Monday, April 11, 2011

Back from Denver! Part 2


It's been a month since our trip to Denver, Colorado. If you ask me to sum it up in one word, I'd say - propitious: full of promise; good, favorable; friendly.

First, the Carmelites welcomed us to their home, the Sts. Peter and Paul convent. They were very hospitable and the bonus is that they have wireless in the house! ;-) It was a challenge for me not to stay up too late checking my email and reading facebook updates. When Ash Wednesday came, I gave up going online and aimlessly surfing the web after supper for Lent. And I might even extend this after Lent. Why? Because, time is a gift from God and like every gift from God, time is sacred too. Hmmmmmm... I know it will be challenging but yesterday, I found Peter Kreeft's article on time and felt that I really should be more prudent on what I choose to do with my time.

Second, I get to hang with Sr Donna, Jackie, and Laura. By "hang" I mean I get to see them and spend more time with them than at home in our convent in St. Louis. Isn't that ironic? The nice thing about apostolic trips is that we actually get to work together for the most part of the day. At home, even though we have recreation time together, we take shifts when we work and kinda do our own thing unless we have a project we need to do together. And it's always a joy to discover something new about each other. We had good laughs, awkward moments, a sharing of musical and food preferences, and very encouraging conversations. In relation to this, what struck me also is that we all missed being with the rest of our community in St. Louis. It's nice to be back home. It really is!

Finally, the opportunity to meet new people, bump into familiar faces, and meet up with old friends or family members. Our life, our witness, our vocation is all about "relationship". Building new ones and nurturing the old. And at the heart of each relationship we have is our relationship with God. This is true for believers and non-believers alike - because God is love. What sets us apart is not that we have an "edge" over non-believers but that we have become God's sons and daughters through Jesus Christ who laid down His life for us while we were still sinners. We are given a gift not to keep to ourselves but to give to all. So what really sets us apart is our responsibility, our duty to spend our lives for the Gospel - so that all may encounter Christ and live in Him.

May we never tire of sharing the love of Jesus Christ to every person that God allows to be part of our lives today and always.

Blessings, in St Paul, Cheryl

P.S.
Do you feel called to share the love of Christ to all? Our founder, Bl. James Alberione, had "One love, Jesus Christ. One burning desire, to give him to others."

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