The Sisters of Life Answer MORE of the Internet's Top Questions About Nuns

oh this is great what do sisters do for fun we don't have fun hi I'm Sister Mary Grace I'm sister varas and we are the sisters of life and this is Ascension presents now this is take two because you had so many questions about being a sister that we need to do this video too so we're here to answer your questions again where do sisters live oo great question so we live in a Convent and the the joy of a Convent is that you actually get a chapel in your house so we have a beautiful Chapel where we have the blessed where Jesus lives with us it's kind of like the heartbeat of our home you know that everything flows from there and actually our whole life is stabilized around the chapel too it's it's the first place we go at in the morning it's the last place we go at night um we usually go there in the middle of the day there to pray it kind of like we tap in and checking with Jesus throughout the day because he's really the framework and the stability of our life um so literally everything Mission uh all flows from that place and actually our community life um our happiness depends on the centrality of the chapel and that God God is literally living with us which is such an honor and kind of crazy to say out loud it's so true who do you live with God you know we're not like women that are capable of religious life we're really here because Jesus has called us and that's the reason we stay is him who's at the center of our home religious life being a sister is a supernatural vocation yes so it's it's you need the Lord to live it in a in a supernatural way um so really yeah the Eucharist is the source and center of everything for us definitely all righty why can't sisters see their families well to be honest I mean one it's probably different between communities um the amount of yeah how the relationship with the family unfolds but we actually do see our families yeah and actually um growing into the our relationships in our family is actually very Central to religious life I'm com from Australia so my family is a far way apart and the sacrifice is real it's a big distance you know not to live as close as you did before but my experience of really ever since I enter the convent I I don't know about you sister but I think and pray for my family now more than I did even before I entered it's almost like God sometimes and mysteriously will ask us to give um the gift of our families back to him like he does in religious life he really rewraps the gift and actually gives it back to us in a way that we could never have imagined and and all that's what I've experienced with my family it's it's it's definitely an offering but I've been amazed at how much more I've actually grown in love and gratitude um with my family it's so true actually because it's it's both sacrifice and gift cuz like yes we actually see our families less you know we're not texting them we're not calling them all the time so there's there's definitely a separation and that's a sacrifice that's real and it's also a sacrifice for the families but as you're saying there's actually a deepening of the relationship you know and it's kind of like when a woman gets married um she she goes and lives with her husband right and so there she's not living with her family anymore and it's similar to us right we're we're married to Jesus and so we live in his house we live with him and um and so there's a natural separation in that sense um so yeah good to say sacrifice and gift and a love the fathers too like I know just recently one father said too like you know your sister your daughter enters the convent and you have one daughter and then next minute you have 125 daughters and it's so true actually like we step away from our families to enter into a larger family because with God it's always more there's always something there's a greater good he's doing it for even in the mystery of the sacrifice um he's always inviting us to do things to bless us and that's only been true to be honest how much do sisters sleep huh I'm definitely sleeping more than I did in college life that's for sure it's hard to answer that question because every Community is different every order is different our founder wanted us to always get at least 7 hours a night MH mhm which is great we definitely sleep check what does sisters do all day my friends Wonder to this too I know one of my friends when I was telling her I was entering religious life I was very active before and was involved in a lot of things and she was like you know what I'm just worried you're going to get bored which has been fascinating because this side of religious life I don't think I've ever had a Bor day yeah it's kind of like it's surprising to me I'm actually how rich our lives are right and to break it down actually yeah cuz you think with we have a you know similar schedule each day but it's like Jesus Takes Over the holy spirit's in charge totally and every day is so different even though we we literally have what we call a harar room which is just a Latin word for schedule basically that we have a rhythm of life that we live at so we you know we get up at 5:00 every day and head straight to the chapel and do morning prayer together usually have mass in our Chapel then we have a couple of hours where we do our mission that's entrusted to us like here evangelization we also have mission of serving pregnant women in Christ's pregnancies we have Retreat missions uh we have a beautiful mission of walking with women who have suffered the experience of abortion to know the true tender and infinite mercy of God and that is such a privilege for us sisters to not only live our life with Jesus but see Jesus bring life to the people in which we serve and we kind of spend our day doing that broken up by times of prayer a holy hour time of recreation meat