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MrZetterlund
Guest
You often hear from church pastors that they felt “called” to become a pastor or a priest. My question is: How can you tell if you are called to be a priest?
Thanks, God bless…
Thanks, God bless…
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peace2u2
Guest
I hope to hear some replies as my son felt he was being called but then he stated that perhaps he wasn’t being called because he likes girls. I pointed out that Priests have feelings too and they are everyday ordinary people just like us and perhaps that is why they frequent the confessional to empty themselves of the things of this world. ? And perhaps the more we empty ourselves of the things of this world, we can then become Christ centered and Christ filled and able to do His will for us in our life.
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PerfectTiming
Guest
I am not a priest but I hope you will not mind me answering. I am currently discerning a religious vocation as a nun and I truly feel that God is calling me to serve Him as a cloistered religious.
For me it was like a gentle suggestion that kept coming up in my mind. There’s a kind of draw, and attraction to the life that you just can’t shake. Every time I was thinking seriously about my future the idea came that I should enter religious life. The closer I was to God, the stronger I felt it. I began praying a prayer of abandonment to God’s will and I just couldn’t escape it any longer. I felt this deep longing in my heart to be devoted to God in the fullest way possible and I felt Him call me - that’s the only way to describe it, He spoke to me and invited me to His service. It is the most overwhelmingly beautiful moment, that single point in time where God calls you to be totally His. It is completely indescribable but when you know you are called, you just know.
For me it was like a gentle suggestion that kept coming up in my mind. There’s a kind of draw, and attraction to the life that you just can’t shake. Every time I was thinking seriously about my future the idea came that I should enter religious life. The closer I was to God, the stronger I felt it. I began praying a prayer of abandonment to God’s will and I just couldn’t escape it any longer. I felt this deep longing in my heart to be devoted to God in the fullest way possible and I felt Him call me - that’s the only way to describe it, He spoke to me and invited me to His service. It is the most overwhelmingly beautiful moment, that single point in time where God calls you to be totally His. It is completely indescribable but when you know you are called, you just know.
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SaintPatrick333
Guest
Ultimately it is left up to God and His Church. God works through the Church to ultimately decide ones fate as a seminarian. You can leave during the formation process at the seminary of your own free will at any time if you realize that God isn’t calling you into that life. Or you can be told at any time that you aren’t being called. It happens in every class of seminarians. Not all who begin formation complete it. If the Church tells you no, it is hard not to get prideful and feel they are wrong because you are so sure you’re called. That isn’t the case. Have faith that the Church is forming you through the Holy Spirit and if you lack the Priestly qualities than you won’t make it. Doesn’t mean you are less Catholic or less devout than others. Just means God has other things in mind for you. Don’t lose heart!
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Godfollower
Guest
Apologies, because my answer would be sort of Zen-like: How can you tell if you are in love?
If you have to ask, you aren’t.
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John_Q_Sinner
Guest
I would imagine it is a very quiet interior dialogue that you have with God, in where your actions will speak louder than words. For example God will give someone an inspiration that they are called but until the person does what is needed to test this inspiration (like join the seminary) he will never be able to discern further whether or not he is in fact called. As a priest once said to me; “you never know for sure that you were called to the priesthood until the Bishop lays his hands on you.”
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TimothyH
Guest
This is a good post.
The Church has to help you. You can’t tell on your own and you have to listen to the Church. You have to work with a vocations director. The first step is to talk to the pastor of your parish, let him know that you have been having these feelings, that they arn’t going away, and that you want to explore it more.
And you need a solid life of prayer. You can’t tell if you are not praying, and I don’t mean five minutes a day either. You have to have a daily prayer life. Liturgy of the Hours and private prayer. Lots of time in adoration is good. If you are not praying regularly, then you need to examine your life and see what things need to be removed to make time for this.
There are also vocations retreats. Spending three days in peace and quiet at a monastary with other men who are discerning and spending time with the Brothers can be very beneficial. I went on a vocations retreat to the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, Georgia. trappist.net/RetreatSchedule2012. I can’t recommend a vocations retreat at a place like this enough.
