Then the Lord opened my mind and senses to the nature of my unbelief so that I may – however late – remember my sins and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God. He turned His attention to my abject humility and took pity on my youth and ignorance. He watched over me and protected me before I knew Him and before I was wise enough to distinguish between good and evil. He strengthened and comforted me as a father consoles a child.
– St. Patrick of Ireland
O peoples, bless our God;
let our voice of praise resound,
to the God who gave life to our souls
and kept our feet from stumbling.
Burnt offering I bring to your house;
to you I will pay my vows,
the vows which my lips have uttered,
which my mouth declared in my distress.
Come and hear, all who fear God;
I will tell what God has done for my soul.
To the Lord I cried aloud,
with exaltation ready on my tongue.
Had I cherished evil in my heart,
the Lord would not have listened.
But truly God has listened,
and has heeded the voice of my prayer.
Blest be God, who did not reject my prayer,
nor withhold from me faithful love.
Psalm 66: 8-9, 13-14, 16-20
Life as a Sister – Meet Sister Bernie Claps
Brothers and sisters: in Christ we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, which is the first installment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
Ephesians 1:11-14
We cannot separate love for God from love for man. We acknowledge God easily, but our brother? Those with whom we do not identify in his background, education, race, complexion. We could not have imagined that love for God could be so hard.
– St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
Meet Sister Nancy Glynn: Life as a Sister
Turn your ear, O Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
Preserve my soul, for I am faithful;
save the servant who trusts in you, my God.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for I cry to you all the day long.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for I lift up my soul to you, O Lord.
O Lord, you are good and forgiving,
full of mercy to all who call to you.
Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer,
and attend to my voice in supplication.
In the day of distress, I will call to you,
and surely you will answer me.
Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord,
nor works to compare with yours.
Psalm 86: 1-8
Imagine Life as a Sister: Making Decisions in Prayer
Before Personal Meditation
My Lord and my God, I firmly believe that you are here, that you see me, that you hear me. I adore you with profound reverence; I ask your pardon for my sins and the grace to make this time of prayer fruitful. My immaculate Mother, Saint Joseph my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.
After Personal Meditation
I thank you, my God, for the good resolutions, affections and inspirations that you have communicated to me in the meditation. I ask your help to put them into effect. My immaculate Mother; St. Joseph my father and lord, my guardian angel, intercede for me.
God meets us where we are: Imagine Life as a Sister
Praise, you servants of the Lord,
praise the name of the Lord.
Blessed be the name of the Lord both now and forever.
From the rising to the setting of the sun
is the name of the Lord to be praised.
High above all nations is the Lord;
above the heavens is his glory.
Who is like the Lord, our God,
who looks upon the heavens and the earth below?
He raises up the lowly from the dust;
from the dunghill he lifts up the poor.
Psalm 113: 1b-2, 3-4, 5a, 6-7
Imagine Life as a Sister– meet a sister,working to help those in need.
Jesus the Lord, expects us to have the simplicity of a dove (see MT 10:16). This means giving a straightforward opinion about things in the way we honestly see them, without needless reservations. It also means doing things without double-dealing or manipulation, our intention being focused solely on God. Each of us then, should take care to behave always in the spirit of simplicity, remembering that God likes to deal with the simple, and that He conceals the secrets of heaven from the wise and prudent of this world and reveals them to little ones.
– St. Vincent de Paul
Becoming a Sister: God Moments
Poverty is an easy way to God. Poverty is the mother of humility. It is as difficult to preserve humility amid riches as purity in the midst of delights and luxury. Poverty sets free. When a person delights in and gloats over his possessions, in reality he limits, even loses his freedom. The mania of riches has enslaved him. He is lowered in status, being no longer the owner but the owned. He has subordinated himself to his goods. Such servile subjection become evident in the fever that dominates him and the anguish that racks him when he loses some of his possessions. In short, true liberty is not found except in voluntary poverty.
– St. Anthony of Padua
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”
Luke 10:38-42
