Enclosure

[puellapaschalis]

For those who are discerning a "strictly" cloistered vocation, with no outside apostolate at all, how do you "relate" to enclosure? Do you anticipate problems with it?

For those who are called to an "active" (or mixed...for the hoardes of Dominicans ) life - how do you view the part of the house designated as enclosure and how do you see the interplay between that enclosure and your work "outside"?

[Mari Therese]

When I think of the enclosure in an active/contemplative sense, I think of the enclosure as a place where God calls his brides to have personal, intimate time with Him. This is the place where you go spend your personal time with Jesus, to strive for holiness, and be refreshed.This is the place where you go to be filled with His love, so that you can go back to your duties and let that love overflow in your apostalate.

[InHisLove726]

[quote name='Mari Therese' post='1793101' date='Feb 27 2009, 11:04 PM']When I think of the enclosure in an active/contemplative sense, I think of the enclosure as a place where God calls his brides to have personal, intimate time with Him. This is the place where you go spend your personal time with Jesus, to strive for holiness, and be refreshed.This is the place where you go to be filled with His love, so that you can go back to your duties and let that love overflow in your apostalate.[/quote]


What a beautiful way to describe it. I concur.

[In The Arms of The Lord]

[quote name='Mari Therese' post='1793101' date='Feb 28 2009, 01:04 AM']When I think of the enclosure in an active/contemplative sense, I think of the enclosure as a place where God calls his brides to have personal, intimate time with Him. This is the place where you go spend your personal time with Jesus, to strive for holiness, and be refreshed.This is the place where you go to be filled with His love, so that you can go back to your duties and let that love overflow in your apostalate.[/quote]

True and beautiful. I agree with what you said. I am called to the Cloister, to be His alone and be alone with Him. How I long for that all day. I treasure the time after work when I go and be alone with Him. Just sitting there in that beautiful silence, while my heart is embracing His heart and holding on as tightly as I can. I know He holds me as well. Contemplating Him and all of His beautiful love that fills His most precious Sacred Heart. There are days when I don't want to even whisper a word. The silence is so beautiful, and what is being said in that silence, there is no words. I close my eyes and imagine Him holding my heart in His hands, and it makes me all the more to desire not to say a word.

My apostolate will be prayer. Where this love of my heart will overflow into the deep silence of contemplation. To love Him more and for others to love Him and long for Him. That He may be the desire of all hearts.

O Jesus, the only love of my heart, every beat is for you! I love you so ....

[osapientia]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1792685' date='Feb 27 2009, 07:08 PM']For those who are discerning a "strictly" cloistered vocation, with no outside apostolate at all, how do you "relate" to enclosure? Do you anticipate problems with it?

For those who are called to an "active" (or mixed...for the hoardes of Dominicans ) life - how do you view the part of the house designated as enclosure and how do you see the interplay between that enclosure and your work "outside"?[/quote]

GREAT topic Puellapaschals. Thanks.

I personally relate to what Sr. Philippa, the main character of [u]In This House of Brede [/u]is told (I paraphrase): The walls of the monastery are not there to keep the world out, but rather, much like a power plant that is fenced in, they exist to protect it so that no one and nothing may disturb what is going on inside or cause it to veer off its appointed course.....which is to supply POWER to the waiting, needing world.

I realize that a call to the cloister is often seen as a call to intimacy between God and an individual person. That's fair enough and the bridal imagery certainly holds a great deal of merit even if only because so many great saints have related to and/or taught about enclosure in this way. I relate better to the "power plant" notion. My "ideal" thought is that enclosure is a gift God asks me to accept in order that He might give the world other gifts through my willingness to accept the gift He has for me. So at least in some sense, for me, enclosure is far more about Jesus and the world than about Jesus and me.

