How Did You Know?

[laetitia crucis]

I must admit, ever since I have discerned that I do indeed have a vocation to the religious life, I've always been intrigued by the contemplative life.

However, if someone were to ask me if I think I have a vocation to the cloister, I would say "no". Why? I guess I'm not really sure....somehow it just doesn't seem "right" for me, but if it was... wow, that would be AMAZING! (And if God wants to give me that grace, I'm all for it! ) I have such an admiration for those called to this vocation...the complete holocaust of self in the hidden life...

So, I suppose, my question is "How do you know you have a calling to the contemplative life?"

To elaborate on my question:
How do you know you're not called to the active life or the semi-contemplative? Is a "trial and error" with "Come & See"s to both types, or is it through prayer that you just know? Are there "signs" that would obviously tell if a person is or is not called specifically to the contemplative life?

Thanks to all who reply!

Edited March 26, 2009 by laetitia crucis

[Luigi]

To some extent or another, contemplation is incorporated into every form of religious life. Your question seems to be, really, how much contemplation is right for me? And by the grace of God, there is a whole spectrum of options in the Catholic church. Benedictines "pray and work," some orders label themselves as "active/contemplative," some call themselves "semi-comtemplative," and some are fully contemplative.

I suppose there are a number of ways to go about making the decision, but as a starting point, how much do you pray now? What kind of prayer seems most productive (that may not be the right word, but I hope you know what I mean - satisfying? That's not right either.) for you? And do you see prayer as a ministry in and of itself or mainly as a source of inspiration & nourishment for other kinds of work?

Best regards.

[AccountDeleted]

This is a wonderful question! And as has been said, there are different versions of "contemplative" life and you have to ask yourself if you are meaning cloistered/contemplative as well?

When I finally decided to follow up on the call to religious life, I had a spiritual director who helped me determine this. But even after initially entering a cloistered, contemplative community, I wasn't sure if I was in the right place, so I left and tried a few other places. First, I tried an active evangelical community, and it was very apparent to me that there wasn't enough emphasis on prayer life for my spiritual needs. Then I lived as a hermit for two months, which was heaven in a way, but I sorely missed praying the Divine Office in community. I also visited one other active community that had an apostolate with the homeless poor, where there was time for community prayer, but no contemplation. The last contemplative community I stayed with was very prayerful but they were not faithful to the charism of the foundress, so I knew that I wasn't in the right community, although I was in the right order! Now I am going to try again in the Carmelites, but in a stricter community, in the hope that they are faithful to the vision of St Teresa.

It might not be necessary to visit as many communities as I have to make this discernment, but I do advise the help of a very good spiritual director in that case, and a lot of research into the different charisms and communities.

Some things I have thought about -- but others may correct me or please add to what I am saying here...

The Carmelites have two hours of contemplative (mental) prayer each day, which is essential for me - like water in the desert. Not all contemplative communities have this much time set aside for this kind of prayer. Caremlites also either recite or chant (usually plain chant) the Divine Office (Liturgy of the Hours) 7 times per day. They work very hard physically and are penitential in nature (self-denial, especially of the senses). To me, their life is mainly focused on prayer (Office and contemplation) and penance. I consider myself a Carmelite in spirituality but I do miss some things from other orders, such as the rich way that the Benedictines treat the Divine Office, with music and chant, and the focus on study that the Dominicans have.

Finally, not all cloistered communities are the same - there is constitutional enclosure and papal enclosure, and even among the Carmelites, some observe this more strictly than others.

Whatever God is calling you to, it is just so wonderful to be able to try to respond. I keep reminding myself of St Therese's saying that it is our effort that pleases God, not the results. Prayers for you!

Ps We need some Poor Clares to help us with their charism. I know they are cloistered and many have perpetual adoration -- but I am not really savvy about the PCs very much. I think they don't spend as much time in their cell as Carmelites do, but are more community focused, but I could be wrong.

Edited March 26, 2009 by nunsense

[tnavarro61]

it's an interior desire.. a longing of being alone with God, a longing for all-day silence, a longing to gaze Him lovingly, a longing so deep that you want to die just to meet Him (but of course, no suicide!)

