Why Enter Religious Life?

[Spem in alium]

As someone applying to enter religious life, I have been thinking a lot about this lately. When people ask me why I want to enter a convent, it's sometimes hard to express myself and my feelings adequately - not because I don't know why, but because I can't completely describe it; because it's something I just feel deep within myself, and I can't always put a clear name to it. Though thinking about it now, I do believe it comes back to that realisation, as others have already mentioned, that I've fallen in love. I've felt a love so incredible, so unexpected; a love that needs to be responded to and that can't be turned away from; a love that exudes from me a restlessness, a joy, and a whispered "Fiat". It comes from the recognition that Jesus has given me Himself, completely and unreservedly, and I feel within myself the desire to give all that I am and all that I have back to Him, not just for my own sake but for the sake of others who are, as the Decade prayer says, "in most need of Thy mercy."

 

 

[chrysostom]

As I have only realized my desire for religious life seven months ago, I can only say a little.

 

I first began to desire the religious state in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. There were perhaps two thoughts in my head then.  One was: "As you give of yourself in the Sacrament of your Love, I want to give myself to you totally".  The other thought was: "I know now, kneeling before your loving Face, that adoring you in the blessed Sacrament is what I am made for. I would rather be nowhere else than here at your feet in the radiance of your Eucharistic gaze. Please allow me to remain here for the rest of my life."

[BarbTherese]

Yes I think I remember you writing on here about a special private vows home mass? That is also a blessed and undervalued way of life. St Gemma Galgani was under private vows.

 

For me, it is to follow that way that The Lord is indicating - to embrace His Will for my life.  Yes, on 15th August Solemnity of The Assumption of Our Lady, my SD and confessor is celebrating a Home Mass in Bethany here - largely to receive my private vows (of many years standing) and I will renew those vows at the same time.  We have our Vicar General and Archbishop's permission for the Home Mass and its reason.  My parish priest has also given the "go ahead" as the Mass is in his parish. There is a thread in Open Mic which is really a journaling from the time I received the Archbishop's permission and probably the thread and journaling will cease after the Home Mass.  I have written my own Rule of Life at the request of my SD - he has approved it.

The Open Mic thread is here http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/132845-home-mass-private-vows/

 

It has been a long journey of over 30 yrs and at ever point, I sought spiritual advice.  First to make the private vows in the first place (renewed yearly initially).  And then some years further down the line I sought spiritual advice about making the vows for life.  Mine has also been a quite colourful journey with many twists and turns, up a creek and around a bend. Often this has been due to an episode of bipolar disorder, which I do suffer.  Bipolar has receded far into the background of my life over the past 10 years.  I still suffer the illness however and probably will for life.  Now and then I can sense bipolar might be restless and I know the steps to take and see my psychiatrist probably 3 or 4 times a year nowadays.  If I need her, my psychiatrist has given me her pager number.  She has no idea why almost suddenly quite severe episodes of bipolar ceased to reach a point (as in the past) where I would require hospitalization in psychiatric ward. I don't think that the "why" is terribly important except perhaps to psychiatry as a science - it is all about my journey from hereon and embracing the sound mental health (relatively I will add, since "sound mental health" is a bit of mystery as to definition even with psychiatry) I have been gifted and where to from here and an ongoing unfolding.

 

I saw that nunsense posted a quote from St Teresa of Avila that it is good to have gone astray in order to acquire experience.  I am not too sure that it is "good" per se, but it can certainly be helpful in that one does acquire probably much experience and I think self-knowledge.  It can dismantle the pedestal on which one may have placed oneself, as it were - and bring one back to realities.  It can also ensure that one develops a healthy mistrust of oneself.  It can dismantle the sense of being different to the run of the mill humanity, as it were, and gift one with a realization that one is just one of the crew.  None of this, I don't think, is humility per se.  However it can provide a foundation and springboard to the virtue. And humility is the foundation of all real virtue as common sense is the guide.

 

Because so little is written in a specific sense about lay celibate chastity with private vows to the evangelical counsels - and because it is something quite personal - it has been up to me to define the way.  I think it is still unfolding and my Rule of Life is all embracing - or as my SD said "I think you have covered it all" and all it really was is a summarizing of how I had been TRYING to live for over 30 years.  Of course my Rule is nothing official in The Church and so I can freely revise it if necessary along the way. No need to do this to date as I did try to make the Rule general rather than detailed specifics.   And I guess, no in fact I know, that my way of life, Bethany, has features of all the vocations without being actually any one of them.  It is of great importance to me that I have embraced and internalised the fact that I am called to the secular lay state of life - and not at all consecrated life. 

