When discerning between marriage and the religious life, the answer is somewhat simple. Basically, see if you have a calling to religious life first. This is because religious life is always the higher calling, and so marriage would only need to be discerned if you already knew that you did not have a religious vocation. At least that is how I understand the traditional teaching. Some people think that is offensive, but I think it takes away the complications of being to scrupulous. You can visit the places that interest you and speak to their vocations director. If you qualify, then you can set up a time to visit for short periods of time where you stay over night and get a feel for the community. Each place has its own way of doing this. If you feel at peace during your time there, in the sense that it feels like home to you, then you can be confident that God is calling you to that way of life. But to be absolutely sure, someone remains a novice for a certain time before taking permanent vows. In other words, it is all set up for both you and the community to discern, and both have to be in agreement. If you try that with the ones you may feel a certain calling to and it doesn't work out, then you can be confident that you probably don't have a vocation. People usually have to be of a sound mind as one of the qualifications. This is because the religious life can draw people with mental illness; but in most cases, it would make mental illness worse, and would not be good for someone in that state. I personally have Asperger's and OCD which keeps me from having a sound mind. So it is most likely that I have no vocation. But I am discerning still just to be sure with a few that I feel drawn towards. I hope that helps.
Courage! It is this: Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. You will need to be devoted to daily prayer and through it, you can grow in this heroic love with and dependent on God's help, seeking His Will. This will require many prayers, fasts and sacrifices including alms. Read Sacred Scripture humbly and read inspiring works written by the saints (not modern popularities).
I don't see how that would be possible if we are active in our discernment. If we speak to the vocations directors at communities we may feel drawn to, or if we find out if we are eligible for the priesthood and feel a drawing to it, then the discernment process is to take further action in finding out. Communities allow visitors to stay if discerning. And if we stay a few nights or a week with a community it would become fairly obvious if we were not called, because we would absolutely hate it for example. But if after staying for a short while there is still a drawing of the heart, it should be pursued further. And a novice stays a novice for a while before taking perpetual vows - taking away the fear of being wrong. I don't mean any offense by this, but I think that not figuring it out over a life time would just be someone putting off discernment.
I am 23 and I want nothing more than to enter the religious life but sometimes I worry that I am too old already, and maybe I let the vocation pass me by. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?
You are not too old brother. I’ve visited many seminaries, and most seminarians don’t begin their priestly studies until their mid 20’s. Most do not start right out of high school. My local parish priest didn’t get ordained as a priest until his mid 40’s. It’s never too late. The only time it’s too late is when you pass on form this earth.
My advice would be to actively speak to the vocations directors of the communities you might be interested in. They would be able to help you discern and know where to go from there. But off hand, I don't think 23 is too old, and in some cases they may prefer someone who is slightly more mature than just out of high school.
Pray, ask and seek. God will guide your steps. He LOVES the humble heart. Age matters not. My dad began priestly training at 13 in the Vatican. He’s Ukrainian catholic (can get married / have kids). I’ve enjoyed the company of a great number of wonderful priests, nuns, deacons, bishops, etc. Many entered the religious life in adulthood (30s, 40s, even 50s, etc). My prayers are with you on this exciting journey!
Im considering, but as a woman i have heard of many who left after 10 or so years and that frightens me. Because then ur left in a really bad spot. No career , property..etc I know it sounds superficial but its a serious concern for me
On the other hand, such a thing would probably be a helpful discernment in of itself that the religious life is not for him, since it would require greater thorns than that.
Sorry that you don't like the Doctor of Moral Theology of the Universal Church and one of the greatest Saint's ever, because this is read straight from the writings of St. Alphonsus Ligouri
@@SensusFidelium Hardly. Just finishing reading "The Spiritual Combat" for the 3rd time by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. That's between Aquinas and the Ignatius Bible Study series. What I don't like and what is irksome are talks that are nothing more than an endless series of quotes.
@@hunter1029016 1. Fauci is a nominal Catholic, Jesuit miseducated, and the highest paid govt employee. Would you take sacraments from him? See refs to "vaccine heresey", Fauci, and the Pope. Fauci sure sounds and acts like a priest! 2. The current Jesuit pope refuses to be called by such terms as "The Vicar of Christ" and others, so Catholics are faced with according to canon law, sede vacante. Check it out. You need to read more.
