I Know Two Things For Sure

I received a comment recently by someone who has been reading my blog for awhile. "I didn't realize you were a Sister," she wrote. Although I have referred to my life within the Community here and here and here, I guess I have never directly said I am a Sister of Mercy! So, here goes ...

I don’t really have a “vocation story,”— at least not the kind illustrated by the yearnings of a young girl to grow up and be just like her “habited” teacher. Nor the heart-wrenching decision of the adolescent soon-to-be young woman as she attempts to break the news of her impending entrance into a life of holiness gently to her boyfriend AND to herself. In fact, 28 years and hundreds of journal entries later, I still lack a good story but I know two things for sure: First, I have not and probably never will achieve a life of holiness. However, my life in Mercy has undoubtedly realized a greater wholeness within me as human, woman and “Song of God.” And second, I did not bring myself to Mercy nor do I maintain myself here. That is the work of “Solamente,” my God. I need only to be attentive; the rest is not my concern. My name is Sarah and I am a Sister of Mercy of the Americas. I am an educator by profession and currently teach at the University of Detroit Mercy. If you are a woman in touch with both the magnificence and the messiness of being human, maybe you should consider Mercy. If you find the melody of your life-song being hummed by persons most in need, perhaps you ought to consider Mercy. If the desires of your heart originate and lead you beyond and Beyond, you probably need to consider Mercy.