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Waiting and Awaiting
Once again, this Advent has marked a new beginning to our Church year. Amid the hustle and bustle of Christmas preparations, throughout the days of Advent, you and I are invited to slow down, to listen, to notice the small signs of God’s nearness. The Advent journey is shaped in expectation. We are encouraged to lovingly, longingly wait in anticipation of again celebrating the Word made flesh in time and space and await the certain return of our God at an uncertain time in the future.
I recently overheard someone explaining that the “waiting” inherent in Advent is like awaiting the receipt of a love letter. I relish thinking of Advent as a time in which a letter of love is anticipated. That description speaks to me of a God whose love for me, and for each of us, was first made manifest at Christmas in the person of Jesus, our Emmanuel – the God who is with us each day – the God who yearns for union with us all.
More than 2,000 years ago, Christ was born into the world with tenderness and humility. My Catholic imagination allows me to claim that Christ will come again, fulfilling all things in justice, mercy, and peace. In the mysterious space between those two comings, I experience Christ’s continual arrival – in relationship, in struggles, in longings, and in prayer.
An Advent heart is a discerning heart – a heart open to listening to the voice of God in the ordinary rhythms of day-to-day, as well as in the unexpected. We can speak to God through prayer. Our God speaks to us through Scripture, prayer, consolation and desolation, wise companions, and the circumstances of life.
One of my favorite ways to consciously connect with my God is by walking outdoors among the trees. While, admittedly, I much prefer the summer weather, I do see and feel God’s presence as well in the cold of winter of Advent days. The beauty and the serenity of finding myself alone with God in the cathedral of the great outdoors gives me a peace that the world cannot give – the peace announced by the angels at the historic birth of Jesus.
The daily Advent readings provide companions on our Advent journey. We experience the quiet courage of Mary, the listening heart of Joseph, and the expectant hope of John the Baptist and of prophets who awaited the Messiah’s birth. Their waiting has been fulfilled. The longings of my Advent heart are marked by waiting and awaiting the God Who is and the One Who is yet to come.
As you wait this Advent, what is it that you are truly longing for?
Where is Christ trying to be born in your life right now?
Sister Nancy Jurecki, OP
Exciting news! A Sister Reflects is now available as a podcast. Check out the show at the links below or enjoy this English audio version of "Waiting and Awaiting" on Spotify.
Esperando y en Espera
Una vez más, este Adviento ha marcado un nuevo comienzo para nuestro año eclesiástico. En medio del ajetreo de los preparativos navideños, durante los días de Adviento, a usted y yo se nos invita a detenernos, a escuchar y a darnos cuenta de las pequeñas señales de la cercanía de Dios. El camino del Adviento se forja en la expectativa. Se nos anima a esperar con amor y anhelo, con la esperanza de celebrar de nuevo la Palabra encarnada en el tiempo y el espacio, y a aguardar el regreso seguro de nuestro Dios en un futuro incierto.
Hace poco escuché a alguien explicar que la “espera” inherente en el Adviento es como esperar una carta de amor. Me encanta pensar en el Adviento como un tiempo en el que se espera una carta de amor. Esa descripción me habla de un Dios cuyo amor por mí, y por cada una de nosotras, se manifestó por primera vez en Navidad en la persona de Jesús, nuestro Emmanuel - el Dios que está con nosotras cada día - el Dios que anhela la unión con todas nosotras.
Hace más de 2000 años, Cristo nació al mundo con ternura y humildad. Mi imaginación Católica me permite afirmar que Cristo volverá otra vez, cumpliendo todas las cosas en justicia, misericordia y paz. En el misterioso espacio entre esas dos venidas, experimento la continua llegada de Cristo - en las relaciones, en las luchas, en los anhelos y en la oración.
