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Yseult, who was working on a teacloth in exquisitely-done broderie anglaise, had sniffed loudly - not to say snorted. She now remarked, "What a life to lead! What possessed her to become a nun? Perhaps she's ugly, though?"
"She's not, then," Len flashed. "Everyone who's seen her says she's lovely." "Oh? Then why did she do it?" "Because she couldn't help it," Margot said slowly, her charming, impish face suddenly very grave. "Couldn't help it? What on earth do you mean?" Margot flushed, but she stood her ground sturdily. "If you have a - a Call from God you just can't help answering it. Auntie Rob did and she had to go." "She tried not to for ages," Len took up the story. "She did social work and things like that and got wet and was ill for ages. When she was well again, she knew she'd have to give in - she told me so the night before she flew to Canada. Now she's most frightfully happy and she was miserable before." Yseult looked her most superior. "Oh, that's a lot of rot! What is there about it that's so wonderful? According to you three, she can't call her soul her own and she has to spend her days teaching - and saying her prayers and all that sort of thing. I call it -" She checked suddenly as she realised what it was she had been going to say. Margot and Emerence were down on her at once. "Well? What do you call it?" "Well, unnecessary, anyhow." Yseult softened down what her first thought had been. Inter V help a good many Catholic girls and she guessed that there would be an outcry if she voiced her real ideas. "She could teach anywhere and say her prayers, too, without shutting herself up like that and being bossed about all over the place by someone else." Con spoke up. "But it's more thatn that, Yseult. It's giving yourself and all your time and thoughts and everything to God. If He's called you to do that and you know it, I don't see how you can back out of it decently." Joan Baker had been listening to all this with some impatience. Now she intervened to recall them to the first subject of conversation. "What's the use of arguing about it? Yseult doesn't understand, any more that I do and it's no business of ours anyway. What I want to know is have any of you got any ideas about celebrating next term besides those the Head gave us?" They left Robin in far-off Toronto and came back to the Chalet School on the Gornetz Platz at this reminder, much to the relief of Jo Scott who had been about to remind them that religion was not supposed to be discussed among them. |
Alex wrote: |
This leaves me with quite a lot of questions. Firstly, why are they not allowed to discuss religion? They're allowed to talk about praying for people and the CS seems to be quite open about faith. |
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Why is religious vocation such a Catholic idea ? |
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much to the relief of Jo Scott who had been about to remind them that religion was not supposed to be discussed among them. |
Kate wrote: |
So what Katherine said, really. (And she said it much more eloquently!)
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Karry wrote: |
It was also the case in the past where families owned the right to appoint clergy that the eldest son got the land, the next son went into the army or navy and the third son went into the church and got the family living! |
Alex wrote: |
Why is religious vocation such a Catholic idea.... As a Catholic I suppose I have been exposed to the idea of vocations in general, and religious vocation in particular, since I was very young. I have friends who are priests, nuns and consecrated lay people and the concept seems completely normal to me. But is it just me, or do other Catholics think the same? And what do non-Catholic Christians think? |
Lesley wrote: |
I always used to wonder about Malory Towers Mary Lou and her vocation for nursing |
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I do think it's interesting Margot's reaction to the conversation and wonder if she was considering her vocation to be a nun at the time. |
Jennie wrote: |
I remember once telling a shopkeeper that I was poorly paid for the work I did. He replied that I didn't need a lot of money as I was a teacher and had a vocation. So I told him that I wanted a new wheelbarrow and asked him how big a slice of my vocation he wanted, to pay for it. |
Jennie wrote: |
Yes, teaching is supposed ot be a vocation, but teachers are also supposed to be professionals.
I remember once telling a shopkeeper that I was poorly paid for the work I did. He replied that I didn't need a lot of money as I was a teacher and had a vocation. So I told him that I wanted a new wheelbarrow and asked him how big a slice of my vocation he wanted, to pay for it. |
JayB wrote: |
Slightly frivolously, I think any job where the rewards lie more in doing the job itself than in the paycheque could be described as a vocation. I've heard teaching, for example, described as a vocation. (Not recently.)
Posy Fossil could be said to have a vocation for ballet, in that she would do it regardless of whether she was paid for it, and wouldn't be happy doing anything else. Genuine vocations can make people selfish as they pursue them to the exclusion of all else - Robin was worried that she was being selfish in pursuing her vocation, wasn't she. More seriously, I think Tom Gay had a genuine vocation, which is convincingly described by EBD. |
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You could say that about Joey with her writing. She did it because she wanted to but isn't a vocation used more with people who help others or make a sacrifice. |
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And in regard to Robin how is it selfish being a Nun except for the fact people wouldn't see her again |
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I’ve wanted it for years – far longer than I ever told anyone before. Only for such ages it didn’t seem as if it could be, there’s been so much bother about my health and so on. And then I knew how you and Madge always liked to have me around. I did try settlement work, but you know what happened. I thought then that it was all to be no good. And then everything cleared up with a bang – just like that – and I knew I couldn’t refuse any longer.”
“So that’s why you went in for that all hot and strong!” Jo exclaimed. “If only I’d known! Rob, we love having you with us. You know that, don’t you? But if you felt the Call, then you’d no right to try and put us first. And after all,” she added, “it hasn’t done any good so far as that’s concerned for you’re going in the end. Quite right, too. Couldn’t you trust us?” Robin flushed. “Of course I could! Only – well, there seemed so much against it. Now I know I was only imagining things. I’ve had to give up in the end. You see, Jo – and Jack, too,” she went on, looking from one to the other, “you people have all been so endlessly good to me, ever since I first came to the Chalet School. That’s nearly twenty years ago. I did wonder if I owed it to you to – to stay out. But it was a losing fight. I just had to give in. |
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And then I knew how you and Madge always liked to have me around. I did try settlement work, but you know what happened. I thought then that it was all to be no good. And then everything cleared up with a bang – just like that – and I knew I couldn’t refuse any longer.”
“So that’s why you went in for that all hot and strong!” Jo exclaimed. “If only I’d known! Rob, we love having you with us. You know that, don’t you? But if you felt the Call, then you’d no right to try and put us first. And after all,” she adde “it hasn’t done any good so far as that’s concerned for you’re going in the end. Quite right, too. Couldn’t you trust us?” |
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I did wonder if I owed it to you to – to stay out. But it was a losing fight. I just had to give in. |
Alex wrote: |
And there's a man in my choir training to be a priest, and a non-Catholic in the choir asked me and another of my friends what made him decide to become a priest and we both immediately said that he didn't decide, God decided, which seemed to flummox her rather. |
macyrose wrote: |
Is it only Catholics who consider marriage as a vocation or do other religions as well? |
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