By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
To our dear Veterans, we have not forgotten you.
Sometimes our collective recollection of your sacrifice goes into short-term memory loss, but at our core, we remember. How could we not?
Similarly, yet differently, we sisters also give our lives in service. Because of this, your service and sacrifice deeply resonate within us. To give of oneself to and for a higher purpose – for you it’s country, for us, it’s God – is something our current world may not fully comprehend.
It’s an awesome responsibility you carry.
We are called to remember, to be grateful, to live our lives in a manner that is worthy of the sacrifice you’ve made and freely given. You are called to form us in the ideals you embodied, to teach us the lessons you learned, to be a living example of humanity at its best. It may sound daunting in its idealism, but the reality is, we spend a good chunk of our lives trying to reconcile the ideal with reality. Somewhere in this process, as we bring these two into a lived experience, we’re transformed within and this internal transformation can’t help but flow outwards and inspire others.
You, more than anyone, know what it means to lay everything down for the good of another. We thank you for your service. And to you who paid the ultimate price, you remain in our prayers, may God grant you eternal rest.
