I sat in a cathedral in Detroit, anticipating the Mass for the Consecration of Virgins Living in the World. Three women were dressed in bridal gowns, ready to dedicate their lives to Jesus by marrying Him. Does this sound a bit odd to you? A virgin. A virgin who gets married. A virgin who gets married and remains a virgin. This virgin is also not the same thing as a nun. Yep, it's odd. One of the virgins at the Mass I attended said that it was definitely a "peculiar" thing. Let's explain what this is exactly. You've heard me talk about nuns. They are religious sisters who take vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Typically, a nun is a virgin, and she is called to live a virginal lifestyle. She lives in a community and usually wears a mark that attributes her to a specific community (a habit). Consecrated virgins, however, do not take vows, though they commit themselves to God. A consecrated virgin doesn't live in a community or wear a religious habit because she lives in the world. She does an ordinary job like you and me and often has her own house. She is self-supportive and her virginity is a witness to what we are all called to be: married to God (if married is too scary of a word, just think of it as union with God). As I was watching these virgins become consecrated, I was thinking about myself. What about me? Me. I need to figure out what I'm doing with my life. God--concentrate on me now! My thoughts continued and they had a lot of me's, myself's, and I's. I wasn't really even thinking about the ceremony, I was so caught up in myself. It made me squirmy and I felt very burdened, like I had to solve the problems of the world because the world was all about me. That is when our lovely Jesus said to me, "Hey Jacqueline, this isn't about you." I looked up at the crucifix in the giant cathedral suspended in front of stained glass windows. "You're right," I told Him, and added a "duh". Of course Jesus is right! The whole ceremony changed for me right there! Oh my goodness! This isn't about me. That takes a lot of the pressure off. I'm not the one getting married today. It was the three virgins getting married today and I was blessed to witness the wedding. I felt relieved and joyful. I watched one virgin help another virgin stand up in her long wedding gown. Woah...she was thinking about the other virgin--not herself! These brides knew that the wedding wasn't even about themselves. "What?" You might say, "The wedding wasn't about the brides?" Yep. The wedding wasn't about the brides, but rather it was about the Bride. The Bride of Christ, known as the Church. We are all a part of the Bride of Christ, so this marriage ceremony foreshadowed the wedding that all of us will have when we come into eternal life and are united with Jesus. Pretty cool, huh? I love weddings and most people love weddings as well. We like commitment, ceremony, romance, and beauty. Most of all, we like love. We like a man giving himself totally to a woman and a woman giving herself totally to a man in return. Guess what, all of you who are not married? Jesus gives Himself totally to you on the cross and He is asking you to give yourself totally to Him. Guess what, married couples (including priests and religious)? Your spouse is called to give him/herself totally to you, as Jesus gives Himself totally to you. And you are called to give yourself totally to your spouse, and in doing so, give yourself totally to Jesus. Widows and widowers: you know the godly love between man and woman and you get to testify to others the great love that you know.
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Three different ways to do a good action come to mind. Three different choices of how to act. The first way to do a good act is out of routine. We pray our prayers because we are used to it. We are kind because we are just going through the motions. We don't allow ourselves to comprehend why we smile at people when we're down or why we go to church on Sunday. It's a habit, and that's it. We just do it because we do it. Think of the nuns I love to talk about. Imagine if they lived just because of routine. They may do every act of sacrifice and prayer, yet if they don't have love--it's nothing. They can help all sorts of people, but if they are missing love--what's the point? Look up St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians in the bible (1 Corinthians 13). Let's also look at college life. Imagine us students on campus. We can see our friends and classmates as simply a means to an end--for our success or for our comfort. We can get in the routine of just saying "hi" to someone because that is just what we do. We're polite to our professors because we are just fulfilling our obligation. We pray before meals because we have to and we wear our cross necklace because we are Christian. We go to church because...that's what our parents do? So routine leaves us not really caring about why, how or who. We don't see the big picture. This can make us feel annoyed, restricted. and fake. The second way to do a good act is out of guilt, fear or anxiety. Perhaps we feel we must pray or else we will