‘Let Jesus lighten the load’
Sisters Catherine Joy, Joseph Mary Nazareth and Monica Faustina visited the Diocese of Charlotte for a series of talks on spiritual joy. Sisters of Life provide pregnancy and spiritual support to pregnant mothers. They accompany women healing from the wounds of abortion with retreats and days of prayer at their locations across the country. (Georgianna Penn | Catholic News Herald) CHARLOTTE — The Diocese of Charlotte received a special visit from the Sisters of Life on Feb. 15 as they spread their messages of joy and love during visits to Belmont Abbey College, St. Thomas Aquinas Parish and St. Peter Parish in Greenville, N.C., as part of a series of speaking engagements in North Carolina on the sanctity of life.
The sisters’ visit was providential. In the month of February, the office of Student Life at Belmont Abbey has a particular focus on fostering healthy relationships, said Wesley Nelson, director of campus ministry at Belmont Abbey College.
“The sisters presented on the gift of every human person, which is fundamental to healthy relationships and fits perfectly with the theme this month,” Nelson said.
The sisters’ spoke with students, faculty and other visitors at the college, challenging them to open up to God’s love.
“What if this Lent, we let Jesus lighten the load,” said Sister Catherine Joy Marie. “Jesus’s love is indomitable. Nothing is too big for Jesus.”
Three truths of God’s love
During her talk, Sister Catherine shared three truths to help students as they began their Lenten journey: "You are awaited and protected," "You are above good," and "You are loved."
“God loves us so much that He goes ahead of us and has our best interest in life,” she said. “You are so precious to God that before He made you, He made someone to protect you, a spiritual friend, form fitted to your unique hearts. God entrusts us to our guardian angels. His entire mission is you.”
Lent might seem like a funny time to be reflecting on our goodness, but it’s actually essential to living Lent well, she noted.
“When God says you are above good, He is not just describing you. God’s words are performative; they are actually bringing about who He is in you,” explained Sister Catherine.
“You are good, not because you do good. You are good because God is our origin and our destiny.”
Sister Catherine shared a story of accompanying a young mother to her first ultrasound. She was abortion vulnerable and had so much fear, she said.
“When the flickering ultrasound appeared, all you could see was a tiny beating heart,” Sister Catherine said. “‘Look, your little one is all heart,’ exclaimed someone in the room.
Now, that’s life! God comes to take residence in our hearts. He imprints His image and His likeness on our hearts. There’s nothing too big or too small for Jesus.”
The sisters and Belmont Abbey students ended the evening in Eucharistic Adoration at St. Joseph’s Adoration chapel with music and meditation.
Founded on joy
The mission of the Sisters of Life is truly all about life. Founded in 1991 by Cardinal John O’Connor, the sisters are dedicated to protecting and nurturing life through their outreach of serving pregnant mothers throughout the United States and Canada, bringing God’s joy and goodness to everyone they encounter and serve.
“We are made for love, we are made to love, we are made from love,” said Sister Joseph Mary Nazareth, who presented on the gift of spiritual maternity at St. Peter’s Parish in Greenville.
“You each have love to give that only you can give,” she said. “The gift of spiritual maternity teaches us to delight in the other, God delights in us, and love is the only adequate response to the human person.”
It is just this concept that drives the spirit of the sisters’ work.
“When we accompany women, we first receive her and spend time with her. When she is affirmed, she feels she is loved and appreciated and can do anything,” Sister Joseph Mary said. “If I begin with the doing, she is an object of my charity. But let the nurturing of my heart to receive her then be matched by actions. She needs to believe she has the internal strength to do for her and her baby.”
‘Trust in the love of God’
The sisters led a Lenten reflection on Feb. 16 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church. Sister Catherine spoke to attendees about the deep proofs of God’s love for us and how reflecting on
His deep love for us is essential as we journey through Lent.
“She spoke about our guardian angels as one amazing proof of God’s love for us, having created a guardian for us even before He created the world,” said Tim Flynn, director of parish operations.
The sisters also led Parish Catechist Training on Feb. 17, centered on the theme of “Sharing the Gift of Vocation.”
Sister Catherine shared how the focus on joy and the value and dignity of each person can be very helpful in opening up young people to the idea of a vocation, whether to the consecrated life, priesthood or married life.
“Without an abiding sense of trust in the love of God, it is difficult to embrace any vocation, and so it is vital for parents and catechists to instill this in young people,” she said.
Flynn noted how special the sisters’ visit was.
“It was truly a blessing to have the Sisters of Life here at St. Thomas Aquinas,” Flynn said. “They were able to share not only practical wisdom, but who they are. It was a powerful witness to the great need we have in the Church for this visible witness to the beauty and attractiveness of giving one’s life totally for God as a consecrated religious sister.”
Sister Joseph Mary closed the day with prayer.
“Sometimes we go at life grasping, but let’s turn our hands over and let’s listen and receive,” she said. “Let us find where we can share the joy, love and resurrection with others in our lives.”
— Georgianna Penn