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Consecrated Life Resources
Sorry to the men out there that I have a lot more information on female vocations as opposed to male. Nevertheless, there are a lot of similarities and I think I still have some useful resources for you.
Websites
https://www.vocationnetwork.org is really nifty! You can take a vocation match quiz that matches you up with religious orders that fit with you as a person.
imaginesisters.org will set you off when it comes to learning about religious life. This is also a movement. Get ideas on how to promote religious vocations.
The Institute on Religious Life has a vocation directory!!!
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has information on discernment, national events, and how to promote vocations.
The United States Association of Consecrated Virgins has lots of resources and information regarding consecrated virginity including what it is, how to become one spiritual writings related to consecrated virginity.
The Diocese of Lansing has a magnificent vocations page. Check it out or go to your own diocesan website to check out its vocation office/directors/events.
If you are wondering what Franciscans nuns are, Third Order Dominicans are, etc., then check out the following page from Our Sunday Visitor. This can help you discover the different types of spiritualities.
The Poor Clares is the order that I was with for six months. Call me a little biased, but I can't help but put there website on here as their spirituality is so amazing!!!
Books
A Right to be Merry by Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. is absolutely hilarious. It gives a wonderful introduction to religious life in general, specifically cloistered religious.
And You Are Christ's: The Charism of Virginity and the Celibate Life by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. is simply beautiful. Very eye opening and actually a page-turner (for me, at least!).
The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux introduces you to a lovely saint, St. Therese. St. Therese was a nun and she had a wonderful spirituality of childlike simplicity. This will also give you a bit of insight into daily life for the Carmelite order of nuns.
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louise de Montfort is super amazing! I am serious, learn about Marian consecration. Another book that is useful is called 33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael Gaitley. Check them out! 33 Days to Morning Glory is easier to read and more modern, but still entirely life-changing. Devotion to Mary is crucial to Catholicism and crucial to consecrated life.
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul is about another awesome saint named St. Faustina. She had visions of Jesus, Who spoke of God's wonderful mercy. St. Faustina was also a religious sister and has insights into religious life in her diary.
Saints
Blessed Virgin Mary is the best model of any vocation. She is both a virgin and a mother--how cool!
St. Clare of Assisi is my favorite saint. Founder of the Poor Clares during the 1200's, she was one of the first followers of St. Francis (he is the guy known for his love for animals). She ran away from home when she was eighteen and renounced all of her possessions (including her own hair!) so that she could live a simple life of prayer and dwell in the house of God.
St. Ignatius of Loyala is the patron saint of discernment. His writings are loaded with how to discern God's will. He is also the founder of the religious order, the Jesuits.
St. Joseph is the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the bomb! He's a great saint to ask for some assistance with discovering and doing the will of God. I mean, He was told to marry a pregnant virgin!
St. Louis de Montfort is an extraordinary guy who greatly encouraged devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is essential to consecrated life--essential to Catholic life.
St. Therese of Lisieux makes complicated things really easy. She's the one who said, "My vocation is love!" Ask for her intercession to help see things in a simple, childlike way.
Pretty much any saint is awesome to ask for some prayer support for discerning consecrated life or any vocation. Here are just a few more:
Prayers
Prayer of Consecration to Mary
My Queen and my Mother,
I give myself entirely to you;
and to show my devotion to you,
I consecrate to you this day my eyes,
my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother,
as I am your own,
keep me, guard me,
as your property and possession.
Amen.
A Short, Alternative Consecration to Mary (thank you St. Louis de Montfort and Pope Saint John Paul II)
Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)
A Blessing of St. Clare
What you hold may you always hold.
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step and unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
Go forward, the spirit of our God has called you.
Prayer for Vocations by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Heavenly Father,
You so loved the world
that You sent Your only Son, Jesus,
to bring eternal life
to those who believe in Him.
I join Him in His prayer
for laborers in Your harvest.
May Your Holy Spirit
inspire and strengthen
generous men and women
to continue His mission in the World.
May this same Spirit
make known to me Your will
in my regard.
