Becoming a Nun: Best Path for You? You don’t have to choose religious life to become deeply spiritual, loving human beings. But becoming a nun could be you best path toward living a deeply spiritual life, so I encourage you to consider it. There is something to be said about the disciplines and expectations of religious life. Nuns/Sisters usually have a community encouraging us toward the practices that build strong Christians: regular prayer and reflection, sacraments, and a spirit of “ministry” to accompany our work. So, how do you know if this is the best path? Listen to God. Pay attention to your heart. If you’re inclined to throw in your hat with a group of nuns/ sisters–go for it! It can be a great life. Along with all the good, you’ll have bad days, bad months maybe, but that’s because you’re human. Be the best human being you can be, and along the way you will know God’s joy. Because joy comes from a life well-lived. You will find God’s peace because you will be living your calling. In The Unbearable Lightness of Being, novelist Milan Kundera meditates on the mystery of making choices in life: “Human life only occurs once, and the reason we cannot determine which of our decisions are good and which bad is that in a given situation we can make only one decision; we are not granted a second, third, or fourth life in which to compare various decisions.” No, we cannot rewind our lives like a video and undo the consequences of choosing badly or not choosing at all. That’s why discernment, the prayerful consideration of life choices, is essential. Pray and think and consult with others about big decisions in your life, including the possibility of becoming a nun. It might take your whole life to get really good at discernment. So it’s a skill and a habit worth cultivating early. As the Catholic catechism tells us, our life’s purpose is to find the best way to love and serve God. If religious life is your best way, congratulations! Give us a call-330. 301.6891 or Email us and we would be happy to journey with you.