I also think of enclosure as a way to "pare down" life a bit, something that helps me to simplify. I think this is a great gift - the fewer distractions, the greater the appreciation of the gifts that come. I can appreciate the little things because I have the time and space (in the sense of not being subjected to sensory overload)to notice them. So then I suppose I'm also saying I relate to enclosure as a discipline....albeit one that is "gifted" to rather than imposed on me.

I must admit that YES, I anticipate problems with it at times. I can be a romantic fool..but not so big a fool as to think any life would be without problems. I wonder how intense the "power of it all" can be at times and if in those times I'd really rather NOT be a human conduit (so to speak). I wonder if I am up to the challenge of the discipline of it. I wonder if I will, every day of my life, be willing to accept the gift Jesus wants to give me...or if on some days (actually I'm certain these days will come) I will long for a different gift. I know (from experience) that I will at times desparately miss my family and friends. I know that I will miss being able to just "check out" for a while - especially to check out of the intensity that intercessory prayer can often bring - or to "chillax" at my descretion....or for that matter to do anything simply "at my descretion". In terms of stability in the monastery, I wonder how I will react to knowing that I will wake up every single day to the same scenery...that same tree outside the door, the same view of the heavens at night, the same people at my dinner table - with no (or little) chance for variety. Yet I know very well that there is great joy in every one of the things where there is also the potential for "problems".

Enclosed life is a life of love: joyful, self-sacrificing, ardent, continuous, relentless, uplifting, saving, HARDCORE LOVE- lived out by frail, sinful, foolish, romantic, wonderful, precious human beings....it's a bed of roses for sure........somedays you lie in the exquisitely soft petals, some days among the piercing thorns...most days you lie down in a mix of both. In that way I don't think it's terribly unlike life outside the enclosure.

Pax

Edited March 1, 2009 by osapientia

[InHisLove726]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1792685' date='Feb 27 2009, 06:08 PM']For those who are discerning a "strictly" cloistered vocation, with no outside apostolate at all, how do you "relate" to enclosure? Do you anticipate problems with it?

For those who are called to an "active" (or mixed...for the hoardes of Dominicans ) life - how do you view the part of the house designated as enclosure and how do you see the interplay between that enclosure and your work "outside"?[/quote]

This quote from the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Arlington, TX cloister describes how I feel about the enclosure:

[quote]Remaining in the Lord’s presence always, getting to be His close personal friend, is aided by the peaceful prayerful silence and solitude we find within our “cloister”, known as the Papal Enclosure. Once we enter, we do not leave the monastery grounds except for necessary medical care... nor does anyone else come inside the cloister except for necessary maintenance. [b]But the walls, the grilles, the hiddenness do not cut us off from the sufferings of the world or mean that we fail to appreciate its good and beautiful values; rather our unique vantage point lets us penetrate into the very heart of things. We are free... free to reflect, to ponder life in the light of God’s Word, to concentrate on love.[/b] If by our Solemn Vows of poverty, chastity and obedience we give up good things like the right to marriage and a family of our own, to be independent and seek our own ambitions, to own property or to have a rewarding career in the world, it is only to free us to have and to do something even more rewarding.[/quote]

I am not called to the cloister, but some days, I pray that I was. It's a very beautiful and powerful vocation, and those who have it are blessed! I actually discerned with these same nuns before I discovered my true calling to the active/contemplative life in Carmel. I hold very high respect for them and all who are cloistered.

A wise novice that I met this past weekend said:

[quote]"The cloistered orders are the heart of the Church. The active/contemplative orders are the veins. The cloisters pump the blood (prayers) to the rest of the orders and keep prayer alive in the heart of the Church."[/quote]

[osapientia]

[quote name='InHisLove726' post='1794225' date='Mar 1 2009, 09:59 AM']This quote from the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Arlington, TX cloister describes how I feel about the enclosure:



I am not called to the cloister, but some days, I pray that I was. It's a very beautiful and powerful vocation, and those who have it are blessed! I actually discerned with these same nuns before I discovered my true calling to the active/contemplative life in Carmel. I hold very high respect for them and all who are cloistered.

