"In which community should I give my life to God?"
For those who feel the call to Religious Life, this question will certainly arise. What community should you give your life to? There are so many!
St. Thérèse compared the world of souls to the garden of Jesus, where there are various types of flowers. When I think of the search for the right community, I think of that garden, where each community with its charism identifies with a different type of flower. If God calls you to be a rose, will you feel right in a field of sunflowers? Wouldn't you feel out of place?
Often the factors of discernment are only physical distance, identification with the charism, whether they live the spirituality of a certain saint, etc. But in all of this, where is God's answer? Many young people, when they feel the call to religious life, seek a community close to home...but what if God is calling you to a community on the other side of the world?
Simply giving your life to God does not necessarily mean that you are doing His Will; for the donation to be complete you must do it in the right place – in the one that God chose for you. Roses and sunflowers are different flowers, and they require different fields.
--Sr. CMC