Is It Shallow

[shortnun]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1192957' date='Feb 12 2007, 08:30 PM']
...

The whole purpose of a habit is defeated if you take it off for precisely the reason you [i]should[/i] be wearing it.

Your post didn't seem to indicate whether it was the sisters themselves who are going "undercover" by not wearing habits of it's other people they're training to go undercover, so I might be misinterpreting your point.

If not, I stand on my statement (and the Church's) that you don't take off your habit.

...
[/quote]
Well, we're mostly talking about women's communities here. While it's not normative of all men's communities by any means, religious men do take off their religious dress (collar, cassock, habit, etc) in exchange for plain clothes much more often than women religious do. Not giving an opinion, just stating an observation.

Edited February 13, 2007 by shortnun

[the lords sheep]

[quote] My concern is that since I am down to really three communities who want me to discern with them, I might choose based on the habit -- and wonder if that is just too shallow for words. [/quote]


Just take your time in discerning with them... As you get to know the Sisters and the Lord more and more deeply, it will become apparent exactly where He is calling you, modified habit or not.
As long as you don't rush, you won't make what you call "a superficial decision."
Keep praying and try to remind yourself over and over again "Not my will but yours be done, O Lord" (I have to pray this about 1,000 times a day...)




[quote]
I was chatting with M. Milagro of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (Servidoras, Blue Sisters, however you like to call them smile.gif ) in my diocese. They're building up a community of young people and sending them out to bring the Gospel back in "normal" day-to-day life, because the Sisters feel they can't come to our universities and our workplaces. We're a bit like undercover agents! [/quote]

The Sisters are training us, just to clarify. They always wear the habit. From the SSVM website
[quote] "In each Servant there should be a love for her Habit, it should be like her skin, so that united to the Incarnate Word, who united Heaven and Earth, she may flower into all kinds of good works and be for all the good scent of Christ (2 Cor 2:15)."[/quote]


In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

Edited February 13, 2007 by the lords sheep

[Piamaria]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1192482' date='Feb 12 2007, 11:18 AM']
If it is shallow, I am probably pretty shallow


Unless a community is in an area where they would be persecuted or killed for wearing a habit (in which case it is not often logical to wear it since you wouldn't be able to live your apostolate of prayer or work...), people need to know that religious women [i]are[/i] religious who are [i]consecrated to God[/i]. That's precisely what a habit is: A symbol of a consecrated person's belonging entirely to God.
[/quote]

me too.

[Megz]

I know my favourite sister had alot alot of trouble adjusting to habited life, on the other hand, another sister I know dosn't wear a traditional habit.
They both live in community...but the sisters in the commuinty with the habit somehow seem more united to eachother, brought together by this similir struggle among others. The ones without, while they are amazing...seem more like close friends...

I don't think its shallow, its you're view of the world. But you do have to be prepared, in any case, for the Church Law to change and to wear a habit. Part of the obediance clause.

[Ora et Labora]

[quote name='Megz' post='1193907' date='Feb 13 2007, 03:39 PM']
I know my favourite sister had alot alot of trouble adjusting to habited life, on the other hand, another sister I know dosn't wear a traditional habit.
They both live in community...but the sisters in the commuinty with the habit somehow seem more united to eachother, brought together by this similir struggle among others. The ones without, while they are amazing...seem more like close friends...

[/quote]
That's an interesting insight

[Totus Tuus]

Sorry that was me ^^^

[VeniteAdoremus]

[quote name='Totus Tuus' post='1192957' date='Feb 13 2007, 03:30 AM']
I can see where you may be coming from. However, I have personally witnessed [i]tons[/i] of times that if a sister acts like a normal human being (which she is), then people will realize that and not have trouble talking to her. A police officer doesn't take off his uniform to do his job, a professor doesn't change into a pair of shorts to make his students feel comfortable, and a sister should not compromise her habit in order to converse with people more easily. That defeats the purpose of wearing it; people have to learn that sisters are normal and that their habit is a symbol of who they are.

The whole purpose of a habit is defeated if you take it off for precisely the reason you [i]should[/i] be wearing it.

Your post didn't seem to indicate whether it was the sisters themselves who are going "undercover" by not wearing habits of it's other people they're training to go undercover, so I might be misinterpreting your point.

If not, I stand on my statement (and the Church's) that you don't take off your habit.

I like the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara, so I can't really see them doing this.

Lauren
[/quote]

No, it's us I can't imagine the Servidoras without their habits. Just... no.

You made a lot of good points there... I think this is one of the topics that I'll change my mind on, with time. However, I do think this may be different in different countries... and in my country, it's just not done to be Catholic. So maybe that's one of the things that made me feel this way.

[Zkelly]

I just kind of skimmed through this thread, so I hope I don't repeat any points.


I don't think it's shallow at all to be concerned about an orders habit. Why? Because the habit is more than just "cool" clothes that religious wear. Habits are great symbols that bond the religious to there charism and more specifically to Christ. I would suggest reading this: [url="http://www.carmelitemonks.org/habit.html"]http://www.carmelitemonks.org/habit.html[/url] . It's a website for carmalite hermits that explains there habit, what it is, and why they wear it. Granted that this is a male order, but the same applies to women. There is awsome symbolism in a holy habit. Religious are supposed to be set apart from the world and the habit does that. Religious are supposed to be a bridge between God and man and the habit is the road sign that leads to that bridge. Similar to a police officers uniform or a doctors white coat, it allows people to know what they are there for. Police protect people, doctors heal people, and religious pray for people.