A wise novice that I met this past weekend said:[/quote]

I like that quote from the novice....much like the "power plant" idea that so entralls me.

Pax

[InHisLove726]

[quote name='osapientia' post='1794227' date='Mar 1 2009, 09:07 AM']I like that quote from the novice....much like the "power plant" idea that so entralls me.

Pax[/quote]

[puellapaschalis]

Thank you all for such wonderful replies.

[quote name='osapientia' post='1794222' date='Mar 1 2009, 03:46 PM']My "ideal" thought is that enclosure is a gift God asks me to accept in order that He might give the world other gifts through my willingness to accept the gift He has for me. So at least in some sense, for me, enclosure is far more about Jesus and the world than about Jesus and me.[/quote]

A recurring theme in my life, I reckon, is the classic "If you want to bring people to God, get out of the way." And I've a funny feeling it's going to be quite literal. It's also counter-intuitive to many (even the Catholics I know here), and to me it's also a bit of a shocker.

Jesus: Yes, PP, I need you to help convert everyone. Here's an enclosure in which to do it. You do your thing and I'll do mine

(thing is I actually see it happening too)

[quote name='osapientia' post='1794222' date='Mar 1 2009, 03:46 PM']I must admit that YES, I anticipate problems with it at times. I can be a romantic fool..but not so big a fool as to think any life would be without problems. I wonder how intense the "power of it all" can be at times and if in those times I'd really rather NOT be a human conduit (so to speak). I wonder if I am up to the challenge of the discipline of it. I wonder if I will, every day of my life, be willing to accept the gift Jesus wants to give me...or if on some days (actually I'm certain these days will come) I will long for a different gift. I know (from experience) that I will at times desparately miss my family and friends. I know that I will miss being able to just "check out" for a while - especially to check out of the intensity that intercessory prayer can often bring - or to "chillax" at my descretion....or for that matter to do anything simply "at my descretion". In terms of stability in the monastery, I wonder how I will react to knowing that I will wake up every single day to the same scenery...that same tree outside the door, the same view of the heavens at night, the same people at my dinner table - with no (or little) chance for variety. Yet I know very well that there is great joy in every one of the things where there is also the potential for "problems".[/quote]

Knowing myself, I think the smaller the enclosure is, the more problems I'd have with it. Which sounds very materialistic, I know. Yet I seem to have a thing of being able to see all the boundaries all the time...but maybe that was simply a signal (amongst many, I'm sure) that I wasn't completely focused.

I'm not sure and find it hard to imagine what it might be like to see my friends through a grille, although I suspect it will be tougher for them than for me, so a good portion of the British stiff upper lip may be in order (aka: big grin, some holding hands, and bearing it cheerfully). But I suspect that others in the Novitiate will either be having similar experiences or will have had them already, so there'll be support from that quarter. I guess that the parlour is one of the places when it really hits everyone concerned in the face that the vocation really is a mystery, and that some manifestations of it will be very tough for people to live with. If it weren't Christ we were doing it for, it wouldn't be possible. I think He will comfort me when it's hard - I just hope that my friends will let Him comfort them too.

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1792685' date='Feb 27 2009, 06:08 PM']For those who are discerning a "strictly" cloistered vocation, with no outside apostolate at all, how do you "relate" to enclosure?[/quote]

[i]A Right to be Merry[/i] is one of the first books I read about the religious life and pretty much that formed my imagination of enclosure: people really are happy and have senses of humor and do [i]a lot of different things [/i]inside of enclosure. Well, I mean, it will be hard, but I think PP's comment about preferring a large space rings pretty true!... to quote the abovementioned book, roughly, "the big monastery stretches out its halls like arms in the sunlight." She uses the phrase "the big monastery" at least twice. I think practically speaking monasteries just have to be kind of big... at least from the ones I've seen (not many)... kitchen, refectory, church, cells are non-negotiable, library and classroom almost so as far as I can tell, and usually there are also work rooms, and sometimes the infirmary; gardens are pretty frequent. I know the place I went was pretty large plus a garden plus a great view.

