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We Belong to God Over the years (27 of them and counting, to be exact) since joining Miles Jesu, i’ve come to realize that an important part of our vocation is just explaining to people what Miles Jesu is. People every-where i’ve worked since joining—the other nurses’ aides at the old folk’s home in Phoenix, village grandmothers in Poland, co-workers in downtown Chicago, and most recently, the person who took my registration as a Canon Law student at the Pontifical Lateran University here in Rome—have asked me the same simplified question: “Well, are you allowed to get married?” The quick answer is “no,” maybe with the added “we take vows like sisters do.” But the really accurate answer is… “We belong to God.” In the life of consecration, the vow of poverty means placing Him over any created good—material or intangible. The vow of chastity means placing Him over exclusive human love, and over the blessings of physical parenthood. The vow of obedience means placing Him even over our own wills, plans, and opinions. “Many people today are puzzled and ask: What is the point of the consecrated life? Why embrace this kind of life, when there are so many urgent needs in the areas of charity and of evangelization itself, to which one can respond even without assuming the particular commitments of the consecrated life? Is the consecrated life not a kind of waste of human energies which might be used more efficiently for a greater good, for the benefit of humanity and the Church?....What in peoples’ eyes can seem a waste is, for the individuals captivated in the depths of their heart by the beauty and goodness of the Lord, an obvious response of love, a joyful expression of gratitude for having been admitted in a unique way to the knowledge of the Son and to a sharing in His divine mission in the world.” (Vita Consecrata, n. 104, Pope John Paul II, 25 March 1996) When I was asked to write this article, i got in touch with some other members, asking them to help out by sending answers to questions like, “What do you value most about our vocation?” “Why did you want to join?” The responses came back fast, emphatic, exuberant. Here are testimonies from young women from several different countries. (They all wrote in English, with just enough flaws to remind you how great an achievement a second language is!) For all of us, belonging to Miles Jesu means belonging to God. Here to Be Saints When it comes down to it, we’re not in this world to make money, to be famous, or even materially successful. We’re here to be saints. How God wants people to accomplish that goal is different for everyone, according to His plan for their lives. The type of plan that He has selected for a portion of people is Miles Jesu. And it’s a beautiful plan. When i was young, my idol, like a lot of kids’, was Michael Jordan. I used to hunger after information about him in books or in magazines; i used to get excited about the mention of his name in conversation; i used to enjoy being associated with him; but most importantly, i wanted to be like him, to be as good as he was. While trying to be like Michael Jordan is where it’s at if one wants to be a basketball superstar, playing basketball won’t get you to Heaven. But Jesus and Mary will—and Miles Jesu is one place where they are found. Jesus and Mary form the center of our lives in Miles Jesu. This can be seen in our main charisms: devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, devotion to Mary, our Blessed Mother, fidelity to the Holy Father, and a spirit of complete availability. The first three were the reasons i became Catholic four years ago; the fourth is the reason i want to consecrate my life to God. These charisms are not just lofty ideas—in Miles Jesu, one can practically achieve them each day. In Miles Jesu, life is centered around Mary because every prayer said, every job done out of obedience, even one’s sleep, is given to her to give to Jesus. Mary is also supposed to be in the background of every thought. Life is centered around Jesus, especially as He is present in the Blessed Sacrament, through the morning meditations (which prepare the heart to receive Him), through the Holy Masses and Communions, through Eucharistic Adoration, and in using each moment, from one Holy Mass to the next, in preparing to receive Jesus again. Only through such a great spirituality has Miles Jesu been able to accomplish so much good, and i thank God that i can be a small part of it. Though she probably has no idea, my college basketball coach is the reason i answered this vocation. About a week into the official season during my senior year, i quit the team in order to make a discernment retreat with Miles Jesu. After telling my coach that i needed to quit, she replied, “You may not understand this now, but you will later; and then you’ll know it was something good.” She was right. And her support gave me the mental courage to trust that God was guiding me. Being in Miles Jesu, it’s not Mike i want to be like anymore—it’s Jesus and Mary. There’s also a different, much better “MJ” to love, and this new one (Miles Jesu) unlike the old one (Michael Jordan) won’t become washed up. “O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, Meeting God Around the World January 12, 1988, marked the beginning of my new life in Miles Jesu, though at that time i didn’t even know that i had a vocation to MJ. I went to Chicago for a six month program. And three months later, God let me know that He didn’t want only six months of my life, but the rest of it. I took one step in faith; God gave me the grace to join for good. Since then, God has been taking me to different foundations all around the world. I have lived in eight countries and visited four more. God’s adventures in Miles Jesu are always very touching for me. Every country i have been in has given me much to learn and i love each one very much. Being in different foundations has made me to understand the universality of the Church and the beauty of every human person. Please pray for us so that we can continue doing God’s will with much joy as it has been until now. “The consecrated person attests that what many have believed impossible becomes, with the Lord’s grace, possible and truly liberating. Yes, in Christ it is possible to love God with all one’s heart, putting Him above every other love, and thus to love every creature with the freedom of God!” You Belong to Me It was in 2005, by the grace of God, i followed my vocation in Miles Jesu. I was in Arizona at that time studying to be a teacher, hoping to get married soon, and being a mother of at least 10 children. This was my plan for my life. The idea of consecrating myself to God never came across my mind. However, God works wonders. He knows the right moment to reveal His Big Plan for me. Two members in Arizona invited me to go to the Miles Jesu Girls’ Summer Camp in Chicago the same year. I thought it would be impossible. It was already hard for me to travel to the Grand Canyon, let alone Chicago! Besides, the summer class was not over yet. Well, God works wonders. I went. In one particular spiritual talk given by Maire Duggan, MJ, at