Where You lead, I will follow.
Let it be done to me
according to Your word.
I make this prayer
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Relevant Definitions
Bride of Christ: A name for the Catholic Church. We the people, are wedded to Christ Himself! Nuns and consecrated virgins are referred to as brides of Christ because they represent everyone's destined marriage to Christ.
Charism: A charism is a building block of the Church. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit that we are meant to use for others sake and the whole of the Church. We can have personal charisms, as I believe I have the charisms of Writing and Intercessory Prayer. Religious orders themselves can have charisms like Eucharistic Adoration or Evangelization.
Cloister: A building in which nuns live. The nuns have limited contact with the outside world and are thus "enclosed." They do this so they may focus on their work of prayer. This is a part of a convent/monastery that the public is not allowed to enter. Some nuns may be partially cloistered, spending part of their day enclosed, and the rest doing active ministry. Other nuns are strictly cloistered and seldom leave, except for perhaps, a doctor's appointment.
Communion: Not just a term for being in community with others. Holy Communion is the act of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. As all people around the world receive the same Jesus, we are all in communion with each other and with God.
Consecrated Life: A general term for virgins or religious men and women who are consecrated to God alone. They may live out his/her consecrated life in community (see religious life) or even independently (see consecrated virginity).
Consecrated Virginity: A woman who is consecrated to God by her bishop. She lives independently and in the world as a perpetual virgin. Her spouse is Christ!
Consecration: 1. The moment during Mass, in which the bread and wine become the actual Body and Blood of Christ! 2. Something dedicated to something sacred (like a nun is dedicated to God)
Convent: A general term for a house/building in which a religious community lives.
Deacon: a deacon is a servant. Deacons serve the priests and proclaim the word of God. The role of a deacon was created in the early church because priests had there hands full! Deacons can't consecrate the bread and wine into the Eucharist as priests do, but they can say the rest of the Mass.
Diocese: Specific geographical region in the Catholic Church that is led by a bishop.
Discernment: There are many different levels of discernment (I'd suggest reading the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola or What Does God Want? A Practical Guide to Making Decisions by Michael Scanlan, T.O.R. to learn more). Discernment is consulting God on the decisions you are making. You could discern something small, like if you should have ice cream or not tonight, or you could discern something big, like becoming a priest or getting married.
Eucharist: The body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ! Guys, this is absolutely amazing. This is Jesus in the flesh! He said Himself that He is the Bread of Life, and unless we eat of Him, we will not have eternal life. I know, it can sound kind of bizarre...we "eat" our God...but can you think of a more intimate way to be united with our Creator? And through this we are thus united with each other! This can be a tough one for anyone to believe, because a piece of bread and cup of wine don't look like Jesus, but faith tells us that this in fact is Jesus! It's so cool!
Eucharistic Adoration: The practice of adoring God in the Eucharist. Jesus is often "exposed" in a Catholic church and is presented on a sort of golden mount called a monstrance. Even if He isn't "exposed", where you can see the actual bread, you can visit Him and be in His presence when He is hidden inside a little box (I know, this also sounds bizarre...) called the tabernacle.
Habit: The garment that a religious sister wears distinguishing her as a member of a particular religious community
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (aka...Mass; Holy Mass): The awesome ceremony in which all are welcome to commune with God and the saints! We get to stand in the "courtyard" of heaven and unite with the whole Body of Christ--the Church. This includes scripture readings, and most importantly the celebration of the Eucharist!
Intercessory Prayer: This is a charism of the Holy Spirit that I believe I have. It is a gift in which one prays (intercedes) on behalf of others, and our generous God responds. This is a way for God's deliverance to be brought out through us little humans!
Liturgy of the Hours: Also known as the Divine Office, it is a prayer consisting of psalms, readings, and intercessions that is prayed by Catholics all around the world. Morning and Evening prayer are the most common types, but some (cloistered nuns often do) pray all seven hours consisting of midnight, morning, mid-morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon, evening, and night.