Both of the places I've stayed (one just for a lark and one for discernment) had rooftop views over a town, which is really neat, I think, because it reflects one aspect of a monastery, that you don't forget the world, but rather, insofar as you can, watch over it with love, and in a way possess more of it than the people who live there.

I also think of the Crucifix as an icon of enclosure: Poverty: Our Lord's hands are nailed. Chastity: His Heart is pierced. Obedience: He is there through the will of the Father. Enclosure: His Feet are nailed...

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1792685' date='Feb 27 2009, 06:08 PM']Do you anticipate problems with it?[/quote]
Actually, the never writing to friends (family only; barring a need for advice on a friend's part, or some other case judged by the Abbess) is the toughest idea to me, not so much the physical enclosure, and that's something that many active orders have too. Although, today I did think about the fact that I am the eldest in my family so I won't be at my brother's and sister's weddings assuming they marry. That was a little sad.

[osapientia]

[quote name='Thomist-in-Training' post='1794913' date='Mar 2 2009, 02:11 AM']I know the place I went was pretty large plus a garden plus a great view.

Both of the places I've stayed (one just for a lark and one for discernment) had rooftop views over a town, which is really neat, I think, because it reflects one aspect of a monastery, that you don't forget the world, but rather, insofar as you can, watch over it with love, and in a way possess more of it than the people who live there.

I also think of the Crucifix as an icon of enclosure: Poverty: Our Lord's hands are nailed. Chastity: His Heart is pierced. Obedience: He is there through the will of the Father. Enclosure: His Feet are nailed...


Actually, the never writing to friends (family only; barring a need for advice on a friend's part, or some other case judged by the Abbess) is the toughest idea to me, not so much the physical enclosure, and that's something that many active orders have too. Although, today I did think about the fact that I am the eldest in my family so I won't be at my brother's and sister's weddings assuming they marry. That was a little sad.[/quote]

I really like your comparison of Christ's nailed feet to the enclosure. Lots to think about there. I would also love the idea of a rooftop view - I can see lots of reflection time taking place up there.

I think the intangible enclosure (if you will) is the hardest part....especially where friends are concerned. It's often very difficult as they are the ones most likely "left out". They may come for a vow ceremony or two but probably not much more than that. I do know at least one community that allows friend visits on occasion once a woman is in solemn vows....and I know another where friends are allowed to visit on scheduled basis (like family, but less often)...so it varies from community to community. I think papally enclosed communities are all pretty much the same but there lots of variation in those that observe constitutional enclosure.

As for the physical space of the monastery, a big building is nice but if I were to have my "ideal", I think I'd take a smaller building with lots of property. I once discerned with a papally enclosed community that had only an acre of land inside the enclosure. I couldn't imagine myself confined to one acre for the rest of my life. I must admit that I'm relieved that there were very significant reasons (other than their property of course) for my not entering there because had it come down to just that, I'm not sure what I would have been able to do. I think in the end I would have submitted, but again, I'm glad I didn't have to. I think God was at His merciful best to me in that one.

As I think about it (as a monk I know is find of saying) - ALL is mercy and grace. God is never absent. Would that I could hold onto that with a pure faith, I think I could live with far less than I imagine - in whatever form "less" takes.

Pax

[AccountDeleted]

Enclosure is a funny thing - it can be seen as a prison or as freedom, depending on the state on one's mind (and soul) at the time.

One time In WV Carmel, I was standing on a chair and leaning over the enclosure wall, to try to reach some tree branches on the other side for pruning. I think really I startled this lady who was walking by and who just stared up at me. I laughed and told her what I was doing, and then I said to sister, "She thinks I am trying to escape!" and we had a good laugh about it.

