The Joy of Community Life

The congregation for the Institution of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life described fraternal life in community as a “living organism”, a gift of the Holy Spirit where the love of God is poured into the hearts of members to enable them to live an animated life of Christ , strengthened by their foundational charism.

Last week a friend (whom I will call Justina) invited me to visit her in Atlanta for this Mother’s Day, and I declined. I explained that my Novitiate program is a little tight for casual visits. Then she immediately suggested coming to see me instead. But when I declined again Justina became confused and concerned about my welfare. I spent the next five minutes trying to convince her that I am not being held against my will. My discussion with Justina left me with the impression that she sees religious life as a place where people are confined and restricted, a place where people do not have the freedom to do whatever they want to do.  But I know that she is wrong. Like all institutions, religious life has its own defined structure which works for all those who are called to this lifestyle.  Since coming to experience community living with the Sisters of Divine Providence, I know that I have grown in leaps and bounds. I have been challenged in different ways but most importantly I have experienced unconditional love and support from all our sisters. So I am happy, feel at home and am able to share my personal stories.  

As an essential part of religious life, community life is truly a gift to the world. We are not about money or about our own interests. As a communion of believers, our purpose is to model a true reflection of the reign of God’s kingdom. Often the story of the first Christians in Acts comes to  mind. Just as the believers devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayers in Acts 2, so do Sisters. From community prayers, daily we gather around the Lord’s Eucharistic table for our daily nourishment. I participate in our weekly sharing, monthly spiritual direction and annual retreats. I have read a lot about our founder Blessed John Martin Moye, have observed our sisters is various ministries and am daily excited about the joy that comes from being the face of God’s Providence within and outside the community. In striving to live our four fundamental virtues of simplicity, poverty charity and abandonment to Providence, I have experienced God’s actions at a deeper level.

In Buying the Field, Sandra Schneiders stated that sisters are not simply a group of like-minded people living and working together for a better world with an occasional reference to Jesus as memory or model. But in community we live the life of the risen Lord. Always open to the spirit, our last Provincial chapter of 2014 challenged us to “risk personal transformation and  mirror God’s all-embracing love” In the spirit of mirroring God’s all-embracing love and in our effort to strengthen our relationship with each other I was invited to share my experiences with our sisters. As a Nigerian from a different culture, it is clear that I bring a unique diversity to our province and it was an honor to share some of my personal stories, values, and traditions. I was indeed humbled by the experience, but also realized that our sisters are living prophetic lives. I translate their desire to know me better as their openness to the spirit who is present and is working through people. All of humanity is one big global village where all humans are related since all are made in the image and likeness of God. As a community, this will better prepare each of us to continue to respond in faith to the God whose boundless love has gathered us from different nations, tribes and tongues (Rev. 7:9). This is important for it is only in knowing and respecting the goodness in each other that we can broaden our hearts to accept and see all as God sees them. In sharing my/our stories, we deepen our commitment to the experience of a life consecrated by God to God and for the glory of God alone. I am happy to be in a place where I am free to love and serve as God is calling me, where I have a sense of belonging, where there is true community of life and faith

 "We must become bigger than we have been: more courageous, greater in spirit, larger in outlook. We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations but to our fellow men within the human community"    Hailie Selasie

Below is the link to my cultural event

http://www.cdpkentucky.org/newsdetail.php?cur=233