Gabriela Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 (edited) I think we recently had a discussion in VS about being cautious about interpreting little things like this as "signs". Selective perception, confirmation bias... etc. Of course, if a lot of people are saying it, it might mean something. But even then, I think it's important to consider who's saying it, and why they might be saying it. For example, I work with a woman who was asked to leave religious life, and now that she's back in the world, she goes to daily Mass. Because she's under 70, the ladies at daily Mass often approach her and ask if she's ever considered being a nun. She gets really, really angry about this. Just because she's under 70 and going to daily Mass doesn't mean she's called to religious life, right? They don't know her at all, don't know that she turned out to be a pretty terrible fit for religious life, don't know how much pain she's feeling as a result of that "failure". Similarly, unless someone knows you pretty well, or you know them to be an unusually holy or "prophetic" person, I'd dismiss such comments as (unintentional, well-meaning) stereotyping. Edited October 11, 2014 by curiousing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarbTherese Posted October 11, 2014 Share Posted October 11, 2014 Told a few times in my teens by a few nuns and two priests I was nun material. Not so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4LoveofJMJ Posted October 12, 2014 Author Share Posted October 12, 2014 I think we recently had a discussion in VS about being cautious about interpreting little things like this as "signs". Selective perception, confirmation bias... etc. Of course, if a lot of people are saying it, it might mean something. But even then, I think it's important to consider who's saying it, and why they might be saying it. For example, I work with a woman who was asked to leave religious life, and now that she's back in the world, she goes to daily Mass. Because she's under 70, the ladies at daily Mass often approach her and ask if she's ever considered being a nun. She gets really, really angry about this. Just because she's under 70 and going to daily Mass doesn't mean she's called to religious life, right? They don't know her at all, don't know that she turned out to be a pretty terrible fit for religious life, don't know how much pain she's feeling as a result of that "failure". Similarly, unless someone knows you pretty well, or you know them to be an unusually holy or "prophetic" person, I'd dismiss such comments as (unintentional, well-meaning) stereotyping. Well the priest I mentioned earlier had only known me for a couple of days really but from the things said about him, he is a very holy man who seems to have certain spiritual gifts. As for the parents... Well you would think that if people saw me babysitting six children twice a week for months would automatically think of me becoming a mother some day right? When they said that they think that I am called to the religious life, it made me wonder what they saw other then my being great with kids... Unless one of the girls told them that I spent 15 minutes or so looking at a website that had nothing but nun pictures on it. :hehe2: Although I don't think it was around that time... I'm not quite sure. Boy her reaction was so cute!!!! She was all excited and kept telling me that she was going to become a saint one day. :saint2: Definitely one of my favorite moments during that time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brandelynmarie Posted October 12, 2014 Share Posted October 12, 2014 I was told this twice over the summer...one person was a total stranger & the other was an acquaintance. :) I consider them "nudges". ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Paul Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 A nun and a monk say there is no doubt I have a vocation to religious life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Paul Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 A nun and a monk say there is no doubt I have a vocation to religious life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlesister Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 A French site had a great saying. Rough translation : "One nudge may not be a nudge. Several nudges are a sign." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NadaTeTurbe Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 A priest told me I would have been a perfect priest. I'm a girl (in the same thing... Our priest told us, during a charismatic prayer, a man with the gift of prophecy stand up. Silence. Everyone is waiting for the prophecy. He show a young woman... "You... In less than one year, you will be a sister in (name of the community) ! your vocation is to be a sister". Silence. The husband of the young woman sigh "How can I announce it to our kid...") More seriously, 3 sisters, from the same community, ask me, in my life, "have you ever think about being a sister" and I answered "wait, sisters are cool, ok, but not for me." I would love to see these sisters and "Hmm, now, I'm thinking about it..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlesister Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 (edited) Sorry, put a word wrong in my last post. Correct reading : One nudge may not be a sign (not "may not be a nudge"). Several nudges are a sign." Also, as you probably realized, the Little Sisters' Motherhouse is in the Diocese of Rennes. This has been a day for doing things backwards. Edited April 9, 2015 by littlesister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orapronobis Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 I remember the very first time I went on pilgrimage to Walsingham, I was just walking around the shrine church and I ran into a sister of the Anglican Society of St Margaret and she just said that she felt that I needed to pray the rosary with her and I did. After that she said that she had felt the aura of sanctity just emanate from me and she had just needed to pray with me, I was only 10! I popped down to Walsingham before my retreat and I ran into that same sister. I just thanked her opening my eyes to my vocation and I had a little cry on her shoulder just because of the pure emotion of being able to say that she had had such a huge effect on my life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Journeywithchrist Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Always the opposite in fact ( 'YOU???? A NUN?!???) ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AveMariaPurissima Posted April 9, 2015 Share Posted April 9, 2015 Last semester my philosophy professor out of nowhere asked me, "Do you want to be a nun? Because you remind me of a girl I had in one of my other classes who entered the convent." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cartermia Posted April 12, 2015 Share Posted April 12, 2015 Sorry, put a word wrong in my last post. Correct reading : One nudge may not be a sign (not "may not be a nudge"). Several nudges are a sign." Also, as you probably realized, the Little Sisters' Motherhouse is in the Diocese of Rennes. This has been a day for doing things backwards. Maybe that saying is correct but I don't know: My aunt, retired 8th grade teacher, etc... I once had a priest tried to drop me off with his sister who had entered. My mom was not to thrilled with the idea of a 13 year old being a nun... Two seminarians (one has known me all my life, the other had just met me that summer) asked me while I was working on flowers in church if I was discerning... After Mass one day after I finished serving (yes I serve, shocker!) my (now) SD asked me if I was possibly discerning. Father didn't even know my name and it was the first time I had ever served with him. One sister (when I was 5) told my grandmother that I was to do great things one day and that I would enter... And a couple other incidents have happened like this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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