Mary (or Blessed Virgin Mary, or Mary, Mother of God...etc): The Mother of Jesus! She is God's chosen vessel! Through her lowly, earthly motherhood, salvation was brought to the whole world
Monk: A male version of a nun. Monks are typically cloistered.
Mother Abbess: the "head" nun in a community. She is usual voted into her position and acts as mother to all of the sisters.
Novice Mistress: The nun who trains the "nuns-in training". I thought of my novice mistress as an angel, as she told me where I had to be, what to do, how to properly say the prayers, how to speak, and she is the woman I went to with all of my joys and sorrows.
Nun: A nun is a woman part of a religious order, who takes three vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience. "Nun" is typically used for a cloistered sister.
Penance: An act of self denial/discipline to show repentance for one's sins--that's what I'm referring to when I say "penance". Yet, the word "penance" is used in many ways. I'd suggest looking at www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
Poor Clares: A religious order of nuns founded by St. Clare of Assisi. I spent six months at a Poor Clare convent. They focus on poverty (hence, the name...) and spend their life enclosed in the convent so they can concentrate on prayer for the world, before their beloved Jesus.
Postulant: A woman who is just entering religious life. She has many years till taking her vows, and is just beginning to live and learn about the life of a religious sister.
Prayer: Conversation with God. Nuff said.
Priest: A priests primary duty is to perform the liturgy of the Mass. That includes the consecration of the Eucharist. See www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=9622
Recreation: Well, you probably know that recreation is any sort of fun activity be it sports, reading, swimming, board games, etc. Nuns enjoy recreational activities as well. In fact, they usually have an hour or so set aside every day just for recreation! They typically do it as a community, so they can recreate together.
Religious life: It is a form of consecrated life for men and women, recognized by the Church. Religious typically take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They are often referred to as "brothers" or "sisters". Unlike a consecrated virgin, religious live in community as a part of a particular religious order.
Religious order: The rule by which religious men/women live by. They live typically in community and have distinct practices or charisms. For example, Franciscans follow the teachings of St. Francis and center their lives around poverty and the poor. They are known for loving the outdoors and animals.
Religious vows: What a woman or man professes before God and His Church. The three main vows are poverty, chastity, and obedience. After taking these vows, the man/woman is recognized by the Church as a nun or monk.
Roman Catholic: Roman Catholics are Christians who have allegiance to the pope (currently Pope Francis!), known as the Vicar of Christ. The Vicar of Christ means that the pope holds the primacy that was given to St. Peter and his successors by Jesus. Some distinct things about Roman Catholics (at least practicing Catholics), is that they love Jesus in the Eucharist, ask for Jesus' mama, Mary to pray with/for them, and are united through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Roman Catholic Church: Known as the Body of Christ, or Bride of Christ (often referred to as "her"), the Church is led by the pope--the Vicar of Christ. The Vicar of Christ means that the pope holds the primacy that was given to St. Peter and his successors by Jesus Himself. The Church is what helps guide Catholics in their practice of the faith. Members of the church can definitely be bad (for example, bad priests...), but the Church herself, and her teachings are good!
Sister: I could just say any female child of God, but I'll be talking a lot about religious sisters. This is a term for a woman who dedicates her life to God through religious vows. Synonyms: nun, virgin, religious, etc. Nuns are titled as sisters. For example, Sister Josephine.
Theology: The study of God
Vocation: This is the way of life God calls each individual to live. It is a distinct path that leads to our holiness, either through marriage, the priesthood, or a form of consecrated life However, we also have current vocations. My current vocation is to be a college student. My ultimate, underlying vocation is love.
Sorry to the men out there that I have a lot more information on female vocations as opposed to male. Nevertheless, there are a lot of similarities and I think I still have some useful resources for you.
Websites
https://www.vocationnetwork.org is really nifty! You can take a vocation match quiz that matches you up with religious orders that fit with you as a person.
imaginesisters.org will set you off when it comes to learning about religious life. This is also a movement. Get ideas on how to promote religious vocations.
The Institute on Religious Life has a vocation directory!!!
