Nothing in religious life is a sacrifice. If you see it like that then you are in the wrong place. It is simply a willing giving and thus a joy, with no pain.You should only enter the convent if you have a supernatural calling – a calling from the Lord Himself. It’s not something that you weigh pros and cons for, as if deciding whether to buy a house.
In addition to the vocation, one might consider being a nun because:
– your life centers on Jesus Christ – on glorying, exalting, praising, and blessing Him, constantly – the nun is His bride;
– the monastic lifestyle forces you to confront yourself within a framed setting, which increases opportunities for purification and thus expedites the process of holiness;
– your purpose in life is to pray for the salvation of souls and souls in purgatory, so you do work few others souls do on a regular basis; and
– the monastic life requires many sacrifices, which all contribute to carrying Christ’s cross, and thus contribute to the economy of salvation and expiation.
There are a lot of specifics related to the religious order, for example. Many Carmelites will experience God very intimately, in a form of spiritual marriage – ecstatic prayer, for example. Others, such as Dominicans, shape the whole person, and dedicate their lives to loving Christ via study of His word.
The religious vocation is the highest vocation for a woman.
Speaking theologically and objectively, the above is absolutely correct; however, speaking subjectively where a particular person or persons are concerned, nothing can be higher than God’s Will for a person.Quoting Safia: - The religious vocation is the highest vocation for a woman
You may already know this but there is a difference between nuns and sisters. Nuns are enclosed contemplatives, their work and ministry is prayer. Sisters are apostolic, they live and minister in the world.I wish I knew more about nuns, and about all the Pros of being a nun or becoming a nun, because all I seem to know is the cons of being a nun? (PS. I guess I tend to think the worst first in life even about the life of a nun, which causes me to not be able to see the Pros as easily). Please answer back!
Thanks for reading this and commenting,
Yours Truely,
Rebekah
Have you thought about whether you feel called to apostolic or cloistered religious life? Because that’s a big difference right there that can help narrow things down before you even start looking at specific communities. If you’re interested in apostolic religious life, the obvious thing then is what ministry you feel called to. If you feel called to cloistered life, the question is then what spirituality you are most attracted to. Some have saints who were religious as their patron saints and use that as a starting point, others use whatever is the closest community to them. It can be intimidating if you just leap into it but by breaking it down it can make it a lot less scary.Anyways, I guess it seems at times that I get consumed by the world and I get afraid and overwhelmed because it seems that there are too many orders to choose from, how do I know which one will be the right one that God wants me to be at? As a result of this fear, I become discouraged about my future, and a little bit depressed. I guess I need to be a bit more patient to let my future unravel on my own, which I’m not very good at considering how I’m often times impatient.
If God is calling you then He will make it possible for you. Part of a calling is an ability to lead the life.Oh yeah, Also I sometimes worry that I won’t be able to do what God’s calling me to do! Or that my anxiety disorder will stop me! Or that I won’t be fit for this life!