Venn Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I've had two highschool friends who were 7 years together being in a relationship. I was shocked to hear when we met with the girl and she said that they have been no longer together for 9 months and that a year ago the guy had already answered his calling as a priest. They still had communication but it was all slowly declining for both of them to move on. What would you do if your significant other has a spiritual calling for priesthood or to become a nun? Especially if they had that calling since they were a child?
d0nnivain Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I would get out of their way, & let them follow their calling. I would pray for them & support them. I'd probably go to the ceremony & celebrate with them. 3
Gaeta Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I would let them go with grace and let them fulfill their calling. 2
smackie9 Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I'd say he was cray cray and punt him to the curb. Wait no, I would have never dated them in the first place...I don't date religious people. 4
LivingWaterPlease Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I'd be concerned for him and pray for him to read the Bible and to become informed that there is nothing in it that commands a spiritual person who wants to surrender his/her entire life in service to God not to get married. If there were in depth conversations between the two of us about this (hopefully there would be) I'd show him this from scripture and encourage him to let the Bible be his guide and not a religious institution. If he were open to it I'd study the Bible with him in depth so he could come to his own conclusions about God's plan for His church, rather than accepting something he's learned to esteem from an institution which picks and chooses from God's word what they will honor and drops what doesn't fit in with human traditions cherished for centuries. Seems to me it's important to study the Bible to learn what God's plan for His followers is rather than to follow the pathway laid out by any human, (pastor/priest) any church, or any institution.
d0nnivain Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I'd be concerned for him and pray for him to read the Bible and to become informed that there is nothing in it that commands a spiritual person who wants to surrender his/her entire life in service to God not to get married. * * * Seems to me it's important to study the Bible to learn what God's plan for His followers is rather than to follow the pathway laid out by any human, (pastor/priest) any church, or any institution. I can't point to the specific rules but in the Catholic faith, those who answer a religious vocation (priest & nuns) take a vow of celibacy. There are other ways to serve but to some extent it is institutionally driven. It is not in the Bible. St. Peter himself was married but over the years this difficult vow has come to symbolize true devotion. 3
LivingWaterPlease Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 I can't point to the specific rules but in the Catholic faith, those who answer a religious vocation (priest & nuns) take a vow of celibacy. There are other ways to serve but to some extent it is institutionally driven. It is not in the Bible. St. Peter himself was married but over the years this difficult vow has come to symbolize true devotion. Great observations, dOnnivan! Something to seriously ponder (and discuss when in a relationship with another) and for all to decide for herself/himself. What's the standard on which one bases his/her beliefs, an institution of man's creation or God's Word, the Bible?
Gaeta Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 OP is using words like priest, priesthood and nuns. Because of this I assume she is talking about a big organized religion like Catholicism which means the person needs to remain celibate. Whether it's in the bible or not isn't the point. His calling means celibacy = no more romantic relationships for the rest of their life. 1
d0nnivain Posted December 28, 2017 Posted December 28, 2017 Venn is also talking about 2 other people. This did not happen to Venn. In HS Venn knew 2 people who were "together" for 9 years. He recently learned from the girl that the boy became a priest. I suspect that the girl knew about the vocation even if it wasn't public knowledge to other friends like Venn.
LivingWaterPlease Posted December 29, 2017 Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) I've had two highschool friends who were 7 years together being in a relationship. I was shocked to hear when we met with the girl and she said that they have been no longer together for 9 months and that a year ago the guy had already answered his calling as a priest. They still had communication but it was all slowly declining for both of them to move on. What would you do if your significant other has a spiritual calling for priesthood or to become a nun? Especially if they had that calling since they were a child? OP is using words like priest, priesthood and nuns. Because of this I assume she is talking about a big organized religion like Catholicism which means the person needs to remain celibate. Whether it's in the bible or not isn't the point. His calling means celibacy = no more romantic relationships for the rest of their life. The question OP asked is given the above circumstances "What would you do if your significant other has a spiritual calling for priesthood or to become a nun?" What I would do is discuss Biblical implications with the person. This answer is relevant to the original post because it addresses directly what Venn asked. Seems to me the point of Venn's post is to find out what each responder would do. Also, assuming the person with the spiritual calling is a Christian it also seems to me, since Christianity is based on being a follower of Jesus Christ (the term, Christianity, is derived from Christ), that a book in which His life and words are recorded, the Bible, would be highly relevant to anyone and to his/her life decisions who has a spiritual calling and is a Christian, though it may not seem relevant to some others. If the person who believes he/she has a spiritual calling is not a Christian, I would find out on what standard they base their beliefs and explore with him/her whatever they'd like to share that relates to their calling and book or other standard on which they base their beliefs. To me, this (making an effort to understand and support the processing of an SO's beliefs and decisions) is part of being a supportive and caring friend, at the very least, even more so a supportive and loving SO. Add to that the fact that this decision would effect me, I would definitely want to understand as much as possible the influences that involved the calling my SO was experiencing and assist the person in exploring those in whatever depth my SO was comfortable with. Edited December 29, 2017 by LivingWaterPlease 1
5x5 Posted December 30, 2017 Posted December 30, 2017 What would you do if your significant other has a spiritual calling for priesthood or to become a nun? Especially if they had that calling since they were a child? I would divorce her, as a consequence of my not wanting to be with someone who abandons rational thinking. That said if it were a calling from childhood I wouldn't be with them in the first place.
todreaminblue Posted December 30, 2017 Posted December 30, 2017 (edited) edited for being too bias............deb Edited December 30, 2017 by todreaminblue
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