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has information on discernment, national events, and how to promote vocations.
The United States Association of Consecrated Virgins has lots of resources and information regarding consecrated virginity including what it is, how to become one spiritual writings related to consecrated virginity.
The Diocese of Lansing has a magnificent vocations page. Check it out or go to your own diocesan website to check out its vocation office/directors/events.
If you are wondering what Franciscans nuns are, Third Order Dominicans are, etc., then check out the following page from Our Sunday Visitor. This can help you discover the different types of spiritualities.
The Poor Clares is the order that I was with for six months. Call me a little biased, but I can't help but put there website on here as their spirituality is so amazing!!!
Books
A Right to be Merry by Mother Mary Francis P.C.C. is absolutely hilarious. It gives a wonderful introduction to religious life in general, specifically cloistered religious.
And You Are Christ's: The Charism of Virginity and the Celibate Life by Fr. Thomas Dubay, S.M. is simply beautiful. Very eye opening and actually a page-turner (for me, at least!).
The Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux introduces you to a lovely saint, St. Therese. St. Therese was a nun and she had a wonderful spirituality of childlike simplicity. This will also give you a bit of insight into daily life for the Carmelite order of nuns.
True Devotion to Mary by St. Louise de Montfort is super amazing! I am serious, learn about Marian consecration. Another book that is useful is called 33 Days to Morning Glory by Father Michael Gaitley. Check them out! 33 Days to Morning Glory is easier to read and more modern, but still entirely life-changing. Devotion to Mary is crucial to Catholicism and crucial to consecrated life.
Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska: Divine Mercy in My Soul is about another awesome saint named St. Faustina. She had visions of Jesus, Who spoke of God's wonderful mercy. St. Faustina was also a religious sister and has insights into religious life in her diary.
Saints
Blessed Virgin Mary is the best model of any vocation. She is both a virgin and a mother--how cool!
St. Clare of Assisi is my favorite saint. Founder of the Poor Clares during the 1200's, she was one of the first followers of St. Francis (he is the guy known for his love for animals). She ran away from home when she was eighteen and renounced all of her possessions (including her own hair!) so that she could live a simple life of prayer and dwell in the house of God.
St. Ignatius of Loyala is the patron saint of discernment. His writings are loaded with how to discern God's will. He is also the founder of the religious order, the Jesuits.
St. Joseph is the husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the bomb! He's a great saint to ask for some assistance with discovering and doing the will of God. I mean, He was told to marry a pregnant virgin!
St. Louis de Montfort is an extraordinary guy who greatly encouraged devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which is essential to consecrated life--essential to Catholic life.
St. Therese of Lisieux makes complicated things really easy. She's the one who said, "My vocation is love!" Ask for her intercession to help see things in a simple, childlike way.
Pretty much any saint is awesome to ask for some prayer support for discerning consecrated life or any vocation. Here are just a few more:
- St. Teresa of Avila
- St. Faustina Kowalska
- St. Joseph Cupertino
- St. Benedict
- St. Scholastica
- St. Francis of Assisi
- St. Ignatius of Loyola
- St. Dominic
- St. Catherine of Siena
- St. Peter
- St. Margaret Mary Alaocque
- Soon to be Blessed Solanus Casey
Prayers
Prayer of Consecration to Mary
My Queen and my Mother,
I give myself entirely to you;
and to show my devotion to you,
I consecrate to you this day my eyes,
my ears, my mouth, my heart,
my whole being without reserve.
Wherefore, good Mother,
as I am your own,
keep me, guard me,
as your property and possession.
Amen.
A Short, Alternative Consecration to Mary (thank you St. Louis de Montfort and Pope Saint John Paul II)
Totus Tuus (Totally Yours)
A Blessing of St. Clare
What you hold may you always hold.
What you do, may you always do and never abandon.
But with swift pace, light step and unswerving feet,
so that even your steps stir up no dust,
Go forward, the spirit of our God has called you.
