As I was reading an article in preparation for general chapter last year, the thought came to me that religious life and religion do not define who we are. We define what it is. I define what Franciscanism is, what the Catholic faith is, by who I am. Isn’t that cool?
As you think of it, St. Francis defined what Franciscanism was going to be. He created the community. He set an example as to how the brothers were to live and what they were to do. The Order of St. Francis didn’t define who he was, but resulted from the joyful life of St. Francis who was totally in love with the Lord.
I think a lot of people get caught up in the distinguishable signs we externally wear, versus to Whom we as sign, are pointing to. This Franciscan pendant, for example, does not define who I am. I define it. By my continuing to wear it, others have been given hope and inspiration. I define to others what they should be hopeful in and that God will be there on the other side. He is with us every day, but when we get to the other heavenly side, we are going to see him in a greater aspect than we have before. Because by then, we will have grown a lot through all the trials and tribulations we have gone through. And it becomes clearer to us that this is what God is. God doesn’t have a form. We can’t put a form to God. All we can give him is our love. It is our love and our faithfulness to him that makes us who we are.
I never say, “O Lord, I am not worthy.” Rather, I say, “I am worthy, God.” I am worthy because God would never say that kind of stuff about us. He would say, “Yes, you are worthy. I made you and I love you; you are worthy.” We need to change our wordings. At a young age, I learned that if I closed my mind, I could not be open to the things happening all around me. But by leaving my mind open, I found that there was always something more to be learned. Even if I disagreed, I learned to just listen.
There is a lot more to spirituality than can be defined. I have a mantra in my head and I say it a lot. To me, to honor God and to thank God are the two most important things we can do in our lives — to love and to be grateful. And that’s my goal in life. I am just a little cog in God’s universe. What is important is that I continue to define as I go along. If you are in focus with God, then there’s nothing that can separate you from him.
What do you desire? My one desire, like St. Francis, is to love God. If I had nothing else in this world, it would not matter. I am appreciative. And as I go forth each day to meet whatever God places before me, I know I shall praise and thank God no matter what I do.
Sister Frances Therese Souza is a Sister of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. She has been professed 44 years. She recently retired from 21 years as a nurse in Kalaupapa, Molokai, and now resides in St. Francis Convent, Manoa.