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[quote name='nunsense' post='1816745' date='Mar 25 2009, 10:13 PM']Ps We need some Poor Clares to help us with their charism. I know they are cloistered and many have perpetual adoration -- but I am not really savvy about the PCs very much. I think they don't spend as much time in their cell as Carmelites do, but are more community focused, but I could be wrong.[/quote]
All I really know about is the PCCs, and even that is limited. Schedules change from community to community based on the age/number of Sisters. Here is what happens at Rockford:
[quote]12:30 a.m. - Rise
12:45 a.m. - Matins (Office of Readings) Meditation
1:45 a.m. - Retire
5:00 a.m. - Rise Dusting charge
5:30 a.m. - Lauds (Morning Prayer)
6:00 a.m. - Meditation
7:00 a.m. - Rosary
7:30 a.m. - Holy Sacrifice of the Mass Thanksgiving Breakfast Work period
9:30 a.m. - The Abbess’ blessing Terce (Midmorning Prayer) (Breakfast) Work period
11:45 a.m. - Sext (Midday Prayer)
12:00 p.m. - Angelus & Examen Dinner
1:00 p.m. - General work
1:30 p.m. - Quiet time
2:00 p.m. - None (Midafternoon Prayer) Work period
4:30 p.m. - Vespers (Evening Prayer) Scripture reading
5:30 p.m. - Angelus Collation (Supper)
6:30 p.m. - Recreation
7:30 p.m. - Compline (Night Prayer) Free time
9:00 p.m. - Retire[/quote]
Even this schedule changes from day to day sometimes. During Lent/Advent they do not play the organ except for some simple music on Sundays and Solemnities. They usually have exposition for several hours a day where each sister will have a change at some time to spend an hour before the Lord. They do spend a lot of time as a community for prayer. The only time they are free to do as they with is during quiet time in the afternoon. I don't know if that answers that, but [url="http://www.cloisteredlife.com/poor-clares/"]Cloistered Life[/url] has a very nice write up about their day.

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

Also, my attraction to the contemplative life, it's been gradual. I didn't do a whole lot of real discernment for the first year or so, I just let things go. I even remember reading in St. Faustina's Diary where she was asked to found a cloistered community and thinking that is not for me! But, that was about it until I started visiting communities and I started right at the outset with cloistered communities. I've worked with active religious in the past, but I am called to right now would be the hardest thing for me right now, but I have this good feeling that I am supposed to offer up a lot of sacrifices for the sins of my past and for the conversion of those I love.

Plus, it feels right. I know with the Poor Clares it will be rough, but I think I need that more than anyone. But the burden will be light at the same time. If I find that it is not what I am called to, I will begin again. The Lord will lead me and I will be like the lamb that hears and follows His voice.

[laetitia crucis]

Thanks to everyone for your replies! All the questions and experiences you all replied with are definitely a help to my own reflection and discernment as I've never really discerned with cloistered contemplative communities.

I guess for starters, to answer Luigi in how much do I pray right now? -- I currently live (as a lay person) in an apostolic convent with sisters I've been discerning with for a while. I basically follow their schedule as I would if I were one of them. They pray morning, evening, and night prayer; have an hour of daily adoration; pray one rosary; and they have daily Mass. On Fridays they abstain from meat throughout the year. And on the weekends they chant/sing the Liturgy. That's perhaps my favorite part of the entire week -- besides daily Mass!

For myself, I know I desire a more penitential life, to sing all the hours of the Liturgy, more adoration, and to have more communal prayer time. I desire to be forgotten and absorbed into the Sacred and Immaculate Hearts. And even though I'm somewhat of a talkative and social person, in my heart, I desire silence.

As tnavarro61 said: [quote]it's an interior desire.. a longing of being alone with God, a longing for all-day silence, a longing to gaze Him lovingly, a longing so deep that you want to die just to meet Him (but of course, no suicide!)[/quote] And like nunsense, I also love to study.

Right now, I'm looking into the [url="http://www.marymediatrix.com"]Franciscans of the Immaculate[/url] and I also realize they have a contemplative branch of Poor Clares. The active branch is semi-contemplative -- which the only semi-contemplative communities I've looked into are the SSMEs and the Sisters of Life, though I know through discernment, I am not called to devote my entire life to teaching in schools or to the Pro-Life movement (though I am very active in the pro-life movement). And more than anything, I desire to give my life completely to the Immaculate. I want to be at her complete disposal.

