A couple days ago when I entered the chapel for Daily Mass, there was my now-a-year-older friend waiting in the Confession line. She beckoned me to her and asked for my news.
Kneeling before her, I quickly and quietly told her of my immediate vocational discernment retreat, who I was visiting and why. She hugged me joyfully, fiercely and kissed my cheek, whispering into my ear, "I so want the best for you!"
I hugged her back, grateful, for she is one who told me a couple years ago that, when I had revealed I didn't think I was Called, neither did they. But yesterday, they asked me to share my "news". I did so, for a few years ago they'd been the first to hear of it...and the first to forget and disregard it.
All of them had agreed that, most definitely, I had not been Called to religious life but it was important for me to go and find out. How ironic.
One of them, though, today, said quietly, "So the Call came back, huh?"
I told her, "The Call never really went away."
Quietly, smiling, she said, "I know."
Why is it our friends know so much...but say so little?
They all understand that the visit for the next couple weeks isn't definitive and I might well come back with an understanding that this is not where God is calling me.
A part of me thinks that they expect me to come back having learned the latter. Definitively.
It is a blessing to have such friends, though. They don't expect much of this visit, they are happy I'm going, and when it comes down to it, they will my happiness and union with God. Is there anything greater to be desired? I know without a doubt that whatever happens, they are there and I love them for it.
Another Friend Has News
I'm not the only one hearing the whisper and direct touch of Our Lord.
One of my friends let her husband give their news...she is pregnant and due in February.
This pregnancy is of special concern, for a few years ago she miscarried. My friend has a delicate medical condition that can be fatal and often finds herself at the hospital for treatment. Any pregnancy, then, is going to be a risk for her, both for the baby and for her. Please keep my friend in your prayers and her unborn child. It was hard enough for her to lose one, and she never had the chance to publicly announce that child before the dear one was lost.
Please, God, let her carry this one to term, keep her health through and beyond this pregnancy!
I ask the prayers of all of you to help my friend bring this beloved child through birth and into the world!
6 comments:
Special prayers for mom and baby.
Of course your friend knew that. Or she wouldn't be your true friend like that. And she explains it very well. She wants the best for you, so much that it is almost as much of a joy for her, when you find that Personal Best, as it is for you.
She doesn't pretend to know more than you do about your life, she just quietly loves you, no matter what. And there's a lot of wisdom in that, don't you think?
Thank you Lord for our true friends.
Warren
I will most certainly keep your friends and their child in my prayers. And I agree it is always nice to realize what great friends you have in your life!
Thomas
Dear Adoro,
Regarding the discernment of a vocation, I offer here are a few thoughts (in no particular order of importance).
If some in your family see you as a "failure" up to now because you have not settled on a definite profession, perhaps the very fact that you haven't been able to settle on a particular profession in the secular world is because the Lord has not allowed these efforts to prosper. May He wants you to "make a profession."
You have immersed yourself in Our Lord. Maybe He is drawing you to Himself.
If you are leaving behind a secular life that seems to be going nowhere, maybe the Lord has made it thus, so that you won't have much to sorrow about when you do leave it behind.
Finally, have you ever seen "A Nun's Story" (Audrey Hepburn)? She entered the convent because it was the only way for her to become a medical missionary in the Congo. She did not "make a profession;" she was seeking one. When her time in the Congo was cut short, she had no reason to stay. If you are seeking to enter consecrated life, the life itself should be your objective.
Julia and Thomas ~ Thanks for your prayers for my friends!
Warren ~ 2 friends mentioned. One was the one I met in the chapel but who was ALSO at the party. The OTHER is the one who made the comment "I know." She was also speaking from the perspective of knowing that calls don't really "go away."
Pat ~ Thanks for your comment. I've actually addressed all of those points variously on this blog for the past couple years. Discernment isn't at new topic here. It's kinda my specialty! ;-)
In going through old posts I'm compiling a book and realized that it really has been my major focus since the start of this blog. It's all only now coming to fruition.
Please understand that much of what I write is musing, not because the questions haven't been addressed, but because I need to express what I'm thinking/feeling/experiencing, knowing others go through the same thing.
I've not seen "A Nun's Story" although I've often heard of it. Certainly consecrated life is now my objective and what I care about, and has been my focus for a long time now. I apologize if I've mislead you in any way, not intended! Just can't cover an entire history in one blog post!
I have something for you
http://adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com/2009/07/whole-bunch-of-wonderful-peeps-gave-me.html
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