tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post5859255914629268894..comments2023-09-22T06:56:46.508-05:00Comments on Adoro te Devote: Ground Rules on DiscernmentAdorohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-37964491972690718632009-01-27T15:56:00.000-06:002009-01-27T15:56:00.000-06:00LM ~ Awesome additions, thanks! Grace ~ Great poin...LM ~ Awesome additions, thanks! <BR/><BR/>Grace ~ Great point - some peole DON'T take it well. Same reason I haven't told my Mom or brother. Mom will obsess, brother...well, not sure what he'd do, actually. <BR/><BR/>Melody ~ Well, it depends. I think our Archd. takes names but they'll just send out invites to stuff, taking a low-key approach. I don't think it's really a "mailing list" because everyone hates junk mail, maybe just a one-time contact, or maybe they just contact the Pastor at the person's parish and lets the Pastor figure it out. So it CAN be a good idea, but it depends on how it's handled. <BR/><BR/>Personally, I think a more direct personal approach is better. People that are known versus some random people thinking, "hey, that guy looks holy, he should be a priest!" Never mind the fact that said "holy single guy" actually left the seminary the year before and is about to get married. Etc. <BR/><BR/>Tony ~ Actually...yeah. Are you aware that even a person's Spiritual Director should not "push" someone towards a particular Vocation? I may write on this later, but I know a Sister who was in direction for a long time. Finally one day she mused to her SD..."Huh. I think I'm supposed to be a religious sister." The priest's reaction. "FINALLY!"<BR/><BR/>If even an SD who realizes where the soul is headed takes such a cautious approach, who are the rest of us to be overbearing in what we do?Adorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-18705590388290983492009-01-27T13:12:00.000-06:002009-01-27T13:12:00.000-06:00THE RULES ACCORDING TO ADORO: Hee, hee, hee...Are ...<I>THE RULES ACCORDING TO ADORO: </I><BR/><BR/>Hee, hee, hee...<BR/><BR/>Are those the rules according to God? :)<BR/><BR/>As a side note, our Sunday rosary group got a new member. A young, single, very spiritual guy.<BR/><BR/>I got an urge to make him a rosary, and put St. John Vianney in the center (patron saint of priests).<BR/><BR/>Subtle and sneaky.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-33494913612055739472009-01-26T18:59:00.000-06:002009-01-26T18:59:00.000-06:00Here is another one for the "don't" list. A well-i...Here is another one for the "don't" list. A well-intentioned speaker from the Serra Club was talking at a weekend Mass in our parish. He told the congregation, "If you sense that a young man whom you know may be a good candidate for the priesthood, turn his name in to the diocesan vocations director." I wanted to yell, "No! you'll freak the poor kid out." Just pray for him. If you know him really, really, well; maybe approach the subject in private, carefully, after praying about it. Same could be true of a young woman who may be called to the religious life. But I feel that to do as this speaker suggested is intrusive and may just drive any desire that is there right out the window.Melody Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00442985285647041700noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-53844055691592574352009-01-26T18:31:00.000-06:002009-01-26T18:31:00.000-06:00My former babysitter is a Sister of Life, and I cu...My former babysitter is a Sister of Life, and I currently have been discering a a call to religious life seriously for 3 years. The call has been in the back of my mind for 7 years. Here's a tidbit for anyone going as slowly as me-don't tell anyone that you wouldn't trust. When I first told my friends two years ago, they freaked out. One was especially afraid she would not see me again if I entered.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-82399113958497543862009-01-26T13:42:00.000-06:002009-01-26T13:42:00.000-06:00MJ - I'm seeing the same thing with my mom. She i...MJ - I'm seeing the same thing with my mom. She is very supportive yet to a degree, she does not want to 'let me go'.<BR/><BR/>Adoro - Another rule - once the discerner has made the decision - DON'T continue to give them information on other Orders! This is happening to me!<BR/><BR/>Also, Do - Once a decision has been made, MEGA prayers are needed for the discerner as they move from the secular world into the Order. This is when patience is needed - both with the discerner and family/friends. <BR/><BR/>DON'T keep asking WHEN will you enter? When will you enter? When will you enter? We don't know! It's in God's time, not ours. It gets very frustrating having to keep telling people, I don't know. When we know something, we'll definitely let you know.<BR/><BR/>DO - write! And sometimes write often! This is one of the saving graces for me. There are so many emotions and thoughts during this time that it is often difficult to get them on paper. Sometimes I feel like St. Paul - he had so many thoughts going through his head at one time. However, he had the mega education to help him. For me, trying to capture all of these thoughts is like trying to catch a tse-tse fly with chop sticks!<BR/><BR/>This is where my blog helps - as well as my private journal. (and yes, you should have at least the private journal).Lillian Mariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11649542879780055108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-26091488518927272152009-01-26T08:30:00.000-06:002009-01-26T08:30:00.000-06:00Kat ~ If it helps! lolKat ~ If it helps! lolAdorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-67390623187139811912009-01-26T08:13:00.000-06:002009-01-26T08:13:00.000-06:00Ok, apparently from not having regular computer ac...Ok, apparently from not having regular computer access since mine died my fingers have atrophied. That comment was supposed to read: "Can I steal your do's and Don'ts and put them on cards to pass out?<BR/><BR/>Oie.Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675918069376931859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-30272416662609713222009-01-26T08:10:00.000-06:002009-01-26T08:10:00.000-06:00an I steal your do's and dont's and pit them on c...an I steal your do's and dont's and pit them on cards to pass out?Kathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14675918069376931859noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-70218646194712990102009-01-25T17:44:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:44:00.000-06:00ROFL! I'm going to publish your comment in its ow...ROFL! I'm going to publish your comment in its own post!Adorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-78276725872962374272009-01-25T17:37:00.001-06:002009-01-25T17:37:00.001-06:00Adoro,I feel for you. This is a very personal mat...Adoro,<BR/><BR/>I feel for you. This is a very personal matter, and your blogging about it is not an invitation for advice. I’m appalled that people can’t help themselves and have to overwhelm you with unsolicited advice.