U
UtInOmnibus
Guest
Hi, I am a senior in college who is applying to a religious order. A friend of mine (more of an acquaintance who I don’t know too well) asked me about my plan for next year. I told him that I am hopefully entering religious life. To my surprise, he then asked, “What is your long-term goal with that?” Well, I hesitated: on the one hand, my long-term goal is to do God’s Will and become a saint. But I was nervous to respond with this answer (probably a mix of not wanting to sound arrogant but also afraid to share my faith with someone who may/may not be practicing Catholic), so I kept stuttering. In the midst of that, he added, “Some people want to be a brother, others a priest, some counselors…” So then I finally concluded, “I don’t know what my long-term goal is,” which is true, insofar as I am still discerning religious life and don’t know if it is where I am meant to be in the long-run…
I recognize that I may be reading too much into this question, but I need some advice. Am I being too scrupulous/hard on myself? For me, my mind immediately draws the conclusion that I have denied my faith because I failed to to tell him the thoughts on my mind. Nevertheless, my mind also reasons (though slightly) that perhaps he was asking about a natural goal rather than a supernatural one. I suppose that could be true, but for me, at least right now in my life, I am more focused on vocation rather than job/corporate ladder/etc…
Thank you for your help.
I recognize that I may be reading too much into this question, but I need some advice. Am I being too scrupulous/hard on myself? For me, my mind immediately draws the conclusion that I have denied my faith because I failed to to tell him the thoughts on my mind. Nevertheless, my mind also reasons (though slightly) that perhaps he was asking about a natural goal rather than a supernatural one. I suppose that could be true, but for me, at least right now in my life, I am more focused on vocation rather than job/corporate ladder/etc…
Thank you for your help.