to one with people or opening up the Bible with people can be more powerful than street preaching. I saw this at university to a large extent.

For those who pastor leading their churches and encouraging others to live Christian lives and to serve one another in the Gospel is a vocation. Handling the Bible faithfully is a huge responsibility.

Discipling people who already believe in Jesus and encouraging non-Christians to believe and trust in Jesus is key to Christian vocation and mission.

I never said we all had to be out with a megaphone but we are told to live and speak for Jesus in society. That's vocation irrespective of your day job.

Brer Fox

philologos wrote: »

I never said it was. Speaking one to one with people or opening up the Bible with people can be more powerful than street preaching. I saw this at university to a large extent.

For those who pastor leading their churches and encouraging others to live Christian lives and to serve one another in the Gospel is a vocation. Handling the Bible faithfully is a huge responsibility.

Discipling people who already believe in Jesus and encouraging non-Christians to believe and trust in Jesus is key to Christian vocation and mission.

I never said we all had to be out with a megaphone but we are told to live and speak for Jesus in society. That's vocation irrespective of your day job.

There's a mystical aspect too. The hermit in a cave doing penance for the sins of the world is also contributing to the salvation of souls, though the fruits are hidden. He may not meet too many people (except those who seek him out to consult him), but he is serving the Church in a noble way.

philologos

Brer Fox wrote: »

philologos wrote: »

I never said it was. Speaking one to one with people or opening up the Bible with people can be more powerful than street preaching. I saw this at university to a large extent.

For those who pastor leading their churches and encouraging others to live Christian lives and to serve one another in the Gospel is a vocation. Handling the Bible faithfully is a huge responsibility.

Discipling people who already believe in Jesus and encouraging non-Christians to believe and trust in Jesus is key to Christian vocation and mission.

I never said we all had to be out with a megaphone but we are told to live and speak for Jesus in society. That's vocation irrespective of your day job.

There's a mystical aspect too. The hermit in a cave doing penance for the sins of the world is also contributing to the salvation of souls, though the fruits are hidden. He may not meet too many people (except those who seek him out to consult him), but he is serving the Church in a noble way.

I won't clog up this thread but I have some questions to ask on this position.

Onesimus

So why do you all think many chose to live in a cave like a monk?

HamletOrHecuba

philologos wrote: »

The OP assumes that non-Catholics can't be called to vocation / ministry.

Withdrawing yourself from other people isn't really the best option as far as I can see it. The Gospel needs to go out in society (Matthew 28). It makes sense to go to the busiest place rather than the quietest place in order to communicate it. I.E - Towns, cities, or wherever else you can find an audience.

Monasticism is based on the strictest obedience to the Gospel commandments possible, its about people trying through the Grace of God to actually carry what is contained in the New Testament; studying the New Testament seriously is the most important duty of a monk and it is from springs monastic life. The Gospel also commands not casting pearls before swine. Monastics also in history have made the best missionaries because through their ascetic struggles they became filled with the Holy Spirit and so could genuinely convict people of sins and face down demonic forces. It is no accident that Irish missionaries in the hey day of monasticism in Ireland were so successful.

HamletOrHecuba

philologos wrote: »

I won't clog up this thread but I have some questions to ask on this position.

“Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's sufferings for the sake of his body, that is, the Church” .

Col 1:24

Daring statement on St Paul's part no?

philologos

It can be valuable for a time for the purposes of spiritual discipline. I think people need to spend time daily in the Bible, and in prayer. Removing ones self from the chaos of things can be useful for a time. I certainly don't believe it is more beneficial than helping others to understand more about Jesus.

I'm just about to ask on the megathread about some of my other questions.

lmaopml

Onesimus wrote: »

So why do you all think many chose to live in a cave like a monk?

I think some are called to a life of prayer - prayers from good people who love God, I truly believe have great value, and they can literally 'carry' others through hard times - many people in history lived as hermits and communed constantly with God through prayer, and were very wise - they don't stay alone long once God sends them out, or draws others to them to hear some wise words.

Some are called to a vocation of 'marriage', like me People are called in many ways I suppose. I must admit however, that if I were not called firstly to Christ to serve him as a wife and mum and part of a community that I love, I would possibly be still called if I were single and a lay person in some way shape or form - there's always some calling, something he has planned for everybody.

Brer Fox

Onesimus wrote: »

So why do you all think many chose to live in a cave like a monk?

Because life is simpler that way.

I think the modern lifestyle is toxic - the diet, the toxins, the miserable and soul-destroying quest for jobs and materialism and so on - it all kills the human spirit. Hence the widespread despair of a humanity that has forgotten God and appears, on the surface, to have no need of Him.

I'd love to take myself off to a cave, but I don't think I would last very long. Caves are damp, and we have grown very used to modern comforts like electric light, running water, and heat. We have also lost the primitive survival skills of the past, though reading a Ray Mears book would help.

HamletOrHecuba

Brer Fox wrote: »

Because life is simpler that way.

Life as a monk can be very, very tough.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2811.htm

The Life of St Anthony the Great called the founder of monasticism though it existed in the Old Testament Church is my all time favourite reading.

Cruel Sun

I get the feeling that all 5 of the "live in a cave like a monk" may not be genuine.

Brer Fox

Martin_94 wrote: »

I get the feeling that all 5 of the "live in a cave like a monk" may not be genuine.

I was one of those. It's romantic, but not very realistic. Most people couldn't do it.

Onesimus

Martin_94 wrote: »

I get the feeling that all 5 of the "live in a cave like a monk" may not be genuine.

So do I Martin. I was one as well so make that me and brer for now.

Brer Fox

Onesimus wrote: »

So do I Martin. I was one as well so make that me and brer for now.

Sure if you get enough of us together to live in this cave then maybe we could make it work! We could be the Little Brothers of Jesus in a Cave.

Onesimus

Brer Fox wrote: »

Sure if you get enough of us together to live in this cave then maybe we could make it work! We could be the Little Brothers of Jesus in a Cave.

Yes but you would all have to learn the Eastern Divine Liturgy.

Manach

I'd not be the type for a religious vocation, but I always admired the military orders so perhaps if the Hospitallers were planning to re-take Krak des Chevaliers

Onesimus

Manach wrote: »

I'd not be the type for a religious vocation, but I always admired the military orders so perhaps if the Hospitallers were planning to re-take Krak des Chevaliers

Well the thread is only ''if'' you were to go for a religious vocation, so have fun at picking one.

I am not in a position ( married ) to live in a cave like a monk but if I were to choose one that would be it.