Prayer to Discern God's Call Right Now

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Antonius_Lupus

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Dear brethren,

I am currently discerning the Lord’s will for me and this last week will be the final week to make a decision.

I have felt, since full Initation into Christianity, a call to join the minor order of the acolyte. Now this is known as simply being an “altar server.”

I have sought the blessed intercession of St. Tarsicius in this “siege of heaven.”

St. Tarsicius was an acolyte who lived in Rome during the third century. His feast day is August 15. St. Tarsicius suffered martyrdom in the second half of the third century. St. Tarsicius is a saint because while carrying the Blessed Sacarament he was attacked by a pagan mob and instead of allowing the Eucharist to be destroyed he fought the mob and was stoned to death. He was buried in the Catacombs of Pope Callistus on the Appian Way.

All this started earlier this year.

I liked the idea at first because I feel God may be calling me to the Holy Presbyterium. Being an acolyte would be a good step in this process (perhaps a necessary one). Also my parish is my “home-away-from-home” so I am eager to serve my new family as best I can and they need acolytes for the daily Mass (which I attend).

Anyway as I further reflected on it, I started not liking the idea because I feared that I would not be a good acolyte, that I would mess up, that I would be unable to fit my schedule with my service, (you know, the usual doubts).

But then one-day I read an article by Fr. Dwight Lognenecker. He offered up the Pentecost Vigil Mass for our parish and I was awestruck at how beautiful the Mass of Paul VI really is (when done with devotion and reverence).

Anyway, that day on his blog, Fr. Dwight talked about the loss of the sense of the sacred and strongly advocated the return of ligturgical renewal and the preservation of the Mass’ sacredness, just as Vatican II had originally planned for the “Novus” Ordo Missae.

He said, (and I quote):
Bring on the incense. Bring on the beautiful vestments, Sing choirs of angels, roll in the trumpets and drums. Train the noble young men to serve at the altar as if they were servants in the halls of the Great King. Help the noble young women to sing the praises of the king with fine music. Preach the word with passion and beauty. Value the liturgy and take time to worship and see if your world is not renewed.
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I was cut to the heart with his statement: “Train the noble young men to serve at the altar as if they were servants in the halls of the Great King.”

That is what I want to do for my Lord. To serve him in His Holy Temple where His Shechinah Glory dwells. To be His disciple and to add my devotion to the renewal and restoration of the beauty of the “Novus” Ordo Missae, and what the New Mass was meant to be.

Soon I will be asked to make my decision and I am seriously seeking the Lord’s will for me in this as I feel this is a big step for me.

Please pray for me that the Lord will make His will most abundantly known for His child.

Thank you.
 
You will be remembered in my rosary intentions. God bless you. Amen.
 
Dear Antonius Lupus

Praying for you, that God will help you make the proper decision.

God bless you
TL
 
CWBetts said:
I will pray a Rosary for you tonight
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Thanks to all who are praying a Rosary for this intention.

After studying the Battle of Lepanto I have been given great faith in “Our Lady of Victory, Mary Help of Christians.”

🙂
 
What a beautiful post. 😃 Praying that God’s Will shall be made known to you, and that you’ll be given the grace to follow Him always.
 
Hail Mary,
Full of Grace,
The Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit
of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Mother of God,
pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Amen
 
Pax Vobiscum.

On Sunday I asked of you your prayers so that I might more clearly hear God’s word on the matter of whether I am to follow my desire to be an altar server.

Many of you prayed for me and some told me that they were even going so far as to pray the Holy Rosary on my behalf. I am so grateful as I believe by your prayers God revealed to me His intention ever more clearly as His Sacred Body was disposed well to hear His word on this matter.

It was Tuesday around noon when I came to the Lord on this matter. I had no intention of seeking a definitive answer from Him, I simply wanted to commune with Him, to enjoy His presence, and to simply be with my Lover. I communed with Him concerning what His Will was though I was not expecting an answer quite yet…but as usual my Rabbi surprised me.

He led me to stop my rambling and just to quietly listen to His Spirit which dwells in me. During this time He let me see my deep desires, my fears, my doubt and other things in my heart. But at the same time He let me see these things in comparison to the gifts that He is poised to bestow on me when I serve in the Holy of Holies. When He allowed me to see this, in that context, His voice became quite clear to me.

As usual I attempted to resist His movings…I think now it is simply an old vestigial habit more than anything else. But I have learned that His love and the hope that stirs in my heart when He promises us His Presence and Grace is a reality that I desire to much to resist.

And so I listened and “saw” my fears and doubts melt away in the sheer passionate heat of His love and tenderness. I am so in love with Him!

NOTE: (because it is so difficult for me to articulate my encounters with Christ, I feel that sometimes that Christian hymnology helps to reveal the mystery of it. So I wanted to share this as a way that I might better explain what happened yesterday: youtube.com/watch?v=5vBFQJ3_0Ww)

Thus from my encounter with Him, I have found that I must heed His gentle call and follow Him into His Holy Temple as His bondservant. However as I left concious communion with Him and began to continue my day-to-day buisness, I began to consider some questions that I felt as though I had a good conclusion to, but I wanted to run them by y’all here so that I might get some further advice. I have found that my Lover often speaks through the members of His Body, and as Orthodox Catholics (whether Greek, Eastern, or Latin) we are just that.

Thank you all!!!
 
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