Why Is A Nun? – M. J. Huber

Even catholics, sometimes, may wonder, “why is a nun?” For many people find it hard to understand why young women become nuns; why a girl will give up home and family and money and married love and her own way of doing things and all the happiness the world seems to offer and go off to a convent. Well since the world and a few other people want to know why a girl gives up all these things to become a nun, let’s look for a few reasons, and then perhaps all of us will be able to answer clearly the question, “why is a Nun?”

First of all, this is because one day she heard someone say:”If you want to be perfect, if you want to do more than you are obliged to do, then give up everything in the world, including yourself, and follow Me.” That’s the first answer to the question, “why is a Nun?” For the world, it is perhaps the most difficult answer to understand. Our Lord said these words when He was on earth, to the young man who asked Him what else he could do, besides keeping the commandments, to prove his love for God. “If you want to please Me very much, give up everything in the world and walk with Me.” That was God’s answer to the question, “Why is a Nun?”

….Why is a Nun? Because being a nun is the planned way for her to follow Our Lord. The first step along that way is to give up all things in the world. A nun does this by making a vow of poverty. She makes herself poor not only because Christ asked her to be poor to imitate him in his poverty, but above all because, with the help of God’s grace, she used her common sense to see that the things of the world hold a terrible power to draw her heart away from God; and so, to keep the things of the world from getting in her way when she begins to walk towards God, she gains control over them by renouncing all control over them. This step of choosing a poor life helps her to begin to walk away from the ever present danger of giving herself to the things of the world instead of giving herself to God.

Why is a Nun? Because she has a heart that was made to love, and she wanted only a perfect love. When a nun makes her vow of chastity, she surrenders her privilege of married love, children and a home of her own. …Yes, her woman’s heart is made to love. She turns her heart to a good that is greater than the good she has forsaken… She gives her heart, with all its love to God, the greatest good of all; her heart each day finds new strength and love; each day her heart will grow until it is big enough to make her be both mother and sister to childhood and old age, and strong enough to love God alone for all her life and forever in heaven.