I wish there were some kind of quiz you could take to see which order you belong in!

Edited March 27, 2009 by laetitia crucis

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' post='1817811' date='Mar 27 2009, 10:46 AM']I wish there were some kind of quiz you could take to see which order you belong in! [/quote]


There are many vocation quizzes online - just search with the words vocation quiz and you will see many sites that offer different quizzes. Some are by the communities themselves and some are more generic for vocations. Have fun taking them all!!!

[DevotedtoHim]

My spiritual director told me you know when it is all you can think about. Like me.

Katherine

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='nunsense' post='1817855' date='Mar 27 2009, 03:56 PM']There are many vocation quizzes online - just search with the words vocation quiz and you will see many sites that offer different quizzes. Some are by the communities themselves and some are more generic for vocations. Have fun taking them all!!![/quote]

Hey, that's fantastic!!!! THANKS!!!

I love quizzes -- hahah!

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote]Is a "trial and error" with "Come & See"s to both types, or is it through prayer that you just know? Are there "signs" that would obviously tell if a person is or is not called specifically to the contemplative life?[/quote]

Well, for me it was sort of both. I definitely didn't know right away... discerned back and forth for just about four years! I received a pretty clear answer in prayer a few months before I visited the Poor Clares of the Immaculate, but visiting made me certain that I could live the contemplative life and be happy, although it took me a few months after that to deal with a couple issues I wanted to thrash out with myself.

The Poor Clares sing the Ordinary of Mass every day, plus hymns. It's tiring I must say. They also sing all of the Divine Office usually. It's so beautiful! I love it.
The daily schedule is roughly like this:

12 AM. Matins for novices and professed. Return to sleep.
5.45 AM. Rise. Mass, thanksgiving, Lauds.
Breakfast (bread, jam and bowl of coffee-and-milk). Short prayers before and after. Silent, with reading by one of the sisters or a tape.

Terce.
Work. Turns of Eucharistic Adoration for one hour each.
Sext.
Meditation, one hour.
Around 1 or 2, Lunch. short prayers before and after. This is the main meal--two plates. Short reading and then conversation.

Siesta, one hour.
None.
Work.
Vespers.
Supper, one plate. Usually silent and then working recreation afterwards; when I was there supper was recreation.
Compline. Bed around 9.15 or 10?

Usually, there are two hours of study fit into that somewhere. Some of the things above might not be in the right order, oh well.

Basically I've always found the contemplative life to be very appealing sounding but took me quite a long time to be sure.

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='Thomist-in-Training' post='1819805' date='Mar 29 2009, 08:26 PM']Well, for me it was sort of both. I definitely didn't know right away... discerned back and forth for just about four years! I received a pretty clear answer in prayer a few months before I visited the Poor Clares of the Immaculate, but visiting made me certain that I could live the contemplative life and be happy, although it took me a few months after that to deal with a couple issues I wanted to thrash out with myself.

The Poor Clares sing the Ordinary of Mass every day, plus hymns. It's tiring I must say. They also sing all of the Divine Office usually. It's so beautiful! I love it.
The daily schedule is roughly like this:

12 AM. Matins for novices and professed. Return to sleep.
5.45 AM. Rise. Mass, thanksgiving, Lauds.
Breakfast (bread, jam and bowl of coffee-and-milk). Short prayers before and after. Silent, with reading by one of the sisters or a tape.

Terce.
Work. Turns of Eucharistic Adoration for one hour each.
Sext.
Meditation, one hour.
Around 1 or 2, Lunch. short prayers before and after. This is the main meal--two plates. Short reading and then conversation.

Siesta, one hour.
None.
Work.
Vespers.
Supper, one plate. Usually silent and then working recreation afterwards; when I was there supper was recreation.
Compline. Bed around 9.15 or 10?

Usually, there are two hours of study fit into that somewhere. Some of the things above might not be in the right order, oh well.

Basically I've always found the contemplative life to be very appealing sounding but took me quite a long time to be sure.[/quote]

This schedule and all your insights are WONDERFUL! God bless!!