"Let's Pretend.."

[Sister_Helena]

Let’s pretend I’m the Mother Prioress of a Carmelite Monastery and you are here this afternoon in the speakroom for an interview…

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?

Mother Prioress:
How does your family feel about this?

Mother Prioress:
How’s your prayer life?

**Mother Prioress: **Thank you for being open to God. God is calling you to himself and no matter if you enter religious life or not, he loves you and wants you for himself in the world.

 

[withwind]

Great questions Sister Helena. I pretend to be a lady then.

Let’s pretend I’m the Mother Prioress of a Carmelite Monastery and you are here this afternoon in the speakroom for an interview…

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

• To be transformed and become a saint for Christ and salvation of souls through prayers.
  Mother Prioress:
  Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?
• lots of discipline, obedience, responsiblities, patience and love-- putting up a lot with other nuns.
• detachment is very crucial.
• lots of prayers and meditations.
  Mother Prioress:
  How does your family feel about this?
• very supportive and allow me to make decisions that are important to me.
  Mother Prioress:
  How’s your prayer life?
  Good. Daily mass, frequent confession, and other devotions are the key to grow in the relationship with the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary and with others.

**Mother Prioress: **Thank you for being open to God. God is calling you to himself and no matter if you enter religious life or not, he loves you and wants you for himself in the world.

• Thank you, mother Prioress. I will pray to have the courage to offer myself to God as who I am and may He uses me as He wills.

 

[Spiritu]

Closes eyes, makes Sign of the Cross and knocks on door of interview room

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

• Because I want to live my whole life in service to God, and devote everything I have - my mind, my heart and my soul - to being close to Him. Because when I was early in discernment, I found the passage in the Bible that says, “Thy creator is thy husband, and the Lord of Hosts is his name” (Isaiah 54:5), and I’m so eager to meet His challenge. Because Jesus died for my sake, and because His love for me fills me to the brim with love for Him.

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?

• Prayer, regularity, denial of self-will. Tradition, reverence, observation of silence, and also a life of community and interdependence.

Mother Prioress:
How does your family feel about this?

• The general attitude is that once I’ve graduated from university, found a job and a full social life, and seen a bit more of the world, I’ll outgrow my desire to enter the religious life, and this will be a good thing.

Mother Prioress:
How’s your prayer life?

• I enjoy spending time in prayer: the church I go to in the city has almost perpetual Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, and that’s a fantastic thing for me. Daily Mass isn’t practical at the moment because my schedule’s fairly heavy, but I go as often as I can, and wish for more. I’m also slowly reading my way through the Bible, and other important Christian writing - I want to develop an intellectual faith as well as a passionate one.

Mother Prioress: Thank you for being open to God. God is calling you to himself and no matter if you enter religious life or not, he loves you and wants you for himself in the world.

• Thank you Mother Prioress.

Phew - done! That’s a great exercise, Sister Helena! (I expect that when the time comes for my real interview, I’ll probably be one step short of a heart attack with nerves, so this is quite a reassuring way to start thinking about it.)

 

[Sister_Helena]

Any other “pretenders” out there?

 

[littletherese3]

Any other “pretenders” out there?

I am a potential “pretender” but I need to wait for a bit so that I can think about the questions properly and form my answers
The questions seem so simple, which they are, but right now the answers don’t seem so simple to me. They will be soon though, and then I will become a “pretender”!

Just wait until I’ve had enough thinking time
Theis is a wonderful exercise, Sister Helena, and thank you for all of your (name removed by moderator)ut and encouragement on the Vocations forums! We really appreciate it.

-littletherese3

 

[Leopard]

Any other “pretenders” out there?

Oh, I suppose. Okay:

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

Well, the idea of being able to devote myself more fully to God without distraction is appealing.

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?

I presume this refers to living in a stable community separated from outside distractions.

Mother Prioress:
How does your family feel about this?

I don’t think my wife and children would want me to do this on a permanent basis.

Mother Prioress:
How’s your prayer life?

Pretty good, I think, although I’m certainly open to grow in it more fully.

Mother Prioress: Thank you for being open to God. God is calling you to himself and no matter if you enter religious life or not, he loves you and wants you for himself in the world.

Thank you too. God bless you.

 

[Sister_Helena]

One of my favorite Carmelite Saints is Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. After she had entered Carmel, she had an interview with the Mistress of Novices and was asked the following questions. The questions are generic, do not only pertain to religious, but can be answered by anyone who is serious about spiritual life. This is not a pretend session. Your answers should reflect your true sentiments:

What is your ideal of sanctity?

What is the quickest means of achieving it?

What defect do you dislike the most?