Un corazón de Adviento es un corazón de discernimiento - un corazón abierto a escuchar la voz de Dios en los ritmos ordinarios del día, así como en lo inesperado. Podemos hablar con Dios por medio de la oración. Nuestro Dios nos habla a través de las Escrituras, la oración, el consuelo y la desolación, las compañeras sabias y las circunstancias de la vida.
Una de mis maneras favoritas de conectar conscientemente con mi Dios es caminar al aire libre entre los árboles. Aunque, lo admito, prefiero el clima de verano, también veo y siento la presencia de Dios en el frío invierno de los días de Adviento. La belleza y la serenidad de encontrarme a solas con Dios en la catedral de la naturaleza me da una paz que el mundo no puede dar - la paz anunciada por los ángeles en el histórico nacimiento de Jesús.
Las lecturas diarias de Adviento nos acompañan en nuestra jornada de Adviento. Experimentamos la valentía serena de María, el corazón atento de José y la anticipada esperanza de Juan el Bautista y de los profetas que esperaban el nacimiento del Mesías. Su espera se ha cumplido. Los anhelos de mi corazón de Adviento están marcados por la espera constante del Dios que Es y del que Está por venir.
Mientras espera este Adviento, ¿qué es lo que realmente está anhelando?
¿Dónde está Cristo tratando de nacer en su vida ahora mismo?
Hermana Nancy Jurecki, OP
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In Gratitude for Diversity
I only recently moved onto the campus of the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Previously, I had been living in community with our Sisters closer to the ministries in which I was engaged. One of my favorite things, since moving to our Motherhouse, is chatting with the Sisters over lunch and listening as they share their stories.
Most of our Sisters on campus are now retired. These Sisters entered religious life in its heyday, prior to the Second Vatican Council when the Catholic Church entered into the modern world, in the early 60’s. One of the Council’s many directives was for religious men and women to return to their congregation’s original charism.
Prior to the Council, as Dominicans, as “preachers” of God’s word, our Sisters were assigned to “preach” primarily as “classroom teachers.” Following serious reflection and discernment on a return to our charism, our congregation came to realize that Dominicans “preach with our very lives.” New freedoms and new worlds were opened to Sisters at that time. Sisters came to recognize the need to discern a vocation within their primary vocation to serve God and God’s people as committed, vowed religious.
The journey of our lives as Dominican Sisters has taken us in directions previously unanticipated. A new found maturity has emerged that was rooted in our ability to identify and best prepare to minister out of our individual gifts. Since that Council, Dominican Sisters have been “preaching” in service of the Church of God as Community Organizers, Social Workers, Chaplains, Lawyers, Parish Administrators, and more.
Dorothy Day is noted as having once said something to the effect that, “you’ll know your vocation by the joy that it gives you.” Our Sisters have found that joy. It exudes in the way in which they share their stories. As the Sisters reminisce, a true uniqueness emerges in each sister’s story. The common thread that comes across while listening to these stories, however, is a joy-filled, deep, and abiding gratitude to a God who led the way.
As we approach Thanksgiving Day later this month, I find myself thanking God for my vocation and my vocation within my vocation. I thank God for the richness of diversity that has emerged within our congregation as our Sisters have been freed to be their best selves, living out their call to Dominican life within their inherent giftedness. Our God has made us in infinite variety.
Sister Nancy Jurecki
Exciting news! A Sister Reflects is now available as a podcast. Check out the show at the links below or enjoy this English audio version of "In Gratitude for Diversity" on Spotify.
En Gratitud por la Diversidad
Solo hace poco que me mudé al campus de las Hermanas Domínicas de Adrian. Antes vivía en comunidad con nuestras Hermanas más cerca de los ministerios en los que yo participaba. Una de las cosas que más disfruto, desde que me mudé a nuestra Casa Madre, es platicar con las Hermanas durante el almuerzo y escucharlas mientras ellas comparten sus historias conmigo.
