So I've been reading a few books on and off lately. Mostly off because they reminded me of a life I thought I was going to be leaving behind for a good while. I've been reading The Contemplative Life by Fr. Thomas Philippe, OP; To Heaven With Diana by Fr. Gerald Vann, OP; and Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience: Recovering the Vision for the Renewal of Religious Life by Mother Mary Francis, PCC.
I love how they are all, in different ways, almost instruction manuals for the religious life. Fr. Thomas' book tells me what it means to be a contemplative. That living the contemplative vocation is not a retreat from the world or an escape from it, but a way of being more apart of the world. Father makes very clear that life in the monastery is not an escape from the world or heaven on earth. We are called as contemplatives to imitate Mary, to live her life, her fiat; for she was the original contemplative. While in To Heaven with Diana you read about the relationship Bl. Diana had with Bl. Jordan of Saxony. They had a relationship that was based in their deep love for Christ. The love they had for each other flowed from the love they had for Christ. As nuns we are called to love each other that deeply and profoundly, we are called to love everyone like that. In Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience: Recovering the Vision for the Renewal of Religious Life Mother Mary Francis that change starts from the inside and not the outside. We can change our religious habit, cloisters, and the rest but unless we are constantly renewing our love for Christ the outer trappings do not matter.
Now I have yet to finish any of those books. I am working on it and when I finish them I will have reviews for each one. All this reminds though, some think I'm not 'fit' for the contemplative life. However the more I read about it, the more visits I make the more I fall in love with the life. I have never felt more at home than I did in Summit. Anyway... I look forward to giving full reviews. As for my life right now it's wonderful. I have God, my Dominicans, my friends. All is good and it is good because God is good. Pax Christi.
In Christ our life,
Thomas Catherine
I love how they are all, in different ways, almost instruction manuals for the religious life. Fr. Thomas' book tells me what it means to be a contemplative. That living the contemplative vocation is not a retreat from the world or an escape from it, but a way of being more apart of the world. Father makes very clear that life in the monastery is not an escape from the world or heaven on earth. We are called as contemplatives to imitate Mary, to live her life, her fiat; for she was the original contemplative. While in To Heaven with Diana you read about the relationship Bl. Diana had with Bl. Jordan of Saxony. They had a relationship that was based in their deep love for Christ. The love they had for each other flowed from the love they had for Christ. As nuns we are called to love each other that deeply and profoundly, we are called to love everyone like that. In Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience: Recovering the Vision for the Renewal of Religious Life Mother Mary Francis that change starts from the inside and not the outside. We can change our religious habit, cloisters, and the rest but unless we are constantly renewing our love for Christ the outer trappings do not matter.
Now I have yet to finish any of those books. I am working on it and when I finish them I will have reviews for each one. All this reminds though, some think I'm not 'fit' for the contemplative life. However the more I read about it, the more visits I make the more I fall in love with the life. I have never felt more at home than I did in Summit. Anyway... I look forward to giving full reviews. As for my life right now it's wonderful. I have God, my Dominicans, my friends. All is good and it is good because God is good. Pax Christi.
In Christ our life,
Thomas Catherine
One thing to remember when discerning orders is that you may not be accepted to the one you want right away. St. Faustina was denied 5 times before she got accepted by an order.
ReplyDeleteGod will place you in the right order at the right time! :)