Then later I was putting out some trash into the large bins just inside the gate, when I heard some people on the other side of the wall talking (we lived in a suburb so there were always people walking by). I was thinking how fortunate I was to be on the inside of the enclosure, and it reminded me of St Teresa's comment about how out of all the people in the world, she had been blessed to be one of the 13 nuns living in her monastery.

But then there were also times when I was feeling that things were a bit intense, and I would look out at the flats (apartments) that we could see from our side of the enclosure, and I wondered what these people were doing, and I imagined them making a cup of tea and watching a little TV, and I have to admit I did feel a little trapped then. Perhaps living in remote area with no neighbors would be a good thing for me?

I think the hardest thing though is not the physical enclosure but the total lack of unstructured time. Every minute of every day is scheduled (with about 30-60 minutes of free time during the day depending on the community) -- this is hard. But if there was no self-sacrifice involved, there would be very little merit in offering oneself now, right?

Sometimes now I do have fears about entering again, but I am trying to leave all that to God - if He wants it, then it will happen (as long as I keep taking steps towards Him). But if He has other plans (despite my longing for Carmel), then I am sure He will let me know about them sooner or later

Edited March 2, 2009 by nunsense

[puellapaschalis]

I once visited a monastery perched on a hillside, and from within the enclosure I could see the nearby trainline with trains whoooshing past. When things got tough I would stand there and watch them and wish I was on it - not a smart thing to do

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1795087' date='Mar 2 2009, 09:37 AM']I once visited a monastery perched on a hillside, and from within the enclosure I could see the nearby trainline with trains whoooshing past. When things got tough I would stand there and watch them and wish I was on it - not a smart thing to do [/quote]

Oh, I do so understand where you are coming from!! lol I think the trick here is not to give into the temptation towards self-pity that can come when we are having a hard time. I, too used to look off into the distance at Edmonton, and I could see a couple of houses out there. I would start to think about what the people in them were doing, and that would make me feel trapped and sorry for myself.

I think it is a bit like men looking at pretty women (although not being a man, I don't really know). The trick is to stop ourselves from giving into the temptation of fantasizing about things that really aren't for our own good! Jesus said that when a man looks on a woman with lust then he has already committed aldutery in his heart. I don't see why this wouldn't apply to those of us who are looking with "lust" on things that provide satisfaction to our senses. What we need to do is to use the temptation to give thanks to God for his kindness in letting us offer Him something - especially if it is an occasion of self-denial for us. Anyway, I know that enclosure is for our own good, but sometimes that isn't always easy to remember! So, even though the cloistered nuns are praying for us in the world, they also need our prayers for them to be faithful to their vocations!

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1795087' date='Mar 2 2009, 09:37 AM']I once visited a monastery perched on a hillside, and from within the enclosure I could see the nearby trainline with trains whoooshing past. When things got tough I would stand there and watch them and wish I was on it - not a smart thing to do [/quote]

Oh, I do so understand where you are coming from!! lol I think the trick here is not to give into the temptation towards self-pity that can come when we are having a hard time. I, too used to look off into the distance at Edmonton, and I could see a couple of houses out there. I would start to think about what the people in them were doing, and that would make me feel trapped and sorry for myself.

I think it is a bit like men looking at pretty women (although not being a man, I don't really know). The trick is to stop ourselves from giving into the temptation of fantasizing about things that really aren't for our own good! Jesus said that when a man looks on a woman with lust then he has already committed aldutery in his heart. I don't see why this wouldn't apply to those of us who are looking with "lust" on things that provide satisfaction to our senses. What we need to do is to use the temptation to give thanks to God for his kindness in letting us offer Him something - especially if it is an occasion of self-denial for us. Anyway, I know that enclosure is for our own good, but sometimes that isn't always easy to remember! So, even though the cloistered nuns are praying for us in the world, they also need our prayers for them to be faithful to their vocations!