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.
May 20, 2013 |
I don’t know about you, but I constantly need to be reminded that the present is the only time that matters. It is common for pop-psychology writers to bring up phrases such as “the power of now” and “living in the present”. And these are concepts worth pondering.
But the real question is why? An ontological-type answer might be something along the lines of, “nothing else truly exists except the present.” And on my bad days, I would respond, “so what?”
Why does only the present moment matter, in a real, rubber-meets-the road kind of way?
“It is in the present that we encounter him, not yesterday nor tomorrow, but today.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church, Paragraph 2659.
Now is the only time that God can work and that we can be with Him. Amazing. This is just like any other relationship. I can hope to be with my friend tomorrow, but I cannot, right now, be with my friend tomorrow. It is impossible.
As C.S. Lewis said, “The present is the only time in which any duty may be done or grace received.”
Satan loves to distract us with the past and the future. He doesn’t want us to be present and be open to what God wants to do with us RIGHT NOW.
How does this happen? First, we dwell on memories and/or look at them with unrealistic, rose-colored glasses. One year ago I was having the time of my life in the convent with my sisters. It was so amazing. And now, I am here and it stinks. Let me be clear: there is absolutely nothing wrong with acknowledging any feelings that you have about missing the convent, etc. What I am saying is that we can have an unrealistic view of the past, which makes the present seem awful in comparison. Satan loves to play on this. Your life wasn’t perfect before.
On the other end, there is fear of the future. Satan loves to paralyze us with worries about the unknown. We have all had that sinking feeling as we think, what next? I will never forget being in my cell the night before I left the convent I couldn’t sleep and I was trying to fight the fear involved in wondering, what will I do now? Others may have delayed that night for too long, even though they knew the convent wasn’t the place for them, because of this fear. When we are lost in dreaming or worrying about the future, we are not in the present.
In conclusion, “Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.” (Mt 6:34)
Jesus says this because we are only receiving grace for right now, not for the problems that we are anticipating or recalling. The Three Persons of the Trinity want to love us right now, give us peace right now, and let us experience joy right now. So don’t be anywhere but here right now!
By Rosa Mystica.
May 6, 2013 |
Most convents have a set schedule, or horarium, which the sisters follow. But when you come back to the world, it can be hard to know what to do and when.
After I returned to the world, it seemed like all I did was sleep for the first few weeks. I did not sleep well while I was in the convent, so I suppose I needed to catch up. But after that I had to start facing the reality that I could do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. It was overwhelming.
Fortunately, I had great people in my life to help me define some important activities.
First, I was encouraged to make sure I got some exercise every day. This is HUGE. Don’t underestimate exercise! If you don’t believe me, check out this link: http://catholiclane.com/natural-spark-to-treat-add-and-other-conditions/. Your regimen doesn’t need to be intense, just regular. My preferred activity was a 20-minute or longer walk. But sometimes I just needed to run, so I did (I am NOT a runner, by the way). Pick something that you like and get going!
Next, you should consider your daily prayer life now that you are back. The truth is that you will not be able to imitate the prayer life you experienced in the convent, even if you want to. The other temptation is to abandon it completely. Talk to God about what He wants you to do. If you’re having a hard time hearing God, this is a great topic for a spiritual director, priest, or close friend/family member who knows you well. If nothing else, say the rosary every day. I know Mary wants to help.
Finally, try to go to Mass, adoration and confession, especially if you don’t want to go. If you don’t have transportation or there aren’t opportunities for the sacraments near you, do something else instead. For example, you can make a spiritual communion at the same time every day. If you don’t want to do these things, make sure you go and tell God all about why you don’t want to be there. Then let Him answer.
The main point I would like to make is BE INTENTIONAL!
Don’t just float through your day. If you commit to prayer, exercise or whatever else, you will still do it on the “bad days” when you don’t feel like doing it. I love walking. I treasure my daily walk. And yet, most days it took a lot of effort to get up and go. Talk to God and make a plan!
By Rosa Mystica.
May 1, 2013 |
In honor of St. Joseph the Worker, I thought I’d write a little update about the ministry on launch week. Thank you for checking out the page!
