Have you ever felt a calling to serve in some sort of order promoting peace and love?
Note how I didn’t say “to serve God,” because I know that many people feel a calling to join organizations like the Peace Corps, but don’t necessarily attribute it to a Great Spirit.
Personally speaking, I have long felt a calling. I don’t believe in a personal God, but I do believe in a Universal energy that, in essence, is pure love, and that if you open yourself to being its conduit, it will use you for the greater good while at the same time bringing you “assignments” that will further your own spiritual evolution. And sometimes the “assignments” may not be what you expected at all!
Yes, I know how hippy dippy that sounds, and I make no apologies for that.
Still, I sometimes yearn to be in a traditional convent, to give up the material distractions of our modern world, to devote every moment of my life to sowing the seeds of love. But that opportunity never presented itself to me, in this lifetime, at least. Perhaps it is a reflection of a life I have already lived . . . I do feel a strong connection to Sister Marguerite Bourgeoys (1620-1700), who founded the Congregation of Notre Dame of Montreal in what was then a colony of New France. I really have no explanation for the connection; perhaps I was inspired by her back in the 1600s (in a previous life). Perhaps I was one of the children she taught. Indeed, when I stand before a painting of her teaching them (see below), I feel like “I was there.”
Or perhaps I am just yearning for the temple, the spiritual abode, to which we all must return some day, in another space in time . . .
Smiles . . .
How about you? Have you ever felt a calling? Did you answer it?
— Jillian
Jillian Page 
Don’t u mean Maggie
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We can enter the convent together (wink).
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Regardless of whether a person believes in a “personal God” or not, we are all still bound by two great commandments; “Love God above all else” and “Love your neighbor as yourselves”. For those who do believe, the love standard is even higher; “Love one another as I have loved you”. We also read, from John 15:13 “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends”.
“Laying down our life” may mean putting someone else’s needs and welfare above our own, as is demonstrated by our emergency responders; police, firefighters and EMT’s. It may mean short, even sleepless nights taking care of a friend. God uses us as His hands and feet to show His love to those around us.
I spent close to 35 years in volunteer public service, and I gave a lot of myself during those years. I would do it again if I was young and healthy, because what I gained was far greater than what I invested. Just being instrumental in saving one person’s life gave me the kind of satisfaction which is priceless. That was my “calling” for that time period, and my “calling” now is to take care of a friend. Yes, I did answer those “calls”.
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I believe the phrase my dear is: “get Thee to a nunnery”! There is a Benedictiine monastery in the Eastern Townships at St-Benôit-du-Lac. I often used to go there to hear the Gregorian Chant. Very peaceful and definitely “well-built”. It will last hundreds of years long after PVM has corroded and disappeared. But this said, it also conveyed to me something disturbing lurking about the place. Pope Francis still has quite a job to do if he is to cleanse his houses of the infamia within. And then again there is volunteering for the fight against Ebola. You asked
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