McKenzie Frey Fr.

Joensen Hope Heart Humanity November 22, 2011 Vocation Paper Within the past few weeks of class, I have been reading Father Patrick Aherns book, Maurice and Thrse: The Story of a Love. This book has brought the inspirational and wellknown Saint Thrse of Lisieux to my attention. Along with the reading, the class as a whole took a trip to Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey to meet with Sisters Rebecca and Gail, who presented themselves and talked about the ways of life as Trappestine sisters. Together, the book and the interview with the sisters have brought Thrses vocation of being Love in the heart of the Church into a higher perspective for me. By reading Maurice and Thrse: The Story of a Love and by listening to the Trappestine Sisters talk about their way of living, I have learned that there are certain, specific vows that all those who are called to serve God must abide by. These vows are chastity, poverty, and obedience. The faithful of Christ are called by God fromthese states of life so that theymay be of some advantage to the salvific mission of the Church (VI, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium 1964, nn.43). Specifically, I would like to draw attention to the vow of obedience. The significance of the vow of obedience in the lives of those consecrated to God is such that in professing obedience, religious offer the full surrender of their own will as a sacrifice of themselves to God and so are united permanently and securely to God's salvific will (VI, Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life: Perfectae Caritatis 1965, nn.14). As an expression of the universal call to holiness and as a distinct form of witness to Christ, the vow of obedience intends to show awareness to the consecrated of their being Children of the Father,

as a result of which they wish to take the Fathers will as their daily bread (cf. Jn 4:34), as their rock, their joy, their shield and their fortress (cf. Ps 18:2) (II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation:Vita Consecrata 1996, nn.91). Therefore, those called to the service of God are able to show that they are growing in the full truth about themselves, remaining in touch with the source of their existence (II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation:Vita Consecrata 1996, nn.91). The goal of obedience is not only a harmonious community, but primarily to assist eachto grow in interior freedom fromego drives (Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey 2009). In reading Father Patrick Aherns Maurice and Thrse: The Story of a Love, I was inspired by Thrses unique contribution of her priority of love in achieving happiness in union with God. Her life was fulfilled with the love of God in that Gods love for her and her love for God, fused into one with her love for everyone she encountered (Ahern 1998, pp.78). Thrse lived to love Him and to make Him loved (Ahern 1998, pp.78). Enlightened by the revealed Word, Thrse wrote brilliant pages on the unity between love of God and love of neighbour (cf. Ms C, 11v-19r) (II, Divini Amoris Scientia 1997, nn.9). She made it her mission to give pleasure to others by way of providing comfort through her words and through her prayers in order to contribute to her vocation of love (Ahern 1998, pp.78). Thrse wished to bring Gods Children closer to Him by eliminating ideas of Jansenism by way of teaching Christian beliefs, such as when Maurice told Thrse to put her hand over Jesus mouth so as not to hear the truth about him (Ahern 1998, pp.177). Thrse dismissed Maurices suggestion by ensuring him that Jesus had forgotten Maurices infidelities (Ahern 1998, pp.189). Thrse understood the reality of Christs Mystical Body, on the variety of its charisms, gifts of the Holy Spirit, on the eminent power of love, which in a way is the very heart

of the Church, where she found her vocation as a contemplative and missionary (cf. Ms B, 2r3v) (II, Divini Amoris Scientia 1997, nn.8). She professed Gods love and mercy for all His children and taught that He forgives all those who ask for forgiveness. After visiting the Trappestine Sisters of the Mississippi Abbey, I noticed similarities of the expression of religious life of this contemporary congregation and that of Thrses community. I found that those of the Dubuque Congregation hold the same vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in order to completely give their lives to the service of God (Fitzpatrick 2011). Also, they believe that intimacy and prayer go hand-in-hand, thus, helping others within the world makes the world a better place (Rebecca 2011). Another aspect about the congregation that was similar to Thrses community was that of humility. Sister Rebecca said, We need to make ourselves aware of ourselves before we can be called to Gods love. There was also a distinctive connection about the witness of the congregation and that of Thrse when Sister Rebecca was explaining how it is not only to love God as others; it is to love others as God. Sister Rebecca also mentioned that the life of prayer within the congregation was intended to extend deeper into the heart of the world. These aspects all remind me exactly of what I learned about how Thrse and her community thought and taught after reading Maurice and Thrse: The Story of a Love; always seeking God in everything and everyone in the world. Both Thrse and the contemporary religious sisters play a role in terms of the theme of communion. For instance, communion is described as discovering the meaning of lifein giving ourselves away and in turn, receiving others as a gift (Joensen 2011). It is the mutual bond that exists among persons in relation who entrust themselves to one another (Joensen 2011). Thrse discovered the meaning of her life when she realized that her vocation within

the Church was that of love and when she made it her mission to pray unconditionally for those who needed her, such as Maurice (Ahern 1998, pp.80). Thrse also played the role of communion by entrusting Maurice with personal aspects of her life, such as confiding in him the story of her fathers illness which led to his death, which in turn Maurice entrusted Thrse with personal aspects of his own life (Ahern 1998). It is also said that passions point us in a definite direction, we bind ourselves in trust to those who communicate the good we desire, and when one knows communion, one has something to communicate: most importantly, love and life (Joensen 2011). Both Thrse believed and the contemporary religious believe in the 2/3 rule that claims we love those whom our beloved loves and who love our beloved (Joensen 2011). Both Thrse had and those members of the contemporary religious have a passion to service God and choose to follow their calling to Him. They also choose to bind themselves in trust to those who communicate the good they desire, which is why they chose to join the convent. Therefore, they also choose to reach out and communicate their vocations of love and life with others within the world through their prayers and teachings.

Works Cited II, Pope John Paul. Divini Amoris Scientia. October 19, 1997. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jpii_apl_19101997_divini-amoris_en.html (accessed November 20, 2011). II, Pope John Paul. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church: Lumen Gentium. November 21, 1964. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html (accessed November 20, 2011). II, Pope Joh Paul. Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation:Vita Consecrata. March 25, 1996. http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jpii_exh_25031996_vita-consecrata_en.html (accessed November 20, 2011). VI, Pope Paul. Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life: Perfectae Caritatis. October 28, 1965. http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vatii_decree_19651028_perfectae-caritatis_en.html (accessed November 20, 2011). Ahern, Patrick. Maurice and Thrse: The Story of a Love. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Fitzpatrick, Sister Gail, interview by McKenzie Frey. Living as a Trappesine Sister (November 10, 2011). Joensen, Father William. Witness Themes. Dubuque, 2011. Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey. Our Way of Life: The Benedictine Vows. 2009. http://www.mississippiabbey.org/Vows (accessed November 20, 2011). Rebecca, Sister, interview by McKenzie Frey. Living as a Trappestine Sister (November 10, 2011).