Recently, I read part of a beautiful tribute that Toni
Morrison wrote for the poet James Baldwin. She said that he gave her “the
courage to live life in and from its belly as well as beyond its edges,” along
with “tenderness and vulnerability and a love that made one want to be worthy,
generous, and strong.”
The courage to live life in and from its belly as well as
beyond its edges has long been a characteristic of religious sisters, who both plunge
into ministry wherever people are suffering and underserved and place their trust
in a God of mystery who leads us beyond the edge of life as we know it. This
approach to life leads to an integrity and wisdom that other people recognize
and respect. Subconsciously, I believe it is a key reason I was drawn to join
the Mount community—to learn how to live both in and from the belly while
remaining conscious of what is beyond.
Jesus, of course, is our primary example of one who showed
tenderness and vulnerability and a love that inspired others to be worthy,
genuine, and strong. Those who can be described in these terms are truly his
disciples. After a lifetime of attempting to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, may
these words be used to describe us as well!
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