Stress In Religious Life?

[FFI Griswold]

Ave Maria!

 

I think what the others have said pretty much covers it. I also think that if you're an anxious person, you'll probably still be an anxious person in religious life, but to a much lesser degree than if in the world because of the holy environment of which you'll be breathing "holy air". With the grace of God, one could even practice the opposite virtue to a heroic degree. The personalities of the members of a community can cover the whole spectrum, just like in the world, but just not of the world.

 

St. Francis de Sales, known to be so meek, actually is universally noted for struggling immensely with irritability.

 

St. Maximilian struggled with irritability quite often.

 

St. Therese struggled with a sister whom she had a repugnance for, but kept it so hidden and countered it with charity that others thought she was her favorite.

 

St. Jerome struggled with being abrasive when debating with others, even with other saints.

 

Here we have perpetual adoration so there is always someone in the chapel with Our Lord 24x7, Who is less than 50 feet from the friars' cells, daily Mass, daily Rosary, daily mediation, daily reading on the saints, silence.. saint statues, pictures, and quotes on practically every wall and around every corner (especially of Our Lady), saints' relics in the chapel, Catholic libraries.. all to aid you in combat.

 

Religious life is really the ideal training ground for saints, stress and all!

 

Ave Maria!

 

fra John Paul

[juchu]

I do not have the time for a detailed answer.... (<-- see this as a result of monastic stress ;) )

But I would like to add one point: There is always a lot of work to do - and in most monasteries, despite the few that have huge classes of young women entering each year, the members get older and the age average is kind of high.

I admire my older sisters for what they still do as contribution to practical community life (of course, the contribution of simply being yourself and praying is there as well!) at a age where normally people would be definetly retired. I have sisters in the 90s and 80s who are admirable sources of wisdom for me.

 

But this also means that the "younger" ones have more practical charges to do. I am thankful for having entered with a group of other 3 women unter 30, but still we are not making up the aging level of the community. Though we in the Novitiate are still "protected" from too much work, I sometimes have quite busy days and I see the days of other sisters (30 - 65) totally even more busy.

 

I think the key point (at least for me) is to remain in inner peace and inner union with Christ throughout the day, throughout the busy moments as well. Sometimes there can be "outward" stress (to much work, relationships....) but if I am in my inner center  with Christ it doesn't attack me as badly as if I merely would be doing "a job". A monastic day IS full - you have the hours of manual or intellectual labor and you have all the offices and meals which are also labour. One would easily have a 65 hour-week if one would count everything - Still, I regret not at all at surrendering myself to all of this :)

Edited May 17, 2013 by juchu

[maximillion]

I agree with Juchu. After three months in the convent someone asked if I were homesick. My reply? "I'm too busy to be homesick".