Class will meet again THIS Sunday, April 7
But then we get a three-week break until the next one.
Last time, we completed Chapter 9: Celibacy & Religious Life, plus Chapter 10: Finding Your Vocation.
Key points on Celibacy & Religious Life:
- Celibacy in an exceptional calling from God. Like marriage, it is a vocation, not just a "choice" that a person makes.
- A person who is celibate for the Kingdom still lives out the spousal meaning of the body, i.e. a sign that we are made to love another in a sincere gift of self.
- While marriage acts as a sign that points to the "wedding feast" of heaven, the celibate life in a sense participates in it already on earth.
- Celibacy is more than forgoing earthly marriage; it is embracing a life that is a sign of the heavenly marriage to come between Christ and the Church.
- One reason that the Catholic priesthood is reserved only to men is that the priest is an icon of Christ, acting "in the person of Christ" especially at Mass, where Jesus makes a gift of himself to His bride, the Church.
- Whether we are called to earthly marriage or not, every man by the fact of his being a man is called to spiritual fatherhood, and every woman, by the fact of her womanhood, is called to spiritual motherhood. Those called to priesthood or religious life live out this spiritual fatherhood / motherhood.
Key points on Finding Your Vocation:
- Once you understand and experience the reality of God, everything changes.
- Each person is unique and unrepeatable, and God, who created us out of love, has a unique plan for each of us.
- Every person is called to the general vocation to love as God loves (FTFF) and to holiness (become the best version of yourself).
- But each person is also called to a particular vocation, a particular way to live that general vocation -- through either marriage or celibacy.
- Man will only find himself when he learns to give himself away in love.
- Sin is the rejection or destruction of something good, and we can't reject or destroy good things without rejecting goodness itself -- i.e. God. So sin damages our relationship with God.
- Some things make it harder to hear God's voice (see pp 146-7) including: noise, excessive busy-ness, fear, not caring, and sin.
- Tips for discerning God's will in a particular instance:
- Getting to know God through prayer is essential if we want to hear and recognize his voice, so we need to make room for silence and time for prayer.
- Ask yourself if the decision is in line with God's teaching.
- Get advice from a spiritual director, priest, or others who are strong in the faith.
- Go to reconciliation.
- Listen to your heart.
Your particular vocation will be one that uses your gifts and talents and harnesses your noblest desires.
Quote to ponder:
“You perceive it in the depths of your heart: all that is good on earth, all professional success, even the human love that you dream of, can never fully satisfy your deepest and most intimate desires. Only an encounter with Jesus can give full meaning to your lives: 'for you made us for yourself, and our heart finds no peace until it rests in you' (St. Augustine). Do not let yourselves be distracted from this search. Persevere in it because it is your fulfillment and your joy that is at stake.” – Pope St. John Paul II
“A discovery of the importance of silence is one of the secrets of practicing contemplation and meditation. One drawback of a society dominated by technology and the mass media is the fact that silence becomes increasingly difficult to achieve.” – Pope St. John Paul II
At home assignment:
Please read both "Digging Deeper" sections, on pp. 138-9 and pp. 150-154. If possible, also read the "Live it Out" sections on p. 139-140 and p. 155.
If you missed missed class or want to review:
Read TOB for Teens, Chapter 9, pages 132-137. Pause to answer questions on p. 133, 134, and 138. Read TOB for Teens, Chapter 10, pages 143-150. Also see the assignment above.
Future class dates:
April
7 - Chapter 11: Dating with Purpose and Purity
14 - No class - Palm Sunday
21 - No class - Easter Sunday!
28 - Why not Pornography? Porn Kills Love!
Complete schedule at the class blog.
Blessings!