In this Random Nun Clip, a listener asks for ideas about being of service to others. Hear the full Ask Sister podcast AS197, with hosts Sister Maxine and Almost-Sister Jane.
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ALMOST-SISTER JANE: So Sister, are you ready for our second question?
SISTER MAXINE: I am.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: This comes from Rachel from Utah. Rachel writes: “I have always felt close to the Catholic Church and loved the nuns and traditions, even when I was of another faith. I am working on converting to Catholicism. I am married and I am already involved in a lot of service projects. Although I cannot be a nun, how can I pattern a life of service that is nun-like? Is it wrong to do that?”
SISTER MAXINE: First of all, I think being nun-like is a great thing. (laughter) So.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: You are very nun-like. (laughter) Wait, you are a nun!
SISTER MAXINE: I am a little biased maybe. (laughter) I think it’s a good thing. It sounds like, for Rachel, that your faith means a lot to you. That is always a good thing to have in life, to have that strength in life. And she’s working on converting to Catholicism. Also a great thing. There’s a couple folks in our chat room whom we know, who have made that same journey. As has our own soon-to-be Sister just Jane. (laughter)
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: Did you just dub me that now? (laughter) You discerned it for me, what my new name is going to be?
SISTER MAXINE: (laughter) I didn’t mean to step in on the discernment.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: Sister just Jane (laughter). Yes, I also went through the RCIA program. It is a wonderful time of exploring your relationship with God in a new and exciting way. It sounds like Rachel is in that process right now. We will be keeping you in prayer as you journey deeper into the Catholic faith. It is truly a great grace, because you find yourself among other people who are making that decision to enter the church. It is a time of great conversation, of learning and exploring together, and being connected to the long and beautiful tradition of the Catholic faith. It is truly a great time and a great experience.
SISTER MAXINE: Rachel seems to connect with that experience. In her comment, in her question, she talks about valuing service to others. That is certainly part of the Christian tradition and the Catholic tradition, and very much a part of what it is to be nun-like.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: Right.
SISTER MAXINE: That call to service, to ministry to others. As we think about what the nun-like pattern of service might be, I would say probably the first thing is that–and that’s for many people—that it’s not just the things that a person does, but it’s how we do them and the spirit in which we do them.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: A lot of nuns do service projects, mission trips, might be working at a food pantry, volunteering with the homebound, helping at-risk kids and that sort of thing. It comes from a mindset of just being a presence to people, being willing to listen to their stories, listen to where they are in life, and extending that hand of God to them when they are most in need. All that stems from the Catholic faith, the Christian faith of wanting to be that presence for others, wanting to be that face of Jesus. He is such a great example of what it means to really be with someone in their time of need.
SISTER MAXINE: Let’s talk about the disposition of service. How do we create in ourselves—and folks in the chatroom, certainly feel free to comment on that—how do we create in ourselves that disposition of service, to where it is an automatic response of ours.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: I look to you for that example. (laughter)
SISTER MAXINE: That’s my service, is to be an example to the younger sisters. (laughter)
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: (laughter) I do look to my elder sisters to set the example of a nunly disposition.
SISTER MAXINE: For that nunly disposition, I hope I am a good example of a prayerful life.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: Prayerful.
SISTER MAXINE: Because that could help us grow that disposition in ourself, to be mindful of God’s presence in the world and mindful of God’s presence in everything around us. The people around us. The challenges around us. The graces around us. I think that’s a huge part of it.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: One of the things that our IHM sisters will sometimes talk about is the more you can be aware of the world events, the more you can connect with people of different backgrounds, of different cultures. A couple of them actually talk about praying with the newspaper. How they will go through the local paper or a national paper or an international paper and look through the stories that really touch their hearts and just pray with them for a little while. It’s a way to be in solidarity with those in the world who are in challenging situations or who may even be celebrating something. It’s not always bad news in the papers.
SISTER MAXINE: For contemplative communities like the Carmelites, their ministry is to pray for the needs of the world, so they have to be aware of what those needs are. They are some of the most up-to-date people you would ever meet.
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: Whenever I go over to our Motherhouse, I always make sure I am up on current events. (laughter)
SISTER MAXINE: For sure. (laughter)
ALMOST-SISTER JANE: Because I won’t be able to hold my own at the lunch table if I don’t know what world event just happened or even what’s going on locally. The nuns always take that upon themselves, to be very aware of the needs of the world.
SISTER MAXINE: That also comes out of that openness, that desire to pursue social justice in the world.
To hear full episodes of A Nun’s Life podcasts, visit the podcast page at anunslife.org/podcasts.
This transcript has been lightly edited for readability.
