When you're sure about your vocation

[Flopfoot]

A priest once said that you’re not sure that your vocation is to priesthood until you are ordained by the bishop. And he said you’re not sure that your vocation is to marriage until you’re married at the altar.
What do you think of this?

Also, does that mean that you’re not sure that your vocation is to single life until you’re dead?

 

[Darrel]

Flopfoot:

A priest once said that you’re not sure that your vocation is to priesthood until you are ordained by the bishop. And he said you’re not sure that your vocation is to marriage until you’re married at the altar.
What do you think of this?

Also, does that mean that you’re not sure that your vocation is to single life until you’re dead?

I can not agree,

I think we should pray until we are answered. The last thing we need are Priest who should not be along with husbands and wives. God will show you and everyone else what they need to see. It just might not be on our time table.

-D

 

[aurora77]

I’m not sure that I agree with him. I can’t speak to the whole priesthood vocation, as a woman, I’ve never and can never be pushed in that direction. But, I’m married. I never really pictured myself being married, but when I met my husband, I knew within two weeks of our first date, that we were going to be married. I mean, absolutely, positively, beyond a doubt, knew it was going to happen. Going up to the altar and getting married made things official; I feel like God had already brought us together spiritually.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

I was at a meeting for permanent Deacons the other day and the four D there all said that when they became D they were at times unsure but have grown into it and they admitted still do wonder about it and where its going. Like I believe you do with marriage.

 

[mercygate]

Flopfoot:

A priest once said that you’re not sure that your vocation is to priesthood until you are ordained by the bishop. And he said you’re not sure that your vocation is to marriage until you’re married at the altar.
What do you think of this?

Also, does that mean that you’re not sure that your vocation is to single life until you’re dead?

It might be that he meant that part of a vocation to priesthood, Religious life, or marriage is the affirmation of that vocation by the Bishop, the Religious community, or the spouse and witnesses. As for the single state: hm. Good question. When I was young, I KNEW that I did not have a vocation to the single state: I knew it had to be Religious life or marriage – one or the other. Can’t speak for anybody else. Maybe when I’m dead, God will look at me and say: WHY didn’t you listen and stay single? I had PLANS for you!

 

[InSearchOfGod]

Perhaps what inspired him to say this was the emotional response he had to being ordained himself. Just like getting married, these are powerful moments in one’s life. It probably isn’t that you were unsure before, but that at the moment of being ordained or married, one becomes even more sure that it is the path they were meant to take. It would be rather scary if one were to have the opposite reaction!

 

[Aaron_I]

Actually, I think the original post is the true orthodox sentiments on vocation. Basically, if you become a priest, it is because your vocation is to the priesthood. If you get married, it is because your vocation is to be married.

 

[Prometheum_x]

There are several different meanings of “to know” being used here. One is the more colloquial, “I know I’m going to” which implies that there is such a degree of certainty that no time needs to be spent contemplating its alternative. The other is the philosophical “to know”, which is more mathematical, and implies 100% certainty. Since there are many factors you don’t “know” – you might get run over by a car, ending all your vocational plans – you cannot know in the philosophical sense until the event has actually come to pass. In this latter sense, what the priest said is true.

Also, I believe that God may have various intermediary and temporary callings in our life, in order to lead us in the desired direction. I could thus say, "I know I am being called to marriage right now" but I cannot say “I know that I am going to *be married.” *I could discern a call to marriage, get engaged, and, returning to my morbid example, my fiancee could get run over by a car and God could then reveal that now he wants me to call me towards the priesthood.

“Towards” is the word I like to use. It reflects my own opinion on vocations. It seems (to me) that God calls us towards particular states in life, but it may not be a calling all the way to that destination. I do not need to worry about the final destination; my only concern is "What is God calling me to do right now?"