<BR/><BR/>I want to buttress your statement by offering the obvious; it is deeply insulting for some to presume that this is okay. I think it’s a sign of the inordinate opinion people have of their own advice. They are clueless. And I’m sorry you’re being put through this.<BR/><BR/>The best way to rid yourself of this scourge is to speed up your discernment. I would recommend a pilgrimage to the Grotto Shrine in Portland, OR. Begin a novena to St. Thomas Aquinas prior to your arrival, and fast for three days beforehand. Arrive on a Saturday, and only bring enough money to last for a day. Then vow not to return until you have your answer. I’m certain that this will provide the desired results.<BR/><BR/>Something that also might help is not narrowing down your options to strictly Dominicans. Have you ever considered the Carmelite order? They are wonderful, and they produce saints like crazy. Edith Stein, the Little Flower, Bernadette, Simon Stock, Elijah (I just found out about him this morning)… Hey, they are doing something right. Think about it. Well, unless you don’t like them.<BR/><BR/>If you’re still stuck on Dominicans, here’s an awesome community that you might have missed:<BR/>http://www.jonahhouse.org/DominicanCorporateStance.htm<BR/> Those nuns are really cool. How could anyone not feel at home there. The best part is, they don’t have habits, except for getting arrested. Wouldn’t it be a whole lot more comfortable if you didn’t have to wear those heavy, itchy habits in the summer time?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I want to be the first to wish you well on your pilgrimage, and good luck finding a kennel and house-watcher while you’re gone.<BR/><BR/>PS – As you might have noticed, my kids LOVE dogs. Their parents do, too. We’ve dog-sat before.John_and_Dawnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11575899694501581708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-3878615059574545722009-01-25T17:37:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:37:00.000-06:00Reynardine ~ Thanks! You could consider lay commu...Reynardine ~ Thanks! You could consider lay communities if you still have a sense of something unfulfilled, but you may not be pulled that way. <BR/><BR/>Anon ~ How did it turn out for you? <BR/><BR/>I also love and appreciate those people in my life, and I most often will simply say "thank you", but there's not a lot of people in my real life who know about this right now. Those who do know the Rules better than I do. The first time around...that's when I learned about the need for Rules. I had one friend in particular who wanted me on her schedule. Long story. <BR/><BR/>But people who want to help often WANT to know the boundaries. They don't want to offend, or provide useless info. So I'm hoping this post helps them know what does and doesn't work for most of us. <BR/><BR/>I need to find a way to really synthesize all my discernment posts into about 1 paragraph...lolAdorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-21853551510168209152009-01-25T17:28:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:28:00.000-06:00I went through 3-1/2 years of discernment because ...I went through 3-1/2 years of discernment because of an incredible pull that would not stop. Often I shared this with people and much of what I heard could not be possible for me. My personal rule was to thank them and to thank God that he had me surrounded by people who cared enough to care.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-17131083750599780282009-01-25T17:27:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:27:00.000-06:00I did not convert to the Catholic Church until lon...I did not convert to the Catholic Church until long after I was married. If I was single, I might also be looking at religious life. I'm very excited for you and my thoughts and prayers go with you. God give you the grace to do what you need to do!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-8119117399416663072009-01-25T17:20:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:20:00.000-06:00MJ ~ Thanks for your input. As a mother, and your...MJ ~ Thanks for your input. As a mother, and your experience, your comment carries a certain kind of authority. :-)<BR/><BR/>Keep praying for him! :-)Adorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-10999667058941515872009-01-25T17:11:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:11:00.000-06:00Great post. As the mother of a son in discernment,...Great post. As the mother of a son in discernment,I have had to learn to just step back. As a mom you always want to guide and give advice, always with the best interest of your child. However as you said and he has told me, it is between him and God. It is hard to "let go and let God" in your own life and even harder with your child. I just keep praying!MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105244449361269412noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-19131985023540200102009-01-25T17:02:00.000-06:002009-01-25T17:02:00.000-06:00Anon ~ Did you want that added to the rules? Mayb...Anon ~ Did you want that added to the rules? Maybe a list of rules for discerners specifically, as opposed to my list which is directed towards our "helpers"?Adorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02853244433854822731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15170815.post-4787491119959262632009-01-25T16:45:00.000-06:002009-01-25T16:45:00.000-06:00Sometimes you must simply jump into the darkness o...Sometimes you must simply jump into the darkness of the future and trust Jesus will catch you.<BR/><BR/>For what it's worth, I think we too often think too hard about these things. As the old saying goes - analysis, paralysis. Fundamentally, we KNOW our vocation because it has been revealed in Jesus - to love as we we are loved. <BR/>After that, we are given, I think, an awful lot of latitude by our good and gracious Father above. As our man from Hippo said - <BR/>"Love, then do what you will!"<BR/><BR/>JUMP!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com