“Love led Christ to the gift of self, even to the supreme
sacrifice of the cross” (Vita Consecrata 42).
Since receiving the habit a few weeks ago, the Lord has continually been
bringing the self-emptying gift of Christ’s love to my mind and heart. The habit serves as a reminder that it is ‘no
longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me’ (Gal 2:20). It is an invitation from God to be emptied of
myself so that He can present Himself as a gift to oth
Being as gift was a central theme to Pope St. John Paul II’s
spirituality and writings. In one of his poems, reflecting in the Sistine
Chapel on the creation of man, he writes, “God bestowed upon them a gift and a
task.” The same is true for every
religious. The religious vocation is
very much a gift while at the same time an invitation from God to take part in
a mission. Having received the gift of being named after Pope St. John Paul II,
I hope to carry on his mission to build a culture of life and civilization of
love in gratitude for the many graces the Lord has shared with me through him. By opening himself to the Holy Spirit, St.
John Paul II made a sincere gift of himself to the Lord and the Church “making
the world more human.” It was love alone that led St. John Paul II to give
himself in this way and I pray that it will be love alone that continues to
guide my religious life, that I may live a life hidden in Christ as a
self-emptying gift.
Sister John Mary, FSGM
Comments