Prayer for Vocations by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Heavenly Father,
You so loved the world
that You sent Your only Son, Jesus,
to bring eternal life
to those who believe in Him.
I join Him in His prayer
for laborers in Your harvest.
May Your Holy Spirit
inspire and strengthen
generous men and women
to continue His mission in the World.
May this same Spirit
make known to me Your will
in my regard.
Where You lead, I will follow.
Let it be done to me
according to Your word.
I make this prayer
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Relevant Definitions
Bride of Christ: A name for the Catholic Church. We the people, are wedded to Christ Himself! Nuns and consecrated virgins are referred to as brides of Christ because they represent everyone's destined marriage to Christ.
Charism: A charism is a building block of the Church. They are gifts of the Holy Spirit that we are meant to use for others sake and the whole of the Church. We can have personal charisms, as I believe I have the charisms of Writing and Intercessory Prayer. Religious orders themselves can have charisms like Eucharistic Adoration or Evangelization.
Cloister: A building in which nuns live. The nuns have limited contact with the outside world and are thus "enclosed." They do this so they may focus on their work of prayer. This is a part of a convent/monastery that the public is not allowed to enter. Some nuns may be partially cloistered, spending part of their day enclosed, and the rest doing active ministry. Other nuns are strictly cloistered and seldom leave, except for perhaps, a doctor's appointment.
Communion: Not just a term for being in community with others. Holy Communion is the act of receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. As all people around the world receive the same Jesus, we are all in communion with each other and with God.
Consecrated Life: A general term for virgins or religious men and women who are consecrated to God alone. They may live out his/her consecrated life in community (see religious life) or even independently (see consecrated virginity).
Consecrated Virginity: A woman who is consecrated to God by her bishop. She lives independently and in the world as a perpetual virgin. Her spouse is Christ!
Consecration: 1. The moment during Mass, in which the bread and wine become the actual Body and Blood of Christ! 2. Something dedicated to something sacred (like a nun is dedicated to God)
Convent: A general term for a house/building in which a religious community lives.
Deacon: a deacon is a servant. Deacons serve the priests and proclaim the word of God. The role of a deacon was created in the early church because priests had there hands full! Deacons can't consecrate the bread and wine into the Eucharist as priests do, but they can say the rest of the Mass.
Diocese: Specific geographical region in the Catholic Church that is led by a bishop.
Discernment: There are many different levels of discernment (I'd suggest reading the Spiritual Exercises of Saint Ignatius of Loyola or What Does God Want? A Practical Guide to Making Decisions by Michael Scanlan, T.O.R. to learn more). Discernment is consulting God on the decisions you are making. You could discern something small, like if you should have ice cream or not tonight, or you could discern something big, like becoming a priest or getting married.
Eucharist: The body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ! Guys, this is absolutely amazing. This is Jesus in the flesh! He said Himself that He is the Bread of Life, and unless we eat of Him, we will not have eternal life. I know, it can sound kind of bizarre...we "eat" our God...but can you think of a more intimate way to be united with our Creator? And through this we are thus united with each other! This can be a tough one for anyone to believe, because a piece of bread and cup of wine don't look like Jesus, but faith tells us that this in fact is Jesus! It's so cool!
Eucharistic Adoration: The practice of adoring God in the Eucharist. Jesus is often "exposed" in a Catholic church and is presented on a sort of golden mount called a monstrance. Even if He isn't "exposed", where you can see the actual bread, you can visit Him and be in His presence when He is hidden inside a little box (I know, this also sounds bizarre...) called the tabernacle.
Habit: The garment that a religious sister wears distinguishing her as a member of a particular religious community
Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (aka...Mass; Holy Mass): The awesome ceremony in which all are welcome to commune with God and the saints! We get to stand in the "courtyard" of heaven and unite with the whole Body of Christ--the Church. This includes scripture readings, and most importantly the celebration of the Eucharist!
Intercessory Prayer: This is a charism of the Holy Spirit that I believe I have. It is a gift in which one prays (intercedes) on behalf of others, and our generous God responds. This is a way for God's deliverance to be brought out through us little humans!
