Viewed from outside, our life may well seem subdued and sacrificial, but in our hearts the joy of the Holy Spirit manifests itself especially during times of recreation. Though our life is one of prayer and sacrifice, it brings us great happiness if lived in a spirit of selfless love for Christ and the Church.
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Nearly two and a half years have gone by since our daughter entered the cloister of the Passionist nuns. As I have described before, letting go and supporting her answering God’s call was a bitter-sweet experience, marked by a mixture of awe, joy, lonesomeness and a painful tenderness about her leaving the nest and her everyday physical presence with us.
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Acquiring any habit takes work. Acquiring the habit of resting in the bosom of our Father costs us something. We have to make some decisions. St. Paul of the Cross would say we have to undergo some mystical deaths. The embrace of the Father awaits us but we must undergo some soul work.
Read MoreSt. Paul of the Cross wants to tell us today: “Remain like a child on the bosom of the Divine Father.” These were often his greetings in his Christmas letters! There is something very precious and original in the spiritual direction Paul offers us for living Advent and Christmas in prayerful contact with God. Be like Jesus, the Son of God, in His relationship to the Father.
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The primary "work" of a contemplative nun is prayer. This opus Dei, "work of God," as St. Benedict terms it in his Rule, takes many forms. Private prayer is the necessary complement to prayer in common. Times of deep immersion in God enable us to abide lovingly in His presence throughout the rest of the day, as we fulfill our daily tasks.
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What is the purpose of the cloistered vocation? What does it look like? What value do our hidden lives have for the Church and for the world? As implied by the adjective “contemplative”, cloistered contemplative nuns come to the cloister to enter into a contemplative prayer relationship with the Holy Trinity. This is our vocation in the Church.
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