(Mt. 5:16)
It was St. Joseph's Day and everyone was in good spirits. The Sisters had an ice cream party, I won a prize for my nephew Jeremiah who has yet to come into the world, and I stayed up late pondering life, reflecting upon the person I am growing into and where God is taking me. I finally began drifting into the comfort of sleep just past midnight when the quiet of our house was interrupted by a phone call. Since it was so late I knew someone was in need of prayer. "Hail Mary, full of grace..." I began, but in my mind I wondered who the call was for. "I hope it's not for me," I thought, and I continued to pray. I listened for the sound of footsteps in the hall just to make sure they weren't headed my way. "Don't knock on my door, please don't knock on my door," I begged, and I sat up in bed to listen more closely. Then it happened: TAP TAP TAP, "Sister Desire'? Sister Desire', it's your mom." The door opened before I even put my hand on the knob and I rushed to the phone. "Iseverythingok?!" I asked and my mom had to comfort me before even telling me what was going on. "It's alright," she assured me, "I'm sorry to call so late, but Johnele is in the emergency room because she's having contractions. She's around 30 weeks, so she is two months early. I haven't heard much else, but I'll call back if I need to. Remember, it's Saint Joseph's day and the baby is supposed to be 'Jeremiah Joseph', so make sure to include the patron as you pray for your sister and nephew." Sister Carlotta, who had answered the phone, stood eagerly in the hallway to see if there was anything I needed. I shared the news and she assured me of her prayers as we parted to try and go back to bed. I could hardly sleep, but around 2:00 a.m., as I began to pray a second rosary, I finally let myself rest.
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| Johnele and Angelina: The two sisters I started out with <3 |
In the days following I was able to maintain constant contact with my sister, Johnele. She kept me updated and the Sisters in the house were eager to hear of any new information I had to share. "It's wonderful to be surrounded by people who care," I thought to myself, but I still wanted to be there for my sister. Then, in the midst of my self pity, the Lord reminded me of a Sister whose close relative had died while she was away. Unable to attend the funeral, a few of the Sisters in the nearby area had offered to attend in her name. It was such a touching story, and as I thought about it, I realized I could ask some of the Sisters in New Mexico to stop in and see my sister. Would you believe that the very day I called and asked this favor of them, Johnele received a phone call and a visit from some New Mexico Felicians? Not only that, but they spread the word and I ended up receiving emails from even more Felicians who assured me of their prayers.
The Felician Franciscan Sisters are 1,586 Sisters worldwide and I can say with pride that it is a joy to be among their members. The kindness they have shown to me and to those I hold dear tells me that it is possible to live out the heroic love of Christ.
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| Flowers from the Felicians |
"The path of the just is like shining light that grows in brilliance."
(Prov. 4:18)
