Sister Mary Gemma of St. Dominic
Sister Mary Gemma of St. Dominic
I had no Damascus experience as a child or schoolgirl. But as a young adult, the Spirit sort of socked it to me - literally. However, I wasn't ready and relegated it to the back burner. In short, I buried it.
However, much later on, I experienced a spiritual awakening, leading to a strong attraction for the contemplative life. Even so, I remained bewitched and entranced by the world out there before taking action. A date was set for my entrance, but I wasn't quite ready to make such a radical decision and I allowed 5 months to elapse before mustering the courage to arrange a firm date.
Since the Eucharist is at the very center of our monastic existence, one of the most beautiful elements of this life for me is the constant presence of a Dominican Nun kneeling in Eucharistic adoration. The theological dimensions of the Eucharist are beyond the grasp of our intellect. By it, we are brought face to face with God in a way that is most personal, existential and totally real. It is the very heart of our life and the celebration of the Eucharist claims priority as the most important event in our monastic day.
Some reflections on the Eucharist and the Banquet of Life to which we have all been called. There is no greater gift, no greater love. In the Eucharist we participate in the power and glory of our Risen Lord who has brought into the Trinity a part of our humanity that in Him can never be separated from the inner life of the Trinity. In our oneness with Jesus in the Eucharist, we are brought into the very heart of the Trinity. Our Lord comes to us in the fullness of His divine and human natures in which we share. Our incorporation in Christ is a literal one since we form one body and share in His own divine life even as our personal identity remains intact. Every reception of the Eucharist renews and strengthens this union and we enter into a new creation with the Risen Lord as we are further formed and grow into His own image and likeness. The Eucharist is also sacrifice, the ever-present sacrifice of Christ for us to the Father for our healing and redemption. He remains with us always. His Body and Blood has the awesome power to transform our hearts and to draw us more deeply into the divine life of the Trinity. Sharing in the divine nature, we are energized in the Presence of that tremendous life-giving love. As we are gradually transformed into the likeness of Christ we are filled with His deep peace and serene joy. His is the love we have been seeking all our lives.
I entered prior to Vatican II when religious life was more like a boot camp, highly structured, legalistic, with rigid adherence to minutiae including some customs and practices dating from the Middle Ages. Or so it seemed.
Thus I welcomed and greatly appreciated Pope John XIII's divinely inspired call for aggiornamento and Vatican II when the Church received a gracious and vibrant outpouring of the Spirit and which, when coupled with the findings of modern psychology drastically revolutionized the era and instigating a shift from excessive authoritarianism toward a more democratic spirit.
Vatican II paved the way for opportunities for theological study and lectio divina, providing a rich feast for mind and spirit. God is a reality not only to be believed in, but to be explored, and this exploration is our deepest joy. For God is an inestimable Treasure, a Lover to be pursued, and in Him alone is to be found the fulfillment of all we are. Moreover, this God is a Person, the Tremendous Lover, the infinitely fascinating Person. He holds the world in His Heart and through this Heart we are one with all mankind impacting the world through Christ. Likewise, united with the Church through the Liturgy of the Hours with its cycles, seasons, and feasts, we become one in prayer, praise, worship and supplication on behalf of all mankind and the reverberations are global. To conclude with a quote from St. Augustine:
"To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances;
to seek Him, the greatest adventure;
to find Him, the greatest human achievement."