Mar 16, 2015 |
By Penny.
“I, in my old age, strive after that which I was hindered from learning in my youth… therefore I blush to-day and greatly dread to expose my ignorance, because I am not able to express myself briefly, with clear and well-arranged words, as the spirit desires and the mind and intellect point out.” – From The Confession of Saint Patrick.
He wasn’t joking, either: modern versions of Patrick’s Confession are frequently prefaced with complaints about the clunky and ungrammatical Latin with which the translators have had to work. Nonetheless, God called him to be a bishop and a missionary – raised him, in Patrick’s own words, like a stone from a deep mire – to confound the wise and learned.
Like the (much) later Saint John Vianney, Patrick had a strong and decisive vocation, but struggled to acquire the practical skills needed to fulfill it: unlike his companions in formation for the priesthood, Patrick had had his education interrupted at the age of fifteen by a six-year period of slavery in the hills of Ireland, and spent the rest of his life knowing that he could never really make up for what was lost in that time. Beneath the saccharine songs about his subsequent triumphant return to Ireland as a free man and a bishop lie several harder realities that Patrick does not try to gloss over:
– He was in his early twenties when, in a dream, he saw the pagan peoples of Ireland begging him to come and walk 
among them once more, but between this dream and its fulfillment lay over a decade of priestly and monastic formation in Gallia (modern France). Every day of those long years he must have ached to begin the work that God had given him, but understood that he wasn’t yet equal to the task set before him. If you ever feel as though your whole life is on hold, waiting for God to pick up the other end of the line and tell you when and where to go, this may be a comfort: one of the greatest missionaries who has ever lived was in exactly the same boat, hearing the voices of the Irish people calling to him across the sea and waiting to return to them. “Thanks be to God,” he writes as an old man, “that after very many years, the Lord has granted them their desire!”
– He experienced the same wrenching separation from his family as anyone whose loved ones don’t support their vocation. He thanks the Lord for “the great and salutary gift to know or love God, and to leave my country and my relations, although many gifts were offered to me with sorrow and tears. And I offended many of my seniors then against my will. But, guided by God, I yielded in no way to them, not to me, but to God be the glory, who conquered in me, and resisted them all.” The first time he left, he was snatched from them abruptly by slave traders, but the second time, he left of his own accord to follow a burning sense of vocation that they could neither perceive nor understand – and none escaped without pain.
– Even with a clear vocation, Patrick didn’t find the long separation from home and family easy. For decades afterward, “thoug
h I could have wished to leave (the Irish church), and had been ready and very desirous to go to Britannia, as if to my country and parents, and not that alone, but to go even to Gallia, to visit my brethren, and to see the face of my Lord’s saints; and God knows that I desired it greatly. But I am bound in the spirit, and he who witnesseth will account me guilty if I do it, and I fear to lose the labor which I have commenced, and not I, but the Lord Christ, who commanded me to come and be with them for the rest of my life.”
Patrick was a Saint who learned to wait for his calling from God to be fulfilled in its own time, to accept with true humility the shortcomings and failures that he experienced, and to cope day by day with loss and loneliness. On his Feast day, may we ask him to help us in our own struggles to come nearer to God.
“But I beseech those who believe in and fear God, whoever may condescend to look into or receive this writing, which Patrick, the ignorant sinner, has written in Ireland, that no one may ever say, if I have ever done or demonstrated anything, however little, that it was my ignorance. But do you judge, and let it be believed firmly, that it was the gift of God. And this is my confession before I die.”
Feb 3, 2015 |
By Seraphia.
The day I left the convent, I thought, was the most difficult day of my life. I had to leave behind a life I patiently waited for and desired to live for such a long time. Yet, what proved to be even more of a challenge for me were the days that lay ahead. I was in the convent for only a short period of time; despite that, I had to transition back to life in the world. I had to venture into the world of secular college classes. I had to learn how to deal with the questions, comments and judgments of others who had no idea why I had to leave and who, of course, had no clue about the extreme interior struggles and doubts I was going through.
