Answering yes to a number of these questions probably indicates that God is inviting you to discern a religious vocation.
Do you desire more meaning in your life?
Does the idea of being a sister keep coming back even though you thought you had moved on in your life and forgotten about it?
Does your relationship with God enliven and invigorate you in such a way that you feel called to a life of service?
Do you have a desire to know God more deeply and give yourself more fully to God?
Are you drawn to prayer and participation in the liturgy?
Does the idea of becoming a religious sister excite you and, at the same time, make you feel uneasy?
Are you hesitant to tell family and friends that you’re thinking about a religious vocation?
Reflective prayer
Thomas Merton, a Cistercian monk and well-known spiritual writer, wrote this prayer that many discerners like you have found very helpful. In it he pours out his confusion and desire. Read it quietly and stop when what he says speaks to you personally.
“My Lord, God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing, I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.”
Thomas Merton, OCSO, Thoughts in Solitude
Do you identify at all with Merton’s prayer?
Which phrase or sentence caught your attention?
Spend a few minutes with the last few lines of Merton’s prayer.