Hey Everyone, since it is vocations week, I have decided to invite a guest blogger to write a post on the Man’s point of view on vocations. So... I would like to introduce you to my friend Paul Lector. Paul is a friend of mine, and a brother in Christ. He’s pretty awesome, and is an inspiration to me. I’m very excited to share his post with you!
God Bless,
Catherine
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As this is Vocations Week, the subject is vocations. Catherine has decided to cover both bases by having me write a joint post with her, adequately going into vocations for both men and women. First, so you can better understand what I am going into, a small bit of background information. My name is Paul Lector, I am fourteen years of age and am also strongly Catholic. Please don’t exclude my writings on this matter because of my age; I have a strong interest in Catholic theology and (I hope) am well versed on this. There are three main topics I will be writing about; Priesthood, the Man’s side of Marriage, and Brotherhood. The first thing to remember is that each one of these are entirely equal. A very important thing to remember is that no vocations are holier over another.
I will start off with a general overview of them. The purpose for us humans summed up into a single phrase is: to be happy with God in this life, and in the next. To be happy with God might sound a little… strange. You might think that would require you to be one of the “frozen chosen”; one of those completely stoic but proclaiming that you are happy people, but that is absolutely not true. To be happy with God means that you are happy with God. You get as close to God as you can, and are made happy by it; I honestly cannot completely describe it. The goal of each vocation is to make you happy with God in this life and prepare you for the next.
First off with the Vocation of the Priesthood. This is a very important vocation since they tend to the Church. When you become a Priest, you become as a Father to the church, hence the title. A good Father would get to know his children well, so he would have the job to get close to them so he can guide them better. That is part of the reason that priests are not married since they can not look after two families at once, although they can be with special papal permission.
The next vocation on the list was marriage. This is probably the most popular vocation, since the most people end up in it. Lots of people think that marriage is a difficult life. That is definitely true. While you are not caring for the entire church as in priesthood, you need to care for your children financially, psychologically, and spiritually. Marriage (and all vocations included) are not about yourself, they are about you giving yourself to others. In fact, the purpose of manhood by definition is to know, love, serve, and protect the woman. The medieval code of chivalry is the same, with emphasis on “protect”. Marriage on the mans part is about giving yourself for your family. A man, if he is to live up to his manhood, must always be prepared to give his life for his family; “Greater love then this no man hath then to lay down his life for his friend.” I am only covering the man’s part in marriage; there is be another side, but I am afraid I am ignorant to it.
Lastly, the vocation of Brotherhood. I once had the privilege of staying a week with some Benedictine monks. The Benedictines are a contemplative order, meaning that, in addition to working, they focus themselves on prayer. Although they were not directly ministering to the church, they are also crucial. Due to the presence of Brothers (and Sisters) across the world, it means that no matter what time, someone is always praying. This keeps up a flow of grace to the whole world.
In order to discern what vocation you are called to, there are a few simple things you could do. Prayer is very important, in addition to patience. And when you think you have the right decision, take the leap of faith. You don’t know what running a marathon is like until you actually run it, so pray that you are making the right decision and jump in.
I hope that was an adequate overview of the three vocations. If you would like more on this topic, please ask Catherine, and I will do my best.
God Bless You,
Paul Lector
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