Interior Voice

[AuthorOfMyLife]

Hello, all!

This is not a question--it is more of a discussion topic. I was watching some of the lovely videos posted in the "Favorite Religious Life Video" topic (thank you to the poster who started it!) and it seemed that a number of the videos where a sister was describing her call involved an interior voice of some kind.

In other words, the woman in question heard an "interior voice" saying "Will you marry Me?" or "You will be a Bride of Christ" and other phrases along those lines. I completely believe that these sisters heard that Voice--they are clearly where they were meant to be! However, I do think it is good for some of the rest of us to remember that God doesn't always speak so clearly!

I, for one, have never heard such a voice. The first time I ever considered religious life at all (apart from quickly dismissing it when I was a lot younger) was when my seminarian brother mentioned meeting some sisters in New Orleans. I thought: "Hey, that could be ME!?"

I know that many wonderful vocation directors and saints have assured us that such a clear call is not necessary (so don't worry, I'm not afraid that I'm not called because I haven't heard anything like that). But, if anyone wishes, I would like to hear your thoughts on this topic.

[Byzantine]

Never mind.

Edited March 11, 2012 by Byzantine

[Nunsense]

Interesting topic. I am always a little wary when people talk about their spiritual experiences because these things are so personal and individual. When one discusses spiritual experiences, there can also be a danger of spiritual pride or vanity and a sense of spiritual 'competition' between those who talk about it.

On the other hand, we can be inspired by beautiful vocation stories of how a person felt called to God and His actions in their life. Like all things, there needs to be a certain amount of discretion used.

I think I prefer to use the term 'interior calling' rather than 'interior voice'. It conveys a similar meaning with implying any kind of actual speech or words being used.

When I had my 'reconversion' experience about five years ago, I prayed to Jesus specifically to be able to love Him, and was immediately filled with a 'presence' and a 'knowing'. But I didn't hear Him speak to me in words that could be heard. It was more like words that spoke to my soul and put me back on the path of discernment that I had abandoned many years before.

I have always wanted to be a nun but I wasn't raised in the faith and it took a long time for me to understand fully what a vocation actually was, and what God was asking of me. Over the past five years I have had many deep spiritual experiences, especially during my times as a hermit, but rather than focus on these, I try to focus on learning to trust God, no matter what happens. I used to think that these spiritual experiences were very important, but over the years I have come to understand what St John of the Cross meant when he said that nothing pleases God more than simple faith in Him.

If you think you are called to religious life, don't worry about voices or signs, but take each step in loving trust, most especially when times get tough, as they no doubt will occasionally. God orders all things for our good, and He loves each one of us more than we could possibly imagine. Just feeling that you might be called to religious life is a great gift in and of itself, whatever else happens, because it puts your focus on God and nothing could be more beautiful than that. Prayers for your discernment

Edited March 11, 2012 by nunsense

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1331431201' post='2398899']
Interesting topic. I am always a little wary when people talk about their spiritual experiences because these things are so personal and individual. When one discusses spiritual experiences, there can also be a danger of spiritual pride or vanity and a sense of spiritual 'competition' between those who talk about it.

On the other hand, we can be inspired by beautiful vocation stories of how a person felt called to God and His actions in their life. Like all things, there needs to be a certain amount of discretion used.

I think I prefer to use the term 'interior calling' rather than 'interior voice'. It conveys a similar meaning with implying any kind of actual speech or words being used.

When I had my 'reconversion' experience about five years ago, I prayed to Jesus specifically to be able to love Him, and was immediately filled with a 'presence' and a 'knowing'. But I didn't hear Him speak to me in words that could be heard. It was more like words that spoke to my soul and put me back on the path of discernment that I had abandoned many years before.

I have always wanted to be a nun but I wasn't raised in the faith and it took a long time for me to understand fully what a vocation actually was, and what God was asking of me. Over the past five years I have had many deep spiritual experiences, especially during my times as a hermit, but rather than focus on these, I try to focus on learning to trust God, no matter what happens. I used to think that these spiritual experiences were very important, but over the years I have come to understand what St John of the Cross meant when he said that nothing pleases God more than simple faith in Him.

