VOCATION QUESTION

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sparkle

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Question for all you knowledgeable Catholics out there----
The Holy Father and Catholics really talk alot about this issue of vocation. Question: If you’re married and a mom, is this our vocation then??? How do some of you view this topic?

Thanks.
 
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sparkle:
Question for all you knowledgeable Catholics out there----
The Holy Father and Catholics really talk alot about this issue of vocation. Question: If you’re married and a mom, is this our vocation then??? How do some of you view this topic?

Thanks.
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Dear sparkle,

First, I really like your screen name.

To your question, the short answer is YES. Married and a mom definitely is a vocation. Vocations may be religious or lay, although when they speak of it, as in “the problem of vocations,” they are usually talking about the religous vocations.

Alan
 
Vocation comes from the Latin vocare, to call. Yes, bing a mother and wife is a calling.

Women can also be called to other “vocations”; and if they are, they have the same delimma that men have (one thing that seems entirely overlooked), and that is how to balance more than one vocation. There seem to be a number of people who feel that one can, or should, have only one “vocation”. Life would certainly be simpler.
 
How do you determine if you have a true calling.

In my case, I figured since I had to ask myself the question, it probably wasn’t a true vocation so I moved on.

How do you reconcile the abuses by priests and bishops with a true vocation?
 
To be called to something doesn’t mean that we will act appropriatley. The fact that some of the priests have committed sexual sins does not mean that they were not called to the priesthood; it means that they are sinners (like every other priest, and all the rest of us). Egregious ones, yes. But not, therefore, not called.

I would not consider the fact that you questioned your vocation to be a sign that you did not have one.

what does one look at? Where are your talents; and are they particularly useful to the vocation (it is hard to be an engineer if you can’t get through algebra)? What is particularly attractive (calling to you" is often used), and why? How long has that vocation seemed particularly attractive, or on your mind? All vocations have a down side; what is your response to the down side? Des it seem a minimal price to pay for what seems to draw you?
 
I think a vocation (to anything) is an abiding interest and desire to do something, like auto racing or working with children or flying a plane.

The process of discernment in religious vocations is a testing period to determine whether you really want to go along with it, just like dating someone is a chance to test if you really like each other.
 
A religious vocation is much different from a vocation to a lay profession. Your example will affect the spiritual life of many individuals. Jesus said that by your actions they will know you are my disciples. St Francis said “preach the gospel and use words if you must.”

The examples of a few rogue priests and bishops have had an adverse impact on the church and some young people who might have otherwise chosen a religious vocation.
 
Sparkle,

One of the greatest and least appreciated teachings of Vatican II was that ALL of the Christian faithful–be they lay, religious, clerics–have a vocation to holiness. It speaks of the “universal call to holiness” (see Lumen Gentium Ch. 6, I think). Every Christian, in virtue of his or her baptism, has a vocation–a call–to be holy–to “be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Of course, that does not mean we must suffer anxiety over a quest for “perfection” in the terms that our society of over-acheivers defines perfection. This is not the false image of perfection and strength that is based on our own abilities and hard work. Rather, Christian perfection is being open and docile to the Holy SPirit, allowing the all-holy God to implant his image on you, to allow His grace to transform your life to mirror that of our incarnate Lord (in whatever your status–mother, missionary, etc.).

So yes, if you are a wife and mother then that is your vocation–to be a holy wife and mother–to help lead your husband and children closer to Christ (just as a priest or religious brother/sister are charged to do this although in a different manner) and to evangelize the wider world (in your own small corner of the vineyard). No one is called to be “just an ordinary Christian.” We are all called to live a radical life of holiness (even if this is done amidst a relatively quiet and “normal” kind of daily life–i.e. St. Therese of Liseux found her vocation as one of love, you can always spend your daily existence loving God and neighbor).

Hermit, Where did that come from? Judas was called as an apostle, but he failed. Just because a minority of men fail grievously in their vocation, does not mean they did not have one in the first place. We are free to respond yes or no to the vocation God gives us.
 
I definately think Motherhood and being a wife are a vocation. I can understand why Priests cannot be married, because God has also called me to help drug addicts to overcome their addiction. To balance this with my vocation as mother and wife, has its challenges. If I had only one or the other to do, it would be far easier. Some may think it is merely a cop out to say my job is a calling by God, but when you have God given gifts in a certain area, you know it. When some doors are clearly open and others clearly shut, you know it. I pray that my gifts for working with incarcerated women who are addicted will help them be better mothers and wifes in their life.
 
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