On August 15th of this year, the Feast of the Assumption, I, along with my fellow postulants, received the habit and new religious name, becoming a novice in our community. The joy I had as the bishop gave me my name is unexplainable. This name, given to me by Christ, calls me to be set apart totally for Him for "It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me." I hope to live this life under the guidance and example of our Blessed Mother and St. Francis of Assisi.
When the idea first came up to take my name after such a saint I was more than a little hesitant. St. Francis had a deep love for our Crucified Lord. When he gazed upon the cross he saw more than anything else the total, self-emptying love of Christ for a broken and fallen humanity. He longed to return that love, emptying himself of all earthly desires and clinging to the Gospel. He desired that the world around him also know of this love, a love seemingly lost in a world of chaos, "that Love may again be loved."
I was hesitant because here was this great saint and there was little me. The more I read and reflected the more I began to see bits and pieces of how I could begin to imitate such an exemplary saint. Simply put, I have come to give my life to the God who first loved me.
Now as a novice, I am deepening my understanding of my vocation, striving to answer the question, "What does it mean to be a Sister, a spouse of Christ, rooted in the heart of His bride, the Church, and devoted to the service of His people?"
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