Would we be able to leave everything for six months only to understand the Will of God? This is a question that makes us reflect upon our sincerity and availability in regards to the Lord's plan for our life. Often we tend to want everything right at the beginning: all of the signs, all of the certainties. But that's not the case; one must be careful but also take risks!
In one of the meditations of our founder on the Annunciation, he points out that Mary received the announcement in the 6th month. She received the request from the angel and made herself completely available to the Plan of God. Immediately after that, she went in haste to accomplish it. Speaking of the 6th month, Our Lady of Fatima said to the little shepherd children: “Come here for 6 consecutive months and I will tell you what I want from you.”
I will share with you one of the first steps our founder took, when he was still discerning between married life and religious life. After his conversion from atheism to the Faith, he began to ask himself what his vocation would be. After persistent prayers, he realized that the date “May 13th” kept coming up. At that time he did not understand what it meant until, after a prayer, her remembered that the apparition of Fatima happened on May 13th. He immediately went to search for the message that Our Lady said that day; maybe it would be an answer to his prayer! It was quite the surprise when he read with his own eyes: “Come here for 6 consecutive months and I will tell you what I want from you,” given that his prayer was: “Lord, make me understand what you want from me.” He saw this series of “coincidences” as “God-incidences.” He left everything in Italy and left on foot and hitchhiking towards Fatima in Portugal, where he truly received the answer to his prayer and found his vocation.
The same question I asked myself in my discernment, I leave to each of you…Would you be willing to leave everything for 6 months just to understand your vocation?
Sr. CMC