QUOTE
Of "discernment"
This is a theme that recurs frequently for us.
It has become a technical term, a "buzzword"
Simply, it means that there is the idea of becoming a Sister; so then there needs to be a time above all of prayer, of walking towards that possibility.... of exploring the many ways to serve ..
It needs to be a private and intimate time.... because if this is the urging of the Lord Jesus Christ? Then it is essentially between the person and Jesus.... Not to be broadcast widely or announced.
Mary, when the angel visited her, did not shout it from the rooftops.. She "pondered these things in her heart."
If someone is seeking status or human approval, then this is not true to Christ... That is not a calling to a hidden life in the cloister.
Find one good adviser; often priests or lay spiritual directors know very little about religious life. So seek someone within that life already who, of course, has been through it all herself. And who is used to listening and guiding.
Speak at that stage to no one else then of this. This is the Lord Jesus calling; listen to Him in the silence of your heart. An awesome time.. for you and for no - one else... Honour that intimacy and privacy; hug it to your heart.
Like Samuel in the temple; the wise old priest told him to listen and obey that calling...alone in the night....
There are so many Orders; those with an active life, those who are enclosed.... So many...
And this is something that cannot be done in a vacuum, or by reading web sites. Anyone can write a good web site...
There needs to be active participation from the start. Putting into real life and fact what is being thought of.
As Jesus says so often, "Come and see...".
So from the start there needs to be visiting as many Orders in the type you are drawn to as possible, again with good guidance. Always telling the Order that you feel drawn to this life.. Most will gladly allow a visit and will talk and listen face to face.
And they have done this so often. Their trust; their commitment to the future of hwat has been entrusted to them.
Attending services etc at a convent is not the same.... By no manner of means.
There is far, far more to being a religious than formal prayer which is open to the public.
So many get a vague idea that they would like to be a nun. Especially as they appoach middle years when maybe their life has not been as fulfilling as they would have liked.
Many who have entered in their youth and not found it to their liking; that will not be different now..
" Time and forgetfulness sweeten memory".
This is not true vocation to that life... Those who think like this blench at the reality.
Yet exploring and seeing that, if a woman is prepared to be honest with herself, can be growth and a settlement within herself, and a step on the way to a fuller and richer life in Christ.
Not easy; but worth the walk.
Blessings this day........ always here for you. Always at the Master's Feet in Prayer....
This is a theme that recurs frequently for us.
It has become a technical term, a "buzzword"
Simply, it means that there is the idea of becoming a Sister; so then there needs to be a time above all of prayer, of walking towards that possibility.... of exploring the many ways to serve ..
It needs to be a private and intimate time.... because if this is the urging of the Lord Jesus Christ? Then it is essentially between the person and Jesus.... Not to be broadcast widely or announced.
Mary, when the angel visited her, did not shout it from the rooftops.. She "pondered these things in her heart."
If someone is seeking status or human approval, then this is not true to Christ... That is not a calling to a hidden life in the cloister.
Find one good adviser; often priests or lay spiritual directors know very little about religious life. So seek someone within that life already who, of course, has been through it all herself. And who is used to listening and guiding.
Speak at that stage to no one else then of this. This is the Lord Jesus calling; listen to Him in the silence of your heart. An awesome time.. for you and for no - one else... Honour that intimacy and privacy; hug it to your heart.
Like Samuel in the temple; the wise old priest told him to listen and obey that calling...alone in the night....
There are so many Orders; those with an active life, those who are enclosed.... So many...
And this is something that cannot be done in a vacuum, or by reading web sites. Anyone can write a good web site...
There needs to be active participation from the start. Putting into real life and fact what is being thought of.
As Jesus says so often, "Come and see...".
So from the start there needs to be visiting as many Orders in the type you are drawn to as possible, again with good guidance. Always telling the Order that you feel drawn to this life.. Most will gladly allow a visit and will talk and listen face to face.
And they have done this so often. Their trust; their commitment to the future of hwat has been entrusted to them.
Attending services etc at a convent is not the same.... By no manner of means.
There is far, far more to being a religious than formal prayer which is open to the public.
So many get a vague idea that they would like to be a nun. Especially as they appoach middle years when maybe their life has not been as fulfilling as they would have liked.
Many who have entered in their youth and not found it to their liking; that will not be different now..
" Time and forgetfulness sweeten memory".
This is not true vocation to that life... Those who think like this blench at the reality.
Yet exploring and seeing that, if a woman is prepared to be honest with herself, can be growth and a settlement within herself, and a step on the way to a fuller and richer life in Christ.
Not easy; but worth the walk.
Blessings this day........ always here for you. Always at the Master's Feet in Prayer....
Funny thing, I've been kinda thinking about the same thing for a bit now... Although, I have been thinking about other things that somewhat have to do with this as well. Hmmm...
Personally it is always hard for me to admit that I am discerning religious life when people ask me what I'm doing; not because I'm ashamed of it, but because I know a shower of questions, quizzical looks, or the "let me talk you out of this" conversations usually follow suit. But it is nice for me now, when those things happen, to say "well, I've done it before and I really loved it". That puts most people at ease.