If you think you are called to religious life, don't worry about voices or signs, but take each step in loving trust, most especially when times get tough, as they no doubt will occasionally. God orders all things for our good, and He loves each one of us more than we could possibly imagine. Just feeling that you might be called to religious life is a great gift in and of itself, whatever else happens, because it puts your focus on God and nothing could be more beautiful than that. Prayers for your discernment
[/quote]
Amen.

[BarbTherese]

Personally, if I heard an interior voice, I would take no notice of it at all - nothing - unless discussing it with my director and then following her advice.

And my poor psychiatrist would probably have an anxiety attack!!! LOL

Generally speaking, there are three signs of vocation:
[list=1]
[*]Attraction to the life
[*]Ability to lead the life
[*]Acceptance into the life
[/list]

Quite a few of our saints have had a long and difficult road with Nos. 2 and 3. If I were attracted to religious life as a personal vocation, I just would not give up until my last breath and no matter how difficult Nos 2 and 3 proved to be. Also, I have known at least two now fully professed religious sisters who initially had no attraction at all to religious life. The first seemed to run across nuns everywhere (seemed to her) and decided she might as well find out something about nuns and religious. That began her long journey into religious life. The second religious was engaged to be married and lost her fiance during WW2. She told The Lord she would do whatever He wanted her to do and that led to a journey into contemplative life.

Our God indeed can write very straight in what strikes us as very crooked lines indeed. Life, God's greatest gift, and His Will accompanying every moment of that life and are a journey. A journey that unfold daily, in each and all of our days. Many nowadays especially it seems to me have had three vocations. Marriage and parenthood and then religious life and/or the priesthood. There might be other variations too. My cousin entered religious life, left, and then later married ............. etc. etc. etc.

Edited March 11, 2012 by BarbaraTherese

[Nunsense]

[quote name='BarbaraTherese' timestamp='1331433562' post='2398919']
Personally, if I heard an interior voice, I would take no notice of it at all - nothing - unless discussing it with my director and then following her advice.

And my poor psychiatrist would probably have an anxiety attack!!! LOL

Generally speaking, there are three signs of vocation:
[list=1]
[*]Attraction to the life
[*]Ability to lead the life
[*]Acceptance into the life
[/list]

Quite a few of our saints have had a long and difficult road with Nos. 2 and 3. If I were attracted to religious life as a personal vocation, I just would not give up until my last breath and no matter how difficult Nos 2 and 3 proved to be. Also, I have known at least two now fully professed religious sisters who initially had no attraction at all to religious life. The first seemed to run across nuns everywhere (seemed to her) and decided she might as well find out something about nuns and religious. That began her long journey into religious life. The second religious was engaged to be married and lost her fiance during WW2. She told The Lord she would do whatever He wanted her to do and that led to a journey into contemplative life.

Our God indeed can write very straight in what strikes us as very crooked lines indeed. Life, God's greatest gift, and His Will accompanying every moment of that life and are a journey. A journey that unfold daily, in each and all of our days. Many nowadays especially it seems to me have had three vocations. Marriage and parenthood and then religious life and/or the priesthood. There might be other variations too. My cousin entered religious life, left, and then later married ............. etc. etc. etc.
[/quote]


One of the nuns at Wolverhampton entered after her husband had died. They had decided together that if either of them died, the surviving one would enter a convent or become a priest! He died first and she entered Carmel. She even served as Prioress for awhile. So I agree, the ways into religious life are very different for each one of us.

[BarbTherese]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1331434898' post='2398928']


One of the nuns at Wolverhampton entered after her husband had died. They had decided together that if either of them died, the surviving one would enter a convent or become a priest! He died first and she entered Carmel. She even served as Prioress for awhile. So I agree, the ways into religious life are very different for each one of us.
[/quote]

The colour green in nature fascinates me and ever since I studied Art - so many differing shades of "green", each unique. The same with each person's journey in life, so many 'shades'/varieties of journey. Each person absolutely unique and the same with their particular journey.