It has now been over seven years since I left the convent. The life experiences, growth and maturity, and self-knowledge that I have gained throughout these past seven, almost eight, years are invaluable. I can look back with a grateful heart and see the many ways the Lord has worked in my life: the relationships I was/am able to form, the education I was/am able to gain, the ministries I was/am able serve in. The busyness of my life, however, often conceals that deep ache in my heart. It is that deep-seated longing I still have for religious life, a longing which many of my friends who have left religious life have also expressed to me.
Not long ago I found myself, for probably the one millionth time, asking God, “Why?” I was weeping at the empty tomb, like Mary Magdalene, wondering where my Lord had gone. Overwhelmed with tears, I stood looking out the
window of my high rise apartment through miles and miles of the city and surrounding suburbs, crying out and wondering where He was. And then suddenly I knew that He was not somewhere out there but rather was standing next to me, like He has been these past seven, eight years. Just as He called me by name over seven years ago to leave the world behind and enter the convent, so He called me by name when it was time to leave, and even now, He continues to call me by name for what is to come.
Even through the sadness and tears, there is hope: hope for the future and what lies ahead. My time in the convent was a time of great grace and blessing and even though I am no longer there, in each and every day, in each and every task, there is purpose and grace and His love. Whether God will call me back to a convent in the future or will leave me in the world, I am comforted in the knowledge that He never abandons us but calls us by name.
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the LORD.”Jer. 29:11-14a
Seraphia entered the convent for a short time in 2007 until God called her back out into the world. She is currently working towards a doctoral degree and describes herself as a professional student. Her favorite hobbies include reading the classics, traveling, hiking and learning new languages. She is still discerning a vocation to consecrated life, open to wherever God may call her.
Oct 18, 2014 |
By AfterEpiphany.
I experienced God’s indisputable sense of humour (hey – He’s the AUTHOR of humour!) on the day that I left the convent. Through a strange act of Providence, I was rostered to do the First Reading at Mass with the Community on the morning that I left. Attending Mass was my very last act in Community – afterwards, I was whisked away to gather my things, eat a quiet breakfast and prepare to leave for the airport, whilst the rest of the community all went to community breakfast.
The fact that I was the reader for the day meant that I absolutely couldn’t become distracted or zone out during the reading. The significance of every word I read is even still with me. But what has me gobsmacked (yes, even now!) is the particular reading it was that day – Is 62:1-5. Here is a snippet from it:
“No more shall people call you ‘Forsaken’ or your land ‘Desolate’, but you shall be called ‘My Delight’ and your land ‘Espoused.’ For the Lord delights in you and makes your land his spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so shall your God rejoice in you.”
Um… WOW.
I really don’t think it was an accident that this particular Scripture passage was the reading for my last day wearing a religious habit, responding to a religious name, and belonging to a religious community. I think He had a message of comfort, and hope and deep, intimate love for me that day, one to carry within my heart for the rest of my life. Perhaps He also intended this message for each of you – my brothers and sisters in Christ who have experienced similar life changes of late in “discerning out” of your religious order or seminary.
Those questions that so many of us ask upon returning to the world: does God still love me? Doesn’t He want me to have an intimate relationship with Him anymore? If I have to be out in the world, can I still make my life all about God? Can I still bring others to Him as a lay member of the faithful?
This reading is His answer to me…
… and maybe to you as well?
He calls each of us to intimacy with Him. And even if we are not being wed to Him in the same mystical sense described in Canon 607, there is still a spousal element to our relationship with Him, by virtue of our membership in the Church, His Bride, for whom He freely laid down His life.
“Religious life manifests a wonderful marriage brought about by God… a gift of self by which their whole existence becomes a continuous worship of God in love…” ~ from Canon 607
But aside from all of that, He is my Builder and my God, and HE DELIGHTS IN ME!! *shakes head* I still don’t get that! It’s a mystery, but I trust that it is true. He delights in you too.
