Impediments To Religious Life

[dymphnamaria]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1344329232' post='2463931']
I will research more orders, but it will help to know what kind you are looking for. Also, any particular spirituality you are interested in?
[/quote]

Thank you for those list of communities, I hope they have convents here in my country. I became interested to the Franciscan Spirituality since I had my formation with the Franciscan for almost 2yrs. I forgot to mention, I entered religious life and i was glad the Mother Superior still accepted despite of my being bipolar. I have been doing well with my formation and the superior even told me she didn't see any sign of my depression. Although,our Mother Delegate told me they tried to save my vocation but still our Mother General decided to let me go. But I am still thankful that they have accepted me because i really learn a lot of things from them, the value of the sacrifice of the mass, the singing of the Gregorian chant (i miss those chants ), just to mention a few.

Edited August 7, 2012 by dymphnamaria

[BarbTherese]

It is sad that the presence of 'mental illness' can be such an impediment to religious life. Very often the sufferer can find it far more difficult to adjust to life's stresses and strains than a non sufferer. This is where a good therapist and medication can be so helpful. The medication can settle anxiety/symptoms of MI as the therapist helps one to make a psychological adjustment to life's stresses and strains, leading the sufferer to handle life in the more common fashion and more skillfuly, removing the anxiety once attached; however, very often the label of mental illness does not disappear. The person may still be suffering a mental illness per se but far more able to deal with life and what comes along than previously and very often without the medication once the actual psychological adjustment is achieved. But that label does not go away and with the label comes all the preconceived notions within the community, both general and religious, about mental illness and those who suffer same; however, the sufferer now will handle stress and life generally in the more common fashion (as opposed to 'normal' fashion when we do not know what normal for the human being actually is! Are we meant by the very nature of our humanity to be very sensitive to life, or are we meant to be not so sensitive - this is the question)
It is quite well known that sufferers of mental illness are very often very sensitive individuals and in our modern society with its stresses and strains, perhaps overly sensitive in social terms. I once read in Time Magazine that 'normal' is an ever shifting line set by society and the headline to the article read "In an insane society, the sane will be considered insane". Sound therapy can help with this. That is, help the sufferer psychologically to come into line with the rest of society. Toe the social line and that same Time article ran on that psychiatry is the invention of society to keep its more creative members in line (and at the time I smiled indeed). What is needed is psychological adjustment to social requirements. This will mean that the stress that once triggered symptoms of the mental illness as quite overt symptoms creating problems in life, are now lessened so that under these same stresses, the sufferer reacts in a more common or 'normal' fashion.

How I personally have come to terms with it all is that The Lord has permitted me to exist in this time in which I do and with the associated problems and difficulties. And He has His Reasons hidden from my understanding. My own struggles with desiring religious life are now past tense and so it is 'easy for [i]me[/i] to speak' and the road to an adjustment to the frustration of that desire for religious life has now reached its conclusion with my acceptance of my situation after a long road of denial - and a successful adjustment (and this is where my director comes in) to my current way of life as being that intended for me. This "intended for me" is 'displayed' in the Peace and Joy, contentment and fulfilment I do experience, which does not mean at all no challenges, far from that. The fact that these dispositions are of long standing indicates the Presence of The Holy Spirit in my life. It remains a mystery to me why I do suffer Bipolar and hence (for one) my desire for religious life frustrated - and it was a road of denial to actual acceptance of the presence of "Mystery" in my own life. This element of mystery in my life is a burden of the cross I do carry from having a mental illness in the first place - and what it means to my life though a life outside of religious life. Elements of my life are thus mystery and the cross. Recognition and peaceful acceptance to this was a long journey and here spiritual direction again came into play and very much so. We know that God is Mystery and in struggling with the mystery in my own life, I came to recognize it as indeed struggling with an angel as it were.
What I also needed (and again this is where spiritual direction came into play in a very big way) was a shift from a focus of what I wanted, to focus on The Lord and that His invitation to my life may not be what I wanted my life to be. This was a huge shift in my focus and a painful one that took time. I needed to detach from what I wanted, from myself and my desires.
When I left monastic life in my forties, I knew I did not have a religious vocation. However, at that point I then knew where I was not called - but that to which I was called was to unfold over time and another journey. In that journey both my psychiatrist and my director, at points, had a very big part to play and in effect what was happening, I now see with hindsight, is that they were working together. My director confessor (priest) in the very early days of my illness said to me "The priest and the psychiatrist work together".
"Do you know my doctor?" I asked
He replied in the negative, but over time I learnt to trust in The Holy Spirit primarily and always - who indeed knew my doctor.

Edited August 12, 2012 by BarbaraTherese