What name would you like to have in heaven?
**
The following are my add-ons:**

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?

What is your favorite image of God?

What virtue attracts you the most?

What vice do you dislike the most?

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?

 

[The_Fool]

What is your ideal of sanctity?
The the innermost of St. Teresa d’Avila’s mansions.

What is the quickest means of achieving it?
Prayer, faith, hope, love, and persistent supplication.

What defect do you dislike the most?
I dislike my pride the most; it is the source of all my sins and deceives me when i trust myself when I should be trusting God.

What name would you like to have in heaven?
“Mine”, as in God’s.

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?
Psalm 63 2-4: O god, you are my God-- for you I long! For you my body yearns; for you my soul thirsts, Like a land parched, lifeless, and without water. So I look to you in the sanctuary to see your power and glory. for your love is better than life; my lips offer you worship!

What is your favorite image of God?
I have trouble visualizing the unseen, so it would be more of a sensation of softness, and warmth, and acceptance, the kind I get from my blankie when I’m feeling really really pathetic.

What virtue attracts you the most?
Humility.

What vice do you dislike the most?
I think that goes up to defects.

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?
“Can I stay here?” and that is assuming I see him face to face.

Blast, I’m depressing.

 

[joamy]

One of my favorite Carmelite Saints is Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. After she had entered Carmel, she had an interview with the Mistress of Novices and was asked the following questions. The questions are generic, do not only pertain to religious, but can be answered by anyone who is serious about spiritual life. This is not a pretend session. Your answers should reflect your true sentiments:

What is your ideal of sanctity?To be like Jesus

What is the quickest means of achieving it? Mass, Adoration, Confession, prayer

What defect do you dislike the most? My own selfishness

What name would you like to have in heaven? Beloved
**
The following are my add-ons:**

What is your favorite passage in the Bible? John 6:68-69 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

What is your favorite image of God? The Good Shepherd

What virtue attracts you the most? Humility

What vice do you dislike the most?Pride

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be? To love Him better.

 

[Spiritu]

More great questions! Yippee!

What is your ideal of sanctity?
To live with the heart and mind of Jesus as my own.

What is your quickest means of achieving it?
Reminding myself to practice it constantly in everyday life.

What defect do you dislike the most?
My tendency to compare myself with others: leads either to pride or to false humility.

What name would you like to have in heaven?
“My good and faithful servant.”

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?
1 Corinthians 13:13. “In the end, three things endure: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love.”
I also love Romans 8:38-39… “For I am certain that nothing can separate us from this love: neither death nor life, neither angels nor other heavenly rulers nor powers, neither the present nor the future, neither the world above nor the world below - there is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What is your favorite image of God?
This is going to sound very corny, but I have an image of Jesus on a very old and battered holy card which sums it up for me: His heart is aflame and crowned with thorns, but it lights up His face, and His eyes are full of wisdom and tenderness.
Hang on… here it is on Google!
http://www.freewebs.com/bhfianniversary1/59.jpg

Which virtue attracts you the most?
Gentleness.

What vice do you dislike the most?
Hard to decide between pride and anger.

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?
For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

 

[marirose4]

What is your ideal of sanctity? To be like Jesus by following his example and the example of his blessed mother.

What is the quickest means of achieving it? Constant prayer, offering everything up to him. Asking for the intercession of his mother and for keep me close to her son.

What defect do you dislike the most?
Any defect that separates me from Jesus. I have so many failings, I need constant help.

What name would you like to have in heaven? Marirose

The following are my add-ons:

What is your favorite passage in the Bible? Hosea 2: 14-15

But then I will win her back once again, I will lead her out into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.

That is the passage that he used to call me back to himself and the church after 10 years of wandering in the desert.

Also: Philippians 4:6-9, Proverbs 3:5-6, Jeremiah 29:11-14 (there are so many more)

What is your favorite image of God?
There are so many. Jesus the Shepard with the lamb around his neck.

What virtue attracts you the most? Prudence

The Joy of the Lord that I see in people that are really close to God. When they are not shaken even in this world of evil where the forces of darkness and the culture of death seem to be closing in.

 

[marirose4]

Prayer to Our Blessed Mother

Take my hand O Blessed Mother
Hold me firmly lest I fall.
I grow nervous while I’m walking
and humbly on thee do I call.

Guide me over every crossing
Watch me when I’m on the stairs.
Let me know that You’re beside me.
Listen to my fervent prayers.

Bring me to my destination.
Keep me safe along the way.
Bless my every undertaking
and my duties for the day.

And when the evening creeps upon me,
I will never be alone.
Once again, O Blessed Mother
take my hand and lead me home.

 

[Augustine]

What is your ideal of sanctity?

