Paulist Press
What Are You Looking For? Seeking the God Who is Seeking You
What Are You Looking For? Seeking the God Who is Seeking You
All of us spend our lives seeking something: a community, security, love, a purpose, God... In What Are You looking For? Joan Chittister offers a letter to today's seekers, with insights gleaned from her 65 years as a woman religious. Aware that many seekers consider entering a religious community––even though it means committing to a way of life that is counter-cultural and challenging, with an uncertain future––Sister Joan writes about the struggles and possibilities of religious life with warmth, candor, and clarity. She explores the connection between celibacy and love, the real meaning of obedience, and the ways religious life has adapted to changing times. And she answers the question at the root of so much discernment: What will happen to me if I take this path?
Optimistic yet realistic, What Are You Looking For? is a word of encouragement for anyone who feels called deeper into life with God and others.
Reader Resources
Read an Excerpt
The fuel of religious life is, pure and simple, the gospel question: “What are you seeking?” if what you are seeking is the magnetizing spirit of Jesus and the role of its message to the world, religious life is a good place to start. If you feel a strong call to one of the gifts Jesus demonstrated to the community, that that gift itself will sustain you for a lifetime
Like the facets of a diamond, Jesus’ gifts—contemplation, courage, justice, community, evangelization, mercy, charity, compassion, peace—are the foundation of one great religious tradition after another. No single tradition can give equal light to all of them at the same time. Yet, in each religious tradition one or more gifts emerge more distinctly than the others.
In the spirit of the Gospels, religious life winds its ways from one era to the next, always new, always clear, always courageous. This, of course—this intention to make the Gospels as relevant in our times as they were in all times past—is why religious life never goes away. It never really dies out, though multiple independent congregations may themselves disappear with time, because the gospel is new to every age and must be made newly real there.
--from What are you looking for? By Joan Chittister (Paulist)
Discussion Questions
Engage in meaningful discussions, think critically, and explore deeper insights with these thought-provoking questions.