Yes, you!
To conclude, here are some passages to sit with; as scattered as they might seem at first glance, they unite in a very definite, and comforting, message of hope and promise:
Mt 28:20 | Songs 3:1-4 | Jer 29:12-13 | Is 54:4
AfterEpiphany spent 1.5 years living religious life, half a world away from her homeland, convinced that God was calling her. He was: to a deep conversion of heart. Out in the world again, and with a professional background in IT Project Management, it would be remiss of A.E. not to have a 5-year plan for herself! her twofold plan consists of the completion of a PhD in Theology, and securing a job in an academic library as her interim livelihood. She cares deeply about faith education and the spiritual formation of young adults.
Apr 20, 2014 |
One can view the celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus from either a cosmic or a personal viewpoint.
From a cosmic viewpoint, the Resurrection is the ultimate triumph of God’s love and power over the forces of evil, whether seen as human or Satanic. The failure of the woman and Adam in the garden becomes the happy fault, the necessary evil which is wiped away by the bloody sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God. As he left the tomb, he stomped upon the head of the serpent who now has no power to destroy us humans. The gates of the garden have swung open and we humans may now return to paradise to where we were originally destined. God’s love has triumphed over human venality and selfishness, the sources of evil and man’s inhumanity to man, the causes of so much human pain and suffering. And while this world has not passed away and evil still roams the earth, there is now the hope of overcoming evil and of living an eternity of bliss.
From a personal viewpoint, the Resurrection gives meaning to our every day. Even if we wake up in pain, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual, we can believe in God’s love, we can expect healing. Without the Resurrection, the Crucifixion merely mocks our suffering; with the Resurrection, the Crucifixion says I love you: I love you so much I would undergo all this for you so that, whether you are happy or sad, in pain or not, limping or dancing, you can know I understand and your pain is not the end of the story. There is hope.
Resurrection is around the corner. You can believe in that, you can trust in my love, you can look forward to better days, and in that way ease your pain. The Resurrection says don’t give up. We must not only take up the cross to follow Jesus; we must also take up the Resurrection!
By Fr. Benjamin Russell, O.P.
Fr. Benjamin served for many years as the Formation Director of the Central Dominican Province of St. Albert the Great in Chicago. He is now enjoying semi-retirement with the Friars of the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Center at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.
Jul 28, 2013 |
Lately, my nephew has been working on potty training and he has had a few incentives proposed to get him going to the bathroom in the toilet. When he goes #2, he gets some ice cream. And his parents told him that if he did it multiple days in a row in the toilet, they would get him a fish.
For the last few days he has done this with a great deal of success.
So he got a bucket of water out of the kiddie pool in the backyard and proudly dragged it up to Mom and Dad and told them he had the water ready because he knew he was getting a fish. Mom and Dad were surprised because, though he had been doing well, they didn’t think it was quite long enough for the fish reward. However, the amazing cuteness of the situation won them over. They made plans to go to the store and purchase a fish.
Situations like this make me think of God the Father. Does He have gifts He wants to give us? Yes. Can we encourage Him to do that a little sooner by being super cute (a.k.a. child-like)? I would think so.
Going back to the fish, what loving parent could deny such a request? My brother and sister-in-law intended to eventually get a fish for my nephew, but he helped move the process along with his humble and expectant request. I’ll bet God is similar.
I, on the other hand, at times seem to demand things from God and throw temper-tantrums. Do I give in to my niece or nephew when they throw a fit? Nope. Family rule: “You never get what you want when you throw a fit.” And yet I do that to God.
To continue the story, the fish was purchased and brought home that night with great fanfare. The kids went to bed excited. Sadly, the fish died about one hour later. When Mom and Dad, tired from a long day, discovered the dead fish, what was their reaction? “We have to go to the store tonight and get a new fish.”
If two human beings are so anxious to please their child who is trying so hard to be potty trained, wouldn’t a God who loves us infinitely desire to give us so much more? And yet I have trouble believing it.
