Religious Life is a strange mix of realities. There is nothing that I have experienced that compares to it. Today I have spent much time reflecting on community and am lifted-up by the connection I feel to CSA's mission and the women who share in this experience. People use the analogy of a marriage to Religious Life and although it falls short in some ways the idea of commitment and perseverance seem to be hallmark for both. The romanticism has worn off over the past 12 years, yet the vitality of my life in line with our core values burns strong. And the challenge of Religious Life today is that it looks very different than it did during much of the 20th Century, and the constant of change is going to have its way with us for years to come. I joined this community during our time in the wilderness and although the predictability of what will be is not anything like I expected, it is definitely much more stimulating than I would have guessed. We, like Jesus in today's reading are in the wilderness. This is a time to gather our strength and put our lives into God's care as we pray for the strength to fulfill Jesus' mission. I look forward to Lent this year in a new way as I look around and see that in this wild place I am not alone. I am with each of you, and my community (Sisters and Associates), friends and family as we enter these Gospel days anew. The prayer I offer on this first Sunday of Lent brings me into the presence of God through the senses of Eddie Vedder and Pearl Jam through the beautiful lyrics of Just Breathe.
You have surely articulated these awesome times where we touch our roots as a believing people, as a trusting congregation and choose the life our Creator has crafted for us! Thanks.
ReplyDelete"This is a time to gather our strength and put our lives into God's care as we pray for the strength to fulfill Jesus' mission." Yesterday brought this message home to me in a new and different way. I heard from a former student who I worked with years ago in Crown Point, Indiana who now lives in Cleveland, Ohio and was impacted by the tragedy of the school shooting. I was inspired and touched by the response he gave as he initiated a candlelight vigil for the people in that area. I recognized how very much the Sisters of St. Agnes meant to the people in Crown Point and how we continue to walk with people. I thought about how we live out the Mission of Jesus, by walking with people. We model what is true and good by continuing to live out the lives of "Ordinary Sisters". My life is constantly changed because I move in the circle of some great women- my C.S.A. sisters. During this season of change I am reminded: "The Journey into God is to become one in love with God, to become crucified in love, like Christ, whose selfless gift of love shows us the capacity of the human person to love for the sake of new life." (The Emergent Christ by Ilia Delio, O.S.F.)
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