Ad Maoirem De Gloriam

When you've gone through a relationship breakup or divorce, you might feel literally “torn apart.” Perhaps the breakup was a huge surprise to you. You truly had no idea that your partner was going to end your relationship. Even if you could see the breakup coming and it wasn't a surprise, it's likely that you still feel broken hearted. As much as you might like to turn back time and prevent the end of your relationship, you simply can't do that. What you can do, is be gentle with yourself and allow the healing to begin. In the midst of your strong-- and possibly mixed- emotions about this relationship that just ended, the whole notion of healing and feeling good again might seem unlikely, even impossible. You might be replaying in your mind-- while feeling the hurt in you heart-- the events that led up to your breakup. Some people get caught up in playing the “What if”game. “What if I'd said or done ________ differently?” Or “What if only ______ ha...

There's no question that breakups can be painful, and that it's difficult to trust and love again. But there are ways to get past the pain. Here is some of Dr. Phil's advice for healing the heartbreak. In time, it is absolutely vital to put the pain behind you and move forward with your life and love. Otherwise, you are giving away your power to the people who hurt you. Sometimes the relationship you need to rescue is the one with yourself. Moving past a breakup is about you, not your ex. Don't start thinking about being friends right away — if ever. You have to be your own friend first. Grief is a process to go through, not a destination in which to wallow. In a process, you keep putting one foot in front of the other, and each little step is part of your healing. Define your real intentions. Are you trying to move past the breakup, or are you hoping to get back with your ex? You won't move on until you've accepted that the relationship is over. ...

. What is a Vocation? In the simplest terms, “vocation” means a “call.” So, in general terms your vocation is what God calls you to do with your life. Everybody is called by God to know, love and serve him. The difference is how each one does this. Individual vocations vary between being single, married, consecrated, religious or a priest. However, we usually use “Vocation” to mean a call to the consecrated, religious or priestly life. That is what we do on this website, but the principles and much of the advice are also applicable to the married and the single life. . In the one life God gave you to live, you have one overriding purpose, to fulfill the will of God, because this is the key to your true destiny, eternal happiness. God gives each one of us a particular mission in life. As we grow and life progresses, he makes it known to us, usually in indirect ways, more as an invitation than an imposition. Discovering and ultimately following your vocation gives the great...

Venerable Brothers in the Episcopate, dearest brothers and sisters throughout the whole world! 1. The next "World Day of Prayer for Vocations", which will take place on 6th May 2001 and thus only a few months after the close of the Great Jubilee, will have the theme "Life as a vocation". With my present Message, I wish to pause and reflect with you on a topic that is undeniably important in the Christian life. The word "vocation" is a very good definition of the relationship that God has with every human being in the freedom of love, because "every life is a vocation" (Paul VI, Enc. Lett. Populorum progressio, 15). God, after completing his work of creation, looked on man and saw that he was "very good" (cf. Gen 1, 31): he made him "in his image and likeness", he put the universe into his operative hands and called him to an intimate relationship of love. Vocation is the word that leads us to understand the dynami...

May 7, 2006 VATICAN CITY, MAY 7, 2006 (Zenit.org).- Here is a translation of Pope Benedict XVI's address before praying the midday Regina Caeli with tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter's Square. Dear Brothers and Sisters: On this Fourth Sunday of Easter, Good Shepherd Sunday, in which the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is observed, I have had the joy of ordaining in St. Peter's Basilica 15 new priests of the Diocese of Rome. Together with them, I think of all those that, in all parts of the world receive priestly ordination at the same time. In thanking the Lord for the gift of these new priests at the service of the Church, we put them in Mary's hands, while invoking her intercession so that the number will grow of those who accept Christ's invitation to follow him on the path of the priesthood and consecrated life. This year, the theme of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is "Vocation in the Mystery of the Church." In ...

Brother Declan Brown was born on April 29, 1981, and he entered the novitiate of the Legion of Christ on May 21, 1995. He died on June 26, 1995. Look at the dates again. It is a special story. Declan was born and raised on a farm in Kansas and, at a very young age felt a strong attraction to the priesthood. He was good in school, good in sports, a happy kid, and spiritually very sensitive. So when he had the opportunity to visit the Legion's high school for boys who are interested in the priesthood, he immediately felt right at home. The school has a seventh and eighth grade, so Declan really wanted to join without having to wait until ninth, but circumstances beyond his control made that impossible. He didn't lose his good sense of humor, and quietly he began gathering the things he would need when the day finally came that he could enter the school. God had other plans? Declan began to suffer pains and was diagnosed with cancer. He was operated on, but the cance...

