This week's reflection comes to us from Marilin Llanes. Marilin is a Bilingual School Psychologist in Chicago, and is currently a candidate for readmission.

Inspired by Psalm 46, God by my side, I am in awe by the depth and fidelity of God’s presence in my life.  All along my diverse and winding path, God has been with me.  My journey has been quite an experience of trusting myself enough to be able to trust the divine plan for me. I must admit that my path, at times, has been uncertain as to where I was being led.  As I was moving along and letting be what was happening, I felt myself wavering between what seemed impossible and the real. Yet with God at my side, along with human and divine intervention, I realized the new that was coming to be.  At this point in my life, the impossible has become a reality! 

Today I embrace the now and rejoice in the gift of second chances, such as renewing my covenant with my Adrian Dominican Sisters. I welcome the invitation to new experiences in religious life, in ministry, and with our Global community. Being mindful that no matter what is placed on my path, in you, O Divine One, I find my strength, my hope, and my energy, and most of all I find my true self, Divinity alive in me. The path to joy is now. Amen. 

This week's reflection comes to us from guest blogger, Katherine Frazier, Adrian Dominican Sisters Candidate.

Left to right: Candidate Katherine Frazier with Sisters Lorraine Réaume, Mary Keefe, and Kathy Nolan.

When a very pregnant Mary and Joseph set out on a journey to Bethlehem, they did not know what the journey would hold for them. Taking a journey implies transformation. Not only is there the physical change of being in a new place, but there is also the spiritual changes that take place when we meet new people and see new places. Mary and Joseph were transformed by their journey, as they became a family with a newborn son. Taking a journey also means taking a leap of faith, in allowing ourselves to be open to whatever the journey brings us, no matter how surprising. For Mary and Joseph, they had to take a leap of faith that they and their expected child would be cared for once they arrived in Bethlehem.

This story of Mary and Joseph speaks deeply to my own process of discernment. Certainly, my discernment has taken me to new places, where I have been able to meet many new people. However, more importantly, I am finding that this journey is challenging me to think in new ways, whether in learning how to be a better community member or pondering how God is active in my life. And there is a leap of faith to the discernment process once we embrace our decision, even if the consequences are surprising. Finally, I come back to the fact that Mary was pregnant with the Word of God as she traveled with Joseph to Bethlehem. As a woman discerning a vocation with the Order of Preachers, I see in this image an example of my calling to carry the Word of God to the world, and the image gives me hope that my vocation can be carried out in ways that I have not yet imagined.