La mayoría de nuestras Hermanas en el campus ahora están jubiladas. Estas Hermanas ingresaron a la vida religiosa en su época de mayor esplendor, antes del Concilio Vaticano II, cuando la Iglesia Católica entró en el mundo moderno a principios de los años 60. Una de las muchas directrices del Concilio era que los hombres religiosos y las mujeres religiosas volvieran al carisma original de su congregación.
Antes del Concilio, como Domínicas, como “predicadoras” de la Palabra de Dios, nuestras Hermanas tenían la misión principal de “predicar” como “maestras de salón de clase”. Tras una profunda reflexión y discernimiento sobre el retorno a nuestro carisma, nuestra congregación comprendió que las Domínicas “Predicamos con nuestras propias vidas”. En aquel entonces, se abrieron nuevas libertades y nuevos horizontes para las Hermanas. Las Hermanas reconocieron la necesidad de discernir una vocación dentro de su vocación principal de servir a Dios y al pueblo de Dios como religiosas consagradas y comprometidas.
Nuestra jornada como Hermanas Domínicas nos ha llevado por direcciones previamente inesperadas. Hemos alcanzado una nueva madurez, basada en nuestra capacidad de identificar y prepararnos para servir mejor desde nuestros dones individuales. Desde aquel Concilio, las Hermanas Domínicas han servido a la Iglesia de Dios como Organizadoras Comunitarias, Trabajadoras Sociales, Capellanas, Abogadas, Administradoras Parroquiales y en muchos otros ámbitos.
Se dice que Dorothy Day dijo en una ocasión que “conocerás tu vocación por la alegría que te produce”. Nuestras Hermanas han encontrado esa alegría. Se manifiesta en la forma en que comparten sus historias. Al recordar, cada relato revela una singularidad única. Sin embargo, el hilo común que se percibe al escuchar estas historias es una gratitud profunda, constante y llena de gozo hacia un Dios que las guió.
Al acercarnos al Día de Acción de Gracias a finales de este mes, doy gracias a Dios por mi vocación y por la vocación que reside en ella. Doy gracias a Dios por la riqueza de la diversidad que ha surgido en nuestra congregación, pues nuestras Hermanas han sido liberadas para ser la mejor versión de sí mismas, viviendo su llamado a la vida Domínica con sus dones innatos. Nuestro Dios nos ha creado en una infinita variedad.
Hermana Nancy Jurecki
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Show Me the Way
As a child, it was easy for me to erroneously think that there were few things in this life that I couldn’t do. The foolishness of my youth did not escape me as I grew older and into the realization of the many limitations that I face as a person. As I aged, I grew into a dependence on others and then on God to help clarify my perceived ability gaps. I needed both human and divine help in order to respond with integrity to opportunities in which I could or should avail myself. I not only talked to trusted friends, but I learned to hold heart-to-heart conversations with God, reminding God that we were a team and I couldn’t operate on my own.
The decisions that we make in life shape the trajectory of our life. True discernment is tricky and requires a realistic assessment of who we believe ourselves to be, including a recognition of what we perceive as inherent limitations. On the deepest level, it acknowledges dependence upon a loving God who knows us better than we know ourselves…a God whose voice often comes to us in unexpected places. Prayer is clearly the foundation.
Recently, I was introduced to a prayer that spoke to my heart: “I can’t. You can. Show me the way. I am yours.” The words were credited to Archbishop Oscar Romero from a movie about his life. I have started uttering this simple, yet profound prayer, as I approach various situations in my life…“I can’t. You can. Show me the way. I am yours.” This voiced conviction brings me both confidence and comfort…alone I can’t, but with God, I can best determine a way to go.
I trust that the God of my life, who doesn’t let me down in small matters, will be there for me during significant times. As is my habit, when I approach a decision, I begin with prayer…sometimes simple, other times more in-depth. I try to keep up my antenna as to how God may be responding to my plea. I seek a trusted friend or spiritual companion to reflect with me to assure that what I believe to be the voice of God is, indeed, God’s voice. I want to be open and allow my God to “show me the way.”
