As part of Vocations Awareness Week, we are sharing the stories of young people who have taken steps to explore God’s call in their lives.
Lena, from Ghana, is a postulant with the Redemptoristines in Dublin, an enclosed contemplative community affectionately known as the “Red Nuns”.
During her discernment, Lena spoke online with Sr Mirjam Hugens FSO, Director of Religious Vocations for the Archdiocese of St Andrews & Edinburgh, who offered support and encouragement as she explored her vocation.
Almost a year into her postulancy, Lena reflects on community life, prayer and having the courage to respond to God’s call.
What have you learned during your time as a postulant?
My time with the Redemptoristines has taught me to deeply appreciate the beauty of community life.
Our community is made up of sisters from nine different nationalities, making it wonderfully diverse.
With such a rich variety of cultures, customs and backgrounds, learning to understand one another and live together as sisters has been both challenging and beautiful.
Being an enclosed Order, our community reflects the diversity of the world we live in, and so living together in harmony becomes a quiet but powerful witness to God’s desire for humanity.
What has been the highlight so far?
One of the greatest highlights of my time as a postulant has been learning more about myself and my dear sisters, especially through exploring different cultures through cuisine. It truly feels as though I travel the world through food!
Again, the beauty of living in a diverse community is that we can live together in love and peace, not despite our differences, but precisely because of them.
It has also made our Redemptoristine charism come alive for me: our call to receive and share in God’s redeeming love for all people – hence the red habit.
I have come to realise that by loving my sisters, and by learning to receive God’s love for myself, my life becomes an instrument of healing in the world.
This is one of the reasons I felt called to our way of life. Although I may never see the fruits of my prayer, I place my hope and trust in the One who works through me.
What advice would you give to other young people?
My advice to any young person discerning God’s call is to stay close to Jesus.
A practice that helped me with my discernment was spending time in front of the Blessed Sacrament.
Thomas Keating wrote: “Everything else is a poor translation. In order to understand this language, we must learn to be silent and to rest in God.”
Lastly, be courageous enough to take the leap.