To do God’s will.

What is the quickest means of achieving it?

Self-emptying.

What defect do you dislike the most?

Haughtiness.

What name would you like to have in heaven?

Augustine.

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?

“And I shall live in the house of the Lord for years to come.”

What is your favorite image of God?

The Divine Mercy.

What virtue attracts you the most?

Chastity.

What vice do you dislike the most?

Lust and sloth.

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?

“Consume me with zeal for you, Lord God of hosts.”

 

[Sister_Helena]

What is your ideal of sanctity?

• Union of my will with God’s will.

**
What is the quickest means of achieving it?**

• Self-forgetfulness
  .
  What defect do you dislike the most?
  Pride

What name would you like to have in heaven?
Spouse of Jesus

The following are my add-ons:

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?
“your life is hidden now with God. When Christ your life appears, you will appear with him in glory.”

What is your favorite image of God?
Father

What virtue attracts you the most?
Fidelity
**
What vice do you dislike the most?**
Boasting

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?
that I may dwell in the House of the Lord all the days of my life.

 

[Bebekoualy]

I love your threads, sister!

Let me reply to this all! (such a good idea)

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

• Actually, I felt this pull since I first met God. I knew I would be more fulfilled in a life which is completely devoted to God. I wanted to become Jesus’s spouse. I knew Marriage wouldn’t give me such joy. I’m giving to God my heart, my soul, my body and my spirit by entering Religious Life.
  Mother Prioress:
  Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?
  -** I seek silence. I feel that God has many things to tell me through silence. Even though I don’t hear His voice, I’ve got this growing need of seeking silence.
  I wanted to be to God for ever, to leave this world and its material goods, only to be with God and to pray to Him all the time (7 times a day give him praise)… to abandon me to him.**

Mother Prioress:
How does your family feel about this?

• They are reluctant… Especially my dad. He doesn’t believe in God. I forgive him anyway, and I will pray so that the Lord gives him joy anyway. He deserves it.
  My mom is all right, she’s so glad and thinks I’m her little angel. She suffers from not keeping contact with me anymore, but we were separated when I was five, but I keep her in my heart and I will pray for her as long as possible.
  Mother Prioress:
  How’s your prayer life?
• I don’t know praying. It’s the Holy Spirit praying within me. I’m a bad christian, but I’m asking God to transfigure me every day. I think I can do nothing without Him. I love Him. Prayer is just love. It’s the easiest and the hardest thing to do. It’s a talk-to-talk, but it can be also a struggle. I’m faithful, I never cease, but I strive not to switch off. I offen suffer not to love Him enough. I’ve come to learn to pray, but I think I need all my life to learn that.
  Mother Prioress: Thank you for being open to God. God is calling you to himself and no matter if you enter religious life or not, he loves you and wants you for himself in the world.

What is your ideal of sanctity?
humility

What is the quickest means of achieving it?
to humble yourself. to bow down, and repent

What defect do you dislike the most?
pride

What name would you like to have in heaven?
Ahe (=beloved in Hebrew)

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?
***Osea Chapter 2
14 Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfortably unto her.
15 And I will give her her vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope: and she shall sing there, as in the days of her youth, and as in the day when she came up out of the land of Egypt.
16 And it shall be at that day, saith the Lord, that thou shalt call me Ishi; and shalt call me no more Baali.
17 For I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and they shall no more be remembered by their name. ***

What is your favorite image of God?
Baby Jesus in Mary’s arms (any representation)

What virtue attracts you the most?
honesty (saying the truth without delay)

What vice do you dislike the most?
idleness

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?
"Please, take me entirely. Take everything I can give you!"

 

[MissMichal]

One of my favorite Carmelite Saints is Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. After she had entered Carmel, she had an interview with the Mistress of Novices and was asked the following questions. The questions are generic, do not only pertain to religious, but can be answered by anyone who is serious about spiritual life. This is not a pretend session. Your answers should reflect your true sentiments:

What is your ideal of sanctity?
To pray without ceasing, never spending a moment separated from God, seeking only to please Him and forgetting the world and myself

What is the quickest means of achieving it?
It cannot be achieved this side of heaven. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But, by persisting in prayer, constantly seeking God in everyday life and paying attention to daily blessings, I can get closer every day.

What defect do you dislike the most?
My tendency to seek God when it’s “convenient” rather than doing everything for Him alone

What name would you like to have in heaven?
I like my own name
**
The following are my add-ons:**

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?
Mark 12:29-31: 29 And Jesus answered him: The first commandment of all is, Hear, O Israel: the Lord thy God is one God. 30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. 31 And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.