I also recommend consecrating yourself to Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. She will lead you. tanbooks.com/index.php/True-Devotion-to-Mary-with-Total-Consecration
-Tim-
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MrZetterlund
Guest
Lol, if my relationship with my current girlfriend doesn’t work out then I might definently become a priest. I DO NOT want to deal with women anymore! They are like a rubix-cube you CAN NOT SOLVE!! I’d take a vow of celibacy over dating any day. The only reason I’m with this girl is because I really, really love her and want to spend my life with her, but other than that I’d rather just slap on a chastity belt and tell women, “Away you vile feind!!!”
(No offense to my sisters of course, just poking fun at the other sex.) 
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MrZetterlund
Guest
This reminds me, does any priest want to send me a private message about how you deal with sexual urges? This has been a VERY skeptical aspect for me regarding the priesthood. I mean; How do you not have sex?? 
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John_Q_Sinner
Guest
I’m not a priest but I have been fighting with lust addiction, so I wanted give my :twocents:. The first thing I would recommend is a good prayer life, frequent use of the sacraments (especially confession and communion) and works of mercy like: serving the poor and sick, or visiting a cemetery and praying for the souls of the departed.This reminds me, does any priest want to send me a private message about how you deal with sexual urges? This has been a VERY skeptical aspect for me regarding the priesthood. I mean; How do you not have sex??
When I first started fighting sins of impurity and sexual urges I found that it wasn’t enough to just avoid them but to replace them with other things. Like with any empty space a vacuum will be created and it will eventually be filled. Our hope is to fill the empty space with virtue instead of vices, so then we don’t come back to our empty house with 7 deadly spirits; our state becoming worse than the first.
Pray for the grace and God will take care of you.
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Lamentation
Guest
…but we’re all called to control that urge; our vocational state dictating how we follow that calling…This reminds me, does any priest want to send me a private message about how you deal with sexual urges? This has been a VERY skeptical aspect for me regarding the priesthood. I mean; How do you not have sex??
For example, married couples can only have relations if they (and the act) are open to life, and you don’t see big families too much, so obviously there’s some restraint there even.
Here’s an interesting video for your original question though: youtube.com/watch?v=oWs8KLHLPvI
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NewEnglandPriest
Guest
There’s no single bullet answer. For starters it has to be something you’re attracted to and not just in an idealized way. Sit down and talk with a few priests, ask them how they spend their time and what they do. Do some reading on it. Pray over what you think God wants you to do with your life. Perhaps sit down with a priest who you respect and trust and talk about what attracts you to priesthood and why.
From there, if you still feel called, you can contact your local vocations office and they can assist you.
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NewEnglandPriest
Guest
Well, for starters, anyone who is unmarried is morally expected to refrain from sexual activity.This reminds me, does any priest want to send me a private message about how you deal with sexual urges? This has been a VERY skeptical aspect for me regarding the priesthood. I mean; How do you not have sex??
Secondly, if you think marriage is primarily about sex then you’re going to be in for a rude surprise.
And lastly, every choice in life involves some kind of sacrifice of something else. If you only focus on the sacrifice you’re going to be miserable and fail at whatever you’re trying to accomplish. Whether someone is celibate or married there are sacrifices, compromises, and hard choices that have to be made. We need to focus on why we made that choice rather than what the choice prevents us from doing.
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PerfectTiming
Guest
You just don’t do it! It’s as simple as that! Just the same as any other unmarried person in the Church. Contrary to what our culture tells us, sex is not the be all and end all of life. Refraining really is as simple as that: just don’t do it. I once thought our culture had all the answers but I have learnt that I am very, very happy remaining celibate and if I enter religious life I will gladly do so for the rest of my life.This reminds me, does any priest want to send me a private message about how you deal with sexual urges? This has been a VERY skeptical aspect for me regarding the priesthood. I mean; How do you not have sex??
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catholictiger
Guest
why because we want to imitate Christ who lived a life of celibacy, its because it is out of Love for God and willing to do his will, and it is because they want to share in the sufferings of Christ. This I would hope would be the reason that all priests decide to live a celibate life. Not because it is the necessary sacrifice of priesthood, not because I’m scared of sex or something. Or many other reasons that some people may have. Preists and religious too should want to be celibate because that is what Christ called his priest and religious to do. This is what Christ did and through our love for christ and our desire to imitate him we want to live the life that he lived, as a priest or religious. Lastly we want to share in the sufferings of Christ. (not sure how to expound on this last one.)This reminds me, does any priest want to send me a private message about how you deal with sexual urges? This has been a VERY skeptical aspect for me regarding the priesthood. I mean; How do you not have sex??
