Making space for Jesus
One day while I was still in high school, I went out to get the mail for my grandmother. As I sifted through what the mailman had left, I noticed a letter addressed to me. It was from an order of religious sisters serving within the diocese. I remember being so curious that I didn’t even wait to go inside the house before opening the envelope. After I finished reading the letter, which included an invitation to attend one of the community’s “come and see” retreats, I was a bit perplexed. I thought, “Why in the world did they send me, of all people, this letter?” Granted, I had been involved with various groups at my parish, but I was sure I knew the path my future would take. Wallowing in my own hubris, I ignored that letter and went on about my life, thinking I had all the answers.
One day while I was still in high school, I went out to get the mail for my grandmother. As I sifted through what the mailman had left, I noticed a letter addressed to me. It was from an order of religious sisters serving within the diocese. I remember being so curious that I didn’t even wait to go inside the house before opening the envelope. After I finished reading the letter, which included an invitation to attend one of the community’s “come and see” retreats, I was a bit perplexed. I thought, “Why in the world did they send me, of all people, this letter?” Granted, I had been involved with various groups at my parish, but I was sure I knew the path my future would take. Wallowing in my own hubris, I ignored that letter and went on about my life, thinking I had all the answers.
Now, as a mother of three, I am most certain that I never had all the answers, yet, through my work for the Church, I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet not only very intelligent but also very spiritual and devout people. My interactions with those people have all contributed to a profound, yet simple realization that I strive to share with my children as often as possible: God’s will brings true happiness.
Of course, the words are easy to say, but to realize and truly believe their meaning can be nothing short of life changing. Pope Benedict XVI said it best in an address to schoolchildren during a 2010 visit to Britain: “Happiness is something we all want, but one of the great tragedies in this world is that so many people never find it, because they look for it in the wrong places. The key to it is very simple — true happiness is to be found in God. We need to have the courage to place our deepest hopes in God alone, not in money, in a career, in worldly success, or in our relationships with others, but in God. Only He can satisfy the deepest needs of our hearts.”
The courage Pope Benedict XVI referenced in that speech is exemplified by the two women featured in this issue: Sister Rose Marie Gauthier, S.s.E.W, and Sister Krista Marie Hall, O.P. The courage to place all hope and trust in God led the two religious sisters to lives filled with irrepressible joy.
In short, we won’t be content with our path in life, our vocation, until we ask God to guide us, for He is the source of all joy. “Joy is the sign of God’s presence and action within us,” said Pope Benedict XVI in his 2012 World Youth Day address. “Jesus asks us to follow Him and to stake our whole life on Him. … Do not be afraid to risk your lives by making space for Jesus Christ and His Gospel. This is the way to find inner peace and true happiness. It is the way to live fully as children of God, created in His image and likeness.”