May 1 is an opportunity to reflect on labor and work and this ministry has certainly involved a great deal of hard work by a fantastic team. But we would not have been able to do this without the prayers of so many people. The outpouring of support these last two days has been phenomenal.
Today’s Gospel was from John 15, where Jesus speaks of the vine and the branches. You can read it here.
This is a beautiful passage for reflection, and I think it holds special significance for anyone who has left the religious life or seminary. As Msgr. Reilly said at Mass today, pruning means changing and thus growth. Though returning back to the world can feel like a death, one can view it as “extreme pruning.”
Please keep checking the site because new blogs will be posted at least once a week. If you would like to receive email updates from Leonie’s Longing, you can sign up at http://eepurl.com/yq1rr
Or you can always follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus (see the icons in the lower right corner).
God bless, and St. Joseph, pray for us!
By Theresa Jasko
Theresa is currently the President of Leonie’s Longing. You can read more about her on the “Our Board” page.
Mar 17, 2013 |
When you return to the world and start getting out more, you are bound to run into folks who had heard you went away to the convent and are shocked to see you in the frozen food aisle (for instance). Even more awkward are the encounters with the Church Ladies after Mass who want to pry into the depths of your heart. If you have not yet experienced this, I am quite confident that you will eventually (unless you move to Siberia and no one knows you).
So how do you respond? It’s easy to think that you owe people an explanation. After all, many of us had to do fundraising to enter the convent in the first place. Our church communities, acquaintances, employers, etc. did various things to help support us as we prepared to leave. When you know people have done so much to help you get to the convent, you can feel that you are obligated to explain. And, to be frank, sometimes people think you ARE supposed to tell them all the details.
The truth is you don’t have to tell anyone anything. Period.
But, but, but, that sounds so mean!
It can be an opportunity for evangelization!
It’s a chance to teach people about religious life!
It can make people talk about discernment!
Yes, it could be those things at the right time, with the right person, for the right reasons.
Usually, though, it’s just inappropriate.
And so is your guilt for not saying more.
Please take a deep breath and give yourself permission to set some boundaries. The good news is that most people really will accept a simple explanation. It’s shocking how saying something simple such as, “I gave it a try and it wasn’t the place for me,” will satisfy most people. Typically, I would receive a big smile and a few encouraging words in response.
But a few will want to know more. Think about what you truly feel comfortable sharing with people, especially those who are barely more than strangers. Perhaps you can have a Tier 2 answer prepared for these folks. An example is: After spending time in religious life, God showed me it wasn’t His will that I remain. No matter why you left the convent and who made that choice, this answer is true. God is truly the One who made the decision and somehow it was His will that you leave.
WHAT IF THEY PERSIST?
Then you politely smile and say, I’m sorry, I don’t feel comfortable answering that question.
It’s unfortunate if they don’t like that. You are not being rude. Prying into other people’s lives is rude. End of story.
Isn’t it freeing to know that? When this was explained to me, I felt a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders. I wish I could have heard it sooner.
In conclusion, if you are having difficulty accepting this, I would recommend you check out a book called Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud (https://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310247454). Part of the beauty of coming back to the world is that you have a perfect excuse to start anew. If you’ve struggled with setting boundaries in the past, God has provided you with a great opportunity to grow in this area. Good luck!
By Rosa Mystica.
I don’t know about you, but I constantly need to be reminded that the present is the only time that matters. It is common for pop-psychology writers to bring up phrases such as “the power of now” and “living in the present”. And these are concepts worth pondering.
Most convents have a set schedule, or horarium, which the sisters follow. But when you come back to the world, it can be hard to know what to do and when.
In honor of St. Joseph the Worker, I thought I’d write a little update about the ministry on launch week. Thank you for checking out the page!
When you return to the world and start getting out more, you are bound to run into folks who had heard you went away to the convent and are shocked to see you in the frozen food aisle (for instance). Even more awkward are the encounters with the Church Ladies after Mass who want to pry into the depths of your heart. If you have not yet experienced this, I am quite confident that you will eventually (unless you move to Siberia and no one knows you).
Recent Comments