Rejoicing like Our Lady

When we asked one of the moms that lived with us at our Holy Respite mission what the most surprising thing about living in a convent was, she replied, “I never thought Sisters would have so many parties!”

It’s true – one of the most formative things for the mothers living with us at our Holy Respite in Manhattan is learning how to celebrate the gift of life. So, you can often see baby showers, birthday parties, gender reveal parties, baptism parties, Mother’s Day parties and going away parties on the calendar on the fridge. In our culture, we can often lose the sense of how to celebrate rightly, so we recognize the importance of learning how to celebrate. To celebrate another, we are called to go outside of ourselves and to delight in the goodness of the other.

The ultimate form of celebration is to worship God at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. This calls us to go outside of ourselves and to give the gift of ourselves back to the One who made us. Pope St. John Paul II says that, “Man cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of himself.”

Our Lady knew how to celebrate – we know that she was present at the Wedding Feast of Cana and was attentive to the needs of the newly married couple at the celebration. And although the Gospels are silent on this subject, I am sure that Our Lady, who was present at the Cross and experienced the deepest sorrow at His crucifixion, also experienced the most profound joy at His Resurrection. Perhaps she even echoed her Magnificat again at the Resurrection: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.

The Church, as a good mother, teaches us how to celebrate by giving us fifty days to celebrate Our Lords’ victory over death at the Resurrection. The celebration of the Resurrection is the highest point of our liturgical year. St. John Paul II in the Gospel of Life says that, “the new people of the redeemed cannot but respond with songs of joy, praise and thanksgiving for the priceless gift of life, for the mystery of every individual’s call to share through Christ in the life of grace and in an existence of unending communion with God our Creator and Father.”

In discernment, it can feel like there are several questions ahead of us. But our greatest certainty is Jesus’ victory over the grave and His infinite love for us. When Jesus appeared to His disciples after the Resurrection, “…he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself…’” (Luke 24:38-39) Beneath all of the uncertainties, do we have eyes to see that it is Jesus Himself drawing close to us? Jesus wants us to know that He is with us on each step of the journey. Discernment itself is not a checklist of boxes to get through, but an encounter with Our Risen Lord.

We pray that this Easter Season may be a time of true celebration for the victory that Jesus has won for us. May the certainty of His infinite love for you be cemented deep in your heart as you seek to find His Will for your life and love.

The Sisters of Life Vocation Team

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