meals together yes but it's it's really like this rhythm of prayer work Leisure it's Rich mhm mhm mhm mhm every night for an hour after dinner we have a protected time to literally just be together you can play card games sometimes s is just we just sit around and enjoy each other's company without having to get anything done you know we share you know Joys and Sorrows we like to say play music go for walks hike mountains we did that yesterday that's true we did hike a mountain yesterday yeah one of the biggest surprises of religious life was I just didn't know how fun it would be no I didn't know either yeah yeah and that you received the gift of friendship at community life too is definitely an unexpected gift now what do you do for oh what do you I love to get outside and and walk with a fellow sister or go for run on a treadmill inside what do you like to do for fun well Sister Mary Grace got me on the joy of running so now I actually like to run it was kind of a miracle she's aun but I really believe in it I also I love to write short stories yes I love to talk and hang out conversation is an it you told me that it's true yeah yeah you can't lose that one it's fun yeah paint things like that we hang out together yeah we we like hanging out together uh how do you become a sister oo great question mhm uh well first starts in prayer is actually to really engage your heart in prayer your desires in prayer asking Jesus like Lord what do you want for my life what have you called me to like how have you called me to live this love what what have you called my unique heart to live you know and allowing him to respond to you in prayer that's where all vocation starts amen is in prayer absolutely um and then from that to really it's good to you sense of a direction the Lord is leading you to actually talk to somebody about it talk to a spiritual director a priest even a vocation director and they can really help you discern um that that little tug in your heart what your heart is drawn to this is really beautiful too it's like actually the vocation God is calling us to is how I will most become myself you know most alive and free and yeah authentically who I am so really I would just say take courage and don't be afraid to yeah go into your at and ask the Lord like how have you created Me Love Actually put the pressure back on Jesus yeah cuz he's the one that calls and gives us the grace to follow so it's not really on us it's really just a beautiful Journey actually to enter in with him and ask him to answer that question you know what have you called me to Lord yeah that's I mean that's what I did it a dangerous prayer I prayed because I felt the a religious life and I was like Lord I don't really want this but if you want this then put a burning desire in my heart to be a sister and so I was like okay his court you know and he you know he did it he did it so I love what you're saying it's it's true I was surprised that I wanted this I know it sounds funny but it's like God actually showed me this is actually how I I am me and um it was surprising and beautiful but it's so true how can parents support their daughter who wants to be a sister I mean I think first just praying for her always you know your prayers are powerful yes every woman every heart desires to be affirmed in their being yes so I think one of the greatest gifts you can give your daughter is first just to affirm her goodness and always to hold back up that reflection that she is good that she is sacred that God has a plan for her life that you love her that in itself is so stabilizing for the heart of a woman who's who's Discerning I think it's really important to know for a daughter to know that you love her um deeply now you might have questions you might have issues or problems or or maybe you don't want her to be a sister you know and those are first good things to bring to the Lord and talk to him about because that's real it's important to be real with your heart as a parent and really bring Jesus those questions what would you say say to a woman who is considering religious life for a long time I let my fears hold me back from an encounter with Jesus I felt like I actually had to figure the way out and then let God know or I was too scared actually of approaching the Lord in case he was going to ask me to do something wouldn't make me happy I would just encourage any young woman who's considering religious life to to take courage and really not be afraid to bring her real your real honest heart to the Lord when I say that I mean your fears your hopes your desires don't forget to desire uh and tell Jesus what you really experience what you're terrified of what you're afraid of what you long for and literally Jesus meets Us in them and an encounter with Jesus changes everything actually and to not be afraid that he's so for you he's so for you and actually your vocation is the pathway to freedom and happiness um and Jesus is not going to hold himself back from you he might not answer you exactly how um or in what way or time but he's always answering us and he's always inviting us to trust him more so take courage yeah Be not Afraid and like give him permission to love you that's really what it's about amen yeah that's a good final word [Music] yeah

Channel: Ascension Presents

Views: 196,802

Keywords: ascension, ascension press, ascension presents, fr. Mike, father mike, catholic advice, catholic inspiration, catholic motivation, sisters of life, sr. mary grace, sr. marie veritas, sister mary grace, sister marie veritas, questions about nuns, religious sisters, consecrated life, religious life, vocation stories, where do nuns live, why can't nuns see their family, how much do nuns sleep, what do nuns do, what do nuns do for fun, how do you become a nun

Id: lOStJY9YJeA

Length: 9min 52sec (592 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 15 2024