In vocational accompaniment, one of the many things I have learned from my spiritual guide is to be attentive to the ways in which God can speak to us, even in the simple things of daily life. In this article, I share a concrete example that happened to me.
At the beginning of my vocational journey, I had a dream in which I was walking through a desert – walking a difficult, painful path with many obstacles. At a certain point I stopped walking. I no longer had the strength and courage to continue. At that point, I realized that there was a butterfly and, being almost dead, it fell into my hand. Then someone told me that I could not let the butterfly die because it represented a gift from the Holy Spirit that belonged to me.
Later, when sharing my difficulties of my vocational journey with Sr. Veronica, the Mother General of the psgm [Little Nuns of Jesus & Mary], I told her about my thought of renouncing everything and the anguish it generated in me as if I were "dying." She then helped me to understand that by giving up everything, saying “NO” to God's Will, I was dying spiritually and that only a “YES” could bring me "back to life." Previous to speaking with Sr. Veronica, I had found a butterfly nearly dead lying around the house that I put in a place set apart. The butterfly reminded me of my dream. In a certain sense, it represented my soul and also the gift that God gave me – my vocation that could have died if I was left with the idea of giving up.
By sharing all this with Sr. Veronica, she made me realize that, despite the trials, giving up is not the best and smartest thing to do. Mother's words brought me back to having courage and peace to continue walking and not give up. Afterward, I went back to the place where the butterfly was almost dead and I touched it with my finger, it flew away, and it recovered its life just like me when I listened to the advice of Mother. It is interesting to observe the connection that is found between the dream and the simple event of daily life. If we are not attentive, these events go unnoticed, and small signs, which can change the course of our path, will be ignored.
"Certain little worms feed on mulberry-leaves, till afterwards they become bigger,
and then on the boughs they go spinning silk with their little months, and making little cells very close, in which they are enclosed. From this cell or bag, which contains a large,
but ugly worm that dies, there afterwards rises a white and very beautiful butterfly…
This worm then begins to have life, when by warmth from the Holy Spirit,
it begins to make use of that general assistance which our Lord gives to everyone,
and to take advantage of the remedies which God has left in His Church, both by frequenting the sacraments and reading good books, and hearing sermons… Now when this worm
has grown up… it begins to make silk, and to build its house in which it is to die. This house
I wish you to understand is here is Christ; as St. Paul says, “Our life is hid with Christ in God,” and that Christ is our life… Let us quickly perform this work and weave this cell, casting aside all self-love and our own will, and let us not adhere to any earthly thing; let us perform works of penance, prayer, mortification, obedience... after God has advanced her to this state, should force herself to go forward, she will see great things."
~ (St. Teresa d'Avila, The Interior Castle, 5th Mansion, Ch. 2)
Leticia Dantas