What Attracts You To Religious Life?

[elizabeth09]

Mainly the prayers.

[LaPetiteSoeur]

A peace. When I was figuring out what God wanted for me, I was never at peace saying "Oh, I want to be a mom and have twelve kids." And then three people asked me in quick succession if I'd ever thought about being a sister. It took me a year to openly admit it to anyone.

The idea of praying in community, being so close to Jesus in the Eucharist and in the apostolate is what attracts me to religious life, especially the Dominicans.

Dieu vous bénisse

[FutureSister2009]

Being A Bride of Christ. Living to serve Him and His people. As my Order is a Missionary Order, our goal is to bring Christ to those who do not know Him yet. I want to live only for Him and Our Lady. God has been so good to me. Living in prayer and praise for Him is all I ever want to do. I want to save souls.

[Tally Marx]

I feel drawn to the religious life for many reasons!
One is community. To live with and always be with others who Love Jesus as much as I do and who have the same ultimate goal as I--namely, sainthood!--who I will work and struggle with, who I can help and will help me is just so wonderful! I know it will get hard sometimes; there's a lot less privacy than I am used to (understatement) and it is a given that some will have habits I find annoying, and I will have habits they find annoying and I will get on their nerves and.... but, it is just so beautiful.
Another is apostolate. A secular job has one primary goal--to get money. You can have the most noble purpose for earning money (to support a family) but that is your first goal in the job and whether or not it directly serves God isn't as important. I know that this isn't a rule and there are some who don't do this, but isn't it natural, when you have a family to support, to ask "How much money will I make a year?" as opposed to "How much does this job involve evangelization?" or "Will this job make me holier?" etc. For lots of working people, their apostolate is separate from their work and their work detracts from it. For a religious, your "job" is your apostolate and that is serving God. Always. Also a problem for me is, I bounce. Everywhere. Like a ping-pong ball. I will start one project that I think is amesome and will quickly move on to another one before finished the first. Having a set job for God--having a real and set apostolate--wouldn't allow me to do that. Also--and this ties in with community--but you are doing it with other people who have the same goal.
A third reason is poverty. I like poverty. And face it, you can't live in the world with as little as a religious does.
A fourth is chastity, for Christ. I can marry Jesus! I'm not knocking Marriage by any means, but after dwelling on that idea for a while, it seems...blah...sort of... to marry a mortal man. You can marry Jesus or you can marry a guy. Put that way, the former is just so appealling.
Fifth: Prayer!!! In the world, you can't always go to Mass every day and Adoration or spend six hours in prayer.

That's some of my reasons. I know I haven't explained myself adequately by half, but I hope it makes a little sense, at least.

Oh, and I am discerning with the SsEWs.

[OnlySunshine]

I thought I answered this question when it was first posted, but I don't see it on here, so I guess I didn't.

I, too, am discerning with SsEWs along with TallyMarx and JoyfulLife.

The thing that first drew me to religious life was the witness to Christ's love and service to the Church. I met my first religious in December 2007 at a retreat during Advent and was just in awe of their beauty and humility. The way that they lived was just grace to me. Since my reversion, my mission in life, whether it be as a religious or not, was to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of my friends told me something that has stayed with me to this day: she believed that she saw the Blessed Virgin in me because I was a silent witness and I try to conduct myself like her. I never told her I wanted to be like the Virgin Mary--in fact, it was the day after my reversion and Confession! It stirred within me a great desire to serve God in a radical way. Since meeting more religious, I have come to the conclusion that their life is not all joy--it has it's own hardships, but there is a different joy--joy of the Cross.

I also have the deep desire to be able to live close to the Eucharist. To me, living in a convent is like living in a shrine to Jesus because the focus is totally on Him. Being able to attend Mass everyday with my Sisters and live in a community that holds the same desires and goals as I do would be heaven on earth.

I've tried to shed the romantic, rosy glasses outlook on religious life. I am trying to look at with a practical perspective and understand that I can't do this without God's grace. It is only He who can give me the vocation and if I don't have that grace, I won't persevere no matter how hard I try. I still believe that I will not be happy unless I at least TRY.

[Sarah147]

WOW! I totally agree with Tally and Mater. Excellent explanations, ladies!

Here's my original post to this thread: [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=103103&view=findpost&p=2150073"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=103103&view=findpost&p=2150073[/url]

Edited May 4, 2011 by JoyfulLife

[Nunsense]

I don't know why - it's either a disease or an aberration I guess.

.....

Oh yeah, I forgot to add... that once I was having a medical checkup by a doctor friend of the family prior to entering religious life, and when he read out the part that asked..."Any signs of mental illness?"

he answered out loud as he pretended to write down...

"Yes, wants to enter convent."

Edited May 4, 2011 by nunsense

[InPersonaChriste]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1304518997' post='2236808']
I don't know why - it's either a disease or an aberration I guess.

.....

Oh yeah, I forgot to add... that once I was having a medical checkup by a doctor friend of the family prior to entering religious life, and when he read out the part that asked..."Any signs of mental illness?"

he answered out loud as he pretended to write down...

"Yes, wants to enter convent."


[/quote]

HAhahaha!
Yeah I know! When I visited the nuns in Chile my in-laws after saying goodbye to me after a very nice supper said "no monja!"

Which as i translate in my slow brain meant don't be a nun!

Edited May 4, 2011 by InPersonaChriste

[Sarah147]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1304518997' post='2236808']
I don't know why - it's either a disease or an aberration I guess.

.....

Oh yeah, I forgot to add... that once I was having a medical checkup by a doctor friend of the family prior to entering religious life, and when he read out the part that asked..."Any signs of mental illness?"

he answered out loud as he pretended to write down...

"Yes, wants to enter convent."


[/quote]

Ha!

Do all orders have you fill out forms asking about mental health?

[InPersonaChriste]

[quote name='JoyfulLife' timestamp='1304522989' post='2236840']
Ha!

Do all orders have you fill out forms asking about mental health?
[/quote]

Most orders because they want to make sure you are sound in mind and body before entering. Though i remember hearing about when Mother Angelica just started to move out of her community to found PCPA in Birmingham and one nun chased her up the stairs with a butchers knife.. (In the book of her life....cant remember the exact name)

So you can see why they need to do this..

[dominicansoul]

...the free grub

[FutureSister2009]

[quote name='dominicansoul' timestamp='1304552883' post='2237199']
...the free grub
[/quote]




But if you were serious, that may not get you in!

[vee]

[quote name='dominicansoul' timestamp='1304552883' post='2237199']
...the free grub
[/quote]

you are very penitential DS, or very hungry

[img]http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2008/11/14/grubs460.jpg[/img]