The grass may look greener on the other side of the fence, but the fact is, religious life and married life both have their challenges and their beauties.
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Sister Rejane
This Random Nun Clip is brought to you by A Nun's Life Ministry.
Sister Maxine
This is Ask Sister, a program of A Nun's Life Ministry. And we're here in St. Paul, Minnesota, on a Motherhouse Road Trip with the Sisters of St. Joseph of CarondeIet. Our guests are Sister Jill Underdahl and Sister Cathy Steffens.
Sister Cathy
The bigger thing I encourage you in is the realization that our lives are different. I was blessed with a cousin that was just my age, who married and had three little girls at the same time that I was in the convent. And so the question that you had, Lauren, about your view of looking at me and I forget what the words are -- blessed and peaceful and reverent. My cousin did exactly look at me that way.
Sister Maxine
That's understandable. I look at Sister Julie that way all the time. [laughter]
Sister Cathy
But we could talk about it openly. Where my image of her life was these beautiful, lovely children who would hug her around the knees and look up and say, "Mommy, I love you." And she says to me, "Yes. And then your husband is working late, and you've been home with the kids all day and I say 'Listen, you get home. They're yours too.' You know, and then the earache comes, and I never heard of earaches before. I know this child is fed. I know she's warm. I think what's she crying for!" And so she gives me an understanding of what that is like. And I say to her, you try and make decisions with 300 women, you know? Like it's not so simple. We have different views. We have the same values, but we get at them different ways and this practical living together -- I'm not the parent who can say to a child, "You will do this." No, we do all these things together and when we come home, she pictures me having supper ready and I get my prayer time in the chapel before supper is prepared. No, we come home. We start it, it happens a little later.
Sister Jill
Well, I think it's just important to add that sisters' or nuns' lives can be very busy. So as Lauren is asking, what is it that can help me become more reverent in my life? Sisters need to ask that same question for themselves.
Sister Rejane
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This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.
