Does God choose your vocation?

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“You do not choose your vocation, God does.” – me.

Where am I going wrong? (Because I believe I am in fact somehow wrong.)
 
God does choose the vocation you are called to, but you aren’t penalized for choosing differently. You won’t find as much fulfillment, and you probably won’t effect as many lives for the better, but God can make it work.
 
TheAdvocate said:
“You do not choose your vocation, God does.” – me.

Where am I going wrong? (Because I believe I am in fact somehow wrong.)
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“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.” (John 15:16 New American Bible Revised Edition). Does that help?
 
Milestone said:
God does choose the vocation you are called to, but you aren’t penalized for choosing differently. You won’t find as much fulfillment, and you probably won’t effect as many lives for the better, but God can make it work.
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This.
 
Milestone said:
God does choose the vocation you are called to, but you aren’t penalized for choosing differently. You won’t find as much fulfillment, and you probably won’t effect as many lives for the better, but God can make it work.
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God doesn’t penalize you? For knowingly going against His will? Why would not be sinful? God says, “I am calling you to serve as a priest,” and you say, “No, I want to be married and have children.” How is that not wrong?

To knowingly go against God’s will is sinful. The question is, how sinful?
 
TheAdvocate said:
God doesn’t penalize you? For knowingly going against His will? Why would not be sinful? God says, “I am calling you to serve as a priest,” and you say, “No, I want to be married and have children.” How is that not wrong?

To knowingly go against God’s will is sinful. The question is, how sinful?
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Choosing a different vocation from the one God intends is not necessarily the result of knowingly going against His will. Try as we might to correctly discern God’s will in our lives, we don’t always get it right.

I don’t personally know a single person who entered a vocation due to God telling them directly what He chose for them. While I leave room in the universe for the possibility that the Lord does communicate with some in this manner, the vast majority of people must spend time discerning their vocation and it is possible to get it wrong even after years of doing so. Should that happen, however, God can grant the grace needed to make the chosen vocation work anyway. Those who find themselves in this situation would do well to pray for that grace.
 
TheAdvocate said:
“You do not choose your vocation, God does.” – me.

Where am I going wrong? (Because I believe I am in fact somehow wrong.)
Click to expand...
I understand it as God calls you, he does not choose you. You may be called to a certain vocation, but you still choose to accept that call. It’s more of an invitation. We are chosen to evangelize and spread the Gospel, but we have options. We can evangelize as priests, or catechists, or youth ministers.
 
mikeeh said:
I understand it as God calls you, he does not choose you. You may be called to a certain vocation, but you still choose to accept that call. It’s more of an invitation. We are chosen to evangelize and spread the Gospel, but we have options. We can evangelize as priests, or catechists, or youth ministers.
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I like this answer. Getting warmer.
 
God knows what vocation you will end up in. As long as you stay close to Him, and sometimes, even though you may think you know where you should be, things happen to put you elsewhere.

Ed
 
TheAdvocate said:
“You do not choose your vocation, God does.” – me.

Where am I going wrong? (Because I believe I am in fact somehow wrong.)
Click to expand...
Vocation, from the Latin Vocare - To call.

God calls. A vocation is not an enumerable category, but rather a verb.

There are certainly categories of calls (e.g. Consecrated Virginity, Priesthood, Religious Life, Marriage), but one does not choose the call… It doesn’t really make sense when you think about it like that.😃

One can chose the means that they employ on earth to accomplish the end (the universal call [or vocation] to holiness), but one cannot pretend to chose what God is calling them to. God is the one accomplishing the action, not the person.

In other words, you’re not wrong, but the phrasing is awkward.👍
 
Lamentation said:
Vocation, from the Latin Vocare - To call.

God calls. A vocation is not an enumerable category, but rather a verb.

There are certainly categories of calls (e.g. Consecrated Virginity, Priesthood, Religious Life, Marriage), but one does not choose the call… It doesn’t really make sense when you think about it like that.😃

One can chose the means that they employ on earth to accomplish the end (the universal call [or vocation] to holiness), but one cannot pretend to chose what God is calling them to. God is the one accomplishing the action, not the person.

In other words, you’re not wrong, but the phrasing is awkward.👍
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Thanks. How would you recommend rephrasing it as a brief axiom?
 
You do not choose your vocation, God does. It’s up to us how we answer. :cool:
 
What if you CANT fulfill your calling? 🤷

For example I do not have the right education, IF I have a REAL calling that is… :confused:
 
LVCIVS_DEI said:
What if you CANT fulfill your calling? 🤷

For example I do not have the right education, IF I have a REAL calling that is… :confused:
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God only asks what we are capable of. Why do you assume that a certain education is needed for a “REAL” calling? Every call is real, but every call is different.

Fr. Herni Nouwen, who did have a high education, nevertheless found solace at the end of his life living with people who were in need. Ironically, his education only served as a stumbling block to understanding what really mattered - the Love of God present in others, even those unable to willfully communicate.
 
