Discerning Different Religious Orders

Is there such a thing as “red flags” when it comes to discerning religious life? Fr. Josh responds to a listener’s question regarding best practices when discerning religious life. He shares advice on what to look out for and how to get to know different religious communities.

Snippet from the Show
As individuals, we are in constant need of reformation.

Glory Story (2:40)

Listener Question (4:37)

I am discerning religious life and I’ve heard some stories about it not working out for people. Some people I know have been hurt. No different than a dating relationship, but discerning a religious life is not as common as dating. I find myself in unfamiliar territory with not a lot to test a community and see if I want to “date” them. Can you give some red flag scenarios to look for both while getting to know a community and maybe something you might not really see until you enter.
-Anonymous

Saint Story: St. Teresa of Avila (22:33)

Teresa of Avila was born in 1515 in Avila, Spain. She was one of her father’s twelve children. The home she grew up in was very reverent and she learned the faith well. When Teresa was fourteen years old, her mother died. Around this time, she began to spend more time with cousins who had a bad influence on her. She became quite fanciful and invested in superficial things.

Seeing how his daughter changed, Teresa’s father sent her to live at a convent and be educated. After being there for a year and a half, she became very sick. She was eventually taken home where she recovered. She then began to ponder entering the religious life. Once she decided to enter, she asked for her father’s permission. However, he denied her and said she had to wait until he died.

Unwilling to wait, Teresa left and entered the Carmelite order. She prayed that her father would understand. A while after entering, Teresa once again fell ill. She was brought home to recover. While home, she helped her father to deepen his prayer life. It wasn’t until three years later that Teresa was able to return to the convent.

Once she returned to the convent and was able to pull herself away from the outer world, Teresa’s prayer and union with Christ became very poignant. As she worked to reform the Carmelite order, she faced a lot of obstacles and judgment. However, she persevered and was able to get the order back to its foundations and helped it to observe its Rule faithfully. She founded many more convents and wrote extensively.

St. Teresa of Avila is one of the four women Doctors of the Church.

---