(The group was so big that we had to divide the photo in two!)
The Vicariate vocational workshop was a blessing in many ways to the Sisters who were present and to the young people. The first day it was raining but we arrived from the five parishes of the vicariate: 69 young women, nine Sisters from two Congregations, a diocesan priest, a servite priest and the bishop. For us Zulu people the rain represent blessings and indeed the opening mass celebrated by Fr. Mel Loftus was a blessing. His message was "I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full". (Jn. 10: 10b). We need to discover our vocation so that we can live life to the full and be life givers to all the people we are sent to. He reminded the young people that vocation to religious life is always a call from God to give life as Jesus did it.
God calls us in a particular way. It is different for each person even though we might belong to the same congregation. To discover our vocation we need to pray and listen to God.
The Bishop also re-assured that God is the One who calls. "I am the one who choose you.."; to realize this is a source of strength in times of hardship. We need to listen and be open to respond and follow Jesus in love. We need to listen to Jesus through the Scriptures and prayer.
God chose you before you were born. He called you by name. God is faithful and once He put his eyes on you he remains faithful. We can have many excuses for not responding to God's calling, like Jonas. But God finds a way how to conquer us. Each one of us has a call in this world and no one else can do what God is asking of you except yourself. Your call is unique. Take time to find what is God asking of you in your heart.
We Dominican Sisters are call to be preachers of grace and this is a pure gift from God. To be able to be preacher of grace, we need to sit with the Word of God everyday so that in whatever we do or say we may be a message of hope and trust in God. For us is to remain open to God's gifts, so that He can pour blessings abundantly on us.
The number of participants (69 young ladies) and the friendly atmosphere created by them touched me deeply. The honest sharing of the Sisters about their vocation. The support of the bishop and the priests of the vicariate.
All the speakers delivered the same massage "God is the one who call", who are we to stop God calling people to religious life?