@@mullahbaksheesh9151 1) No, it'd literally be impossible to receive sacraments from Dr. Fauci (except baptism) because he has not received the sacrament of Holy Orders. 2) Pope Francis is the Pope - no matter how much we don't like it. I highly suggest reading " Sedevacantism: A False Solution to a Real Problem" by the SSPX
For one thing, receiving grants is not the same as employment. Secondly, the holiness or lack of it in one cleric or another has nothing to do with the validity of the sacraments. Read the catechism.
@@CatholicK5357 I repeat: Pope Pancho said at the beginning of his papacy that he did NOT want phrases such as "Vicar of Christ", "Successor of St Peter" and others such applied to his bouncer-turned-Jesuit corpus...so I argue that we all suffer under a canon law situation of sede vacante. Even a gooooogle search on that phrase says that the last true pope was Benedict 16 (stop using Roman numerals---do your kids/grandkids know them? I doubt it. Do poor education a favor.)
Sure, scare and confuse people then recommend them a book to buy. Not very classy, Steve. Being damned because you don't fulfill your vocation is not taught by St. Thomas Aquinas' moral theology in his Summa. This teaching is not in the Catechism. I respect St. Alphonsus but doubt if I took this sin to a trad priest he would say its a mortal sin.
I am saddened by what is going on. Prayers 💔✝️🛐
When can one ever have peace of knowing if they are called or not? My life is run by doubts
When discerning between marriage and the religious life, the answer is somewhat simple. Basically, see if you have a calling to religious life first. This is because religious life is always the higher calling, and so marriage would only need to be discerned if you already knew that you did not have a religious vocation. At least that is how I understand the traditional teaching. Some people think that is offensive, but I think it takes away the complications of being to scrupulous.
You can visit the places that interest you and speak to their vocations director. If you qualify, then you can set up a time to visit for short periods of time where you stay over night and get a feel for the community. Each place has its own way of doing this. If you feel at peace during your time there, in the sense that it feels like home to you, then you can be confident that God is calling you to that way of life. But to be absolutely sure, someone remains a novice for a certain time before taking permanent vows. In other words, it is all set up for both you and the community to discern, and both have to be in agreement.
If you try that with the ones you may feel a certain calling to and it doesn't work out, then you can be confident that you probably don't have a vocation. People usually have to be of a sound mind as one of the qualifications. This is because the religious life can draw people with mental illness; but in most cases, it would make mental illness worse, and would not be good for someone in that state. I personally have Asperger's and OCD which keeps me from having a sound mind. So it is most likely that I have no vocation. But I am discerning still just to be sure with a few that I feel drawn towards.
I hope that helps.
Read this book www.amazon.com/Religious-Vocation-Richard-Butler-P/dp/0895558238
@@SensusFidelium just saw this now, as it turns out I’ve been halfway through for some time! God bless :)
If someone goes their whole life not knowing their vocation, then what?
Then prayer and discernment is needed.
Courage! It is this: Love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. You will need to be devoted to daily prayer and through it, you can grow in this heroic love with and dependent on God's help, seeking His Will. This will require many prayers, fasts and sacrifices including alms. Read Sacred Scripture humbly and read inspiring works written by the saints (not modern popularities).
I don't see how that would be possible if we are active in our discernment. If we speak to the vocations directors at communities we may feel drawn to, or if we find out if we are eligible for the priesthood and feel a drawing to it, then the discernment process is to take further action in finding out. Communities allow visitors to stay if discerning. And if we stay a few nights or a week with a community it would become fairly obvious if we were not called, because we would absolutely hate it for example. But if after staying for a short while there is still a drawing of the heart, it should be pursued further. And a novice stays a novice for a while before taking perpetual vows - taking away the fear of being wrong.
I don't mean any offense by this, but I think that not figuring it out over a life time would just be someone putting off discernment.
