I was not called to give my life to Him completely, but I pray for the Grace to completely give all that I have left…
I was not called to give my life to Him completely, but I pray for the Grace to completely give all that I have left…
Completely
Recently I heard about a young woman who had taken her final vows to become a religious nun in a cloistered convent. As part of her vow, this young woman committed not only to a life of poverty, chastity and obedience, but also to remain separated from her family and friends and to live a life separate from her family and the world.
And I have been reflecting on her vows and praying for her ever since.
You see, it takes an extraordinary supernatural wisdom to be able to see that in giving up all worldly things a soul is not giving anything away and is instead receiving (COMPLETELY) the Will of God without distractions.
“Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Not all men can receive this saying, but only those to whom it is given. For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.’” (Matthew 19:10-12).
And not everyone can really understand that celibacy is not saying NO to life, it is saying YES to God – more completely than could ever be possible for a soul like mine with my children and my husband and my job.
That celibate life is about allowing God to completely work in a soul in a way that can occur unhindered by the concerns of any other thing. A religious – like that young woman who is now a nun – is a person who choses to allow God to be the complete focus of their life without any distraction.
And I have been reflecting on that today…
In 1915 a ten year old boy, Almiro Faccenda was in a town in Austria when the Germans invaded. The parish priest – fearing arrest – gave the boy the keys to the Tabernacle and told him that if the city was besieged that the child should go to the Tabernacle, remove the Blessed Eucharist and distribute the Eucharist to the villagers. And so, when the siege began four days later, the young boy went and did exactly that. Later that night, Almiro told his mother, “What am I to do with this hand of mine that has touched God? Should it not serve Jesus for ever?”
In 1932 he was ordained a priest.
And I have been thinking about that today. Because that little boy carried God in his hands and then knew that nothing would do other than carrying Him in his heart.
And as I go about my day throughout the world, I wonder if I have left enough room for God. For I was not called to give my life to Him completely, but I pray for the Grace to completely give all that I have left…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.