The main tip is that new postulants need to know is that if they are entering a convent or monastery that they are in reality entering into what the Church calls the States of Perfection. Whilst the novice/postulant is not expected to be at the spiritual level of Perfection. They must have proactively entered the purgative stage of spiritual development. They are then expected to spend the rest of their life in the convent striving to attain Union with God, which is the unitive stage of spiritual development (also known as Christian Perfection and the Perfection of charity). The States of Perfection does not mean the same as the purgative, Illuminative, and unitive stages (despite the fact that these stages must be traversed). The States of Perfection is rather the Church desgnated teaching whereby priests, bishops, and religious 'bind themselves to the things of Perfection' as an intrinsic part of their lifes vocation. The States of Perfection are written about in a good number of official Church documents, but you have to know wherr you are looking, because it isn't obvious. It is very rare that a postulant will be told that they are entering into the States of Perfection, because the convent wants to observe how obedient the candidate is. So often, the candidate will be left floundering, even believing that they are engaging in nothing more than an extended retreat where they just have to engage successfully with community life, but there is more being observed than that. Binding oneself to the things of Perfection is the key (as the Church documents state). Of course, since Pope Pius XII (who specifically stated that the laity also must strive for Christian Perfection (ie the unitive stage of spiritual development), the Church now teaches (primarily through the Documents of Vatican II) that all are called to Christian perfection, including the laity. At first this all sounds a bit non-descript, but in the Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquinas gives the path to perfection as the purgative, Illuminative, and unitive path. He designates the highest level as perfection. So when Church documents state Christian Perfection, or the Perfection of charity, they actually mean the Unitive stage (ie Union with God). So, whether you are in a convent or in the world, every baptised Catholic is called to the unitive stage of Perfection. If more Catholics understood this, there would be far less confused Catholics trying to work out their vocation.
I am now just discerning again in Carmel and I have just understood this. I realized that when a woman is called to the religious life, especially the monastic life, she is entering the closest method of attaining Christian perfection because it is SPECIFICALLY crafted by the constitutions for the soul to accomplish said perfection in preparation for eternity. While joy and peace are good indicators of a vocation, candidates need to understand before entering that this path is the path of martyrs, a total death to self to imitate Jesus as perfectly as possible.
Hello, thank you so much for your comments and suggestion, I really appreciate that. Yes, I will be doing a video about that soon as quite a few people have asked the same. Thank you for watching! 🙏C
Gentle but great maturity and you really have to take each day as it comes and ask God to help you through the times especially that you must get accustomed to being away from family and other friends.
I really like your thoughts on this! You will help many women I am sure. It can be lonely at times when you are trying to turn off the noise to try and hear God's voice.
I have observed that people who have an authentic vocation have left the monastery usually had one thing in common: they do not have humility. Pride is the major factor in people who are unable to persevere in religious life: it can be that they are set in their own ways or they are unable to forgive slights caused by other sisters. That is why entering religious life, especially the monastic life, is a prolonged "white" martyrdom. Only the mentally strong and spiritually strong in faith can enter this kind of life. St.Teresa enlightened me that you need to see yourself as a servant of ALL and look at each sister as Our Lord Jesus.
Hi, thank you for your comment. The life just wasn’t for me in the end. I spent four months discerning that with the sisters, and it became evident that the Lord wanted me out in the world. The postulant time is a time to try the life and see if it’s for you. C
@@carolineleighton maybe you are called to the Sisters of St. Rita( osa) taking care of the elderly, eating with them, listening to their stories, bringing them to the hospital, praying with the elderly, celebrating christmas with the elderly because non of their relatives visited them, seeing them die happy with you and the Lord.
