One Reason Why You Hesitate To Visit That Religious Community

By Fr. Alex Ezechukwu, OCD

Have you ever felt attracted to a religious community but just could not decide whether to visit it?

Maybe you talked with the vocation director. He may have invited you to visit, or to a discernment retreat. But you found yourself saying,

"Um ... I'm just not ready."

Maybe you feel a little guilty for not saying “yes.”

You’re not the only one who feels this way.

Sincere Catholics

There are a lot of young men out there who are practicing Catholics – maybe you are one of them. Sincere guys, whose faith is important to them. But they just can't seem to pull the trigger when it comes to making the first step.

So, what's the problem?

People today just seem to be drifting. They lack commitment.

Let’s compare this with one man’s experience in his career.

One twenty-something man wrote an article on social media about how he graduated from UCLA and found a great job with a financial services company. Yet he changes jobs every year or two....

One would think that there seems to be something missing with each job.

That writer doesn't mention anything about marriage, or a consecrated or single vocation. Maybe the writer needs to find the answer to this question for him to feel right about things. Wouldn't you agree that this discovery sets the foundation for what comes next in one's life?

Just Drifting

Two thousand years ago, the Roman emperor Augustus passed laws encouraging young men in the empire to get married. He saw too much drifting. Do you find that you are focusing on the wrong thing, or too many things (passing from one thing to the next)? Deep down, do you desire some focus and direction?

And here’s a tough one: “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” These are the words of Our Lord to a man who promised to follow him after saying good-bye to his family in Luke 9:62.

And to give an example of the resolve Jesus was expecting from this man, Luke tells us in just eleven verses before this that, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he [Jesus] set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51). This means that Jesus headed toward Jerusalem in unwavering resolve. Why?

Because Jerusalem was the place where He would be betrayed, arrested, beaten, and crucified. He was giving us an example of what St Teresa would call a “determined determination.”

Take some time in your life to examine the things in your life and see if you find some obstacles or distractions that are hindering you in making the commitment(s) you should be making. Or maybe you simply need to grow in this area through prayer and the guidance of a spiritual director or mentor.

Now, I’d like to ask you,

Which answer below statements describes where you are right now?

1. Father, this is my problem. I seem to be tossed about like a ship without a rudder with decisions likes these.
2. In trying to discover my vocation, I find that I often follow my own interests instead of God's.
3. I have a sense of what my vocation is, and I think I'm following a clear path to it.

The Carmelite Friars

If you’re a single Catholic man age 18 to 35, have you thought about becoming a religious friar? Maybe God is calling you to a Carmelite vocation in our Anglo-Irish Province in the UK!

Contact me, Fr. Alex, Carmelite Encounter Director, at +44 (0)7477 673932, fralex@carmelite.org.uk

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Why not test your call to the Carmelite Friars of the Anglo-Irish Province?

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