Prayers requested please.

[sparrowhawk28]

It’s a fairly small matter - next week I am meeting with a priest to discuss my vocation! Lately I’ve been feeling very different and very motivated spiritually, and something in me recognises this as an important change. While I do feel called to serve God in whatever way I can - and while religious life is becoming something attractive that I’m thinking about more and more - I worry that I’m mistaking a natural change for a religious call, and I struggle with my inner desire to get married and with a romantic attraction I’m forming towards a certain person.

Please pray that the discussion goes well and that I can get some sort of guidance or advice from it. I know that God will reveal His intentions to me and that He won’t forsake me, but at the moment I’m a bit confused and a little overwhelmed.

Any thoughts and prayers would be really appreciated. God bless.

 

[Philotheatoo]

Father, please make your path clear to Sparrowhawk and continue to provide strength, courage, and love. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil. Amen.

 

[prbarrera]

Prayer for Vocations

Lord Jesus, let your call be heard
by the fervent and generous hearts
of young people, and make them
your followers and ministers.
Provident and loving Jesus,
grant to those whom you call
the necessary means to succeed
and the grace to persevere.
May they meet the demands of their call
and become salt of the earth
and light of the world,
holy ministers and dispensers
of the mysteries of God.
We ask you for vocations
for the whole Church,
vocations according to your heart,
numerous enough
to meet the pressing needs
of your Church and the world.
Send true shepherds of souls
filled with the Holy Spirit.
May their hearts be detached
from all worldly entanglements.
Make your priests holy, Lord,
splendid and exceptional witnesses
to the world
that the humankind cannot be transformed
without the spirit of the Beatitudes.
Amen.

Prayer to Mary for Vocations

O VIrgin Mary,
Mother of Jesus,
and Mother of the Church,
to you we commend
our young people,
in particular those
called to closely follow
your Son.
You know the difficulties,
the struggles,
the obstacles they must face.
Assist them to answer “yes”
to the divine call, as you did
at the invitation of the angel.
Draw them near to your heart
so that they can understand
the beauty and the joy that
awaits them when the Lord Jesus
calls them into His intimacy,
to be witnesses of His love
in the world. Amen.

 

[odhiambo]

O Lord,
I beseech Thee to grant sparrowhawk Thy divine light, that he/she may know the designs of Thy providence concerning him/her, and that, filled with a sincere desire for his/her soul’s salvation, he/she may say, with the young man in the Gospel: “What must I do to be saved?”. All states of life are before him/her; but still undecided what to do, he/she awaits Thy commands.
Lord, I ask you this in the Holy Name of Your Son. Jesus,
Amen!

 

[englishredrose]

On the Church of England Website there is a page with lots of questions for someone thinking about the calling to work through on their own as such or with their spiritual director etc. There is a suggested reading list too.

Before anyone jumps heavily down on me, I am not saying pay a visit to Church of England Website. What I am saying is may be you guys have a ‘national’ church website where this information can be accessed so you can start your journey and be able to show the priest just how motivated you are as such. If you guys don’t have access to it then a visit to our website page may help you because the questions are more aimed at you spiritually rather than theological stuff and I don’t think you will become confused. Though naturally if there are any questions about what you think about the church etc you can tailor it to Roman Catholic question?

Hope it goes well for you?

As a parishioner, I have learned that a priest needs to be a good manager and good at listening and also a good social worker skills. You can work out these skills by doing a variety of different vounteer type work jobs etc or in your parish. It is vital that the Priest knows the theology but equally can reach out to not just those who go to church but be ready and there for those who don’t go too. To be kind and warm and compassionate to the person you hate the most as equally to the person who you love the most? Though hate shouldn’t come into it as such but priests are human too. To know when a person needs you to sit there with them and it may appear as though they are telling you a joke or having a bit of a laugh but could be their way of building up trust with you to tell you more. I have spoken, properly spoken to current priest three times now and each time he has given me time and given me the means that has helped my life to be in a better space. The second time was not instant but over time I learned lots.
And of course priests help us and teach us how to be with God even when we feel deserted. and if one example don’t work they find us another without us noticing one example hasn’t worked as such. And the most important of all I am realising too is to be totally discrete. That is so valuable. Understanding and forgiveness. to be able to forgive that parishioner who frustrating rings you then half an hour later then again because they are upset about something… It be bugging to you but to them its important at that time and just need that non judgemental love. it goes a long way.

 

[the_phoenix]

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.

 

[ready]

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.

Mother Mary, please make your intentions in this matter come true. Help Sparrowhawk28 and his priest to discern his vocation the right way. The consecrated life is so beautiful, help Sparrowhawk28 to seriously consider it. Amen.

 

[sparrowhawk28]

Thank you all for your kind words and for your prayers! Very much appreciated. I haven’t told anyone about this other than my immediate family and a few very close and trusted friends, so I do feel a bit isolated. The changes have been hard, no one in my family is really as spiritual as I am now, so I’m often doing things alone and feeling like the odd one out. But, thanks be to God, I have made a small success in encouraging my mother to come with me to weekday Mass, and during Holy Week I got most of my family to come to the Stations of the Cross. Very glad of it =)

On the Church of England Website there is a page with lots of questions for someone thinking about the calling to work through on their own as such or with their spiritual director etc. There is a suggested reading list too.

Before anyone jumps heavily down on me, I am not saying pay a visit to Church of England Website. What I am saying is may be you guys have a ‘national’ church website where this information can be accessed so you can start your journey and be able to show the priest just how motivated you are as such. If you guys don’t have access to it then a visit to our website page may help you because the questions are more aimed at you spiritually rather than theological stuff and I don’t think you will become confused. Though naturally if there are any questions about what you think about the church etc you can tailor it to Roman Catholic question?

Hope it goes well for you?

As a parishioner, I have learned that a priest needs to be a good manager and good at listening and also a good social worker skills. You can work out these skills by doing a variety of different vounteer type work jobs etc or in your parish. It is vital that the Priest knows the theology but equally can reach out to not just those who go to church but be ready and there for those who don’t go too. To be kind and warm and compassionate to the person you hate the most as equally to the person who you love the most? Though hate shouldn’t come into it as such but priests are human too. To know when a person needs you to sit there with them and it may appear as though they are telling you a joke or having a bit of a laugh but could be their way of building up trust with you to tell you more. I have spoken, properly spoken to current priest three times now and each time he has given me time and given me the means that has helped my life to be in a better space. The second time was not instant but over time I learned lots.
And of course priests help us and teach us how to be with God even when we feel deserted. and if one example don’t work they find us another without us noticing one example hasn’t worked as such. And the most important of all I am realising too is to be totally discrete. That is so valuable. Understanding and forgiveness. to be able to forgive that parishioner who frustrating rings you then half an hour later then again because they are upset about something… It be bugging to you but to them its important at that time and just need that non judgemental love. it goes a long way.

Thank you! I’m very much looking forward to speaking with this priest. I’ve looked at a few websites about vocations, maybe I’ll have a bit more of a look and see if I can find some extra advice.

 

[odhiambo]

Sacred Heart of Jesus
I place my trust in Thee

Sacred Heart of Jesus
I place my trust in Thee

Sacred Heart of Jesus
I place my trust in Thee