Hello, pham! Recently, I had a conversation with one of my closest friends about the religious life. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to live the life of a consecrated person, which I expected, and she asked me some questions about the basics of religious life, which I answered. I eventually made mention of the fact that women religious can become the brides of Christ, which I think is completely awesome, but she didn't share my enthusiasm. Instead, she thought it was strange and wrong for women to call themselves this. There are a million and one things to say about this title, but I just don't know how to go about explaining this to her. Any help is welcome. Thanks!

Here's a couple threads from the past on this subject. For some, it is a topic of debate, though I don't understand why myself.

I believe in Heaven, this analogy will be more fully understood by all the faithful.

"I am not the Bride of Christ" says Religious Sister

Bride of Christ - polygamy?

I recommend especially reading documents of the Church that touch on this like, Verbi Sponsa & the writings of the saints, like St. Teresa of Avila & St. Clare of Assisi.

Also, Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity

To Be the Bride of Christ

But regarding your close friend, really I believe the only way people can understand this is by the grace of God, by experiencing Christ's Love themselves. You could explain this, that it is Christ's Love that calls them, but for her to really understand, it would require the grace of God - like how Fr. Corapi said in his Catechism series, that it takes the grace of God for people to have faith, rather than our convincing them, if you get what I mean.

But yeah, I totally understand your wanting to explain this well to your friend, especially to a close friend. I feel the same way myself will many of my friends. But I conclude that they will understand it in Heaven, and I will always keep them in prayer.

when one looks at religious life logically, there could be no explanation why anyone in their right mind would choose to live such a life. I believe the old term was 'a life against nature'. However when one feels called to embrace this llifestyle, there is no explanation needed. The love and draw of Jesus is just too hard to resist.
I don't think there are words adequate enough to convince anyone, just try and explain if you can. And pray they are enlightened. Many will not understand, and this is ok.

Thank you, MargaretClare! I'll try to explain this to her with a little more clarity now. These links are so much help!

You're welcome!


Or rather than analogy, reality I mean.

An amazing book that deals obliquely yet marvelously with both nuns as "Brides of Christ" and with the Blessed Sacrament is "Till We Have Faces" by that inveterate Protestant, C. S. Lewis. It is not the theme of a majority of the book, but a few beautiful remarks by the character Psyche "resonate" with these themes. Too bad that man was too stubborn to convert!

Carolyn, I posted another quote from this book (In Defense of Purity by Dietrich von Hildebrand) about being the Bride of Christ, but then I found this one that explains even a little more about why someone who has embraced consecrated virginity is truly the Bride of Christ. It does use rather difficult words, but he points out the deep union of the virgin with Christ :


Its [consecrated virginity] peculiar significance and sublime value is unintelligible from the purely natural point of view, for it consists simply in this new form of union with Jesus. The consecrated virgin is always at the same time a bride, just as the virginity of the Church is also wifehood. The consecrated virgin is, like the Church, a bride of Christ...When we have once recognized in Christian virginity a marriage relationship to Christ, its radiant light shines upon our vision, and our spirit is filled with the perfume of this mysterious state, because its positive meaning and value have been revealed to us. And it is evident without further proof that the distinctive value of virginity as a nuptial relationship to Christ, in fact, as wedlock with Him belongs exclusively to consecrated virginity...(p. 126-7)