S01.E05: Too Pretty To Be Nuns (5) / Revelations (6)

[JMO]

There was a lot to like about this brief series, most especially the nuns.  While it was clear that not all of the young ladies were genuinely pursuing discernment, it was wonderful to see the patience and guidance given to each of them, regardless of where they were coming from, or where they were (obviously) headed to. 

 

The professed sisters on the program offered a welcome example that it is possible to live in community and have disagreements without extreme drama, that it is possible to have a bad day without having a bad life, that it is possible to live with restraint and not feel deprived.  This is the kind of reality TV I would like to see gracing my screen, over and over again.  Count me with those who would love to see a series focused on the sisters themselves.  Nuns rock!

[RedheadZombie]

I remain loving Stacy and all the adult nuns (so sorry, so not Catholic, so apologies if I use the wrong terms here)

 

I'm not Catholic either, so some things do confuse me.  For instance, I don't know if they even used the word nun.  It's like watching The Walking Dead and no one uses the word Zombie.  Everybody wants to be a "sister", or the "sisters" welcomed them.  It seems a deliberate attempt to change the image of this vocation.

 

Something I will never understand is a nun being "the bride of Christ".  I realize that centuries ago a woman's only purpose in life was to be a wife.  So this leaves a nun being a wife of God.  But it totally creeps me out, and we saw that at least two of the discerners weirdly sexualized Jesus.  If God is our father, and the nuns are his wives, why do we call them sister instead of mother?  And wouldn't the bride of Christ be elevated above a priest?  I'm not being facetious, I really wonder about these things.  Why can't nuns be God's children like the rest of us?

[SaucyMommy]

I'm not Catholic either, so some things do confuse me.  For instance, I don't know if they even used the word nun.  It's like watching The Walking Dead and no one uses the word Zombie.  Everybody wants to be a "sister", or the "sisters" welcomed them.  It seems a deliberate attempt to change the image of this vocation.

 

Something I will never understand is a nun being "the bride of Christ".  I realize that centuries ago a woman's only purpose in life was to be a wife.  So this leaves a nun being a wife of God.  But it totally creeps me out, and we saw that at least two of the discerners weirdly sexualized Jesus.  If God is our father, and the nuns are his wives, why do we call them sister instead of mother?  And wouldn't the bride of Christ be elevated above a priest?  I'm not being facetious, I really wonder about these things.  Why can't nuns be God's children like the rest of us?

 

I don't think they used sisters as a way to make it seem like a better vocation.  I grew up catholic and that's just what you call the nuns.  The Priests are Fathers, the head nun is Mother and the nuns below here are sisters.  just the Catholic pecking order.

[glow]

the boyfriend reminded me of ludacris

[Scorpiosunshine]

I was also curious about the use of "nun" versus "sister", so I did some searching and found this info:

From this link: http://anunslife.org/resources/sister-or-nun

What is the difference between a sister and a nun?

The terms "nun" and "sister" are often used interchangeably. However within Roman Catholicism, there is a difference between the two. Here's a simple summary of the differences.

A Catholic nun is a woman who lives as a contemplative life in a monastery which is usually cloistered (or enclosed) or semi-cloistered. Her ministry and prayer life is centered within and around the monastery for the good of the world. She professes the perpetual solemn vows living a life according to the evangelical counsels of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. Check out the Carmelite Nuns of Baltimore for example.

A Catholic sister is a woman who does lives, ministers, and prays within the world. A sister's life is often called "active" or "apostolic" because she is engaged in the works of mercy and other ministries that take the Gospel to others where they are. She professes perpetual simple vows living a life according to the evangelical counsels of poverty, celibacy, and obedience. Check out the IHM Sisters of Monroe, Michigan for example.

Because both nuns and sisters belong to the church life form of Religious Life, they can also be called "women religious."

As you might have noticed, there is a difference in the type of vows, solemn vs. simple. The New Commentary on the Code of Canon Law explains the distinction this way:

"The older religious orders (monastic, canon regulars, mendicants, Jesuits) have perpetual solemn vows, and the more recent apostolic congregations have perpetual simple vows. The chief juridical difference between the two is that religious who profess a solemn vow of poverty renounce ownership of all their temporal goods, whereas religious who profess a simple vow of poverty have a right to retain ownership of their patrimony (an estate, endowment or anything inherited from one's parents or ancestors) but must give up its use and any revenue."

In ordinary conversation, the terms "nun" and "sister" are used interchangeably. Both nuns and sisters are addressed as "Sister."

In popular culture, the term "nun" is often more widely accessible and immediately understood to refer to women who have professed the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

[technorebel]

That's a good explanation for those terms.  One of the nuns/sisters touched on that a little bit, but I really didn't catch it.  So a nun belongs to a contemplative order and a sister belongs to an order that does charitable work of some kind?  Very interesting.

[glow]

i kind of feel privileged to have watched this (esni and fran drama aside). 

[crazycatchick]

I final finished this yesterday and was not all that surprised by the outcomes. I am happy that Stacy decided not to follow Christie to Chicago. She seems like she has a good head on her shoulders. 

 

After finding out Francesca had an IMDB I went to her Twitter, which took me also to her Instagram. There is no way she even considered becoming a sister at all and this was just a chance to get on tv. Her instagram is basically her outfits (which are like body jewlery and crop tops) and pictures of food (she's vegan) with mentions of how she ate this or that before she went to her acting class! Of course there are all these commentors who are like you are SO BRAVE to go on tv with "bad" skin. It's pretty hilarious. I didn't even think her acne was even that bad or that noticeable. At the end of the final episode, I did think it was telling that Francesca's parents (I think her mum) made some comment about how she was glad she wasn't going to become a sister and that she was worried the nuns would have "brainwashed" her. So my guess is Francesca is religious but went on this show mainly for her resume. And her parents knew that all along but apparently were worried she really would decide to become a sister. I would be surprised if we didn't see her on some MTV reality show in the near future. This is all IMHO, or course!

