By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. I must say that we weren’t particularly tuned in to how the world was celebrating the day designated for expressing love, no idea of what was being promoted. In fact, I’m sad to say that I didn’t bring much of the flavor into my own day.
But today, February 15th, I’m reflecting on the fact that I didn’t. There are so many ways distractions pour into our day to interrupt it. Interrupt it in a way that I allow myself to get a bit off-kilter. Off-kilter meaning forgetting the main thing is the main thing, forgetting to be attentive to the graces that are there for me in the moment. The main thing for us, for me, is to love the good Lord with all my heart and soul.
In a particular way for those of us who have chosen to respond with a resounding YES to God’s call to love and serve Him in religious life, our “loving” has a particular depth to it. There’s a purpose as to why we profess vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience. It’s not at all a negative thing. More and more, it’s striking me how off it is that people think we’re “giving up” a lot. Sure we are. So are you. This is the case in any vocation you say yes to. That’s just life…but in every vocation, if you are in it whole-heartedly, you experience a fullness of life.
Religious life is a way of life that is FULL of vibrant colors and lots of shades of pastels and deep rich dark tones. It is 110% fulfilling, it’s a way of life that brings deep, lasting joy and propels you into living authentically (that is, living from your core, more and more possessing and expressing your true self). It’s a life totally-given (which means giving and receiving) in a beautiful religious family. Of course, there are ups and downs, joys, sufferings, challenges, falls, moving forward, moving backward, etc. That’s a given in life. I can’t express enough the beauty of this particular calling!
This is why I’m a bit sad I allowed February 14 to come and go without much thought. For me to have been more cognizant of showing the Lord how much I love Him that day would have been so very appropriate, you see! 🥰 But every day is a new day and so we try again. 🙂
This brings me to another random thought about interruptions. The way I can choose to look at interruptions really sets the tone of how I receive them. Those moments in my day yesterday weren’t “interruptions”. They were opportunities to grow in grace and virtue and God’s way of saying, “Hello…I thought you asked for X. Here I am helping you with it…by giving you opportunities.” 😊 Maybe I should be clearer about having it come packaged more nicely in the future. 🙂 hahaha! It’s amazing how re-framing something in one’s mind allows doors to open and fresh air to flow through versus a closed door that keeps the stagnant air just sitting in the room. It really is all about perspective and how we choose to look at the ordinary happenings in life.
Well…enough for now. Don’t forget to tell God, your family, and dear friends how much you love them. You can never express is enough. Until next time, God bless you!
