Saturday, December 12, 2009

i just got the Catholic News dated Sunday, December 20, 2009.
and i came across the article on page 19, titled Vocation.

"She isn't my daughter if she becomes a nun"

i feel that this is particularly disturbing. why? the reason is simple.
if someone has the calling to be a religious, why should they oppressed?
is it wrong to be in a religious congregation? - to lay once life down to serve God and his people?
in my point of view, i see no wrong in it. in fact, i think it is an awesome deal.
why you might ask. well, when a religious answer the Lord's call, he or she commit oneself to not one, not two, but three vows.

it might be very simple seeing final profession Mass/services where they just sign their lives to God and just keep and upfront about it.
though it seems simple, it is not. given our human nature, it is not possible. but, these courages men and women, they are under the influence of the Almighty.

the three vows - chastity, poverty and obedience.
it seems like a brand on those people. but, it has a deeper meaning.
in the secular world, majority would comment negatively on this. but, seeing things from a less shallow point of view, these 3 vows are essential to do the work of God.

religious, having taken these 3 vows, are they any different from you and i?
do they have weird or any difference from people in the secular world?
in my perspective, no.
why? because those religious doesn't do things out of the ordinary. it is just the mind set of people.
the vows of a religious, helps him/her to focus on their vocation and to carry the mission of God and to bring Christ to the least. not to forget, speading the Good News of the Gospel and the promises of Christ.

1) Vow of obedience.
this vow require a religious to obey his/her superiror. they recieve orders to carry a certain mission or to be in a parish to serve the people living in a certain area.
whatever a religious has to do, they obey and do it.

in our own lives, even the most basic thing, obeying our parents. we cannot exactly do that. i know at many of times, i disobey my parents a lot to do the things i desire. picture it this way. obeying our own flesh and blood is already a challenage. talk about obeying someone you are not related to.

2) Vow of poverty.
this vow require a religious to lead a simple life and not to be lavished. it is important not to be materialistic as well. in the eyes of many, poverty means poor, no money.
that is not it. to me, it is just leading a simple life without being attached to material goods that distract them away from their vocation.
handphone, lastest IT products and car. these things in majority of the household has it.
but the thing is that, the vow of poverty assist the religious the not get attached to these gadget for their personal purpose. these gadgets assist them in their duty to serve God's people.

3) Vow of chastity.
in my opinion, this vow has been viewed narrowly. this vow is not just no sex.
this vow require a religious to have pure and clean thoughts in their actions.
when they carry out their duty, they do it with no evil thoughts, without going against the law of what is right.
ultimately, their actions are under the influence of the Almighty.


these 3 vows, enable them to be more focus to carry out their work for the Lord.
is it wrong? to me, many view that it is wrong or not normal.

many at times, we judge way too fast and not look at things from a different perspective that might give us new insights.
for me, i am open up to the Lord's call. but my family reaction isn't welcoming.

my prayer is for God's grace to let people open up their minds and hearts to see the wonder of God's calling as well as laying once life to do God's will.


Galatians 6:9
Let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come where we will reap harvest.

Labels: vocation

posted by Kenneth Emmanuel on 1:28 PM

maystar design