Liturgy of the Hours: Also known as the Divine Office, it is a prayer consisting of psalms, readings, and intercessions that is prayed by Catholics all around the world. Morning and Evening prayer are the most common types, but some (cloistered nuns often do) pray all seven hours consisting of midnight, morning, mid-morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon, evening, and night.
Mary (or Blessed Virgin Mary, or Mary, Mother of God...etc): The Mother of Jesus! She is God's chosen vessel! Through her lowly, earthly motherhood, salvation was brought to the whole world
Monk: A male version of a nun. Monks are typically cloistered.
Mother Abbess: the "head" nun in a community. She is usual voted into her position and acts as mother to all of the sisters.
Novice Mistress: The nun who trains the "nuns-in training". I thought of my novice mistress as an angel, as she told me where I had to be, what to do, how to properly say the prayers, how to speak, and she is the woman I went to with all of my joys and sorrows.
Nun: A nun is a woman part of a religious order, who takes three vows: poverty, chastity, and obedience. "Nun" is typically used for a cloistered sister.
Penance: An act of self denial/discipline to show repentance for one's sins--that's what I'm referring to when I say "penance". Yet, the word "penance" is used in many ways. I'd suggest looking at www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
Poor Clares: A religious order of nuns founded by St. Clare of Assisi. I spent six months at a Poor Clare convent. They focus on poverty (hence, the name...) and spend their life enclosed in the convent so they can concentrate on prayer for the world, before their beloved Jesus.
Postulant: A woman who is just entering religious life. She has many years till taking her vows, and is just beginning to live and learn about the life of a religious sister.
Prayer: Conversation with God. Nuff said.
Priest: A priests primary duty is to perform the liturgy of the Mass. That includes the consecration of the Eucharist. See www.catholic.org/encyclopedia/view.php?id=9622
Recreation: Well, you probably know that recreation is any sort of fun activity be it sports, reading, swimming, board games, etc. Nuns enjoy recreational activities as well. In fact, they usually have an hour or so set aside every day just for recreation! They typically do it as a community, so they can recreate together.
Religious life: It is a form of consecrated life for men and women, recognized by the Church. Religious typically take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. They are often referred to as "brothers" or "sisters". Unlike a consecrated virgin, religious live in community as a part of a particular religious order.
Religious order: The rule by which religious men/women live by. They live typically in community and have distinct practices or charisms. For example, Franciscans follow the teachings of St. Francis and center their lives around poverty and the poor. They are known for loving the outdoors and animals.
Religious vows: What a woman or man professes before God and His Church. The three main vows are poverty, chastity, and obedience. After taking these vows, the man/woman is recognized by the Church as a nun or monk.
Roman Catholic: Roman Catholics are Christians who have allegiance to the pope (currently Pope Francis!), known as the Vicar of Christ. The Vicar of Christ means that the pope holds the primacy that was given to St. Peter and his successors by Jesus. Some distinct things about Roman Catholics (at least practicing Catholics), is that they love Jesus in the Eucharist, ask for Jesus' mama, Mary to pray with/for them, and are united through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Roman Catholic Church: Known as the Body of Christ, or Bride of Christ (often referred to as "her"), the Church is led by the pope--the Vicar of Christ. The Vicar of Christ means that the pope holds the primacy that was given to St. Peter and his successors by Jesus Himself. The Church is what helps guide Catholics in their practice of the faith. Members of the church can definitely be bad (for example, bad priests...), but the Church herself, and her teachings are good!
Sister: I could just say any female child of God, but I'll be talking a lot about religious sisters. This is a term for a woman who dedicates her life to God through religious vows. Synonyms: nun, virgin, religious, etc. Nuns are titled as sisters. For example, Sister Josephine.
Theology: The study of God
Vocation: This is the way of life God calls each individual to live. It is a distinct path that leads to our holiness, either through marriage, the priesthood, or a form of consecrated life However, we also have current vocations. My current vocation is to be a college student. My ultimate, underlying vocation is love.