go to hell! We may only be kind to others because we hope that in doing so, we'll somehow appease the scary Man up in the sky. It's all fire and brimstone: we've got to do it, or else... Imagine the nuns again. What if they lived a holy life because they were terrified that God would strike them down if they didn't live that way? What if they worked like a slave afraid of a cruel master? It does not sound healthy or fulfilling. Back to college. We may go to class and study because we are terrified of failing in life. We may feel guilty that we aren't doing enough volunteering, working or participating in our student clubs, so we sign up for more. We pray before meals because we are terrified of what God may think if we don't, but we're also terrified about what others may think. We worry about expressing our opinions or not laughing at a crude joke. Acting out of guilt just makes us feel burdened, unfulfilled, and sad. We are always trying to just appease others. Maybe we are just trying to appease God--or are we just trying to appease ourselves? The third way is the winner! To act out of love. This type of good action is so amazing because we aren't doing it out of routine or guilt. We want to do it! That doesn't mean we always enjoy prayer or find talking to the lonely kid interesting. Instead, it means we love the Lord so much that we will do anything to be near Him. So, we will act with love and pray constantly to God! Think of the nuns. They are super happy because they are acting constantly out of love for Jesus, whether they are helping a sister with a long list of chores or praying their obligatory Liturgy of the Hours. These things are no longer obligations because they don't do it out of fear--they want to do it because of love. Imagine us college students once again. We can see college as an opportunity to shower people with good actions of love. If we see Jesus in others, we love our roommates, classmates, coworkers, professors, employers, friends, acquaintances, enemies, custodians, deskies, mentors, RAs, and every soul on campus (including those who collect our bottles from trashcans or shout at the top of their lungs some sort of political/religious stuff). Think if we study for God's glory, work for Him, go to church because we love Him, open the door for others because we love Him, talk to people and see God in them! Think of how our good actions become so much more when we put love into them! It is when we act with love that our actions bear fruit. That is when hearts get touched and connections get made. That is when we find joy. Which type of good action will you choose? It's summer, and we students are taking a break from college life, well...some may be taking summer classes or staying on campus, but it's not quite the same as the regular school year. Anyway, things can be super awesome during this time. We get a chance to make some money (something we really need!) and enjoy the sun (another thing we really need). Personally, my summer has been awesome so far. I traveled to Israel and I'm starting work at a day camp on Monday. Something I've noticed is that I tend to ignore Jesus when I'm busy with work and summer activities. Actually, I tend to do this in the school year too when I'm busy with studies and school activities (haha!). I suppose all year round, I can forget about Jesus. Maybe we don't talk to Jesus at all or don't believe He is always with us. That's okay. Here are some suggestions to strike a conversation with Him, even when you're busy. Give it a try, whether you believe He's listening or not--you may be surprised with His answer: Oh, and I can't take credit for all of these ideas--all of them are inspired by what cloistered nuns do! 1. When driving in the car, perhaps to and from work, sing or listen to an inspiring song. Sing your praises to God or just enjoy the music that He created. Nuns usually like to sing whether they have a good voice or not. Music is typically a big part of their life! 2. Another thing when in the car: if you pass by a Catholic Church, wave hello at Jesus, or just say "what's up" to Him as you pass. He is truly present in that Church (aka the Eucharist!) When I was with the nuns, every time they passed the chapel, they bowed or nodded hello at Jesus! 3. If you have just one moment of rest, be it while your bread is toasting or you're waiting for your shift to start, just be aware that Jesus is present with you. My Novice Mistress told me that even if I was just waiting for the elevator to come down or for morning prayer to begin, I can use that time to pray. 4. See God in your work. If you're scrubbing a floor, think of how Jesus is scrubbing all of your troubles and sins away. If you're playing with children, think of how Jesus was a child and played with His fellow children. Again, my Novice Mistress taught me to take every action, even the most simple and do it for the glory of God, and find His hand in my work. 5. Compliment a family member or co-worker, and be sincere! Remember, Jesus is in them. Nuns are super eager to make others happy because they know that when they do that, they are making Jesus happy. They will gush each other with so much love, it is almost comical! 