The main tip is that new postulants need to know is that if they are entering a convent or monastery that they are in reality entering into what the Church calls the States of Perfection. Whilst the novice/postulant is not expected to be at the spiritual level of Perfection. They must have proactively entered the purgative stage of spiritual development. They are then expected to spend the rest of their life in the convent striving to attain Union with God, which is the unitive stage of spiritual development (also known as Christian Perfection and the Perfection of charity). The States of Perfection does not mean the same as the purgative, Illuminative, and unitive stages (despite the fact that these stages must be traversed). The States of Perfection is rather the Church desgnated teaching whereby priests, bishops, and religious 'bind themselves to the things of Perfection' as an intrinsic part of their lifes vocation. The States of Perfection are written about in a good number of official Church documents, but you have to know wherr you are looking, because it isn't obvious.
It is very rare that a postulant will be told that they are entering into the States of Perfection, because the convent wants to observe how obedient the candidate is. So often, the candidate will be left floundering, even believing that they are engaging in nothing more than an extended retreat where they just have to engage successfully with community life, but there is more being observed than that. Binding oneself to the things of Perfection is the key (as the Church documents state).
Of course, since Pope Pius XII (who specifically stated that the laity also must strive for Christian Perfection (ie the unitive stage of spiritual development), the Church now teaches (primarily through the Documents of Vatican II) that all are called to Christian perfection, including the laity. At first this all sounds a bit non-descript, but in the Summa Theologica St. Thomas Aquinas gives the path to perfection as the purgative, Illuminative, and unitive path. He designates the highest level as perfection. So when Church documents state Christian Perfection, or the Perfection of charity, they actually mean the Unitive stage (ie Union with God). So, whether you are in a convent or in the world, every baptised Catholic is called to the unitive stage of Perfection.
If more Catholics understood this, there would be far less confused Catholics trying to work out their vocation.
I am now just discerning again in Carmel and I have just understood this. I realized that when a woman is called to the religious life, especially the monastic life, she is entering the closest method of attaining Christian perfection because it is SPECIFICALLY crafted by the constitutions for the soul to accomplish said perfection in preparation for eternity. While joy and peace are good indicators of a vocation, candidates need to understand before entering that this path is the path of martyrs, a total death to self to imitate Jesus as perfectly as possible.
I am sure your words of wisdom will be invaluable to some people that are thinking of joining a convent.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind words. 🙏
Very brave of you. God bless you for sharing
I know I'm a bit late to this video, but I just wanted to thank you so much for your witness. God bless you!
I have watched all your talks, Very inspirational!
Thank you for sharing your experiences. Can you talk about the impact on the family left behind and how you handled the leaving?
Hello, thank you so much for your comments and suggestion, I really appreciate that. Yes, I will be doing a video about that soon as quite a few people have asked the same. Thank you for watching! 🙏C
Can you talk about how to adjust to life after leaving?
Hello, of course I can. Thank you for the suggestion, and for watching. 🙏C
Gentle but great maturity and you really have to take each day as it comes and ask God to help you through the times especially that you must get accustomed to being away from family and other friends.
I really like your thoughts on this! You will help many women I am sure. It can be lonely at times when you are trying to turn off the noise to try and hear God's voice.
Thank you so much for watching and for your kind comments. Yes, it can, definitely. I’m with you on that one! 🙏C
What is needed is to give self completely over to God!
I have observed that people who have an authentic vocation have left the monastery usually had one thing in common: they do not have humility. Pride is the major factor in people who are unable to persevere in religious life: it can be that they are set in their own ways or they are unable to forgive slights caused by other sisters. That is why entering religious life, especially the monastic life, is a prolonged "white" martyrdom. Only the mentally strong and spiritually strong in faith can enter this kind of life. St.Teresa enlightened me that you need to see yourself as a servant of ALL and look at each sister as Our Lord Jesus.
So why did you leave?
Hi, thank you for your comment. The life just wasn’t for me in the end. I spent four months discerning that with the sisters, and it became evident that the Lord wanted me out in the world. The postulant time is a time to try the life and see if it’s for you. C
@@carolineleighton Well you look like you would have made a very cute nun.
@@carolineleighton maybe you are called to the Sisters of St. Rita( osa) taking care of the elderly, eating with them, listening to their stories, bringing them to the hospital, praying with the elderly, celebrating christmas with the elderly because non of their relatives visited them, seeing them die happy with you and the Lord.