Olives, Lanz Aidan L.

11029048

March 14, 2013

TREDFOR A55
Integration Paper

As I cram this paper tonight, I cant help but be emotional about the future.
Our subject, TREDFOR, is all about vocation. It is all about being clear about
ones purpose in life. Its quite sad because up until now, I am still confused about
the future. I dont know whats in store for me after graduation. Vocation is a gift
that God has not yet given me. It is something that I wish for. It is something that
I long for. In this paper, I will relate the lessons, activities, and even videos that
we have watched in the course.
First, I would like to comment about the class environment. I believe that
we have a very conducive class that is very open to all opinions. This is what
keeps the class going. We are free. We have the privilege to be heard. I like that.
The class is also quite relaxing since most of the sessions begin with
inspirational songs. I may have forgotten the songs but the message still lives
inside me. I know that someday, I would remember them and be inspired by
them. If ever you comment on this paper. Please share me the titles of the songs.
Thank you Miss.
Alas we have just started the introduction. Since this paper would
comprise of 3 pages. Maybe I could discuss one vocation in each page.
Vocation, they say, are many. It can be a job, a dedication for doing charity, and
so forth. Heck, there is even a vocational work that could be enrolled in TESDA.
We wont be talking about those kinds of vocations here. Instead, we would focus
on the three main vocations namely: Married life, Holy Orders, and Single
Blessedness. Forgive me for having a slightly casual and childish tone. I just
want everything to feel personal in this paper since I am pouring what is inside
my heart in this paper. No holds barred. Everything is just true.
Okay, since weve clarified everything about the nature of this paper, let
me discuss about married life. Ah. Marriage. I hate this, for now. Yes. I am bitter. I
hate couples. Anyway, I wont be talking about my hatred with couples. What I
may be talking about is the sanctity and beauty of marriage.
Being married is like being one person. This is when 2 people who love
each other become one. No more secrets. Everything is revealed. This is how it
works. Everything you own, your spouse also owns. Everything about you, your
spouse also knows. This is why it is hard to share a secret with a married person.
Eventually, this secret would be told to their respective spouses. That is why I
suggest that telling a secret to a married person is very risky. I would rather tell a
secret to a priest or a single person. That way, your secret would be safe with
him/her. I dont want to talk about marriage since it makes me sad. I never had
someone to love me romantically. Never was. Never will be. Having the social
pressure of having a spouse is like having the social pressure to be in a
relationship. As a teenager, I find it hard to answer people who ask me why I am
still single. I just tell them that I dont have the funds to have a girlfriend. In reality,
women just always reject me. It continues to break my heart every day. Okay.

Lets stay on topic. With that, I can say that marriage isnt for any one. If you think
that not being married is a curse think again. Just remember that there are
always ups and downs when it comes to vocation. As for me, Im still hoping that
this would be my vocation but if God has plans for me then it is ok.
Relating marriage to the class, I think that the lessons about it were quite
fun yet some felt quite offensive. The group that discussed this did a very good
job. They all explained the different marriage customs and practices around the
world. Plus, their games were very fun. I like the game were you catch the
bouquet and answer the questions. It was unique and fun at the same time. It
was almost perfect but the Miss discussion was quite hard to get from my
perspective. She tells stories about dating and courting that I am not aware of.
Forgive me for being a child but I never dated anyone before. I guess that is why
I dont get the jokes, pick up lines, stories, and the other fun facts about dating.
My insides just cry for not yet having experienced it.
Before I experience an emotional breakdown, lets go to the vocation of
Holy Orders. Ah Priesthood. Ah the Nuns. Ah the brothers and sisters who have
dedicated their lives to God. I love them. I just love them. In fact, I even once
dreamed of being a priest, but I have prayed and reflected that it would only be
an excuse for being single. I feel kind of guilty when I say that I want to be a
priest so that other people wont bother me for being single. Cant they just get
it?! Nobody loves me romantically. That is why Im single.
The priesthood is something very interesting. As a child and up until now, I
am an altar boy in our parish. I have seen priests come and go throughout the
years. One thing I can tell you is that priests are a very assorted bunch. Some
are nice. Some are actually bad. They are a very diverse species that people
should research on. First off, there are 2 kinds of priests, the secular or diocesan,
and the regulars or the priests that are committed to a religious order. Most
priests I know are diocesan since I am an altar boy in my local parish. All I can
say is that diocesan priests are more laid back since they have fewer
commitments and they dont have the vow of poverty so they can be filthy rich.
Yes, there is a priest that I know thatsecretis well very rich. I mean financially
rich.
Enough gossip. Now, let us relate the holy orders with the class
discussion. It was quite good since our group was the one assigned for reporting
holy orders. One thing Ive realized is that not only Catholics have the vocation of
holy orders but also people from other religions. People such as the Buddhist
monks, Indian monks, the Imams and other stuff make up the holy order for the
different religions around the world. I like it that our game is also unique because
its a bring me with a twist. The mechanics are quite complicated so please just
remember it. It made me happy for a while.
The discussion for this vocation seems quite brief because it was already
well discussed by the groups. There were also videos shown that showcased the
good effects of entering the Holy Orders. I remember the Dear 20 year old me
and the video about St. Therese. I was impressed by the dedication of the people
who enter this vocation. It is not easy since temptation is everywhere and giving
in to temptation has a heavier punishment when they do it. Its like being good on

hard mode. The religious must always be a man of God but they can never be
far from Worldly things. The world is their temptation.
Ive already discussed Marriage and the Holy Orders. Now, lets move on
to our final and most misunderstood vocation of all the single blessedness.
The Single life is forever longing. He is forever alone with God. I do not
understand why most people dislike being single. I mean, this is as free as you
can get. No commitments. No huge responsibilities. No nothing. Their life is an
adventure. Focus can be given to everyone since they are not committed to a
single person. Yes, you may call it the dream. However, this is not always the
case. You may be free but becoming extremely free would make you lose your
purpose. A life of constant pleasure and no pressure becomes a dull life. Its like
getting a reward for doing nothing. And that. That is what I think creates the void
for the single person. People want problems. People want to be responsible for
someone. This is why single people become to engaged or dedicated in their line
of work. They have nothing else to do.
As for the discussion and the group activity, its just ok. The video
presentation was nice showing different single students. The discussion was also
nice since it embraces single blessedness at this moment. The game was boring
but it was tolerable. All in all the discussion for single blessedness was quite all
right.
Now that I have discussed everything that we have talked about, I would
like to have some final notes and comments. First off, the class was very okay
and conducive for learning. I was able to learn a lot of things from different
perspectives of the teacher as well as the students that reported. My only
problem is the projects and papers. Its like this. Lets call him Student A or SA.
SA is having fun with everything about the class. He goes to class early, and
always answers in recitation. The only problem is the work. It always catches him
off guard that is why he has to cram the papers. I believe that most of the
students in this class have experienced what SA had experienced. This might be
because of the effectiveness of the YG is slowly fading. New forms of media are
starting to flourish in the Internet. The Yahoo! Groups system may not be the best
way of disseminating information. I suggest the use of FB groups as a way to
adapt to the ever-changing medium of communications. This way, people could
easily get the information about the home works, papers, and projects. I hope
that this kind of information would be helpful to you.
Lastly, I would like to thank Mrs. Fides for a wonderful last TRED. Your
wisdom about the journey of your vocation has given me much inspiration for
finding my own. May God bless you and Animo Lasalle!