One of my dear sweet wonderful friends is hoping to enter the Poor Clares just after Easter.Please say a prayer for her as she has her psychological interview next week (a day and a half of tough interviewing to assess her suitability!) and then the community has to vote her in.
I was just browsing their website, and found some really inspiring quotes from some of the sisters:
"Materially, I had everything, but I was resisting the call. Once I entered, I felt such peace descending and all my restlessness went"
"I expected it to be hard, because I knew I was leaving everything familiar and forever, but I also expected it to be a happy life. It was just as hard as I had expected, but also, it has brought joy beyond all my wildest dreams."
"joy beyond my wildest dreams" -- that is pretty powerful!!
"St Francis' inspirational words to the Lord " You are all my riches" gave me a deep insight into what our poverty is."
. What are the vows?
We take four vows: chastity, poverty, obedience and enclosure.
Consecrated Chastity:
each sister is seeking the Lord always with an undivided heart.
Most high Poverty:
freeing our hearts from being tied down by possessions
Obedience:
lived in imitation of Christ who became obedient to the Father unto death.
Enclosure:
to love totally the One who gave himself totally for our love.
"It has often been said to us "what a wasted life." True- Jesus, too had to contend with those words "why this waste?". But love doesn't count the cost. Love is its own justification."
What breath-takingly beautiful love for Christ.
Q. Why did you enter an enclosed order such as the Poor Clares ?
"For a life lived totally surrendered to God. Only prayer can reach where no words or actions can."
"To be with God, in union with Him, praising Him, thanking Him and interceding with Him for the whole world and trying to imitate Christ and His Mother."
Enclosed religious, like the Poor Clares, spend their entire lives interceeding and praying for the whole world. They are like power-houses of prayer that sustain the world. I once read somewhere (?I think it was in St. Faustina's diary)
that these convents and monestaries brimming over with love and prayers, are what keep God's hand from destroying the world, with all our horrendous sins, and neglect of His love and will.-
5 comments:
Interesting, isn't it?
Religious are accused of "wasting" their lives by entering the religious life. Women who choose to be stay-at-home mothers are accused of "wasting" their education by spending all their days with their kids.
And our world would be a much better place with more religious and more stay-at-home mothers!
I have a friend who entered the Poor Clares in our archdiocese this fall. I am amazed by those young women who are called to cloistered contemplative life and answer that call. I will pray for your friend.
How blest your friend must be...and we will be blest by her prayers. I had just written a post about the "waste" of monastic life from my visit to a Cistercian monastery last week:
http://andalsowithyou.blogspot.com/2007/02/non-valentines-day-post.html
Prayers for your friend! That's a very exciting step she's taking and I hope all goes well.
Thanks so much for stopping by my website. Your comment was extremely kind and added a wonderful ray of sunshine to my day.
P.S. You got to meet the Pope. And shake his hand. You obviously knew that, though, since you were there. Good golly, I am jealous!
Wow, that's fantastic. Your friend will be very much in my prayers.
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