A woman should not go to the convent: for security, because of an unhappy romance, because she is over thirty and unmarried, because she prefers to pray than to work, because she is worn-out or melancholy, or because she has some physical or mental handicap and her parents want her settled in life. True, convents offer a stable and secure life. True, an unhappy romance may lead to a vocation by pointing out the Will of God. Yes, it is good if the candidate likes. to pray, but be warned that it is no place for the lazy, for the work is hard and abundant. True, many convents take handicapped people (usually depending upon the type and degree) but there is no room for the melancholy.
Then, why does a woman go to the convent?
For one reason and only one reason—the love of God. We are not talking here of a general attitude, but of something very special and intimate. Her love for Christ is as profound, and passionate as the love of any woman who has been tenderly courted and wed. She is so consumed by a love stronger than human love that the thought of marriage to any other besides Christ becomes impossible. It is a love totally disinterested to the point that to be His bride she will make any sacrifice: her possessions, her will, her parents, sisters, and brothers. This love must be there to make all the trials and sacrifices of religious life bearable.
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