BTW if you are someone who is discerning and you don’t feel like your call to priesthood is because of one of these three, don’t worry most entering seminarians and i’m sure religious too come into the seminary with motivations like. I want to serve the people of God. I want to serve the sacraments, and so on and so forth. The seminarians and I’m sure the convents to Form you into having this desires above that I mentioned. If someone doesn’t have these desires when they are a couple of years away from priesthood they need to seriously reconsider what they are doing. Especially if their motivation for wanting to become a priest is bad, or not that solid.
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catholictiger
Guest
sorry if I went to deep on that last post I just couldn’t resist lol.
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MrZetterlund
Guest
WOW, there have been some VERY GOOD responses to my questions!! 
I had to laugh because of some of the responses to my question, “How can you not have sex???” I am not saying that that is all that the marital relationship is about, however I think I feel more called to a marital life rather than the priesthood. I am deeply in love with the girl I’m with now, so much so that I deeply look forward to sharing my life with her… 
My questions about the priesthood are actually because I’m calmly curious. I felt called to be a Protestant minister whenever I was a Protestant. After all, I am a professional Bible-surfer and can give very compelling religious speeches (I don’t mean to sound boastful or proud of myself, just a couple of talents of enthusiasm I picked up from my old Baptist church minister.) I think I would make a great theology professor or maybe a deacon, I would absolutely love to serve the priest as Timothy served St. Paul. However, the questions I presented were more so I could get a better understanding of the priest, not out of reasons for personal vocation. I’m sorry if I disappoint anyone, but I don’t think I’m a future priest. 
Learning about why our fathers feel called to this vocation was very enlightening about the priest’s spirituality. Thank you all very much, priests and nonpriests, you all answered my questions remarkably. 
I had to laugh because of some of the responses to my question, “How can you not have sex???” I am not saying that that is all that the marital relationship is about, however I think I feel more called to a marital life rather than the priesthood. I am deeply in love with the girl I’m with now, so much so that I deeply look forward to sharing my life with her… My questions about the priesthood are actually because I’m calmly curious. I felt called to be a Protestant minister whenever I was a Protestant. After all, I am a professional Bible-surfer and can give very compelling religious speeches (I don’t mean to sound boastful or proud of myself, just a couple of talents of enthusiasm I picked up from my old Baptist church minister.) I think I would make a great theology professor or maybe a deacon, I would absolutely love to serve the priest as Timothy served St. Paul. However, the questions I presented were more so I could get a better understanding of the priest, not out of reasons for personal vocation. I’m sorry if I disappoint anyone, but I don’t think I’m a future priest. Learning about why our fathers feel called to this vocation was very enlightening about the priest’s spirituality. Thank you all very much, priests and nonpriests, you all answered my questions remarkably.
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peace2u2
Guest
Nice post and to the others that talk about how to discern if God is calling, useful not just if you are discerning the call of God to be a PriestForever, but for discerning alot of things.
Peace.
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peace2u2
Guest
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
What an awesome video on youtube! Thanks for sharing.
This Sunday, Passion Sunday, lets all offer up The Mass to all God’s beautiful PriestsForever and for more Priests!
Thank you Lord, Jesus for the Priest who baptized me, confirmed me, married my spouse and I, and the many priests who absolved my sins on my soul and for all the Priests who celebrate Mass for us everyday.
I once listened to a Protestant Minister talk about how amazing Catholic Priests are for they sacrifice everything for the people they minister too.
And they truly give up everything for you and me and they are always available for us whenever we need them.
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NewEnglandPriest
Guest
How do you wake up next to the same person day after day after day after day without getting bored or sick of them?WOW, there have been some VERY GOOD responses to my questions!!
How do you live a life where you have to ask permission to go out with your friends?
How do live a life where someone else will tell you what to watch on TV, what to wear, and where you’re going on vacation?
What do you do if she loses interest in sex?
Man, married people live such a strange life, I don’t know who would chose that… lol
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