 

I really enjoyed this show especially because I'm Jewish and my frame of reference for nuns is basically Sister Act and the Sound of Music. 

[blue sky]

I’m another refugee from TWOP, and though I’ve been reading this site for a while now, I can’t believe this is the show that finally inspired me to register.

 

Claire: Spent most of the show thinking she’s like a girl I knew in high school—someone who made a big deal about what a big and great Christian she was but in reality was one of the meanest girls around—always eager to exclude people she didn’t think were good/cool enough, quick to criticize but seeing herself as perfect and better than everyone. Also thought she’s the kind of person who gets more enjoyment from feeling superior to others than from actually living her faith. (Not to offend any vegans, but she reminded me of a couple vegans I knew who always seemed to get more pleasure from criticizing, and feeling superior to, non-vegans than they did from doing something to help animals.) Thought it was hilarious when she said she was staying out of the “you lied to the sisters about your phones” conversation and said it was cuz she wanted to stay out of all the girl drama….except when she’s the one causing it, I guess. Or did she not remember the “I’m up here/you’re all immature drama queens” lecture she gave them previously? I always assumed she’d decide to become a nun but wondered if the nuns would say she had to get her smug attitude in order first. But I have to admit that by the end of the show, I had some real hope for her. Mostly because of how she behaved when she was doing the work. When she had a chance to express her faith through actions rather than bragging, a much more appealing side of her showed through. The judgment and posturing were put aside and a sincere, mature commitment to doing good came out. I expect the nuns will work with her on toning down the smugness. And some of that may wear away on its own—if she has a chance to show her faith every day while surrounded by people who’ve made the same commitment she has, she won’t have to brag about it so much.

 

Francesca: The worst. Waaay too immature. How is it possible for her to know so little about any of this—not just life as a nun, but basics of her religion? She did go to Catholic school. Not surprised to read here that she has an IMDB page and is probably just a famewhore. Her inability to function without constant support from her mother is sad. But her mother encourages it. During the phone call from Chicago she sort of encouraged F, but also said she’d go pick up F if she had to, rather than saying “It’s only 6 weeks, you can deal.” Worst single moment from her was when Christie apologized (for correctly saying it’s not cool to lie to the nuns) and F’s response was “this is exactly what I wanted to hear.” Seriously? She didn’t have an ounce of regret about lying? She didn’t think she’d done anything wrong? I guess that’s another result of having her mom constantly hovering around—she can’t take responsibility for anything, she just whines til she gets what she wants. The “I grew spiritually and whatnot” really sums her up—self-absorbed, with little capacity for deep thought.

 

Stacey: Had the most positive reaction to her overall. Possibly because she usually seemed the most realistically thoughtful about it. She wasn’t running from a life she was unhappy with. She was disappointed her acting career didn’t take off, but I believed her when she said her religion was her comfort during those times, not a consolation prize. All along I’d expected her to become a nun, and was surprised to be wrong. Not sure how I feel about her parents apparently constantly pressuring their kids that at least one of them should be a nun/priest. Only moment from her that really rubbed me the wrong way was her yelling that the Catholic church "takes everybody!" Except...gays, divorced people, uppity women who don't think they're inherently inferior to men...

 

Eseni: Wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt in the beginning, even when it seemed clear she was running from her life/fears. When she talked about the nuns’ lives being “complete” I thought she understood that even though they gave up certain things, they were fulfilled and content and wanted the same for herself. And there were moments when they were doing the work that she seemed to be genuinely good at it and happy about helping others. But I quickly lost patience for all the Darnell drama. Not sure how much time she had for spiritual growth when all she talked and thought about was him. Then I decided that going away for 6 weeks was her test for him: if Darnell could wait 6 weeks for her, then she’d trust him not to cheat on her. I do think her faith is real, and hope she finds a way to be more active in her religion without pretending she can’t balance the other parts of her life. But doesn’t she realize she really needs to ditch those nails if she’s going to be a nurse?

 

Christie: At first, thought she was a loon, with all the ecstatic visions and overly dramatic scenes. But she’s another one who seemed to click when she started doing the work. Seeing how comfortable she felt in the various tasks in Chicago changed my impression of her, maybe because it took her away from the “I can’t see Jesus” drama. I think she has a sincere enthusiasm to serve God by helping others. With a little time to calm down, I think she'll be a great sister.

 

Darnell: Wow, his parents are rich. Or is he rich? A BMW and a spread like that?  However, he needs to dial down the controlling, borderline abusive treatment. Going to Chicago to “get his baby back” was awful. He acted like she was being brainwashed by some insane cult (no offense to the atheists who might argue that she was, but I doubt they’re watching this show). And he didn’t say “I love you and want to be with you.” It always came across as “I need my baby here WITH ME.” Cuz he can’t function without her? Cuz he can’t be alone?

 

Saving the best for last, the nuns: At first I loved the nuns cuz they were just awesome: funny, smart, not sheltered from reality at all, wise, patient, but with little tolerance for idiocy. The Chicago sister was the best combination of all of those things. Later, I realized that what I liked best about them, and about the whole show, was watching the sisters do their work. They truly love what they do, and that’s a great thing to see either in life or on tv. I especially loved the Kentucky sister saying they “keep their ears to the ground” to find out who in their community needs help. To me it sounded like she was (justifiably) proud that they operate that way, but she didn’t act like that made them heroes. It’s not fun, but they do what needs to be done and they make a genuine difference in the community.

 

I'd watch another season only if the producers did a better job of screening out the ones who (through their total lack of any understanding about what life as a nun is really about) clearly show that they aren't seriously considering it.