Why didn't St.Therese like the Poor Clares?

[Teeliumtrozzle]

In her Story of a soul (which, btw,everyone should read) St. Therese complains about her sister Leonie becoming a Poor Clare. She says it was embarrasing, and that she visited the convent and disliked it. Why is this?

 

[allhers]

I have that book to, could you tell me which page, or at least which chapter that is in? I never noticed that when I read the book and would like to read it in context, then perhaps I could answer you. Thanks!

 

[Joysong]

Never will I forget the kindness and embarrassment of this poor little Father of ours when he came to announce that Leonie had already received the Habit of the Poor Clares. He found this very strange, just as we did, but he didn’t want to say anything when he saw how unhappy Marie was about the matter. He took us to the convent and there I experienced a sort of contraction of my heart such as I never felt at the sight of a monastery.

My guess is that they felt interiorly in prayer, with sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, that God really did not want Leonie to enter there; i.e., the ‘contraction of her heart.’

As it turned out, Leonie returned home after two months, proving their spiritual sentiments were correct. (Pg. 92, John Clarke’s Story of a Soul)

Leonie returned to show us her blue eyes which were freqently moist with tears.

 

[allhers]

Thanks joysong, what you said is very much true too I think, that plus her Father didn’t get to present her to the Lord with his blessing and that was probably why her father was embarressed by it all. She entered in a way that way not ordinarily done, (perhaps with no discernment)?
-They accepted her and had her in a habit already,
-they didn’t get to say goodbye,
-the Poor Clares stayed in, they never went out back then, they didn’t get to see their familes at all after entering the convent from what I understand.