Comments on: 4 Steps for Discernment and Decision-Making http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/ Catholic Sisters and Nuns in Today's World Sat, 20 Mar 2010 00:58:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Sister Julie http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-57778 Sister Julie Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:03:57 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-57778 Thanks for writing, Mary. Sorry you had upsetting experiences. I hope that your discernment continues and that you continue to deepen your experience of God and God's call to you. Thanks for writing, Mary. Sorry you had upsetting experiences. I hope that your discernment continues and that you continue to deepen your experience of God and God’s call to you.

]]> By: Mary F http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-57729 Mary F Sun, 14 Mar 2010 16:28:08 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-57729 Having given up the idea if entering religious life after a series of upsetting experiences with two different communities pressuring me in different directions, I am now at age 50 contemplating being an Associate. This was a very helpful with that discernment. Thank you! Having given up the idea if entering religious life after a series of upsetting experiences with two different communities pressuring me in different directions, I am now at age 50 contemplating being an Associate. This was a very helpful with that discernment. Thank you!

]]> By: Sister Julie http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-45503 Sister Julie Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:04:46 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-45503 Hi Cookie, It's nice to meet you. You well describe the fears that many of us have had or do have about trying to figure out if God is <em>really</em> calling us. I personally could not believe that God was addressing me personally let alone guiding me to consider religious life. But it was a persistent "voice" and so what I did was talk about it with a trusted, wise person (I had a spiritual director), and I began to explore it (reading about religious life, reading about nuns, running into nuns). I also prayed about it but that was sometimes difficult because I was conflicted about whether I could even talk to or listen to God properly! So I encourage you to do some exploring and keep in touch with the sister you met. If you feel the need for more, then maybe start looking into the process of becoming a sister. Check out a few different communities just to get a feel for things. By doing so, you are not signing on the dotted line or committing yourself in any way. This is one of those kinds of decisions in life where you might not really know until you actually open yourself to trying it out. No matter what happens this very process is good for you and will help you have a better sense of God in your life and how you are called. Blessings, Cookie. SJ Hi Cookie, It’s nice to meet you. You well describe the fears that many of us have had or do have about trying to figure out if God is really calling us. I personally could not believe that God was addressing me personally let alone guiding me to consider religious life. But it was a persistent “voice” and so what I did was talk about it with a trusted, wise person (I had a spiritual director), and I began to explore it (reading about religious life, reading about nuns, running into nuns). I also prayed about it but that was sometimes difficult because I was conflicted about whether I could even talk to or listen to God properly! So I encourage you to do some exploring and keep in touch with the sister you met. If you feel the need for more, then maybe start looking into the process of becoming a sister. Check out a few different communities just to get a feel for things. By doing so, you are not signing on the dotted line or committing yourself in any way. This is one of those kinds of decisions in life where you might not really know until you actually open yourself to trying it out. No matter what happens this very process is good for you and will help you have a better sense of God in your life and how you are called.
Blessings, Cookie.
SJ

]]> By: cookie http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-45500 cookie Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:46:59 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-45500 hi there, for years i have had one of the little voices in my head popping up and saying to me, you should become a sister... i always assumed that it was one of those voices speaking out of a fear that no-one appart from god would ever love me and that i was destined to live my life as a lonely, grumpy old woman. recently i have, quite by accident, met a sister at a meeting for layity who encouraged me to start a youth group. in the process of starting the group i have gotten to know her quite well and have gotten through no small amount of mental hurdles with her help. now i am menatly at a place where im thinking that maybe what i was thinking was another of the voices in my head was God calling me to religious life but at the same time there is still those issues in my head that make me doubt the validity of the idea, i know i still have a long way to go but your blog has given me more of an idea of descernment, people and religious life. sometimes i think that i am too broken and twisted to have a real call to religious life, but then when i work with my young people i see them coming to love God more, love life more and love themselves more because i have had those troubles in my life. God loves me so much that he has given me the strength to get through many difficult situations and i want to give my life to him, but it is hard to turn down the inner self enough to hear him saying what it is that he wants of me. i know that what ever he wants me to do is the right thing for my life but im still left thinking, is it possible that it realy is God calling me and im being too stuborn about it, or is it my mind trying to protect me again? hi there,
for years i have had one of the little voices in my head popping up and saying to me, you should become a sister… i always assumed that it was one of those voices speaking out of a fear that no-one appart from god would ever love me and that i was destined to live my life as a lonely, grumpy old woman. recently i have, quite by accident, met a sister at a meeting for layity who encouraged me to start a youth group. in the process of starting the group i have gotten to know her quite well and have gotten through no small amount of mental hurdles with her help.
now i am menatly at a place where im thinking that maybe what i was thinking was another of the voices in my head was God calling me to religious life but at the same time there is still those issues in my head that make me doubt the validity of the idea, i know i still have a long way to go but your blog has given me more of an idea of descernment, people and religious life.
sometimes i think that i am too broken and twisted to have a real call to religious life, but then when i work with my young people i see them coming to love God more, love life more and love themselves more because i have had those troubles in my life. God loves me so much that he has given me the strength to get through many difficult situations and i want to give my life to him, but it is hard to turn down the inner self enough to hear him saying what it is that he wants of me. i know that what ever he wants me to do is the right thing for my life but im still left thinking, is it possible that it realy is God calling me and im being too stuborn about it, or is it my mind trying to protect me again?

]]> By: Anna Baker http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-42430 Anna Baker Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:54:25 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-42430 Hello Sister, This blog about discernment and decision making will help me and my husband in so many things.... I will copy this and make my "pros and cons", and be able to discern things if it is God's will or not because His will is always the one that has weight over our desires.... I remember Jesus said that we offend God when we impose our own desires over His... God bless us all in peace and Love.... Hello Sister,
This blog about discernment and decision making will help me and my husband in so many things…. I will copy this and make my “pros and cons”, and be able to discern things if it is God’s will or not because His will is always the one that has weight over our desires…. I remember Jesus said that we offend God when we impose our own desires over His… God bless us all in peace and Love….

]]> By: Kin Robles http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-23935 Kin Robles Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:21:25 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-23935 What a wonderful blog discovery! Like Marla, remembering the "final question" is an excellent compass. Thank you Sister Julie. I will pray for vocations during my daily prayer this week. peace What a wonderful blog discovery! Like Marla, remembering the “final question” is an excellent compass.

Thank you Sister Julie. I will pray for vocations during my daily prayer this week.

peace

]]> By: marla http://anunslife.org/2009/02/12/4-steps-for-discernment-and-decision-making/#comment-23909 marla Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:34:42 +0000 http://anunslife.org/?p=1859#comment-23909 oh, i like the death-bed questioning. i once told my sister, "when you are breathing your last, you will not be thinking, 'wow, i kept a lovely home,' but 'my children are my legacy.'" it puts things in perspective. oh, i like the death-bed questioning. i once told my sister, “when you are breathing your last, you will not be thinking, ‘wow, i kept a lovely home,’ but ‘my children are my legacy.’” it puts things in perspective.

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