The Faith of our Mother

When I think of October and Our Lady, the feast that comes to mind is October 7, the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of Victory.  There is a beautiful story behind this feast, when Christians were fighting invading forces in the Battle of Lepanto. They defeated their opposition on October 7, 1571, and attributed their victory to Our Lady’s intercession through their praying the Rosary.

These men and women who asked for her intercession had faith that she would lift their requests to God and that He wanted to hear their petitions.  Our entire life and vocation as Christian disciples of the Lord rests on faith.  Faith in God, faith that He is who He says He is, faith that He reveals Himself through the gift of Scriptures and that we can find Him in the Church.

When it comes to discernment, I am often drawn to think of Mary’s faith. When I don’t understand something happening in my own life, I think of how many times she may have felt like she didn’t understand what was happening with Jesus. And yet, she trusted, she believed in His goodness and that His plan was good.

We see her at the Annunciation, with a posture of total faith and surrender that God can bring about something seemingly impossible through her “fiat” to Him. We see her standing by the Cross, witnessing the unspeakable suffering of her Son, and yet not abandoning Him but staying faithful by His side, allowing her heart to be pierced in love. We see her waiting with the Apostles in the Upper Room, after Christ’s Ascension, modeling for them an expectant faith awaiting the fulfillment of the promise made by the Lord that He would send His Advocate to be with them always.

The journey of discerning one’s vocation presents many opportunities for faith. There may be moments when we wish that God would reveal the fullness of His plan for us, now. Or times when we feel like we’re walking in the dark, not sure where we’re going. We might be confused by how something in our life is unfolding. At every step of the way in our journey of discernment, we are invited to a deeper faith, a deeper yes, a deeper “fiat”, which says to the Lord: “I believe You are good. I believe that Your plans for me are good. I believe You are leading me and loving me at this very moment.”

In reality, the vocation to religious life stands on the foundation of faith. It is a supernatural vocation, not a natural one. Only by faith in God do we recognize that He is worthy of the total gift of our beings, that His love can be enough for us, and that He is the One who calls us to leave everything and follow Him.

And so, in our moments of joy, in moments of struggle, let us ask to have a heart filled with faith like Our Lady. Let us ask her to help us believe that God is who He says He is. Know of our prayers for you, wherever you are right now. May the gift and virtue of faith be a light for you on your journey!

The Sisters of Life Vocation Team

Sr. Maria Regina, Sr. Cora, Sr. Eucharistiae