A year before making my final vows, I found myself falling for someone I knew from our mission work. I thought God had called me to religious life, yet I could easily picture building a life with this man and being happy. I was tempted to hold my confusion about my vocation to myself out of fear.
When I brought my questions to Jesus in prayer, he had one consistent response: He reminded me of the power of my vow to live “in communion with my sisters.” Sharing my question with the right people meant I could grapple with it truthfully, surrounded by the prayer and care of those closest to me. So, while on a plane trip with a sister I trusted, I turned to her and asked, “Have you ever fallen in love with someone you work with?” She looked at me with so much peace and compassion and said, “Yes, I have.”
On that plane ride, God revealed the great gift community can be in moments of confusion. My community was the place where I could bring my deepest questions and find compassion, guidance, sobriety and a call to live truthfully in the sight of God. God’s grace and the prudent care of my sisters brought me closer to myself, to my true vocation, and to Christ.