If you have a vocation there are two signs that you have found where you are supposed to be. One is that you feel "at home" there. This is logical, since your vocation is what God meant you to be when he created you, so obviously when you are where he wants you to be you have the feeling of being made for there, which you were. But I think it is also very important that you feel like it is just a little too much. If you don't you are either in the wrong place or you haven't understood what it is all about. You see, God always calls us higher. When you are where God wants you to be you realize that you are not going to be able to do this on your own. You need his grace, it is going to cost you, you are going to have to die to yourself, you are going to have to make choices, there are things you like that are now going to have to take second, third or fourth place, or have no place at all.... The second sign then is that tremor of fear. You could say it an...

There is a distinct difference between vocation and profession, although they are not mutually exclusive and do in fact overlap. Profession is a much more restricted term, which we use to indicate a career or a particular ability we develop, usually with the purpose of earning a livelihood and contributing in some way to the good of society, but always considered in a horizontal dimension. You don’t need to believe in God to choose a profession and exercise it in an outstanding way, doing much good to and for others in the process. A person can pick, choose and switch professions freely since the principal point of reference is his preferences, his own benefit and the opportunities he has. But when we use the word vocation we introduce a vertical dimension into our life, especially into our thinking process and decisions, since the point of reference when we talk about vocation is God’s will – what we believe he is calling us to do with our life, the purpose for which he ...

Once you start thinking that you may have a vocation, you are faced with the obvious question, WHERE? There are two levels to the answer to this question: 1. General vocation. Usually, but not always, you begin your search with a certain inkling of which general vocation you might be called to. The genera l headings are: a. For men: Diocesan priest; priest or brother in active religious life or monastic/contemplative life; lay consecrated life. b. For women: active religious life, monastic/contemplative life, lay consecrated life. 2. Specific Group. This is where we usually run into most of our practical difficulties. There seem to be many possibilities for each of the categories in point 1. So how do we narrow it down to one? a. Priesthood: Which diocese or which religious family should I enter? b. Religious or lay consecration for men and women: which particular religious family or group should I enter? Since there is such a variety of groups and mission...

Priestly life lived in configuration to Jesus Christ, Head and Shepherd, must necessarily manifest and give witness to the radicalism of the Gospel. In other words, priests are called to a way of life that gives evident and transparent witness to the power of the Gospel at work in their lives. (Program for Priestly Formation, The Life of Priests) It is wonderful to be at peace with yourself knowing you are doing what you are supposed to, helping people, teaching them about God's love, and helping them in the Sacrament of Confession. What defines a priest, nun or any consecrated person is the positive offering he makes of his life to Christ. He takes all he is and offers it to Christ. He lives only for him. This means fundamentally that he chooses Christ over any other human to be the center of his life (chastity), he values Christ more than any material thing and he gives these up in order to possess Him totally (poverty), and he is totally dedicated to His will and H...

Discernment is necessary; because without it our actions would not have the consistency reason can give them. Discernment must take place in a climate of faith. It is the perception of God's action and his call. Discernment is, in itself, a grace. It is definitely more than a fruit of mere intellectual examination and reflection. Discernment is, therefore, more subject to the pattern of grace than to the laws of pure reason. For example, God can in one moment enlighten a soul and let him see his call, much like a person can receive the grace of faith from one moment to the next with no apparent natural explanation. People can study the Catholic faith for years, argue with the best of theologians, and still not believe; then in a visit to a church, God can do in a moment what man had been fruitlessly seeking for years. Discernment is not always a laborious process grinding to inevitable results. Sometimes it is a flash of recognition, which we test, but we know it is t...

Five (5) lessons to make you think about the way we treat people. 1 - First Important Lesson - Cleaning Lady. During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?" Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade. "Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello." I've never forgot en that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy. 2. - Second Important Lesson - Pickup in ...

A long time ago, before the world was created and humans set foot on it, God had put all the human "qualities" in a separate room. Since all the qualities were bored they decided to play hide & seek. "Madness" was one of the qualities and he shouted: "I want to count, I want to count!" And since nobody was crazy enough to want to seek "Madness", all the other qualities agreed. So "Madness" leaned against a tree and started to count: One, two, three..." As "Madness" counted, the qualities went hiding. "Treason" hid in a pile of garbage.. "Lie " said that it would hide under a stone, but hid at the bottom of the lake. And Madness continued to count "... Seventy nine, eighty, eighty one..." By this time, all the qualities were already hidden-except "Love ". For stupid as "Love " is, he could no...