On July 8, the Mount community celebrated the 50th anniversary
of Sr. Helen Mueting’s monastic profession. In her homily at the Jubilee mass,
Sr. Esther Fangman noted that the people in Jesus’ home town didn’t know what
to make of him because he didn’t fit their expectations of a person from
Nazareth. Just so, in 50 years of monastic life, God has molded Sr. Helen in
ways that might be surprising to others and even to herself. When we say yes to
having a relationship with God, one thing we know for sure is that life will
unfold in unexpected ways.
Sr. Esther also pointed out that Sr. Helen is unique
in the way God has molded her. No one else has her exact combination of
faithfulness, teaching skills, love for the earth, and dedication to advocacy
for justice. We can be inspired by her fidelity, hard work, and creativity, but
we will exemplify them in different ways in our own lives. As Mary Jo Koch
noted in her book Flight Plans, “Not
all birds fly or sing or build nests. Yet all birds share one feature:
feathers.” Similarly, not all Benedictines are teachers or gardeners, but we
all seek God through stability, obedience, and fidelity
to the monastic life. I am grateful to Sr. Helen for being a model of fidelity
to this way of life as I anticipate the day I will make my first profession.
No comments:
Post a Comment