Mary Ward’s pilgrimage was grounded in the call she received from the Lord in 1611: Take the same. This call was connected to a contradiction: Father General will never allow it. Go to him. From then on, she was devoted solely to the goal of putting into practice what she felt she was called to do. That this pilgrimage would be arduous was already included in the mission itself. So, there was no reason to complain about difficult conditions on the way. Nor was her poor health a reason to refuse this call. The only way to deal with these contradictions was by taking Jesus seriously as her companion and sharing all her (bad) experiences with him.
In the darkest year of 1625, four special graces were bestowed upon her, which we all find in the Painted Life. None of these graces has outwardly improved her situation. And yet, with these graces, everything has changed. She was given the spiritual tools to face the difficulties in a new way. So, she was protected from bitterness, despair or thoughts of revenge in times of slander and persecution.
PL 38: The only important thing in life is free and open access to God.
PL 39: The way to make suffering constructive is to embrace them lovingly.
PL 40: She as a person is not important, is nothing, but in God is to be found everything.
PL 41: Forgiving enemies gives joy and freedom, which changes the enemies into friends.
The grace that speaks most profoundly to my own pilgrimage in the Institute is that of knowing that the strength of the Institute is “not dependent on wealth, dignity or the favour of princes” but on “free and open access” to God who showers us with love, strength, insight, and gives us protection on the journey (PL 38). This grace offers consolation to me as I journey within the Canadian Region, and especially as together we progress along our pilgrimage of Becoming One Institute.
In December 2023, I made my final profession of vows in the Canadian Region. It was a celebration of absolute joy and confirmation of my vocation to religious life in our Institute. It was also a public commitment to living in the current reality of change, upheaval, uncertainty and loss as we proceed along a path of completion of what was in Canada, while, in a spirit of hope and trust, we make room for what is and what will be. It gives consolation to know that it is not the historical structures that truly comprise the Institute, but, rather, our “free and open access” to God - that is, my own and others’ relationship with God and our commitment to discernment and openness to the Holy Spirit - that gives the Institute its vitality and mission. Like Mary Ward, we are all called to live in our respective realities, fully and completely, open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, living joyfully in the present moment. (Sarah)
Questions for reflection:
Which of Mary Ward’s graces is particularly meaningful to me in my current reality?
What grace would I like to ask the Lord for today?
Sr. Sarah Rudolph IBVM from Canada and Sr. Sabine Adam CJ from MEP/Germany
Comments