The Gospel Model of Vocational Growth

        A. Before the Call. The mysterious pre-history of the vocation. Varieties of background, personalities, aspirations. Need for time and freedom.

        B. The Call Itself. Encounter with Christ, his invitation: “Come and see;” human mediations? Leads back to Christ.

   C. After the Call. Acquaintanceship: getting to know and love Christ as a person, gradual discovery of his mission. King­dom. Crisis and Commitment: what do people say, and what do you say and decide?

   D. Formation to Discipleship:

    ·         Jesus is the Master

    ·         Group interaction

    ·         Towards Jerusalem: the horizon is the cross

 II.    Verification of the Call

 Examining the actual self: basic strengths and weaknesses of the personality, in the light of the demands of commitment, on the conscious and unconscious levels.

        —    main character traits and attitudes: usually conscious and visible.

        —    inner dynamics: deeper motives influencing his attitudes and choices.

        —    self-understanding and insight, since growth is not possible without the knowledge of oneself.

        —    ego strength, or capacity to cope with one’s weak points,

      —    origin and causes of one’s present dispositions, either in the family and from other life experiences.

                     Proposed Selection Criteria for Formation Stage: Before Novitiate

1.  Signs of Religious Vocation

 Aside from being signs that point to the possibility of a religious vocation, the following indices below are also the precise areas of formation.

Vocational Discernment: Signs of Religious Vocation

 Trinitarian Dimension:

 —    The experience of a delicate and loving contact with God which creates a longing, a yearning to  find the One who is so real and yet so mysteriously hidden.

     —    Felt Presence. Sometimes it conveys the sense of being drawn and pursued; at times it is the experience of being taken hold of, overpowered, invaded by that someone, and can be quite terrifying. Yet again it comes more in the nature of a gentle whispering within.

    —    Whatever form it takes, it encourages a kind of prayer which is very simple, and which finds expression in a longing to be just quietly at the side of the Lord.

    —    Very often, the Eucharistic presence of the Lord becomes the focal point: like a magnetic force that leads to the stillness one longs for.

Human Spirit Dimension:

    —    the person feels the need to be generous towards others in a simple, hidden unobtrusive way, without pretending to be good or different, It takes the form of a new attentiveness to other people, a willingness to be of service to them, especially those in need.

     —    a deep sense of joy; a joy of loving without thinking of oneself.

    —   joy brings with it deep peace. Joy can sometimes be the result of an emotional and ephemeral feeling or mood, whereas, this peace is experienced at a much deeper level, even in the midst of pain and struggles, and one offers a constantly renewed “yes” to God, in response to the experience of his constant affection.

Dimension of the Self:

    — personal: a new sense of freedom. Despite one’s unworthiness, one senses that there is something more to himself. His concept of what he is begins to elude him. What he had considered important to his own identity and personality begins to lose its attraction, it is no longer central.

    —    social: the clutch of expectations of others (parents, relatives, friends) begins to lose its strangle hold. The person realizes that he can make decisions for himself. He feels that he is in charge of his own life. Relationships are placed at a new level. There is a feeling of deeper involvement, yet at the same time one of detachment. He is able to objectify his relationship and see it within a larger context of life. Loving the other no longer just means physical presence or doing something for the other. Love for the other means being true to what one is and to faithfulness to what he can be.

     —  functional: the person begins to look for new meaning in the work he is engaged in. He either loses the taste for it, or he creates new meanings within or without the work. His creativity is challenged. Function no longer just means doing, but a seeking of his being.

    —      aesthetic: a new sensitivity. He easily is taken up with the beautiful. Begins to be open to peak experiences. He is no longer uneasy with the mysterious, the uncontrollable. He is able to empathize and be compassionate. He becomes more open to the exigencies of life.

    —      He feels more free to voice whatever is in his heart: it may lead at times to actual complaining, to struggling or “fighting” with God, to the point of even pretending to ignore Him. And yet deep down, the person knows only too well what God is seeking, that He is “the stronger” .. .and he is right.

The Physical Dimension:

    — the ability to make sacrifices for higher values. The person is able to forego his needs and immediate gratification because he sees something more important in his life.

    — he gains the ability to be still, to be in touch with his own reactions which gives him greater freedom in his behavioural responses.

