Since entering religious life, I’ve learned that the paschal mystery is constantly playing out in my life - over and over and over again. I’ve had many sufferings, deaths, and resurrections in my short time as a religious sister, yet each one is uniquely different and takes me deeper into the Heart of Christ. Each one makes me radiate Christ a little more and allows me to love in a way that is less about me and more about the other.
These past two years I have had the privilege of serving on the main campus of Franciscan University of Steubenville. As a hall chaplain, I meet one-on-one with students for spiritual guidance and mentoring. I get to walk with students through the sacred ground of their hearts, helping them to see how God moves in their lives. I show up and God does His work; it is truly amazing to witness! I can only attribute this to the gift of the Holy Spirit in the many paschal mysteries of my life.
One student I journeyed with struggled to understand God’s particular love for her. Her experience of God’s love was more distant and formal, even though she prayed every day. After a few meetings, she began to realize that prayer was more an expression of the heart than a mere duty to be fulfilled. She began to encounter God’s love because she was opening her heart to Him and now her faith life is deepening exponentially!
The work of a hall chaplain is the work of the resurrection! It is the proclamation that God is alive and here with us at every moment. I’ve become more tuned in to Him, so that whether I am speaking, smiling, or simply listening to a student, Christ’s love is radiating out of me.
I would invite you to reflect this Easter Season on the paschal mysteries you have experienced and how Jesus has been resurrected again in you. We all play an integral role in God’s work of salvation and His resurrection life is at work in you too!
-Sr. Lisa Marie Shatynski, T.O.R.
