Sr Joan Chittister, an internationally known Benedictine nun, narrates the following incident from her novitiate days. Every year, Mother Sylvester, the prioress, would visit the novitiate twice. During both the visits, she would ask the novices the same question: “Why have you come to religious life?” The novices would come up with different answers: “To give our lives to the Church;” “To convert the world;” “To serve the poor and the needy.” Sr. Sylvester would shake her head disapprovingly and say ‘no’ to each of the answers. When the novices would have exhausted all their answers, with a glint in her eyes, she would tell them: “You have come to religious life, dear sisters, only to seek God.”
Although seeking God is the primary purpose of religious life, Sr Chittister notes that “we have too often, however, been seduced with greater intensity by other explanations for religious life.” As a result, we have sought to be “relevant,” set out to be “incarnational,” made efforts “to transform structures,” pursued “dialogue” with people of other religions, committed ourselves to the “empowerment of the marginalized,” and devoted ourselves to “the option for the poor.” All these commitments are needed and praiseworthy, relevant and important. All these are, so to say, God’s works. These are not God. And religious are persons who have made it their life’s goal “to seek God”; they are persons who have chosen God.
Revelation in Prison—and Deep Peace
Venerable Francis X N van Thuan of Vietnam was arrested by the Communist Government when he was the Coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon (1975), and kept in prison for thirteen years, nine of which he spent in solitary confinement. He says that in the first months in prison he spent many sleepless nights thinking about the many plans he had for the Archdiocese which would now go unrealized. One night, while he was lying awake, agonizing over all his projects that would be unrealized, he heard a voice from the depths of his heart which said: “Why do you torment yourself like this? You must distinguish between God and the works of God. Everything you have done and desire to continue doing—pastoral visits, formation of seminarians, of men and women religious, of the laity, of the youth, construction of schools, foyers for students, missions for the evangelization of non-Christians—all of these are excellent works. These are God’s works, but they are not God! If God wants you to leave all of these works, do it right away and have faith in him! God can do things infinitely better than you can. He will entrust his works to others that are much more capable. You have chosen God alone, not his works!”
Fr Jose Kuttianimattathil SDB
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