6. Put a cross on your screensaver or wear one on a bracelet so that every time you look at it, you remember the love Jesus has for you. The monastery is loaded with pictures of Jesus and images of the cross. Not to mention, the nuns I was with wore rings with crosses on them. They also had other medals and devotional objects with them and rosaries resting on their hips. Even if they tried, they wouldn't be able to forget that Jesus is present! 7. Do you have a family member or friend who you think is close to Jesus? Ask them what Jesus said to them today. Nuns are approached all of the time because people have a feeling that they are close to Jesus. These people are on to something! When we see someone close to Jesus, it's good to run to them and say, "Hey! How are things with Jesus?" Those are some ideas. You can be a college student, dishwasher, teacher, counselor, businessperson, waiter, secretary, bookkeeper, sales associate, or manager, and look how much you can have in common with nuns! Midnight. I quickly slid out of bed and threw on my clothes (including my little white veil). Jesus was downstairs in the chapel and though I was sleepy, I wanted to see Him. Upon entering the chapel, a couple of the sisters were already seated, awaiting our community prayer. I bowed before the Lord in the tabernacle and knelt at my seat. As I prayed, the rest of the sisters filed in. We promptly began midnight prayer which is a part of the communal catholic prayer known as the Liturgy of the Hours. After about forty-five minutes or so (we chanted the prayers), the sisters had quiet time to pray. Since I was just a first year (known as a postulant), I went straight to bed. Also, since I was a postulant, I didn't go to midnight prayer every night. A quick note: the order I was with is known as the Poor Clares. There are several different orders in religious life and they all live their lives for God in different ways. Poor Clares specifically focus on poverty (hence the name) and prayer. 5:00 AM. The bell rang, waking me up. As is custom for the Poor Clares, I kissed the floor to surrender my day to God and began a series of individual prayers, preparing me to live the day as the Lord's child and friend. I dressed, and washed up (with a pitcher and bowl that were in my room!). I walked downstairs and entered the chapel. Time to chant morning prayer and then have some quiet time until Mass! 6:45 AM. Holy Mass! Got to receive my Beloved Jesus before starting our work for the day! After Mass, the sisters said mid-morning prayer. I did not usually attend this part because I was just a little postulant! 8:00 AM. Time for tea with some bread, which we ate in silence. After tea, I would go to my Novice Mistress to get a morning blessing and then join the sisters for a blessing for the day's work. Next, it was time for my Novice Mistress to give me instructions. She would teach me about the life of the Poor Clares, the founders of the Poor Clares, and the Catholic Church in general. 10:00 AM. Work time! I had very simple tasks such as cleaning, ironing, assisting the cook, and learning how to sew. The sisters would do jobs such as baking the bread, seeing to the chapel, taking care of the elderly sisters, and don't worry, they did their share of cleaning too! 11:00 AM. Mid-morning prayer. This is another prayer that I didn't participate in since I was just a first-year. At 11:30, I joined the sisters for the rosary. 12:00 PM. Dinner (aka lunch). This was the main meal of the day (very delicious) and one of the sisters would read from a spiritual book as we ate. After dinner, we gave thanks to God for our meal and started on dishes. 1:30 PM. Recreation. This was the time to talk, laugh, tell stories, and joke. We couldn't forget to have fun! 2:30 PM. Mid-afternoon prayer. I got to join the sisters on this one! 3:00 PM. Another work period. More cleaning and whatever other little tasks my Novice Mistress gave me. 4:30 PM. I got a half-hour of Eucharistic Adoration. This was a time I just got to sit with Jesus and chat. Sometimes we would just sit quietly in each others presence. After this, we said evening prayer, followed by quiet time. 6:00 PM. We walked in procession (walked two-by-two in a line) to collation. Collation was the final meal of the day. It is a small meal about the size of a lunch. Next came dishes, followed by free time. 7:30 PM. Benediction. It was Jesus blessing us, saying goodnight! Lastly, we all said night prayer and it was time for bed. I got to take a sponge bath before retiring, and I said a few customary individual prayers before hitting my head to the pillow. Well, that is a quick taste of a cloistered nun's daily schedule. Just a reminder: any underlined words can be found on the glossary page. |
AuthorJacqueline St. Clare: I spent six months in a cloistered convent, and now I'm a college student! Archives
April 2021
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Unexpected Church MembersAll words that are underlined can be found on the "Glossary" page
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