Have you thought about letting God show you the way?
Exciting news! A Sister Reflects is now available as a podcast. Check out the show at the links below or enjoy this English audio version of "Show Me the Way" on Spotify.
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Blessings Abound
I recently had the privilege of spending several months in the Philippines with our Adrian Dominican Sisters living and ministering there. Within that community, one of our Sisters, Sister Arsenia Puno, was charged with leading “vocational awareness.” I can’t imagine finding a person more committed to this effort.
One of Sister Arsenia’s approaches to her task was to gather a small group of lay and religious women who would meet with local high school seniors. Together, through short presentations and prayer, this little group would assist the young women in exploring potential states of life in which God may be calling them to live: marriage, “blessed singleness,” or life as a vowed religious sister.
It always struck me that only the state in life without a committed partner was dubbed as being “blessed” in our discussions. I suspect the qualifier may be somewhat of an effort to offer credibility to a state of life that is somewhat outside the norm in that culture.
In truth, wherever and however God calls a young man or woman to live out their life, the individual is availed the graces and blessings of the state in life he or she is called to live. Each state of being and living is “blessed.”
As Christians, our vocation is to be a blessing and to live into holiness. There is no hierarchy to holiness. Holiness is deeply personal and possible for everyone. Catherine of Siena tells us that we each have the potential of “set[ting] the world on fire,” by simply being who God intends for us to be.
For some, a life choice is obvious and seemingly a natural progression. Others struggle in making what would be the “right” choice for them. For some, the choice proves to be transitory, and for others, it leads to a lifetime commitment. Reliance on God through prayer and recognizing the hand of God through persons and events in life can be most helpful in discerning a significant life choice. Vocation, I have heard it said, is where personal gifts align best with the needs of our world. It is there that blessings abound and holiness is found.
Where might God be leading you? How is it that you can set the world on fire?
Exciting news! A Sister Reflects is now available as a podcast. Check out the show at the links below or enjoy this English audio version of "Blessings Abound" on Amazon Music.
Bendiciones Abundan
Recientemente tuve el privilegio de pasar varios meses en Filipinas con nuestras Hermanas Domínicas de Adrian, que viven y ministran allí. Dentro de esa comunidad, una de nuestras hermanas, la Hermana Arsenia Puno, fue encargada de liderar la "conciencia vocacional". No puedo imaginar a una persona más comprometida con esta labor.
Una de las estrategias de la Hermana Arsenia para su tarea fue reunir a un pequeño grupo de mujeres laicas y religiosas que se reunirían con estudiantes de último año de secundaria de la localidad. Juntas, mediante breves presentaciones y oraciones, este pequeño grupo ayudaría a las jóvenes a explorar los posibles estados de vida a los que Dios podría estar llamándolas : el matrimonio, la "soltería bendita" o la vida como hermanas religiosas consagradas.
Siempre me llamó la atención que solo la vida sin pareja se calificara de "bendecida" en nuestras conversaciones. Sospecho que el calificativo podría ser un intento de dar credibilidad a una vida que se sale un poco de lo normal en esa cultura.
En verdad, dondequiera y como sea que Dios llame a un joven, sea mujer o varon, a vivir su vida, este se beneficia de las gracias y bendiciones del estado de vida al que está llamado. Cada estado de ser y de vivir es "bendecido".
Como Cristianos, nuestra vocación es ser una bendición y vivir en santidad. No hay jerarquía en la santidad. La santidad es profundamente personal y está al alcance de todos. Catalina de Siena nos dice que cada una de nosotras tiene el potencial de "encender el mundo", simplemente siendo quien Dios quiere que seamos.