I’ve learned so much about God and the spiritual life through children. How about you?
By Petra
May 27, 2013 |
Do you believe that God will fulfil all that He plans to through you?…or do you feel that your only opportunity is destroyed, has passed, or is not going to happen? Well, the good news is that despair has no place in the Christian life and that nothing is outside of God’s Providence.
The greatest Christian walk was done through a woman who began by saying, “How can this be?” The response from God’s angel ended with the words, “For with God nothing will be impossible”; to which Mary responded, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:26-38) This woman said yes to her God in the moment of the grace of the day, having no clue what was to come and not being prepared that moment to see the fullness and end of the walk that she would live. She received the grace of the day to take the step of the day that He asked of her. This is the radical Christian walk. This is the walk of radical faith, trust, and vulnerability to what God has planned. This faith begins by believing that if we just respond positively to the promptings of the day that He asks of us, there is no greater thing we could possibly do in our lives at that moment. Seriously, just stop to think, if I say yes to all that God asks for this day, there is no greater walk I can choose. The Living God finds us, holds us, and leads us in the living moment! This is truly the Marian journey with God, life in the Spirit, the faith that Mary had, that made her not fear one prompting of the Lord because she knew that with God leading her she had no one and nothing to fear. If we would only all believe that and live that way, living in the vulnerable moment of now, not knowing what God plans to open to us next.
What does this mean? Well, it starts by realizing that we didn’t miss the only plane to Jerusalem or lose the only chance to meet that perfect man or enter the only fitting Religious Order. No, that is not how God works and that is not awaiting the Lord with radical hope and trust. Would God really say, “You just missed my only plan for you so now you will have to live the rest of your days in misery; I’ve got nothing else for you?” No, that is certainly not our God. There is no path we can choose that God can not make glorious in the end. Our God says this, “Fear not. Do not despair. Have faith. I know well the plans that I have in mind for you.”
We may find doors shut that we thought we were to walk through. Or paths diverge where we thought were certain. However, the one thing we must hold belief above all: Praise the Lord, He is in control, He is God and we are not; there is no need to despair; he will provide if we let Him! And the more we allow Him to lead us where He wishes and stop thinking that we need to make things happen instead of letting them be done unto us, the better off we will be, and the more peaceful. When we think that it all depends on us, we will inevitably feel the anxious, unnecessary weight of the world on our shoulders. A famous line a good friend says is, “Don’t worry, God will have his way with you.” The catch is: we must let Him have His way with us in active-receptivity of His Will. Then, watch out world of what He will do through us!
Allowing ourselves to be disposed before God and walking towards what we believe that He is asking of us is scary at times and makes us vulnerable to possible rejection, hurt, or loss, however, this disposition will bring the greatest joy of our lives if we follow Him. God loves His sons and daughters vulnerable to Him. Peter loved the Lord but had many winding paths in trying to follow Him, however, did any others get out of the boat to walk on water!? Or was anyone else given the keys of heaven? It’s better to get out there and walk with the possibility of sinking when the Lord invites us to the challenge, then to never get out and feel the water under our feet.
Will the Lord find us open and waiting in a vulnerable stance, ready to face the next opportunity He gives us to receive a gift, be an instrument of His love in the world, or are we too fearful of hurt or failure, finding it easier or safer to stay where I keep myself and what I make happen in life? Will Christ walk away from our city with no power to perform miracles because of our lack of faith (Mk 6:1-6) or will he have the freedom to say “your faith has healed you” or “be it done according to your faith”. (Mt15:28)
Let’s pray for one another, that we may foster the Marian walk with our Lord and receive the grace of the day that He gives us and walk with Him and in Him on whatever crazy paths He may lead us, with faith that truly has Divine power to walk on water (Mt 14:22-33) and to move mountains (Mt 21:21-22)!
By Dawn Hausmann.
Dawn is the Director of Consecrated Vocations in the Diocese of Lansing Department of Formation.
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