On August 2nd, I had the gift of making my first profession of vows as a CFR Sister. It was a joyful and grace-filled day; a beautiful liturgy, my family traveling from afar to be there to support me, so many friars and sisters present at the Mass, a delicious meal with joyful entertainment to name some of the highlights. In the midst of such a beautiful day, reflecting back, the most powerful moment of grace was when I knelt down in the sanctuary, placed my hands in the embrace of Mother Francis’ hands, and with full freedom actually professed my vows. Once again, I gave my yes to God and His will for my life which ushered in a torrent of grace that is hard to even articulate. In striving to live my vows faithfully, the graces received that day have deepened and borne fruit. As I’ve been faithful to my vow of poverty, God has opened my eyes to see Him in the poor we serve. In loving with an undivided and chaste heart, those entrusted to me have become my spiritual children. As I’ve lived my obedience freely, there has been a peace in receiving God’s will each day no matter the circumstances.
Now I am aware that most of you reading this are not called to profess religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. But I would like to propose that the grace I received on the day of my vows is something that is available to every baptized Christian. That is the grace that comes from making a commitment. We can endlessly desire to prepare for things in life, want to “test it out” to make sure it’s what we expect, and have numerous backup plans. Yet the hesitation in making a commitment out of fear or anxiety leaves one grasping for control. There is a real grace that God gives when we make a commitment to Him. He blesses our trust in Him. The old saying goes, “you’ll only know if you try.” But I’d recommend, “you’ll only fully know if you commit.”
There is a certain level of vulnerability in commitment, since you don’t know what the outcome will be. But when done in love, it is a place of deep communion. You are saying to God, “I trust you and I love you. You are guiding my life, and I want to let you be in control.” I’ve experienced this since my vows in moments where I tell Jesus, “I don’t know where you are leading me or what exactly you are doing, but I trust you and want to be faithful to my yes to you.” I want to testify that HE GIVES THE GRACE! When we give our total yes to God, He will provide all the grace necessary to what He is calling us to. It takes faith to keep true to a resolution we make, especially when things become difficult or you can’t clearly see what God is doing. It doesn’t always look like what we expect, but the grace God gives is what He knows is needed for our sanctification and the salvation of souls.
The new year often ushers in a wave of motivation to make changes in our life. How many times have we made the resolutions to exercise more, eat healthier, pray more, be kind and so on? We begin with such zeal but with time it slowly wanes, obligations come up, priorities shift and we are back where we started. Instead of making numerous resolutions this year that we so often leave behind, I would encourage you to ask the Lord how He is inviting you to grow in deeper relationship with Him and make a concrete commitment in response to that. It can be small, it can be simple, but make a firm commitment to God and fight to be faithful to it.
I promise you will see God provide the grace you need, when you need it. God doesn’t simply desire what we can do for Him, He desires our hearts. He
desires you and your love.
I pray that in this year ahead you each may experience a deeper encounter with God’s love and mercy as you strive to grow in your relationship with Him. May we all be “All For Jesus” through the hands of Our Lady.
Sr. Colette, CFR