Is Your Vocation Also Your Cross?

[KingAlfred]

Teaching is my passion, my vocation, my apostolate, and, because I push myself so hard to do it as best I can, my Cross. I teach at a huge, inner-city, low-income-strata, multi-cultural school, and the ‘going gets tough’ every day no later than 0900. It’s so much more than education (‘psychological warfare’ is a term that comes to mind most readily). At the beginning of the year, my stress-level is so high I generally lose around 15 pounds, and slowly gain it back by Christmas. Still, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Perhaps one’s true calling isn’t something that can be done with ease.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

My vocation is the agony and the ecstasy. Sometimes this and sometimes that…

 

[Tonks40]

I didn’t think my vocation (wife and mother) was such a cross…til I got it.

And boy! Is it big!

 

[tessi]

My cross is life. I got tired of praying and sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament to find out that I couldn’t find out. I just wander through life, bored of everything and waiting for death. I have to accept that my vocation is not having a vocation, just keep on breathing.

 

[mercygate]

I tend to believe that if it is NOT… it is not your true vocation…

Comments?

“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Yes, one’s true vocation WILL sometimes offer pain and sacrifice (what calling worthy of the name does not?) but it also brings great joy.

 

[KingAlfred]

My cross is life. I got tired of praying and sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament to find out that I couldn’t find out. I just wander through life, bored of everything and waiting for death. I have to accept that my vocation is not having a vocation, just keep on breathing.

Is there nothing in which you’re interested?

 

[Pug]

Don’t you find that the cross can pop up anywhere, in your work, in your marriage, in your being a parent, in your being a child of your parent, in your living alone, in your being someone’s sister or brother, in your being a citizen with civic duties, in your being a patient who is sick, in your being a relative who must visit a sick person, in your being a friend, in your having friends, in being a neighbor, in belonging to voluntary associations, in your being a Christian?

I suppose I find it in the duties of the moment. Well, when I’m not ignoring the duties of the moment. Then my cross seems a bit smaller. Whatever you consider “your vocation” or “what you ought to be doing” will create or define the duties of the moment.

I am many things that create duties for me, in no particular order or completeness:

Son of God, Daughter, Sister, Wife, Teacher, Learner, Parishioner, Friend, Citizen, Caregiver, Visitor, Encourager, Supervisor, Customer, Patient, Passer-by, Employee, Owner, Member, etc.

 

[Jimdandy]

My cross is life. I got tired of praying and sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament to find out that I couldn’t find out. I just wander through life, bored of everything and waiting for death. I have to accept that my vocation is not having a vocation, just keep on breathing.

I do not believe you.

Try again.

 

[distracted]

Teaching is my passion,…my stress-level is so high I generally lose around 15 pounds, and slowly gain it back by Christmas. Still, there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing. Perhaps one’s true calling isn’t something that can be done with ease.

That is the 2nd best job in the world… after being a parent (a parent is teacher, counselor, etc)… I wish i had that job…

Anyway, i totally agree with the last statement, that a true calling is something that cannot be done “with ease” … yet Americans love “ease”…

and not just Americans, of course…

It is scary because Jesus said that the way to Heaven is narrow and difficult and there are few who find it… I think many are not finding it because it requires that four-letter concept: work… I mean the bible syas to work out your savlvation with fear and trembling… (Phil 2:12)… People work all day for the almighty $ and then when it comes to Jesus, they are tired and just want to “accept Him as personal Savior” and go about their business… (my perspective…). The easy way out…

God bless…

 

[distracted]

My cross is life. I got tired of praying and sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament to find out that I couldn’t find out. I just wander through life, bored of everything and waiting for death. I have to accept that my vocation is not having a vocation, just keep on breathing.

wow… I feel exactly the same way… much of the time - except for one thing… I never get tired of being with Jesus at the Blessed Sacrament… It can be painful because i am a sinner… but i feel i do more “work” there than anywhere else… (and i shouldn’t have said “feel” because i know that to be the case…)…

I do understand your statemnet, though, about… well, you say: “… to find out that i couldn’t find out”… Yes, it does seem as though there are things i cannot find out that i feel i should be able to find out (Long story)… but then i just tell myself that if God wanted me to know He would reveal it to me (things about my vocation, etc…)…

When you would go to the Blessed S, would you pray to Jesus or just listen or both? Which did you do more? I just want to know…

God bless…

 

[distracted]

Don’t you find that the cross can pop up anywhere, in your work, in your marriage, in your being a parent, in your being a child of your parent, in your living alone, .

yes… but i guess the point i was trying to make ws that if you are in a vocation that is too “easy” (you can do it in your sleep)… something is not right… that is just my opinion…

 

[John_Augustine]

Why is the CC in England in such bad shape?

The Bishops are shockingly liberal. Mass attendance is falling sharply. Vocations to the priesthood almost nil. Competition with Anglicans and Methodists. To name a few reasons lol!

 

[distracted]

I didn’t think my vocation (wife and mother) was such a cross…til I got it.

And boy! Is it big!

yes, but children (young ones…?) are the closest thing to God in this world…

 

[distracted]

Why is the CC in England in such bad shape?