 

I do think that private vows to evangelical counsels should remain largely undefined and be something that the person themselves defines and lives out.  But then there is this:

 

 

http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Religious_Life/Religious_Life_033.htm

There is a fourth category contemplated by the Holy See in anticipation of the new Code of Canon Law, so that something may be done for the thousands of women who seem not to want religious life yet seem to want to live especially dedicated lives in the Church. The secular institutes are a recent development of the Catholic Church. If there would be a fourth category, it would be some form of what we now call “secular institutes,” but the implications still have to be worked out.

 

 

Certainly, Fr J A Hardon was a much valued theologian in The Church (he died in 2000 I think it was).  What the above might mean is unknown to me at this point.  In fact The Church may well have decided against it and I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with that.  The whole article on the above link is worth a read : "The Apostolate in Every Vocation to Follow Christ"  :http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Religious_Life/Religious_Life_033.htm

 

I am wary of too much definition, since it can lead (and experience tells me this) to rules and regulations becoming ends in themselves.  Rather a rule or regulation to my way of thought will point and guide to something higher than itself.

The simple example I have used with others is that here in Australia, we have a rule that one must not jay walk or walk diagonally across a road.  What this rule points to higher than itself is safety on the roads.  If there has been an accident and to avoid it, I need to jay walk, then common sense tells me to jay walk and if I don't jay walk since it is an offence, then I am just plain stupid methinks.  I would have embraced the jay walk rule as an end in itself.

 

[BarbTherese]

Barb, this is a very timely reminder for me, and the Bible verse has called to mind an excerpt from that other treasure trove of spiritual wisdom, Winnie-the-Pooh. ;)

 

"Suppose a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?"

"Suppose it didn't," said Pooh, after careful thought.

Piglet was comforted by this.

 

Winnie-the-Pooh and also Peanuts - great sources of down to earth common sense. 

[BarbTherese]

Can I ask, everyone has a relationship with God.

But the husband gives conjugal love to wife

The nun or monk gives to their brethren.

but what of the priest or CV, do they have what you describe? to whom?

 

A diocesan priest would have a parish or some duty or duties in the diocese, perhaps both.  A CV is specifically called to secular life.  I think that we all have some sort of community to which we are called.  For me it is my neighbourhood, my parish and a few other communities in the general or secular to which I belong. And of course, every single one of us, no matter vocation, belongs and is called to the community that is mankind and the created world. To each of these I give myself and strive to live out "community" and there is a wonderful little document from the Vatican "Fraternal Life in Community" written in 1994 which I was given as a booklet, but it is online :  http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/ccscrlife/documents/rc_con_ccscrlife_doc_02021994_fraternal-life-in-community_en.html

It was written for consecrated life and societies of apostolic life - but with common sense and a bit of intelligence applied, one can insight the underlying dynamics as it were and apply this as a definition of "community" as The Church understands it.
 

[AveMariaPurissima]

Deep down, my reason for desiring religious life has always been simply that, after seeing Jesus' infinite love for me, especially on the Cross and in the Holy Eucharist, I could not do less than give myself totally to Him.  The hymn, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," has a verse that sums it up beautifully: Were all the realms of nature mine,/ My gift would still be far too small;/ Love so amazing, so divine/ Demands my soul, my life, my all.

 

[maximillion]

^^^^^^ This!!!!!!

[cmaD2006]

I am going to encourage staying on topic for this particular thread.  Sister Marie's original post ("I'm wondering if anyone is willing to share their personal interest in religious life as a way of Christian life") is precious and is a lot of food for thought, without getting it diluted with other side discussions.

 

Other questions about Religious Life or the priesthood should go into another thread.  Again -- just because of the potential of what fruit can come out of this discussion if we keep on topic.

 

Thank you Sr. Marie for opening this thread.

[cmaD2006]

And to clarify:

 

If someone would like to answer the question from the point of view of someone who want to enter the priesthood that may be ok.

