Is God calling me to Religious Life?

What is a vocation?
The Gift of a vocation is given us in the Sacrament of Baptism. It is strengthened by the Sacrament of Confirmation and nourished by the Sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist. God has a special plan for each one of us and it is up to us - with Gods help - to find out what that is!

Arent I free to choose to be and do whatever I want?

Of course we are free to choose whatever we want! Our freedom is Gods gift to us! . . . but what do we choose there are so many options! This is where Gods Love comes in. Loving God and being loved by Him is where we discover the gift of our vocation. Gods love does not make us less but rather more than we could ever hope to become! Once we have a beginning sense of what His plan might be --- we can respond to His Invitation by saying, Yes, or we can respond by saying, No. The choice is ours!

What is the Vocation to Religious life?

It is when God says to us in our hearts, I want you forever, and we say, I want You forever! Religious Life is a particular form of life recognized by and essential to the life of the Church in which a person united to Christ through their profession of vows offers generous service to the Church. A religious is consecrated [that means set aside for a special offering to God] through her vows [poverty, chastity and obedience] to offer everything she is and does for the Glory of God, her own joy and the salvation of the whole world. A religious lives the life of Christ who, while on earth, was chaste, poor and obedient. A religious lives in a convent with other women vowed to Christ. Their sharing of liturgical and common prayer, meals, study, recreation, etc helps them stay close to God and also helps them support each other to be faithful brides of Christ, The stages of preparation or formation to become a sister takes about 8-9 years. This period of time is much longer than for marriage because the woman is preparing to offer herself totally to God.

How do I know if God might be calling me to religious life?

We must pray and really come to trust Him as a friend who will always be there in our joys and sorrows. God speaks to everyone in a very unique way. We come to know Him by taking time to talk to Him and listen to what He says. DO NOT BE AFRAID. OPEN WIDE THE DOORS FOR CHRIST. These words of Blessed John Paul II when he was inaugurated as Pope in 1978 should resound in our hearts! Fear can keep us from ever taking the leap of faith to respond to His Love. . . . What will others say? . . . Wont they think Im crazy? . . . Such thoughts can keep us from trusting Gods Voice in our hearts.

DO NOT BE AFRAID. OPEN WIDE THE DOORS FOR CHRIST!

How will God let me know if I am called to religious life?

God reveals this gift to us when and how He wishes! Very often the gift is discovered through a desire that He places within our hearts to know and love Him. In prayer we learn how He speaks to us! He speaks to us as we open our hearts in truth and listen to what He says. He will let us know what He wants us to do.

What if I am not 100% sure if God is calling me to be a religious?

Visit the websites of religious communities and see which ones we might feel attracted to know more about. Make contact with them and schedule a visit to talk, pray, recreate and/or work with the religious community. Each community will be different but we will hear God speaking in our hearts as we take the 1st step. We cannot feel pressured that it is just our decision in response to Gods Invitation! If it seems God might be calling us to a particular community - we are never alone in that discernment process! There are sisters with us to help us along the way answering questions, offering
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guidance, over the months and years as we mutually discern what God is saying to us. The Church has given us that security as many years have been given for preparation for vow profession. So again - DO NOT BE AFRAID. OPEN WIDE THE DOORS FOR CHRIST!

What can I do right now?

Recommendations

ATTEND MASS - Go to Mass weekly and more frequently if possible to nourish the life of grace in our souls. When we go to Mass and receive Holy Communion we receive the graces that God longs to give us! RECEIVE THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE frequently and consistently [at least once a month if possible]. ADORE THE BLESSED SACRAMENT 1 hour weekly or more if possible. Adoration is being close to the Presence of the Body of Christ. Ask Him in Adoration if He is calling us to be a religious and then listen! We might never know until we ask!

PRAY DAILY Prayer is our own personal encounter with God. It is the very unique way that He speaks to us which is different from anyone else. After the Sacrifice of the Mass and the other sacraments prayer is the most important way we get to know God and how He speaks to us. We can tell Him all we feel our excitements, sorrows, loves, fears, upsets, frustrations, etc - - - Let us talk to Him as openly and naturally as we would with our best friend. As we do this every day we will come to know Him more and more. PRAY WITH THE BIBLE - read those parts that most attract us and that mean a lot to us personally. This is the Holy Spirit awakening the desire in our hearts FOLLOW HIS LEAD!
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READ spiritual books that inspire us to love as Christ loved. SERVE others in need God has given us a heart to love others! TALK - to a priest about our prayer, our life and what we think God is saying to us. Speak to religious about our vocation ask them questions and tell them about our desires, questions, concerns, etc.

PRAY THE ROSARY - ask Mary to help us know Gods Will and a loving heart to do what He is asking with courage and trust.

For more information on vocations please contact:

Sr. Mary Dolora Keating, R.S.M. Archdiocese of Washington Delegate for Consecrated Life Cell 301-853-4576 keatingsmd@adw.org http://www.facebook.com/dcreligious 5