By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
Praised be Jesus Christ, Friends! It’s been a little while…hope you are doing well! There are so many topics we could delve into. Beginning a New Year (it’s still NEW!), entering into Ordinary Time (funny how “ordinary” time becomes more and more extraordinary), resolutions (which are tied to this time of year), persevering in the resolutions (which are also tied to this time of the month!), the spirit in which we are choosing to enter into 2023 and the list goes on. And imagine, Lent is right around the corner. Is it me or does all this seem to accelerate more every year? It’s too bad you can’t answer back as I’d like to know.
So….why don’t we keep this random. What is going through your mind and heart at this time? I imagine it’s different for each of us and I also imagine some of our trains (of thought, that is) have tracks in the same general direction. One good question tied to that would be – is it up or down? Forward or backward?
That leads me to another random thought. What is the quality of the questions you ask yourself? They say the quality of questions you ask yourself says a lot about who you are. One thing I’ve learned is that the questions you ask yourself DEFINTELY make a difference in how you are “forming” your thought patterns. Questions such as: “How can I learn from this?” after a hard situation or, “I can’t change that external thing that bothers me, but looking at myself, how can I change how I choose to see it and my response to it?” “What is it in me that I need to look at?” “How am I growing?” “How am I journeying with others in this life?” “How is God calling me to serve?” “What is the best version of myself?”
“Why am I here?” This one happens to be my personal favorite. Why am I here? Be it alive on earth, in Carmel as a religious sister, in my particular convent, etc. Why am I here? You know…those who are seeking to grow in personal development, always speak of beginning with the end in mind, the short-term/long-term goals. I think as Christians, we have it made. At the end of the day, the answer is clear. Why are you here? To know, love and serve God in this life so as to do so in the next. Because we want to get to heaven. Because we know this life is preparing us for the next. Because we want to know and experience the fullness of LOVE. Wow. That’s amazing!
It’s funny to me that you are reading my random movements of thought. Dear Diary…today… well… J Just kidding. But on a more serious note, if you don’t journal, you may want to consider doing so. The external processing of your thoughts puts more weight on your personal commitment to grow. If you are reading this blog, then I imagine you have a personal commitment to grow. If you haven’t thought about that….I invite you to please do so. We each need to consciously think of how we are choosing to grow in all aspects of our life (spiritually, emotionally, mentally, physically) because if we don’t grow, we stagnate. Not only that, as Christians, we are entrusted with a mission of sharing with others the light, goodness and love of His Most Sacred Heart and we first and foremost do so by how we live our lives.
Well, I think this is now drawing to a close. Thank you for allowing me to share my random thoughts. Out of curiosity, may I ask you a kindness? I’m including an email address here. advancement@carmelitesistersocd.com If you read these, can you share what’s been helpful. Anything specific you desire to hear about? What topics resonate with you? Think that’s all, folks!
P.S. I’ve been studying about the brain. It’s fascinating. If you don’t know much about the brain, I invite you to delve into learning more. Without a healthy brain, we won’t have health anywhere – physically, mentally, emotionally – and ultimately, we also suffer spiritually. It truly has been fascinating. God is amazing…the human body says it all!