[BarbTherese]

Deleted Emoticon
My computer is playing up on Phatmass. Posted but it never showed on the forum, so I posted just an emoticon and when it posted onto the forum, so did the post I thought hadn't posted!!!!! . LOL

Edited March 11, 2012 by BarbaraTherese

[Nunsense]

Yeah, that's why I love hearing nun's stories. One at Nedlands Carmel left after 20 years as a nun (amidst much heartache) because her elederly Jewish mother was alone and needed her. She nursed her mother for many years and her mother converted before dying. Then this woman re-entered the same Carmel again and is still there! And each nun has her own remarkable story of God's grace.

I know this is true of everyone in their life, nun or not, but of course, my fascination has always been with religious life, and since my path has been so rocky, I am always inspired by others who have also had many trials along the way!

[Strictlyinkblot]

I didn't hear any kind of a voice. For me the idea of religious life just kept cropping up over the years but I felt no peace about it. Then, last year while praying I felt something change in my soul. I joke and say that that was God proposing but there were no words or anything like that. It was a sense of peace that was planted into my soul and I knew then I could say yes or no to religious life and God would still love me.

I don't know if that makes sense, it still doesn't make sense to me really. I just accept it as a gift from God.

[MonjaFutura]

One day, I was writing a letter to Our Lord (as I usually do), and i couldn't think of anything to tell Him, because there was so much to say. So I just wrote "Jesus, I have fallen in love with You." Then, He repeated the words "Mary, I love you! I want you to be My Bride!" 3 times in my heart. I opened my Bible at random, begging for some way to know that this was Him. I saw the words "Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My heavenly Father." I knew it was God. I think that in some situations, it isn't the Lord talking but if it's God, you just [i]know.[/i]It's impossible to describe but you know if it's not God or if it really is.

[Queen'sDaughter]

I also love to read discerment stories, as the infinite variety never fails to amaze me. In my own case, I was in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, with nary a thought of being a nun, when I had a "big thought", almost like great chords of music, that [i]I could be a nun.[/i] It is hard to describe, it was so sudden and overwhelming. I eventually wrote a poem to solidify what it was like, but after a few days of initial shock I started looking at orders, had my first visit the next month, and never looked back. I know this sounds like I have moved very quickly, but God made be practice patience and perseverence by giving me two years to wait and discern and pray. And I am so grateful for them, for without them I would have entered the wrong order! God is indeed good!

[marigold]

I would be extremely wary of anything like a voice or a direct 'proposal'. The Orthodox Church teaches that the call has already gone out to [i]everyone[/i] ("Repent, for the Kingdom is at hand"), and monastic life is one way of responding to it. A response, not a calling. It's a self-offering. In my experience it actually makes for a much stronger 'vocation' because it's based on a personal decision and not a sense of duty, however generous, towards an inner feeling.

[AuthorOfMyLife]

Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

I agree that in some ways it really all comes down (hearing a definite "voice" or not) to making a decision. I think marigold makes a good point that we are actually all (all people) INVITED to receive the Evangelical Counsels. Whether we should actually do so will depend on each person, but it is an invitation. I try to see my vocation as an invitation that will help me be the very best I can be if I follow it.

Actually, I would agree with some of the other posters that if I heard such a voice, I would be suspicious of it. I suppose that is why God has only sent me "intellectual" messages, so to speak! He knows what each of us needs to just LISTEN and get going!

Again, thank you all. I don't know any sisters or other discerners in my neck of the woods, and it is great to hear how others are dealing with discerning.

[MarysLittleFlower]

I agree that we should be discerning and that a vocation a response... But I have read about some of the Saints, and several nuns, being asked to be religious in that way, through a "voice".. whether they actually heard it, or more of an internal 'knowing'... so I suppose it is possible too I guess God leads people in different ways

[Annie12]

This is such an interesting topic for me! I have struggled with what I call "vocation pride". I feel like I take for granted my calling and I try to make sure I realize how much of a gift it is. That said, I can relate to what you all are talking about in concern to the interior call. I decided that I must be called by God to be a nun when I was in 10th grade. It was shortly after my confirmation when I went to adoration at my parish. I had been wondering if I was called so I asked the lord what he had planed for me after stating that I loved him and only want to follow his will. Then I knew it was the holy spirit because I "heard" the words "If you love me then follow me". I wanted to know if this was for real so when I got home I opened the bible to the end of John when Jesus was asking peter if he loves him and then at the end Jesus says "follow me".
I knew after that, that religious life was my calling. Though, that is not to say I didn't have my occasional doubts. I once convinced myself that I was being delusional and I should get married.I also used the excuse that God wasn't really calling me because he would have asked me to marry him, not just follow him, if he was. That didn't last long though. I quickly felt my calling even more intensely. I have just learned to not have an inflated ego and don't try to run from it. I have also been working on trusting in Jesus. Through Jesus all things are possible and he should never once be doubted though because of our humanness we can find that to sometimes be a difficult task.