   — he is less upset by situations of adversity and failure. Such situations may lead him to deeper reflection.

    — what is pleasurable to him becomes simpler. His sensibility no longer puts a premium on the spectacular and tremendous. His pleasures become simple.

II. Verification: Psychological Testing and Interview

To ensure that the candidate has the potential to elaborate the above-mentioned signs in his life, he undergoes psychological testing and interview.

III. Confirmation: Discernment

Discernment is an on-going practice in the initial stages of formation as experienced in his daily prayer, examen, and spiritual direction. It is furthermore recommended that towards the end of his initial formation, the individual be given time within the context of a retreat to discern his call.

            Proposed Selection Criteria for the Novitiate

            I.       Expectations

    A.    The candidate:

    A challenging and meaningful life. That what he does makes a dent on the world. That he is entering a different way of life when he enters the novitiate.

    Union with God. Terminal value. That faith is challenged. Importance of image of God and the world. Flexibility in deal­ings with God.

    To be able to serve. A person for others.  Charity. Ideals. Generosity.

    B.    The Religious Institute:

    1.      Ideal of what it is to be a fully formed religious in one’s particular Institute.

    2.      Candidate must be able to work in the apostolate of the Institute. Not a question of manpower survival of the Institute. Watch for primacy of special talents.

    3.      Ability to be part of the community.

    C.    General Criteria for Selection

If the person is not yet sure whether he has a vocation, the novitiate is not the place to give it a try. It is place where men who are relatively sure of God’s call to the Institute. The Institute would like to test that surety and help the person grow further in his vocation.

The candidate must also give promise of being able to take vows at the end of two years. If there are serious unresolved inner conflicts about authority, about financial and emotional security, about sexuality and sexual identity, these can be signs that a person is not yet ready to enter.

For progress in the spiritual life, the person must have the ability to notice interior events and to talk about them with another, the ability to let God be a real presence in the experience, and the freedom to be surprised by mystery, the desire to meet God intimately, and the awareness that such a meeting is awesome.

        II.    Verification: Psychological Tests and Interviews

    A. Sufficient intellectual capacity to go through Philosophy and Theology.

    B.  Psycho-Emotional Maturity.

    C.  Motivation.

    D.  Independent Religious Experience. An experience of the call not reducible to any or all of the psycho-emotional factors. Not reducible to different factors described in the list of “attractions”.

It may be a momentary or an on-going experience which cannot be explained totally by human influences. God’s movement is central. Candidate may feel it but cannot totally explain it. There is an experienced attraction and fascination: at times, hesitation or fear is experienced. Need for discernment.

NB:    In this process, the interview with the candidate is important. This interview can cover:

 1.       Intellectual capacity  - school history.

 2.       Background — Family, Relationships, Social Life, Reactions to situations and

people.

     3.       Ability to live religious life — personal appearance, understanding of religious life, the vows, ability to live in community, flexibility, ambitions, apostolic orientation. Check on impediments.

    III.  Confirmation: Readiness for Formation

We have to focus on religious who find their direction from within: people who have been helped to know themselves, to face their unconscious inner conflicts, to clarify their motivations, act responsively and make congruent and appropriate choices: people who have discovered an inner stability that will enable them to be unthreatened by ambiguity, search, insecurity and the demands involved in assuming a community identity, aware of their own personal identity.

 Led to believe in themselves and their own self-worth, they can believe in that of others too, and so will be trusting and trusted. Formation is to help sustain the demands of being for another, for others. So it will deepen a capacity to live in gratuity — able to give and receive. Inner-directed but other-orientated, they will be led into the truth of interdependent dependence, discover true in­dependence and not fear handing over an autonomy to the charism of the order.

Openness, sharing, responsibility, to accept guidance, to live in a discerning attitude — of themselves these qualities will safeguard the area of personal asceticism and self-discipline, seen as a necessity in the life of one trying to live with Christian quality and presence.

(These notes were culled from: Roger Champoux, “New Dimensions in Religious Formation,” Futrell, “On Signs of Vocation,” Rahner, “On Vocational Attraction”,  Faber, “Novitiate Formation,” and the American Conference on Vocations.)