Habit of Love but no Habit

[InHisLove]

God be with you all!

I am a lady who have been discerning for sometime.  I have been thinking about an order at the early part of my discernment.  However, I have stopped thinking about it due to different spiritual direction.  Then after coming back from a discernment from a contemplative community, for some reason, I have an encounter with a sisters from this community so I started discerning about this again and so happen that my new spiritual director is free-spirited, where one should be driven by the Holy Spirit and without giving constraint.  Thus, I discern about whether I am called to this order again dedicated to "social justice" and "life with dignity" order.  They are so loving and full of charism for the society without exception.  They are modern nuns which means their habit is habit of love and you can feel their care by their presence.  They dressed for the most part like a  modest woman in the Catholic  world.  They live with the society.  They are missionaries and thus have to adjust to the needs of the place they are serving.  The idea is that the people are more likely to approach them if they are mixed with the secular society and thus they can share the love of Christ by action.  They are geared to love for everyone and not being critical over things causing the conflicts in society.

Any thoughts my fellow discerners?

[Dymphna]

I like how you talk about the habit of love these sisters wear. Your post sounds like you're "falling in love" a bit with that community, which I think is good, try to get to know them better!

As for the habit, I myself think the most sensible approach is to wear it or not according to apostolic need. For example, a sister in a community which works with a lot of children in trouble told me that none of their sisters will wear the habit when she is out with children. Because then everybody (at least the locals) would know that these children are not from a "normal" family, leading to gossip and possibly bullying by other kids. It's not about what's easier for the sisters or what they would personally prefer, but what is best for their work/service.

It seems to me that the sisters you met have a similar idea - they think that in the communities where they work, people would find it harder to approach them if they would wear a habit. This probably depends on the place in the world and the part of society where they work, but I like the thinking behind it.

[InHisLove]

Thanks for thinking this through and sharing your comment.

I must confess that discerning God's Will among the haystack is such a  challenging case for me.  

May God be praised whatever the case may be.

[HollyDolly]

I'm just curious what the community is. I'm 62 , so few communities would take me at this age.I know there are some communities who don't wear habits, some who do.  What sort of work do they do? maybe  it is easier for them not to wear a habit and be more approachable to people. Good luck. Maybe  there is a way you could offer to volunteer with them and aid them in their apostolate if possible.

[Nunsuch]

The vast majority of communities in the US do not wear a habit, and they do pretty much every kind of apostolate imaginable. This would include at least a few contemplative communities. For example, the Baltimore Carmel (the oldest contemplative community in the US) does not wear a habit most of the time, though they wear an alb-like garment for prayer.

[gloriana35]

I do hope you find the path with which you'll best be able to serve God. It must be very confusing - first, considering a contemplative Order; then having a spiritual director who had a part in your changing viewpoints; then, seeing an active community who greatly impresses you. I have known hundreds of Religious, some of whom I regard very highly, but who are in communities where I never could have been a member. It is possible (I don't know, of course) that focusing on whether Sisters wear a habit is a distraction. I hope you are able to see where you can best live out your vocation - if you have extended contact with the Sisters you mention, and believe you could live their life and serve God and neighbour best, then what they wear is irrelevant. However, if you feel you should be in the cloister, but your 'free spirit' director, perhaps, thinks that is obsolete (I cannot tell you how many 'this is not what the church needs today' rants I heard forty years ago), you must not let this deter you from going where you feel you are called.

There are all sorts of reasons Sisters wear the habit, or do not. I've personally known some who see secular garb as giving them more freedom to go to clubs... it isn't always a religious reason. Sometimes, not wearing religious garb can make people more at ease - at other times, it can have another effect. The Sisters you mention clearly have impressed you deeply, and sound very dedicated. But be careful about thinking 'those who don't wear habits wear the habit of love,' as if that made them above others. I would suggest you take a look at which way of life is better suited for your vocation - and not make what the Sisters wear a part of that thought for awhile.