Have you ever stepped out of the world for a time? Maybe you went on a retreat for a weekend to disconnect yourself from life. A vacation, perhaps? One in which you didn't check your email? Maybe you've gone for a walk in the woods, or closed the door to your room for some peace and quiet. Imagine stepping out of the world for practically every day of your life. That would be one way to describe a cloistered nun. A cloistered nun steps out of the world so that she may totally concentrate on God. Wow. What does that entail? No cellphones, computers or iPods. No driving cars or taking public transportation. No going out for a party or to the movies. No shopping or jewelry. No makeup or nail polish. No binge eating. No long showers. Even...no shoes (this is only for some religious orders). Okay. Okay. Hold on a second. That's a lot of "no's". I'm just trying to give a quick glimpse of what a cloister entails. But let's take a step back and look at what the motive is behind all of this. Why step out of the world? Why leave the luxury, technology, and "fun"? I'm telling you, there is only one answer to that: God. Yup. Pretty simple answer, huh? Thing is, when you die (sorry, if I'm getting morbid), you aren't going to be able to take a cell phone or even a pair of shoes with you. It's gone. It gets passed on to someone/thing else or it decays. The goal of a nun is to die to yourself right away. Get rid of the phone and shoes now because, they aren't going to come with you. So, they die to themselves and give up all of those material things, so they can focus on...God! God doesn't change; doesn't die; doesn't stop. Fortunately for us, God isn't a dictator or slave-driver. So, nuns aren't just following an endless list of rules. Instead, they are actually relieving themselves of the things of the world (all that material stuff that fades) so that they can enjoy the awesomeness of friendship with God. Boom! This makes me so excited! Friendship with God! Yay! Anyway, cloistered nuns step out of the world and perpetually stay out of it, so they can focus on what is lasting (that is one of the many things they do). What about us, though? What about us people who are in the world? Now, the world itself isn't bad and material things are not bad. They certainly can distract us, though. They can occupy our time and thoughts so that we aren't paying any attention to the everlasting Being. So...to avoid this, do we all need to become cloistered nuns (and monks)? God, I hope not! That would get messy... Cloistered nuns are arrows that point to heaven. They point to God. If you see a picture of a nun, it's supposed to make you stop and think, "Gee...this person gave up everything to live for God...now, why would they do that?" If you hear of someone who becomes a nun, it's supposed to make you think, "Well, that's a big commitment. Why on earth would they do that?" So, nuns point to God. They point to Him, who is everlasting and unchanging. They make us look at our own lives and think, "Wait a second...these gals are stepping out of the world because...in the end, we are all going to step out of the world...to go where?" Hopefully dwell with God. This leads me to a suggestion. Go close the door to your room, or go in the woods (a safe wood, please!), or an empty church, or a stairwell. Any place that will allow you to step away from people. Turn your phone on silent. Don't look at it. Just take a quick moment to be without the material stuff. No eating or drinking, no Netflix, no Facebook. Step out of the world for a second. Just think about the fact that all of that stuff isn't lasting. It's going to fade away one day. I'll leave you with that thought, though I know it may be depressing. The next post, for this coming Sunday will be about friendship with God--the solution to that depressing stuff. It is the reason why my nun friends are bubbling with joy.
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8/3/2022 10:34:35 am
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AuthorJacqueline St. Clare: I spent six months in a cloistered convent, and now I'm a college student! Archives
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