Commitment


I've been asked to reflect a bit about commitment, and so I share some of my thoughts here.

The following quotation from Pedro Arrupe, S.J. has been finding me lately:


"Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart, 
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything."


How does that relate to commitment?  Well, I've fallen in love, and my world changed.  I get out of bed in the morning to pray and go to mass before work.  I spend my evenings and weekends with community (though I also spend time with friends).  My Sister introduced me to my new favorite novelist (P.D. James!).  I know so many more people, and I am often amazed at the sorrows and blessings that people ask me to pray for.

Comments

Sister Marie said…
I love this quote! I have it framed in my bedroom and I look at it each day. Thanks for posting it!
May 1, 2010 at 4:53 AM
Evelyn M said…
I think I will need to frame this. This is so true! Been thinking a lot about commitment lately too and dealing with fear of commitment in uncertain times, mine and that of someone else. What love is God calling me to?
May 23, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Sister Juliet, RSCJ said…
I love the quote too, Sister Marie! I might need to get one for my room too....

Good question, Evelyn..and appropriately asked on Pentecost. I hope the Holy Spirit guides you in that loving direction. Blessings to you!
May 23, 2010 at 6:56 PM
Evelyn M said…
Thanks Juliet! There's a part in me that wants to say "I hope so, too" but another part of me knows that He is even if I don't see it, or maybe not the way I would want to see it. Blessings to you too!
May 23, 2010 at 8:22 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Transitions

Image
On Monday, we had a feast day here (the patron of El Ejido, so a very local feast) and my community went for an outing together. We passed this: I giggled for miles. Erh, kilometros.  I'm still a little giggly about it. I don't know that they can be seen well in the photo below, but there are also tepees and storefronts. This area was used as a filming location for "spaghetti westerns," including also some scenes from The Good, The Bad, and The  Ugly.  I'm not sure what else. It is in many ways like the southwest of the United States...and yet it is so far away. *Giggles* Across the highway was a medieval Arabic (Arabian? Not sure the right word) castle... we couldn't find a way up via car (I think we could have hiked, but that wasn't on the agenda). Our destination took us past "mini-hollywood" to a town called Sorbas, population 2,400. It's just a sweet little pueblo in the mountains of Spain, surrounded by o
Read more

A little spring beauty

Image
Sometimes it's just necessary to go to the beach... We had guests with us all weekend, which means my brain was on Spanish language overload. Sunday we took them to the beach--it was a beautiful summery day for walking along the boardwalk. I love being able to listen to the waves come in. This was only the third time I've been to the ocean since coming here over two months ago. If I had my way, I'd be there every weekend! Alas, that's not how life works. I'm very grateful we had time to be there now!     This week is right in the middle of my time here in Spain . Knowing this makes me a little reflective of what's going on inside me. I don't share a lot of that here because it's such a public space! Yet, there's a ton moving in my heart and passing through my thoughts all the time. I'm understanding more every day why people are on the move, why they leave behind everything in order to come to a place where they don't know anyone
Read more

Beginning Holy Week

Image
(I wrote this on Sunday and just now am getting to post it... enjoy!) Holy Week is upon us! Living in a Catholic country means that it is a holiday for us here, with no classes to teach or offices open. It also means a bunch of celebrations/events, many of which I'm told are unique to Andalucia.  There is a confradia here that has had its own triduum these past three days, culminating in a postres contest (desserts) and the giving of medals to new members, who are mostly very small children (even one baby). I know they have something to do with up-coming processions, but I still don't exactly understand what. Today, Domingo de Ramos (which literally means Branches' Sunday, rather than Palm Sunday) included a lovely mass with many more people in attendance than usual... Here are some pics and a little video of the parish during the blessing of the branches before we entered the church. This evening there is what's called an "auto-sacramental,"
Read more