These 7 Stages of Discernment are taken and modified for discerning religious life from the book To Save a Thousand Souls by Fr. Brett A. Brannen.

Stage 6: Consistent Peace

Stage 6 of discernment can be associated with the period of the novitiate. This woman has been in monastic formation for two to four years and has grown tremendously in faith, prayer, knowledge, and generosity. She knows Jesus personally. She has been invested with the habit of her religious order and wears the white veil of a bride of Christ preparing for her vows. The excitement of the early years of formation is over, and she is now immersed in the two years of intense prayer and study that precede first vows.

She knows herself much better now, and knows that she can live the life of her religious community and find deep fulfillment in it. She thinks and feels that Jesus wants her to be His bride, and she feels peace and happiness in His call. As she learns more about the evangelical counsels, she prays that God will give her the gift of living chastity, poverty, and obedience in peace and joy of spirit. This woman is gradually leaving the stages of discernment – she is receiving positive feedback from her formators, and she and everyone else assume that she will indeed be a nun. She is excited about this and eagerly looks forward to the day of her vows.

Next Week:  Stage 7 – Moral Certitude…