the camp, she asked us to raise our hand and she said, “Do you know that that hand does not belong to you?” We all understand that God is the origin of every created thing, but when understanding becomes a personal experience, that is another story. It can be quite scary sometimes. When i heard that question, it seemed that Jesus was telling me, “Fran, you don’t belong to you. You belong to me.” I was so scared. Scared turned into anger. Anger turned into tears. Not only had i felt that God “ruined” my plan, but also that He took everything away – what about my studies? My family? My friends? My big plan? But, at the same time i thought, what if i die at this moment, what am i going to tell Him? My will is more important than His? Three weeks after the camp, i came to Chicago to join Miles Jesu. Thank God for every grace He pours out to help me answer His call. It was hard to make that first step of saying yes to Him. I thought i had lost everything, but these things never belonged to me. They were given to me by God. What is wrong if He wants His things back and plans to give me something even bigger and greater? The best part of this vocation to me is Jesus now becomes the reason for every act. Every day God reveals His will so clearly through my superiors. It is a blessing that i do not have to guess what God’s will is. It brings a lot of peace by doing what i am told to do. As Jesus promises to those who are vigilant and faithful to His commands, they will enter the house and recline at table with Him (Luke, 12). This vocation is God’s mercy for me and the greatest deal ever! “O God, you are my God whom I seek; Every Day is a Big Adventure When i joined Miles Jesu at the age of 22, i didn’t know how little i knew about myself. Then i received through my Faith Family the grace to start discovering the truth. In Miles Jesu every day is a big adventure, and i am getting to know new things. For example; discovering what my talents are, and what things i can improve. Overall i am learning to keep everything in balance. I am learning to be joyful in every situation with the happiness coming from God. The biggest gift that I have received through Miles Jesu is getting to know the beauty of God and my relationship with Him. Also i am discovering the wisdom of the Catholic Church and i am more grateful that i belong to this Church. Every day i thank God for my vocation, this is a great gift, thanks to this i don’t need to live in uncertainty but i realize and understand the sense of my life. “In our world, where it often seems that the signs of God’s presence have been lost from sight, a convincing prophetic witness on the part of consecrated persons is increasingly necessary. In the first place this should entail the affirmation of the primacy of God and of eternal life, as evidenced in the following and imitation of the chaste, poor and obedient Christ, who was completely consecrated to the glory of God and to the love of His brethren. The fraternal life is itself prophetic in a society which, sometimes without realizing it, has a profound yearning for a brotherhood which knows no borders.” I Am Not Alone on My Way God gave me the best gift i could ever get. He gave me a big family. He gave me Miles Jesu. I love my natural family very much. But Miles Jesu is a special prize i got from God. I was chosen to belong completely to God. And i was chosen to belong to Him in Miles Jesu, in my big family. So many people all around the world are praying for my vocation, so many people are helping me to be closer to God... Such beautiful examples of love, joy and perseverance i can see in my sisters and brothers in Miles Jesu... If God gives you a family that is leading you to God it is a big blessing. But if He gives it to you suddenly and you haven’t had it before, it is a super extra big blessing... To live in a family whose center is God... It is so beautiful that here are the people i can share my faith with. It is so beautiful that i am not celebrating Christmas, Easter and all the other feast days alone, but we are sharing our joy together inside and also outside the chapel as real Christians, as a real family. It is so beautiful, that i am not alone on my way, that we can help each other to become saints. It is nice to know that these people are able to tell you the truth about yourself, even the things you can’t see, because they want to help you. So many things i have realized about myself since i have been here. It is not easy to fight with my own faults, temptations...but i know that i can always find support in my sisters. And every custom and rule we have in Miles Jesu is here to help me. Miles Jesu is not helping me only in a spiritual way – how to give myself completely to God, how to love Blessed Mother, the Eucharist and the Church more... In Miles Jesu i am learning for example how to cook better, how to speak in front of people, how to be more joyful in whatever situation. God decided to give me so many gifts here and it seems like He wants to fulfill many of my dreams, even the smallest and oldest ones... All my gifts and abilities are used for Him in our apostolates. Even my imperfections He is using for the sanctification of my sisters! And i am sure that thanks to my vocation He will help my natural family, too. I found love and joy in Miles Jesu. May God grant us the grace to see always all the enormous gifts of our vocation in Miles Jesu, so we can praise Him every moment of our lives more and more. “One thing I ask of the Lord; this I seek: To dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, that I may gaze on the loveliness of the Lord and contemplate His temple.” “Mary, image of the Church, the Bride without spot or wrinkle, which by imitating you ‘preserves with virginal purity an integral faith, a firm hope, and a sincere charity,’ sustain consecrated persons on their journey towards the sole and eternal Blessedness. “To you, Virgin of the Visitation, do we entrust them, that they may go forth to meet human needs, to bring help, but above all to bring Jesus. Teach them to proclaim the mighty things which the Lord accomplishes in the world, that all peoples may extol the greatness of His name. Support them in their work for the poor, the hungry, those without hope, the little ones, and all who seek your Son with a sincere heart. To you, our Mother, who desire the spiritual and apostolic renewal of your sons and daughters in a response of love and complete dedication to Christ, we address our confident prayer. You who did the will of the Father, ever ready in obedience, courageous in poverty, and receptive in fruitful virginity, obtain from your divine Son that all who have received the gift of following Him in the consecrated life may be enabled to bear witness to that gift by their transfigured lives, as they joyfully make their way with all their brothers and sisters towards our heavenly homeland and the light which will never grow dim. We ask you this, that in everyone and in everything glory, adoration and love may be given to the Most High Lord of all things, who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.” (Vita Consecrata, n. 112) “As the hind longs for the running waters, |