I remember, when I first came into the Catholic Church, that I associated the habit directly with prayer. The nun who did our RCIA at my parish is in an order that threw away their habit and I thought that all religious got rid of their habits. (Thank God I was wrong!) However, I remember wondering "Who prays for the world now?" I think the habit is indispensable to religious life and I think the orders that have tossed their habits aside are paying the price now, even the diocesan priesthood.

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Zkelly' post='1194177' date='Feb 13 2007, 07:40 PM'] There is awsome symbolism in a holy habit. Religious are supposed to be set apart from the world and the habit does that. Religious are supposed to be a bridge between God and man and the habit is the road sign that leads to that bridge. Similar to a police officers uniform or a doctors white coat, it allows people to know what they are there for. Police protect people, doctors heal people, and religious pray for people. [/quote]
Exactly.
[quote]I think the habit is indispensable to religious life[/quote]
So does our Holy Mother Church
[quote]and I think the orders that have tossed their habits aside are paying the price now, even the diocesan priesthood.
[/quote]
Yup, because they're not getting any vocations. This generation of solid Catholics wants to go [i]all the way[/i] if they're going to do something. They are not going to embrace an incomplete way of living the religious life when a fundamental aspect of the religious life (the habit) is dropped out of the picture!

Edited February 14, 2007 by Totus Tuus

[TeresaAvila]

I don't think it's shallow, the habit was also part of my discernment, as it's symbolic of religious life and who we belong to, and I don't buy into this mentality of the habit is a "barrier" if anything wearing the habit draws more people and also gives people more reassurance, I remember a time in my discernment with an active order who does evangelizing, while sister and I were out going door to door (in a fairly poor neighborhood) a man stops his car and calls over to sister asking her if she has a rosary, so she goes over to him and later shares with me that this man had fallen away and has been wanting for a long time to come back but wasn't sure how or what to do and so she was able to help this man, and had it not been for her being in habit, that life changing moment would have not happened.. the habit says to the world "servant of God" and in so many occupations uniforms are required that are truly unique to that particular occupation and the public doesn't expect them to take off their uniform, so religous shouldn't either!

as for modified vs. full habit, I say you just have to leave that all in gods hands and look at thewhole and go deeper in your discernment with god and go where he leads you!

God Bless you on this journey and know I'm praying for you!

[stlmom]

An interesting entry Feb. 13, from the [url="http://www.osbboonies.blogspot.com/index.html"]BLOG[/url] of a novice sister from a semi-cloistered contemplative community. The privilege of wearing their modified habit is given only after completing the novitiate. If you take the time to read her other entries, you will note that they are very prayerful contemplatives, devoted to the Rule of St. Benedict.

[be_thou_my_vision]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1195105' date='Feb 14 2007, 04:16 PM']
An interesting entry Feb. 13, from the [url="http://www.osbboonies.blogspot.com/index.html"]BLOG[/url] of a novice sister from a semi-cloistered contemplative community. The privilege of wearing their modified habit is given only after completing the novitiate. If you take the time to read her other entries, you will note that they are very prayerful contemplatives, devoted to the Rule of St. Benedict.
[/quote]
This is the community I'm living with over the summer! Wahoooo!!!

[Marieteresa]

Sorry to digress here for a second....

What is considered a modified habit? Wearing a simple dress? Or maybe there is no real criteria for wearing a modified habit? Thanks


Back to the regularly scheduled program

[cmotherofpirl]

[quote name='VeniteAdoremus' post='1192853' date='Feb 12 2007, 08:05 PM']
I was chatting with M. Milagro of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (Servidoras, Blue Sisters, however you like to call them ) in my diocese. They're building up a community of young people and sending them out to bring the Gospel back in "normal" day-to-day life, because the Sisters feel they can't come to our universities and our workplaces. We're a bit like undercover agents!

They do have a point: a lot of people at the Physics dept here would look up strangely if they came gliding in with their beautiful long veils, and have trouble speaking openly with them. I can imagine that there are congregations who want to make that kind of contact themselves and not "by proxy", and maybe wearing lay-like clothing helps. Not because the [i]Sisters[/i] think it's an obstacle, but because they realise a lot of other people do - which is true.
[/quote]

The initial encounters might be a bit awkward, until the person in question showed themselves to be a normal intelligent female interested in physics just like all the other students. THis would be more than made up for be the invaluble witness of religious life to everyone on campus.

People will not consider a religious vocation until they SEE a religious vocation. That is part of the tragedy of the orders that abandoned their habits.

[Guest Sister Jacqulyn]

[quote name='TeresaAvila' post='1194818' date='Feb 14 2007, 12:01 PM']
the habit says to the world "servant of God"
[/quote]

I am reading this thread and I am finding it quite inspiring and interesting! Some of you may already know me. I am a Junior Sister for the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Our congregation wears a "modified" habit and I must admit, as a young sister still discerning this congregation...our habit was and still continues to be a struggle point for me. I completely agree with so many things that all of you have written. Our visible witness is a NON-NEGOTIABLE and the religious life that we aspire to MUST BE A RADICAL SIGN OF GOD IN OUR LIVES! The habit that I wear does say to the world "servant of God" and it is a reminder to people of Him who Is.

God has called me to this congregation and I believe that. Right now, I am its youngest member and so I am a part of this generation that so thirsts to radically give all in every way possible to God...and I wish to show it in everything that I do! I find that common characteristic invigorating within much of our faithful youth today. The habit is a sign of our consecration and testifies to[i] who we [/i] are and [i]who's we are [/i] just as much as our actions do.