An inquisitive personality and religious life

[anonymous1995]

Sorry for the vague title. I have just posted a thread on dating and maturity, and I deem it more appropriate to separate this from my previous post.

I am a 22-year-old medical student who will presumably graduate after 2 years. I am always curious about new things and enjoy home visits more than sitting in Family Medicine outpatient clinics or standing in the operation theatre for hours observing surgeries. At the same time, I am also very fond of academic work. I do like Clinical Medicine (I’m not a scientist) and patient contact, but I am also very fond of Latin, Greek, Philosophy and Theology.

While only my spiritual director (a newly ordained secular priest) and close friends are able to offer the most appropriate advice, I would also like to learn about stories from others. Would an inquisitive personality not fit for the priesthood (parish priest in general, religious priest in particular) or religious life (setting aside monastic life)?

I don’t know - perhaps God doesn’t want me to become a priest or friar, but it is always good to know more about myself through this process of discernment.

Thank you very much.

 

[Della]

The Franciscans do a lot of outreach in their ministries, while maintaining a high spiritual life. In fact, one of our own members belongs to monastic community that is crying out for new members to help them in all their ministries. Here’s a thread about it: forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=1059878.

 

[Autumn_Smoke]

There are so many people who have inquisitive personalities: we all want answers to our questions.

Having questions and asking God to show us the answers from his perspective has great benefits. Here are his words from Jeremiah 33:3 ‘‘Thus says the Lord who made the earth, the Lord who formed it to establish it, the Lord is His name. Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’’

The more questions we ask of God, the more we allow him to answer us. It may take a while to receive answers to very specific questions, but reading God’s word and coupling these questions with prayer, along with the Catechism: these are the best ways to allow God to enlighten us.

The questions you have are probably the same questions many others are asking.
IMHO, asking questions is a great vocation for a priest. When we share God’s answers with others, they can be truly enlightened and can step from darkness into the light.

 

[Mystic_Banana]

I think having an open and inquisitive mind ultimately leads you not away from the Church, but away from a dishonest and deluding materialist culture that would undermine it.

In fact, being able to question what is fed to you ideologically is probably essential for the modern Catholic in being able to resist the torrent of misleading rubbish fed to you every other time you switch on the radio, Tv, or Ipad … in a modern Priest, this is probably resultingly a positive characteristic

 

[Augustine]

Would an inquisitive personality not fit for the priesthood (parish priest in general, religious priest in particular) or religious life (setting aside monastic life)?

Yes, but qualified.

If you belonged to an Eastern Catholic Church, it’s not uncommon for a priest to also hold a secular job, especially if he’s married. Of course, medicine is perhaps too demanding a career to go along with the diocesan priesthood.

However, some religious orders, like the Dominicans, the Brothers of St. John and the Jesuits, do rigorous studies and often teach at secular colleges or seminaries, not rarely doing research as well.

It may sound too daunting a choice, but it’s nothing that the Holy Spirit couldn’t help with.

 

[acadiANNA]

If you choose religious life, you will get instruction on how inquisitive you need to be, as in Parish Priest. A hospital or nursing home Chaplain may fit you well with the medical background that you have. Maybe even counseling. Praying for you in your discernment.