Also Mark 10:13-15: 13 And they brought to him young children, that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked them that brought them. 14 Whom when Jesus saw, he was much displeased, and saith to them: Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of God. 15 Amen I say to you, whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, shall not enter into it.

What is your favorite image of God?
There is an image of the Sacred Heart to which I am especially attached

What virtue attracts you the most?
Gratitude. In the words of Cicero, “Gratitude is the greatest of all the virtues and the mother of all the rest.”

What vice do you dislike the most?
The need for revenge

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?
Work in the hearts of the people on earth, and fill them with love and gratitude.

 

[Jennifer_G]

Any other “pretenders” out there?

I guess I’ll “pretend”, too.

Mother Prioress: Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

I’ve felt called to more prayer ever since I was a teenager, before I was even Catholic. Seeing the bad things in this world, the vulgarness, obscenities, hatefulness, makes me want to turn closer to Jesus. I also want to pray for the souls in Purgatory. A life of quiet simplicity is also very appealing to me. After becoming Catholic last year, and even during RCIA, I’ve felt this curiousity and pull to learn more about the religious life.

Something I thought of when I was a teenager (before I had even realized what the Catholic Church was). I always had this ‘vision’, if you will, of myself being like a small, budding flower (I think it was a daisy, since that’s the flower that’s on the side of our house) that wants to bloom, but was afraid to because of the cold winds and storms. Reading about St. Therese, The Little Flower reminded me of that.

Mother Prioress: Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?

A life of prayer, frequent Holy Communion, Confession, Eucharistic Adoration, and contemplative silence to talk to Jesus, something that is hard to do in this busy world with so many distractions.

Mother Prioress: How does your family feel about this?

A bit of a shock, but I think they were expecting it. The first question my mom asked me when we got home after the Easter Vigil
was, “Are you going to become a nun??”. My dad used to be Catholic, and always had a hard time with nuns being the ornery kid in the class. I think I might be on the receiving end of his nun jokes now.

Mother Prioress: How’s your prayer life?

I pray my Rosary daily, as well as the Divine Mercy Chaplet at special times throughout the year, or for when people are ill/dying. I also pray in the morning and evening before going to bed. I attend confession weekly, but wished I could go more frequently. Since I work, I’m unable to go to Mass daily, but I go every Sunday. Even during work hours, I find myself meditating on scripture, or praying for a co-worker if an email comes across saying that they are ill or have died.

When I first wanted to become Catholic over 10 years ago, of which I could not because my parents didn’t permit me to, I had more free time since I was in college, and had a set of morning, midday and evening prayers, along with the Rosary. I also got a Brown Scapular, which I still wear.

---

What is your ideal of sanctity?

To be completely seperated from the world and completely Christ’s.

What is the quickest means of achieving it?

Self sacrifice.

What defect do you dislike the most?

Envy.

What name would you like to have in heaven?

Faustina, my patron saint.

What is your favorite passage in the Bible?

“Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!”.

What is your favorite image of God?

Sacred Heart of Jesus.

What virtue attracts you the most?

Humbleness. My Catholic grandmother has this gift, and even her severe stroke couldn’t take it away.

What vice do you dislike the most?

Lust. It seems so pervasive in today’s society with obscenities on TV, ads, even the news.

If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?

To help make me more ferverently devoted to Him.

 

[ana01]

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me why you want to enter religious life?

-I think the reason is love. The purpose is to intercede for the salvation of souls, through God’s Mercy. By becoming a true servant of God.

Mother Prioress:
Can you tell me what your idea is of being in the cloister?

-A simple life, full of joy and peace.

Mother Prioress:
How does your family feel about this?

-They’re not overall excited about it, but they say they’ll support me in my vocation.

Mother Prioress:
How’s your prayer life?
-…I don’t really have a ‘routine’ for prayer. I would like something like that, but for now I usually talk to God in my heart, and I listen for Him. And every now and then I pray prayers like the rosary, the chaplet of Divine Mercy and the litany of saint…prayers like that.

 

[Humility101]

What is your ideal of sanctity? Complete trust and dependance in God.
What is the quickest means of achieving it? Striving each day to live God’s will.
What defect do you dislike the most? Pride
What name would you like to have in heaven? Whatever name God choses for me if it is different than the one I now have.

The following are my add-ons:

What is your favorite passage in the Bible? Gospel of John 1:1
What is your favorite image of God? The Holy Trinity
What virtue attracts you the most? This one is challenging…I do not think humility is one, so I will say, temperance.
What vice do you dislike the most? pride
If you can ask God one thing, what would it be?For the grace to love Him as I should.

These are my responses today, they might be different tomorrow
Thanks for posting these questions Sr. Helena. They got me thinking…

God bless,
~Rae