Sister Jeanne? Maybe?

[jeanne71350]

Hi everyone,

Well, I really think possibly I might have a vocation to religious life. I’m sixteen and I’m very religious. The one thing in the whole world that makes me happy is being with God. I don’t get the same feeling of love and happiness from dating as I do spending time with God in prayer and adoration. I absolutely love service. I just want to keep doing it, because I know it brings me closer to God. That’s all I want. Just to be with Him.
I’ve been open to becoming a sister, but I sort of had my doubts. People expect me to get married and have a family, but I’m really attracted to living religious life, and spreading the message of Jesus wherever I go, instead of family life.

This weekend I made a retreat with my Confirmation class. We were praising God in Adoration, and I just went out crying. I don’t know if I was slain in the Spirit, but I curled up on the floor and wept my eyes out. My teacher came and prayed over me. And she whispered to me, “God wants you to listen to His call. He knows you’ve been having doubts, and He says that He knows what’s in your heart. He will strengthen you and guide you in the right path.”

My teacher knew nothing of me wanting to enter religious life.

Can someone please give me some advice? I still want to go to college. I’m really interested in teaching at college. I think teaching at a seminary would be awesome.

-Jeanne

 

[Monica4316]

dear Jeanne, I think that’s wonderful that you experience joy being with God and want to be with Him. This could be a vocation or it might be a way God is drawing you closer to Himself. In either case, it’s for your growth in holiness.

If you want to be a sister, you would probably still need to go to college, because many orders recommend this. Many nuns and sisters have a college education. You have time to figure this out then someday you might also want to get a good spiritual director…preferably someone who knows about vocations, so you can discern better. Discerning a vocation is a process and it takes much prayer.

The advice I was given is to go to Mass and Adoration as much as I can, and to pray… the closer you get to God, the more able you’ll be to accept His will for you. (and to hear HIs calling.)

Try to stay open to Him… and if you discern a calling to religious life, it might be something God wants you to respond to urgently, or go to college first. Wait and see wanting to just be with God is a good sign, in my opinion, but ultimately this is something you’ll have to discern further. Don’t doubt but trust God and trust that He’ll show you the way. Take it step by step, God often gives us a time of preparation before making His will clear.

God bless!

 

[tinalewis]

Hi Sister . . .

Two comments from this middle-aged married woman.

First - If you feel attracted to the religious life, please take steps to discern this call. Pray, pray, pray about it! You are already blessed with the thought of the possibility of a life as a religious, so please follow the Holy Spirit’s whispers about your vocation.

Second - Marriage is about a different from dating as east is from west. It’s unfair to believe that if you don’t find happiness and love in dating then marriage isn’t for you. I don’t believe the intent of dating is to feel love and happiness. The intent of dating is to get to know someone better and to hopefully either have a pleasant time (dinner, movie, sightseeing) or else work together as a couple toward a higher goal (whether the goal is marriage or a volunteer project or church function, etc.)

No mother who is hugged by her child thinks to herself: “Oh, this is just like what I felt when I was dating!.” When my husband and I reminisce about our life together, we hardly ever include events when we were dating. You might date for 2 or 3 years - but (with God’s blessing) you’ll be married for perhaps 50 years. Dating does not equal marriage! So, please do not cast aside marriage based on your limited experiences during dating.

 

[jeanne71350]

Hi Sister . . .

Two comments from this middle-aged married woman.

First - If you feel attracted to the religious life, please take steps to discern this call. Pray, pray, pray about it! You are already blessed with the thought of the possibility of a life as a religious, so please follow the Holy Spirit’s whispers about your vocation.

Second - Marriage is about a different from dating as east is from west. It’s unfair to believe that if you don’t find happiness and love in dating then marriage isn’t for you. I don’t believe the intent of dating is to feel love and happiness. The intent of dating is to get to know someone better and to hopefully either have a pleasant time (dinner, movie, sightseeing) or else work together as a couple toward a higher goal (whether the goal is marriage or a volunteer project or church function, etc.)

No mother who is hugged by her child thinks to herself: “Oh, this is just like what I felt when I was dating!.” When my husband and I reminisce about our life together, we hardly ever include events when we were dating. You might date for 2 or 3 years - but (with God’s blessing) you’ll be married for perhaps 50 years. Dating does not equal marriage! So, please do not cast aside marriage based on your limited experiences during dating.

What I meant to say is, I don’t see myself settling down with another earthly man for the rest of my life. The love in my heart that I would give a spouse is what I give to God. Of course, that may change. But it’s how I feel.

-Jeanne

 

[Mintaka]

Work on your prayer life and increasing in virtue, work hard on your normal duties in school and family, keep taking time to listen to God, and look around and find out what you can about the religious life and specific communities. Don’t shut yourself off from life or other people, but do try not to get attached to anything bad. Learn skills that might be valuable to you in the future.

Stay out of debt if you can. A lot of people find this a big bar to discernment.

 

[Cominghome89]

You have gotten some good advice so far. Remember to be open, whether God is calling you to religious life or marriage, He has a plan for you, and it includes you constantly growing in holiness. Go to mass and adoration as often as you can (which was said above). Finding a spiritual director is the most important thing you can do. Even though your vocation will probably take a long time to discern, it is very important to be guided through this process by someone with a lot of experience in this area. Speak to your pastor, or any priest you feel comfortable with, and be very open and honest about your doubts, feelings, etc.

God bless you, sister! Remember to “hope, pray and don’t worry. Worry is useless.” (Padre Pio) Follow God and live a holy life, and He will lead you where you belong

I’ll pray for you.

Peace and blessings,
Frank