Spiritual children?

[roseproject]

I’ve heard the term that while those called to marriage have children, those called to religious life have “spiritual children”. What does that mean?

Thanks in advance

 

[svid2]

It seems to mean something like disciple, or God-child. The spiritual parent seems to take the spiritual child under wing, to care for and pray for the spiritual child.

 

[svid2]

By the way, there’s a group called Padre Pio’s spiritual children. Just FYI.

 

[Lady_Love]

I first heard the term “spiritual children” when I was in the convent. We were discussing the “biological clock,” that is a very real and demanding urge in women to have children, and how to deal with it. The sister explain that God takes care of our intense desire for children by giving us spiritual children. We adopt souls and take them under our wing by sacrificing, praying, loving and serving them with the same dedication and devotion that a mother would have for her biological child. Often God will inspire a particular sister to do this. It is a very real experience and you can enter into a kind of spiritual labor, pains and all (I am speaking of a strictly spiritual labor.)

I wouldn’t be surprised if it is “spiritual labor” that follows ecstasy. It is not uncommon that one would undergo suffering shortly after an ecstasy. Think about it, when a man an women embrace in the ecstasy of love in their marriage, conceptions can take place. Why would it be any different in the spiritual realm?

I would say that Mother Teresa when she started her mission was in almost a constant state of spiritual labor pains and look how many spiritual children were born because of her intimate relationship with Jesus and her spiritual motherhood.

 

[Jeanne_S]

I’ve heard the term that while those called to marriage have children, those called to religious life have “spiritual children”. What does that mean?

Thanks in advance

I have heard the term “spiritual mother”. Meaing that women who haven’t had their own children can be a "spiritual mother’,to say nieces’ and nephews’.or ch;ildren of friends.etc.

 

[roseproject]

I first heard the term “spiritual children” when I was in the convent. We were discussing the “biological clock,” that is a very real and demanding urge in women to have children, and how to deal with it. The sister explain that God takes care of our intense desire for children by giving us spiritual children. We adopt souls and take them under our wing by sacrificing, praying, loving and serving them with the same dedication and devotion that a mother would have for her biological child. Often God will inspire a particular sister to do this. It is a very real experience and you can enter into a kind of spiritual labor, pains and all (I am speaking of a strictly spiritual labor.)

I wouldn’t be surprised if it is “spiritual labor” that follows ecstasy. It is not uncommon that one would undergo suffering shortly after an ecstasy. Think about it, when a man an women embrace in the ecstasy of love in their marriage, conceptions can take place. Why would it be any different in the spiritual realm?

I would say that Mother Teresa when she started her mission was in almost a constant state of spiritual labor pains and look how many spiritual children were born because of her intimate relationship with Jesus and her spiritual motherhood.

Do you think it’s perhaps similar to the way the Virgin Mary adopted all of us as her children?

 

[LittleHannah]

We are the Priests’ spiritual children. Priests are our Spiritual Fathers because they take care of our souls. The greatness of a Priest…

 

[Lady_Love]

Do you think it’s perhaps similar to the way the Virgin Mary adopted all of us as her children?

Absolutely! Her receptivity at the cross was the labor that brought all of us into birth. She stood below Our Lord receiving all that He had to give and Mary having the perfect garden for the seed of Christ brought forth her children.