Para algunas, una decisión de vida es obvia y aparentemente un proceso natural. A otras les cuesta decidir cuál sería la opción "correcta". Para algunas, la decisión resulta transitoria, y para otras, la lleva a un compromiso de por vida. Confiar en Dios mediante la oración y reconocer su mano a través de las personas y los acontecimientos de la vida puede ser de gran ayuda para discernir una decisión de vida significativa. He oído decir que la vocación es donde los dones personales se alinean mejor con las necesidades de nuestro mundo. Es allí donde abundan las bendiciones y se encuentra la santidad.
¿Adónde podría estar guiándola Dios? ¿Cómo es que puede encender el mundo?
My Story
Each of the sisters shares a unique story as to their call and response to a vowed life as a religious sister. I fondly characterize myself as a “retread.” I originally entered the Adrian Dominican Sisters fresh out of high school many years ago. During the formation process, I discovered myself as far too immature and, frankly, more than a bit afraid of who God might be calling me to be. I chose to leave our congregation and return home.
Over time, I learned that the Hound of Heaven knew me better than I knew myself. Years later, having had many rich and varied life experiences, I sensed within me a “hole in my soul.” I had a lot going for me. YET, there was something profoundly missing in my life. That something missing became clear to me as I became more involved with my parish community and as I opened myself to possibility, speaking with trusted friends and listening to the gentle whisper and the subtle prompting I experienced from God through prayer.
Long story short, I returned home to myself by reentering the Adrian Dominican Sisters. Then, older and wiser, I reengaged in the formation process – a process I found to be clarifying and freeing. It was a happy day when I made my public profession and my heart continues to overflow with gratitude for the life adventure that profession has led me to live.
Ours is a God of surprises. I believe that true fulfillment, in the end, can only be found in following one’s heart, and, more than likely, embracing a willingness to take some risks. Religious life is not for everyone. But for those who feel a pull in that direction, the process of becoming the person God calls you to be can be a clarifying and thrilling adventure.
Exciting news! A Sister Reflects is now available as a podcast. Check out the show at the links below or enjoy this English audio version of "My Story" on Amazon Podcasts.
Mi Historia
Cada hermana comparte una historia única sobre su llamado y respuesta a una vida consagrada como religiosa. Me considero una "reciclada". Ingresé a las Hermanas Domínicas de Adrian recién salida de la preparatoria hace muchos años. Durante el proceso de formación, me descubrí demasiada inmadura y, francamente, bastante temerosa de quién Dios me estaba llamando a ser. Decidí dejar nuestra congregación y regresar a casa.
Con el tiempo, aprendí que el Cielo me conocía mejor que yo misma. Años después, tras haber tenido experiencias vitales ricas y variadas, sentí un “vacío en mi alma”. Tenía mucho a mi favor. Sin embargo, había algo profundamente ausente en mi vida. Esa ausencia se hizo evidente a medida que me involucraba más con mi comunidad parroquial y me abría a las posibilidades, hablando con amigas de confianza y escuchando el suave susurro y la sutil inspiración que recibía de Dios a través de la oración.
En resumen, volví a casa al reingresar con las Hermanas Domínicas de Adriano. Luego, mayor y más sabia, me reencontré con el proceso de formación - un proceso que encontré clarificador y liberador. Fue un día feliz cuando hice mi profesión pública y mi corazón sigue rebosando de gratitud por la aventura que esa profesión me ha permitido vivir.
El nuestro es un Dios de sorpresas. Creo que la verdadera plenitud, al final, solo se encuentra al seguir el corazón y, muy probablemente, al aceptar la disposición a asumir riesgos. La vida religiosa no es para todos. Pero para quienes sienten esa atracción, el proceso de convertirse en la persona que Dios los llama a ser puede ser una aventura reveladora y emocionante.
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Vocations Team
Nancy Jurecki, OP, Coordinator
Katherine Frazier, OP, and Mary Jones, OP
Elisabeth Nguyen, OP, and Lois Paha, OP
Adrian Dominican Sisters 1257 East Siena Heights Drive Adrian, Michigan 49221-1793 517-266-3537
View our video series called Commitment & Joy to learn about the gifts of vowed life.