[BarbTherese]

It is possible to not actually[b] feel[/b] any sort of call, rather to respond to God with a giving of the whole self as one's personal desire - a simple desire to give one's whole self to God. While one may think that this personal desire comes from the self, it is inspired and motivated by The Holy Spirit. All that is good has its origin in God and flows from God. As well as this one has the necessary qualities/abilities for the life and one is accepted into the life. Along with the personal desire these qualities and acceptance too are gifts of God.

[Annie12]

I feel kind of weird talking about my story because I never wanted my vocation until God showed
it to me. I feel like sometimes when I talk about it, It comes off not the way I want it. I only tell my story because I want to help others. I feel like I'm not being humble sometimes. I really don't like to brag so I hope I didn't come off that way. I really just want to help other people who are searching for their calling. I want to show them that God is the only one who can reveal it to them because he is the only one who give it to them. I found reading St. Faustina's diary and St. Teresa's story of a soul to be very helpful reading.

Edited March 13, 2012 by Annie12

[BarbTherese]

[quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1331654123' post='2400103'] I feel kind of weird talking about my story because I never wanted my vocation until God showed it to me. I feel like sometimes when I talk about it, It comes off not the way I want it. I only tell my story because I want to help others. I feel like I'm not being humble sometimes. I really don't like to brag so I hope I didn't come off that way. I really just want to help other people who are searching for their calling. I want to show them that God is the only one who can reveal it to them because he is the only one who give it to them. I found reading St. Faustina's diary and St. Teresa's story of a soul to be very helpful reading. [/quote] Not bragging at all, Annie! If your desire is to share your story and maybe help others, then that is where it is at. Full Stop. Others can interpret what you have written as they may and what others might interpret or think is valid as their interpretation or thoughts but not necessarily the reality of matters. Don't be concerned.......... probably must of us, and certainly me, have at times posted and later re-read what was posted and in that re-reading realized that it was open to an interpreation that was never intended when posted. As for humility, again probably for most of us it is a lifelong quest and an ideal never quite achieved (I am 66yrs old and something of an elder I suspect! ) - and nothing like a humiliation and being entirely misunderstood to be an invitation to and an exercise in humility - as embarrassing and often as hurtful as it can be. I find ratheroften that I no sooner accept an humiliation in silence that I find myself not quite aware that I am congratulating myself and if I am not careful and do not curb that sense of being 'wonderful', I could fall into spiritual pride and the most spiritually dangerous pitfall I suspect of those who do try to attain some level of holiness. Our quest for Unity with God and pefection is a lifelong journey and again, probably for most of us, no sooner is some spiritual goal achieved, than we sight a more perfect goal to be our newer goal on the spiritual journey of life. I suspect for probably most and certainly for me, this will be the journey of my entire life. I too have found the autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux and the Diary of St Faustina of The Divine Mercy a great comfort and consolation, presenting much to be reflected on and aimed for in my life. And in my many failures to shift the emphasis off myself and my miseries and to thankfully and joyfully shift the emphasis to Jesus and His Infinite Loving Mercy available without conditions to all who sincerely and humbly ask of Him. All success including spiritual success is The Lord's to give and distrute as He May, wherever He May and on whomsoever He May. Ours is the business of striving, of falling and of rising after the falls and primarily to love others with our whole heart, mind and soul for the Love of Him. And to be most humbly grateful and praising of Him for any success - they are His and His Alone, as is any sort of glory great or small attached to any success.

Edited March 14, 2012 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

Rather than describe myself as an "elder" at 66years of age, a more appropriate term would be "oldie" ......... "elder", I decided well after posting, is something of a rank of which I have nothing either on Phatmass or elsewhere. I am one of the oldie's!!! - one of the mature aged women!!!