A Reply to Love
from the foot of the cross
One thing I love about St. Francis is that he shows me how to live a crucified life. Over the years I’ve also been blessed with many living examples of St. Francis in my own life. One beautiful example is a friend and brother, Br. Saul, who lived a joyful life in the Lord and was recently called home to the Father.
At the foot of the cross, I will always remain,
Even when the blood begins to rain.
I want to always stay,
When times get hard, never stray.
Have you ever experienced an event or been in a conversation and known that it was more than just a coincidence? Many of you might call these Godincidences or Divine Appointments, and right you are! Sometimes God puts us into particular situations and introduces us to certain people so we can make His love known.
I know my vocation is needed in the Church. There is no doubt about that. “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few” (Matthew 9:37). At a time when others are being shaken in their vocations, the Church needs men and women faithful to the Lord’s call. Souls are crying out to be saved through prayer and sacrifice. This is all very convincing to me and has helped solidify my vocation as I made final vows.
To those who live the vocation of marriage and the single state, our life may seem like one in which we barely touch the ground: all is peaceful, perfectly ordered and love alone rules. Let me assure you that we do touch the ground and at times our feet get pretty muddy, and we can become so lost in the mire that it becomes hard to make sense of things or see God’s plan. But God in his goodness, amidst the crosses of life, reminds us that we do have a destiny.
Yesterday’s marathon race was a real joy, for Sr. Anna Rose, Anna (our postulant, who ran the 10k), and myself. Here are a few highlights.
I had the great blessing of traveling to the Holy Land in October with a group of Franciscan University students. One day of our trip was "Christmas" day when we took a bus to Bethlehem to see the holy site of Jesus' birth. We walked through the city (singing Christmas songs!) to a place on the outskirts called the Campo de Pastor - the Shepherd's Field.
Ever since my Mom died when I was 25 years old, I have prayed for the souls in purgatory.