If you knew half the history of Cathlicism in England … !!

King Henry the 8th… Need i say more??

Then there were the persecutions of priests… they were hunted down and murdered or exiled…

History never totally “goes away”…

 

[Pug]

yes… but i guess the point i was trying to make ws that if you are in a vocation that is too “easy” (you can do it in your sleep)… something is not right… that is just my opinion…

I’ve never been in that situation. I was in the situation of having no idea what I was to do, but I didn’t find that situation easy at all. I disliked it immensely. I guess I’m a resister by nature.

I agree with your take here. You are probably free to take on something, something more challenging. Do you have any idea what? I know you’ve been praying. There are so many things you could do! Does any of it strike you as fitting your abilities?

 

[KingAlfred]

If you knew half the history of Cathlicism in England … !!

King Henry the 8th… Need i say more??

Then there were the persecutions of priests… they were hunted down and murdered or exiled…

History never totally “goes away”…

Yeah…I’m familiar with all that. Still, why would the CC be ‘rubbish’ in England? That means ‘garbage’, right?

 

[Tonks40]

yes, but children (young ones…?) are the closest thing to God in this world…

I agree with you 100%! Don’t get me wrong - God has willed my life to encounter situations that some might find a bit overwhelming. But among the suffering, worry, heartache, and sheer despair comes great blessings and graces.

I wouldn’t trade my vocation for anything!

 

[BarbaraTherese]

I agree with you 100%! Don’t get me wrong - God has willed my life to encounter situations that some might find a bit overwhelming. But among the suffering, worry, heartache, and sheer despair comes great blessings and graces.

I wouldn’t trade my vocation for anything!

So much said in so few words…and a quality for which I have great admiration. Deo Gratius!

Great post:thumbsup:

 

[distracted]

I agree with your take here. You are probably free to take on something, something more challenging. Do you have any idea what? I know you’ve been praying. There are so many things you could do! Does any of it strike you as fitting your abilities?

Everyone’s 1st vocation is to do EVERYTHIHNG Jesus says… easier said than done, but whatever… So, i know that is one hard vocation I have… but i don’t know where i am being led… and dont’ worry about it as much as i used to… I thought i w as supposed to seek marriage because i heard Marriage in my head when asked God what my vocation was (yrs ago)… but nothing ever works out… I fell for this guy several months ago… but he… .well, Long Story… but i get the feeling he would not… let me be myself… i guess is how i should say it… thogh i really can’t say ‘cause don’t know him… but saw some serious red flags…
Anyway… i feel that being single is getting to be too boring… (for lack of better word)… so maybe i am not being challenged enough by single life… I don’t know…
Anyway, what vocation are you in, if you dont’ mind me asking??

 

[Pug]

Everyone’s 1st vocation is to do EVERYTHIHNG Jesus says… easier said than done, but whatever… So, i know that is one hard vocation I have… but i don’t know where i am being led… and dont’ worry about it as much as i used to… I thought i w as supposed to seek marriage because i heard Marriage in my head when asked God what my vocation was (yrs ago)… but nothing ever works out… I fell for this guy several months ago… but he… .well, Long Story… but i get the feeling he would not… let me be myself… i guess is how i should say it… thogh i really can’t say ‘cause don’t know him… but saw some serious red flags…
Anyway… i feel that being single is getting to be too boring… (for lack of better word)… so maybe i am not being challenged enough by single life… I don’t know…
Anyway, what vocation are you in, if you dont’ mind me asking??

Me? I’m a relatively useless wife. My husband claims he doesn’t think so, but I suspect he is too easy to please. Really. He seems to just require that I be home most of the time and that I like him. He used to require a lot more, but he has mellowed. I don’t accept that as all that is necessary, though. So I do things to try and make him happy and stuff. The usual for a wife, I suppose. If you saw my house, you’d laugh at the idea of me being any kind of homemaker (this is not the usual trite comment, either), but I really am that for him. It is because of me that we have a garden of sorts, pets, a house, regular times to eat together, and any kind of coziness. I make an atmosphere, I guess.

When we never had kids, and when I couldn’t move my career forward, I wondered what was I supposed to be doing. There I was married, no kids, no full-time job, all this extra time to just…well, that was it, I didn’t know what. I kept using time-fillers (some were very worthwhile ones), because I was waiting for something, like something that I was supposed to do, like my life would suddenly go somewhere, like my life would straighten itself back out. It didn’t. Instead I fell ill. That appears to be what I’m doing. Being ill and a rather poor wife, plus some sundry volunteer tasks that I am able to do with marginal competence (though there has been some improvement there lately). And I am terrible at being ill. I could offer up all this stuff, be spiritual and all, pray lots, but I mostly fail to do this. I could be a great patient, do all the things I’m supposed to, but I don’t. There is way more challenge in my vocation than I am living up to. I keep having a sneaking worry that if I were to finally meet some of those challenges, then my life would return to a more normal track. But maybe that is just Satan trying to trouble me.

Anyway, there is some info for you. I’m sorry about the guy with the red flags.