Vocation dilemma

[mike_sieber]

Lately I’ve been trying to discern whether or not I have a vocation to the priesthood. I’ve been thinking a lot today about God’s will for my future and I ran into a dilemma.

Suppose I go to the seminary, put in six years and don’t get ordained. I could easily surmise that it just wasn’t God’s will.

But then I’m faced with the fact that there clearly were men, in the past, who never should have been ordained because of the pain they inflicted on lives and the Church.

I’m not saying this because I think I SHOULD be ordained. I merely want what God wants, but how does one truly know?

 

[mike_sieber]

I thought I had this figured out. I was thinking that there’s a difference between what God wills and what He allows.

After 9/11 there were some people that said it was God’s will. I don’t really believe that. I was always taught that God is love and that he doesn’t want us to cause pain and suffering to one another. However, he allows us to do it because we do have free will.

Then I thought that He probably doesn’t really care what we do in terms of careers, vocations, etc. and the way we can know if we’re doing the right thing is to examine our motives and compare them with what God has revealed to us in scripture.

If our motives are in line with His teachings, He’s pleased, if they’re not, He’s probably not too happy, but will let us do what we want because we have free will.

Then everything kind of fell apart when the story of Jonah and the big fish popped into my head. Free will seemed to go out the door in his case.

Trying to wrap my head around God is tough.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

But then I’m faced with the fact that there clearly were men, in the past, who never should have been ordained because of the pain they inflicted on lives and the Church.

Ordination does not remove our free will. So saying that these guys should not have been ordained because of what they later did is not true.

 

[navidad]

Trying to wrap my head around God is tough

Yes, MIke, it’s very tough. I even would say it’s impossible. Thus we need to engage more than the head in discernment, that is the heart, the guts, and especially our deepest desire. All of these are God’s gift for our vocation and fulfillment, for living our life to the full.

I merely want what God wants, but how does one truly know?

I think this is similar as with friends or with a spouse: talking and communing, that is engaging in the relationship.
God’s will is not something static and apart from us, something arcane that we have to find out as a puzzle or a quiz. God is the partner in our life and vocation, we can only walk it to the full if we engage in the dance of life with God. PRAYER is an essential piece on this. And then there is no such a thing as THE right or THE wrong decision because everything and anything we step into with this perspective is a step into growth in our life with God. It is not the outcome what matters, but the journey itself.
And of course taking the RISK of the decision is most important, which implies TRUST in God once we have worked our piece of thinking, pondering, praying, etc. etc.

Suppose I go to the seminary, put in six years and don’t get ordained. I could easily surmise that it just wasn’t God’s will.

If you spend six years of your life in the seminary, that will shape you for life whether you are ordained or not. We tend to think in secular terms of goals as if they where the only thing that matters… But maybe that is not the case with God. There is a quote of Mother Teresa I like especially: “we are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful”.

All this that you are doing is a normal part of the vocation discernment, and is very likely that there is a true call for you. If you find enough weight on the vocation side, you cannot control the final outcome of your decision in the future, that has to be left in God’s hands. That’s the risk and the trust piece.

Know that you are not alone, you have the prayers of many people around you. So just … keep up the good fight! You will have always enough light for the present step. Take courage and go for it!!! And let God the rest.

Blessings and prayer.

 

[chicago]

The temptation is to think that we can have it all figured out in advance. But it is more of an ongoing process of trust amisdt difficulty and ongoing discernment of direction. So take it one step at a time and walk into the light seen, despite the darkness which surrounds. Even if it doesn’t all work out as one might have thought or hoped, well there may well still be something of worth which was gained in the experience. Such is life. It’s often the case, afterall, even when one isn’t trying to discern vocation, but circumstances dictate change in direction of life. God writes straight with crooked lines.

 

[KCT]

If you could know w/ 100% mathematical certainty, there would be no room for free will. You have to take a leap of faith either way.

I’ve known of several guys who spent time in seminary and discerned it was not their call. I have to assume the formation they received will serve them well in whatever they do in life. Can you imagine being married to a man who had several years of good priestly formation?! That would be awesome. —KCT

 

[barbfromtucson]

If only God would send you a FedEx letter, telling you what you should do! Wouldn’t that be nice?

It may have already been suggested, but you may want to get in touch with your local priest and/or a spiritual director for discernment.

God Bless,

Barbara

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

If only God would send you a FedEx letter, telling you what you should do! Wouldn’t that be nice?

It may have already been suggested, but you may want to get in touch with your local priest and/or a spiritual director for discernment.

God Bless,

Barbara

Believe me, God lets you know.

Pray for the Graces to hear what God is telling you.

When you chose other than what God wants for you, you will know. That is if you really wish to please God.

 

[mike_sieber]

I met again with the vocations director and, as it turns out, I would need to go to a regular 4 year college and get a degree before I’d be able to enter the seminary.

That’s really not an option, so at least I’ve gotten an answer to my prayers. No priestly vocation here, but there are plenty of other ways I can serve.