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Discernment
There are no easy answers when you're trying to figure out what to do with your life, and it takes a lot of prayer and discernment. It’s a good idea to find a spiritual director who can help you sort it all out, or call our membership office and talk it over with one of the sisters there.
In the meantime, here are a few things to think and pray about, though.
Ask yourself:
Why am I thinking about religious community?
What images do I have in my mind about it?
How do I picture myself living as a sister? What kind of work do I see myself doing?
What kind of community am I looking for?
How is my health?
How do I deal with stress and disappointment? With change? With new situations?
Do I have a lot of friends, or a few? Do I meet people easily?
How is my prayer life? Am I involved in a parish or small faith community? Am I interested in becoming closer to God and in serving God’s people?
Do I have balance in my life? How much do I work? How do I spend my free time?
What is my understanding about my sexuality? Can I be celibate?
How do I handle money? Can I live within a budget?
How do I make decisions?
Spend some time meditating on these questions. Pray with them. Talk them over with your friends and family, and with your spiritual director.
Sometimes people experience a call to religious life that feels like a kind of pressure, or even hounding from God. Other times it grows slowly, indirectly, out of a comment or an invitation to consider religious life. It can manifest itself as a sense of joy in certain situations. All of these are valid signs of a call, but all of them must be explored and tested within the context of the community of believers. It is never enough that you alone believe you have a vocation.
Get with some other people and talk it over!
We may be able to help you listen to God's call.
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