 

I think though other vocations (consecrated virginity, hermits, etc) may be distinct enough from religious life that it would be good to isolate it from this discussion.  (Again feel free to open another thread)

 

Although priesthood is quite different from religious life, I think it may actually fit well in this discussion.  Besides -- it will encourage the seminarians who are around (and not part of a religious community) to participate.

[OnlySunshine]

When I think of reasons why I want to enter religious life (other than the obvious of wanting to do God's will), I think of the parable about the "Pearl of Great Price.

 

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it."

 

It's about forgetting yourself and surrendering your wants and desires to God's will.  I could be happy in any vocation, but I'll only be truly happy consecrating myself entirely to Jesus in His service and to His people.  I don't yet know if my vocation really is religious life but I keep coming back to it even if I try to discern another vocation like consecrated single life in a secular institute.

[BarbTherese]

I have misquoted nunsense and St Teresa of Avila.  See my thread and fessing up with apology, in Lame Board here http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/134728-misquoted-nunsense/#entry2685955

[oremus1]

<going back on topic>

 

I used to think I was called to a secular institute or the CV vocation. now I am not sure. I went in the convent and there was such a wonderful sense of self-giving. of, in particular, free will and of time. every minute is ordered around prayer of some sort. even the work was in a cell with the Blessedsacrament, and there was a bell for the angelus and office. also, the absence of distractions away from God helped to feel as theough every minute of the day was for God. For example, there was not the visiaul auditory or speech noise of everyday life. even just walking down a road has so many distractions - all the different things you see, looking both ways to cross the road, noticing advertising. all that was not there. there was no unnecessary speaking. the silence, rather than being an absence was actually a magnification of the sense of the presence of God. even what you wear points to God. What you eat (obedience).

 

for me, that was kind of what made me conseider religious life a lot more.

 

if someone is vaguely thinking they MIGHT be called, I suggest them to find the nearest orthodox convent and try it for a weekend. do not worry about the specifics of the charism. just to try the general 'religious life'.

[Nunsuch]

I do not believe there is ANY religious community where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in individual members' cells....

 

Further, people are not called to some sort of generic religious life; they are called to a particular charism.  "Charism" does not mean some sort of random lifestyle; it refers to a particular inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, charisms are not interchangeable.

 

 

[oremus1]

I do not believe there is ANY religious community where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in individual members' cells....

 

Further, people are not called to some sort of generic religious life; they are called to a particular charism.  "Charism" does not mean some sort of random lifestyle; it refers to a particular inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, charisms are not interchangeable.

 

 

actually yes there is. many of the hermit orders. the sisters of bethlehem http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/topic/56995-sisters-of-bethlehem-in-livingston-manor/ . and the hermits of bethlehem

 

 

and yes there are three main womens vocations - married / religious / 'consecrated'.

 

you would obviously ascertain that you thought you were called to the vocation of marriage ebfore you start dating to find the right person to marry right? otherwise, if you DIDNT think you were called to marry, then why spend ages looking for the perfect person? you have to look inside yourself frst.

 

so i am saying, to discern first if you feel called to become a religious, THEN spend ages trying many different communities.

Edited July 13, 2014 by oremus1

[AccountDeleted]

I do not believe there is ANY religious community where the Blessed Sacrament is reserved in individual members' cells....

 

Further, people are not called to some sort of generic religious life; they are called to a particular charism.  "Charism" does not mean some sort of random lifestyle; it refers to a particular inspiration of the Holy Spirit.  Thus, charisms are not interchangeable.

 

 

This ^^^^.

 

And I agree that the only place I have seen the Blessed Sacrament reserved for individuals is with hermits, not in nun's cells, but I don't know anything about orthodox communities  or if oremus is referring to the Orthodox (capital C?) church nuns?

 

One may feel called to religious life generally but, as you say, Nunsuch, serious discernment includes an understanding of one's spirituality and particular charism. If one is attracted to cloistered life, it is probably because one feels called to a life of silence and solitude and prayer in community. If one is attracted to active life, there is often an affinity for a particular type of apostolate, such as teaching or nursing or mission work. I came to understand my own vocation through spiritual direction when my SD told me that he thought I was a contemplative. That got me thinking and in time it became clear to me too that prayer was my charism.

 

The important thing in oremus' post was the emphasis on 'self-giving. of, in particular, free will and of time'. [sic]  I liked that statement.