Read this book www.amazon.com/Religious-Vocation-Richard-Butler-P/dp/0895558238
I am 23 and I want nothing more than to enter the religious life but sometimes I worry that I am too old already, and maybe I let the vocation pass me by. Does anyone have any thoughts or advice?
I'm 36 James
You are not too old brother. I’ve visited many seminaries, and most seminarians don’t begin their priestly studies until their mid 20’s. Most do not start right out of high school. My local parish priest didn’t get ordained as a priest until his mid 40’s. It’s never too late. The only time it’s too late is when you pass on form this earth.
My advice would be to actively speak to the vocations directors of the communities you might be interested in. They would be able to help you discern and know where to go from there. But off hand, I don't think 23 is too old, and in some cases they may prefer someone who is slightly more mature than just out of high school.
Pray, ask and seek. God will guide your steps. He LOVES the humble heart. Age matters not. My dad began priestly training at 13 in the Vatican. He’s Ukrainian catholic (can get married / have kids). I’ve enjoyed the company of a great number of wonderful priests, nuns, deacons, bishops, etc. Many entered the religious life in adulthood (30s, 40s, even 50s, etc). My prayers are with you on this exciting journey!
That's quite young. For being a priest here is no age. For religious orders they usually have age limits depending on the order, some 35 others 45.
Amen.
Im considering, but as a woman i have heard of many who left after 10 or so years and that frightens me.
Because then ur left in a really bad spot. No career , property..etc
I know it sounds superficial but its a serious concern for me
What book is this?
See the video description
As crucial as this subject is, it's frustrating to listen to a homily that's an endless series of quotes.
On the other hand, such a thing would probably be a helpful discernment in of itself that the religious life is not for him, since it would require greater thorns than that.
Sorry that you don't like the Doctor of Moral Theology of the Universal Church and one of the greatest Saint's ever, because this is read straight from the writings of St. Alphonsus Ligouri
@@SensusFidelium Hardly. Just finishing reading "The Spiritual Combat" for the 3rd time by Dom Lorenzo Scupoli. That's between Aquinas and the Ignatius Bible Study series. What I don't like and what is irksome are talks that are nothing more than an endless series of quotes.
The USCCB takes American taxpayer $$ in the form of federal grants. How can sacraments be valid from a government employee?!
That has no effect on the validity of the sacrament: matter, form, and intention
@@hunter1029016 1. Fauci is a nominal Catholic, Jesuit miseducated, and the highest paid govt employee. Would you take sacraments from him? See refs to "vaccine heresey", Fauci, and the Pope. Fauci sure sounds and acts like a priest!
2. The current Jesuit pope refuses to be called by such terms as "The Vicar of Christ" and others, so Catholics are faced with according to canon law, sede vacante. Check it out.
You need to read more.
@@mullahbaksheesh9151 1) No, it'd literally be impossible to receive sacraments from Dr. Fauci (except baptism) because he has not received the sacrament of Holy Orders. 2) Pope Francis is the Pope - no matter how much we don't like it. I highly suggest reading "
Sedevacantism: A False Solution to a Real Problem" by the SSPX
For one thing, receiving grants is not the same as employment. Secondly, the holiness or lack of it in one cleric or another has nothing to do with the validity of the sacraments. Read the catechism.
@@CatholicK5357 I repeat: Pope Pancho said at the beginning of his papacy that he did NOT want phrases such as "Vicar of Christ", "Successor of St Peter" and others such applied to his bouncer-turned-Jesuit corpus...so I argue that we all suffer under a canon law situation of sede vacante. Even a gooooogle search on that phrase says that the last true pope was Benedict 16 (stop using Roman numerals---do your kids/grandkids know them? I doubt it. Do poor education a favor.)
Sure, scare and confuse people then recommend them a book to buy.
Not very classy, Steve.
Being damned because you don't fulfill your vocation is not taught by St. Thomas Aquinas' moral theology in his Summa. This teaching is not in the Catechism. I respect St. Alphonsus but doubt if I took this sin to a trad priest he would say its a mortal sin.
You are not dammed, but it is surely a lot more difficult to say yes to God when you have said a huge no to him