In the same way you also should rejoice and share your joy with me."
Yes!! In Paul's letter to the Philippians, read in the Church today, we hear the reminder to SHARE JOY!!! I LOVE THAT! :) Don't you?
Last night I met with the Medical Missionaries of Mary. In their communtiy, there was such a sense of joy! I had dinner with 5 of their sisters, and when their postulant came home, again, LOTS OF JOY! :) She had missed dinner because of class, so they gave me the opportunity to talk to her on my own. We were talking about the components of peace and joy in discernment. She definitely, after discerning between a draw to two communities, that this is the one, with which she felt both joy and peace. Peace is good, but without joy, we begin to lose part of who we are!
So, joy....do I still have it? I sure hope so. Please tell me if you don't see it! When I came to Cabrini last year, I learned that joy and peace were key to my own discernment. When I applied to come here, despite many unknowns, I felt, through the Holy Spirit abounding joy and peace. Does that mean that the year was ALL joyful and ALWAYS peaceful? No, but in difficult times I had to go back to the beginning, to be mindful of why and how I came here. I need to remember how enthused I was to be part of the Cabrini Mission with Crys, Mish and the sisters. I had to go back to how alive I felt when I first read Mother Cabrini's story. That, with prayer and support of my community helped me through my first mission year.
Now, I've entered a new time of discernment, and though there are challenges, I need to remember what it was that made me think that I was doing the right thing. Knowing that I have been called to this mission in some capacity; that through prayer, I really felt that this is where I am supposed to be. That I became so excited at the idea of, and ready to begin, the process of a growing commitment that I asked for an application. Though I was excited, my family and friends, the sisters...that didn't mean that along the way it would always be joyful and peaceful, but I can go back to how much I've felt a constant balance of affirmation and challenge along the way. Talking to other communities has really helped to facilitate that, especially in the last month. At Maryknoll, first it was a little unsettling...the thought of, "Is this really for me?" Taking it to prayer, to community, I've thought, "I think so." :) Heading to second community, I was nervous. Am I going to leave thinking the same thing? No!
After my conversation with MMM's postulant, I was very grateful. She, like a spiritual director, asked me a lot of questions that I needed to process and answer out loud to know if I am in the right space. And I think that I am. Talking about my year last year, with the 19th Annotation of the Exercises, the sisters, and missioners, I was reminded of how much JOY was exuded last year. Sometimes when I'm stressed or confused, that goes away, but I hope that the majority of the time I share my joy. I hope!
Joy is so beautiful and so powerful. Joy, along with Love and Peace, is among the fruits of the Holy Spirit!! I hope, in the the time to come...as I move forward, to be mindful of those fruits. It's a pretty good diet to be on, don't you think?!
Happy Wednesday!
Galations 5:18-25
Brothers and sisters:
If you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
Now the works of the flesh are obvious:
immorality, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry,
sorcery, hatreds, rivalry, jealousy,
outbursts of fury, acts of selfishness,
dissensions, factions, occasions of envy,
drinking bouts, orgies, and the like.
I warn you, as I warned you before,
that those who do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
Against such there is no law.
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified their flesh
with its passions and desires.
If we live in the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.
Amen? AMEN!
No comments:
Post a Comment