{"id":250,"date":"2015-02-12T12:49:55","date_gmt":"2015-02-12T16:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/?p=250"},"modified":"2020-03-16T22:13:33","modified_gmt":"2020-03-17T02:13:33","slug":"why-you-should-come-see","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/?p=250","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Come & See"},"content":{"rendered":"

Philip found Nathanael and told him, \u201cWe have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Nathanael said to him, \u201cCan anything good come from Nazareth?\u201d Philip said to him, \u201cCome and see.\u201d John 1:45-46<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

There’s something about seeing– experiencing– a thing first-hand that is more compelling than having someone tell you about it. Philip was prepared to tell his brother Nathanael all about Jesus, but this wasn’t enough to overcome his brother’s suspicion or cynicism. \u00a0Philip’s response was an invitation to come and see for himself.\"Cloud<\/a><\/p>\n

When a man is contemplating a vocation to the priesthood or religious life, most of the discernment is internal work: prayer, reading, prayer, spiritual direction, and prayer. \u00a0This is a good and necessary process. \u00a0But it can also feel a bit isolating, as if no one else is wrestling with these issues and questions. And it can also take on a hypothetical and imaginative quality. \u00a0What will life in the novitiate be like? Is the seminary a strange place where I’ll feel uncomfortable? \u00a0Will I be out of place, surrounded by people who are so much holier than I am? Can anything good come from Nazareth?<\/p>\n

Come and see. \u00a0That’s the invitation that the Paulist Fathers make three times each year. \u00a0Come for a visit. \u00a0See and experience our common life. \u00a0Pray with us. \u00a0Dine with us. Come to class. Come to the chapel. Have a soda or a beer, and ask your questions.<\/p>\n

These come and see weekends (and the annual Paulist Plunge at St. Mary’s on the Lake in\u00a0Lake George NY) are a chance for prospective vocations to get an extended look at the community, and see if they feel like we’re a good fit. (And, of course, they are an opportunity for the Paulists to make the same assessment!) \u00a0Fears about what the seminary might be like can be replaced with facts and informed perspectives. \u00a0Relationships can be forged with seminarians and other inquirers. \u00a0And through all this, the Holy Spirit can work to deepen one’s insight into the nature of vocational discernment.<\/p>\n

Inevitably at the conclusion of these visits, some participants will tell me, “This was a great experience for me, and I’m so grateful for the Paulists’ hospitality. \u00a0I feel like I’m being drawn in other directions, but I’m glad I came.” \u00a0This is good news: it means the process of discernment is working to bring clarity! \u00a0To realize, “this isn’t for me,” is fine, and we thank God for the clarity.<\/p>\n

But there are also men who tell me at the end of the visit that they’d like to continue the conversation, and work toward applying to the Paulist novitiate. This is also cause for rejoicing!<\/p>\n

In either case, I know that those who come and see are drawing closer to God and deepening their discipleship.<\/p>\n

If you (or someone you know) would like to attend the next Paulist Fathers Come & See Weekend or Paulist Plunge, please contact me<\/a>, and we’ll set it up. \u00a0If you’d like to help support Paulist Vocations by underwriting the cost of these events or sponsoring a prospect’s visit, contact the Paulist Fathers’ Development Office<\/a>— they’ll be glad to assist you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Philip found Nathanael and told him, \u201cWe have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus, son of Joseph, from Nazareth.\u201d But Nathanael said to him, \u201cCan anything good come from Nazareth?\u201d Philip said to him, \u201cCome and see.\u201d John 1:45-46 There’s something about seeing– experiencing– a thing first-hand that is more compelling than having someone tell you … Continue reading Why You Should Come & See<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-250","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vocations"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5FUlW-42","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=250"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363,"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/250\/revisions\/363"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=250"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=250"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/corporalworks.com\/wp\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=250"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}