Lamentation said:
God only asks what we are capable of. Why do you assume that a certain education is needed for a “REAL” calling? Every call is real, but every call is different.

Fr. Herni Nouwen, who did have a high education, nevertheless found solace at the end of his life living with people who were in need. Ironically, his education only served as a stumbling block to understanding what really mattered - the Love of God present in others, even those unable to willfully communicate.
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Good point, but i mean a calling to lets say the priesthood or something like that.
I mean we do not live in the time of St Joseph of Cupertino anymore… 🤷

Just hypothetically speaking of course. 🙂
 
LVCIVS_DEI said:
Good point, but i mean a calling to lets say the priesthood or something like that.
I mean we do not live in the time of St Joseph of Cupertino anymore… 🤷

Just hypothetically speaking of course. 🙂
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Well, we do and we don’t. If you cannot fulfil the requirements under any circumstances it is probably safe to say that is not the vocation God is calling you to. On the other hand, if God really IS calling you…he will find a way. A St. Joseph Cupertino story isnt necessarily off the table. Venerable Solanus Casey in the 20th century is an example. In the end it’s up to God.

But also, tend to think of a vocation as having 3 pillars:
  1. God must call you
  2. You must desire it and be able to do it
  3. The Church must agree that this could be your vocation ( through the Bishop, religious superiors, admissions council, etc)
If one of those is missing, it’s not your vocation. Now be careful though, if one bishop or one order doesn’t accept you for whatever reason, look at the reason. It could be universal, such as canonical impediment…, or you may have a misunderstanding of your vocation. I know of a priest who was not accepted in one diocese, but then got ordained through another. It was just that his vocation was to serve an area than he had thought.

As for the Cupertino scenario…it’s up to the Church to confirm that it truly could be your vocation. If it is, there’s a way.
 
PapyrusDouay said:
Well, we do and we don’t. If you cannot fulfil the requirements under any circumstances it is probably safe to say that is not the vocation God is calling you to. On the other hand, if God really IS calling you…he will find a way. A St. Joseph Cupertino story isnt necessarily off the table. Venerable Solanus Casey in the 20th century is an example. In the end it’s up to God.

But also, tend to think of a vocation as having 3 pillars:
  1. God must call you
  2. You must desire it and be able to do it
  3. The Church must agree that this could be your vocation ( through the Bishop, religious superiors, admissions council, etc)
If one of those is missing, it’s not your vocation. Now be careful though, if one bishop or one order doesn’t accept you for whatever reason, look at the reason. It could be universal, such as canonical impediment…, or you may have a misunderstanding of your vocation. I know of a priest who was not accepted in one diocese, but then got ordained through another. It was just that his vocation was to serve an area than he had thought.

As for the Cupertino scenario…it’s up to the Church to confirm that it truly could be your vocation. If it is, there’s a way.
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So just let it happen and do not even think about it? 🤷
 
LVCIVS_DEI said:
So just let it happen and do not even think about it? 🤷
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Yes:shrug:

I mean if you simply don’t have the education, the education will be provided. If it’s pre-seminary level, like high school, it may me on you to fulfill that more than the Church depending on where you are. If you’re unsure you’re smart enough to pass the classes…yeah, I’d say jump on in and let it sort itself out. But it is up to the person to actively make an effort to answer the calling. Nobody will just wake up a priest one day.

Am I understanding your question correctly?
 
PapyrusDouay said:
Yes:shrug:

I mean if you simply don’t have the education, the education will be provided. If you’re unsure you’re smart enough to pass the classes…yeah, I’d say jump on in and let it sort itself out.
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Yeah, i was afraid of that. 🙂
Well so be it.

I will just ignore the painful memories. 🙂
 
PapyrusDouay said:
Yes:shrug:

I mean if you simply don’t have the education, the education will be provided. If it’s pre-seminary level, like high school, it may me on you to fulfill that more than the Church depending on where you are. If you’re unsure you’re smart enough to pass the classes…yeah, I’d say jump on in and let it sort itself out. But it is up to the person to actively make an effort to answer the calling. Nobody will just wake up a priest one day.

Am I understanding your question correctly?
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Basically yes, and to be honest I feels rather unfair, because I have never been able to go to a regular school, and my results in the schools I did go to where rather bad.
Mostly because I was overwrought at the time from being in the institution, which could not provide a safe home, nor proper guidance.

A mean guide even told me that I would never advance further than “a silly alter boy” because I am not “normal”, and will never have a normal education, with obvious content and a demeaning tone in her voice.

I learned most things by myself, and mostly from TV or books, including English.

Its all hypothetical but I can not get it out of my head, thanks to the weird events/signs.

And the best i will probably ever be is a mass servant since a real education is not going to happen any time soon. 🤷
 
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