August
/ September
2017 - Vol. 93
Bethany
Association of
Women Living
Single for the
Lord
.
A Bride of Christ
.
by Beth Melchor
"I
am my Beloved's, and His desire is for
me." (Song of Songs 7:10) These
are the words inscribed on my ring – a
ring given to me by Jaime Cardinal Sin
on August 13, 1989 during my
consecration as a virgin - a woman
living single for the Lord - and living
in the world.
Growing
up I never dreamt that I would become a bride of
Christ, but it is such a blessed privilege if we
respond to God’s call. I dreamt of being a
scientist who could help my country rise from
its underdeveloped state. But when I encountered
God in Lourdes, nothing made more sense but to
give my life fully to Him who loved me first and
was deserving of all my love. From that
point on, I began to think about entering the
convent and specifically becoming a Religious of
the Assumption. I spent much time with the
Assumption nuns and they expected me to join
them. In my prayers I would ask God to just say
the word, and I would enter. But God seemed to
have other plans for me.
"The Plans I have for you"
As a college student, I helped give retreats to
students. As I shared my experience of God with
them, they told me: "What you say makes sense
because you are one of us. If a nun told us
that, it wouldn't mean much because that's what
a nun is supposed to say." On another
occasion when I was with the nuns watching a
film on Vocation Sunday, the closing lines of
the film spoke to me: "Christ does not accept
all who offer themselves to Him. He leaves some
capable individuals behind for tasks that are
perhaps less glamorous, but just as
important." Soon thereafter, I was
approached by a leader of a lay brotherhood in
our community who invited me to consider serving
God as a lay consecrated woman within the Ligaya
ng Panginoon (LNP) community. As I brought this
to prayer over several months, it became clear
to me that God was inviting me to consider this
“road less travelled”.
When Mother Angela, the Provincial of the
Religious of the Assumption in the Philippines,
told me they were waiting for me to enter, I had
to explain to her what I had been hearing in my
prayers. She then shared with me that even
Mother Foundress, St. Marie Eugenie, chose to
follow God's leading not to join an established
religious congregation, but to pioneer the
founding of a new congregation. God was doing
something new in her time, just as He was doing
something new in my life and in our community.
Later I was told of another woman who was
prayerfully considering "living single for the
Lord" in community. It was not long before we
were part of the first community household for
single women that would later on support us in
this call. We received much help from an
established lay sisterhood based in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. Each year they would send a pair of
sisters from Michigan for a month as part of a
mission team that helped with the formation of
our commmunity, and at the same time they helped
those of us who were interested in living single
for the Lord in the community. Soon there were
more than a handful of young women living in
Jerusalem House, as our household was later
called, actively serving in the various
ministries of LNP and joyfully living the life
of single blessedness alongside our many
brothers and sisters in community.
Little did I realize that God was faithfully
fulfilling a word He spoke to me when I went on
an Ignatian retreat upon graduating from the
university. The grace sought during the retreat
was to know God's will for my life. During the
meditation on John 21:1-23, God's words were so
clear that it is written out in my prayer
journal, excerpts of which read:
"Little one, do you love me?" "Lord,
you know all things, you know that I love
you." "Then carry me in your heart and
treasure me above all and bring me to all men.
You must not look to the world or things of
the world. You belong to me." then He spoke
that which I waited to hear, "Yes, you will
live single for me," and He spoke of the great
joy that I would experience with this calling.
But He also said it would take a long time
moving into this and that I need not concern
myself about this because He would always be
there."
Another
entry in my prayer journal reads:
“Write down the vision clearly upon the
tablets so that one can read it readily. For
the vision still has its time presses on to
fulfillment and will not disappoint; if it
delays wait for it. It will surely come, it
will not be late.” (Habakkuk 2:2-3).
Indeed it did come and it did not
disappoint. Ten years after I made an
initial promise to live single for the Lord on
the Feast of Our Lady of the Assumption in
1979, at long last the day did come when I
would be totally consecrated to the Lord in
the eyes of Mother Church and before my
community. The words of St. Therese of Lisieux
were used for the invitation which reads:
“In
her great delight and excitement in having
been chosen to become Jesus’ bride, St.
Therese of Lisieux amusedly composed the
following wedding invitation to show her
sisters in Carmel what incomparable honor it
is to live as a woman consecrated and espoused
to God.
|
ALMIGHTY GOD
Creator of
Heaven and Earth
Supreme
Sovereign of the Universe
and
THE MOST GLORIOUS VIRGIN
MARY
Queen of the Court of
Heaven
announce to
you the spiritual marriage of
their August Son
JESUS
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS
with
Little Therese Martin
|
As with any bride, the joy of that day could not
be described. Professing my promise in the
presence of community, family and friends made
it all the more special. But that day was just
the beginning of a beautiful covenant
relationship that is beyond compare to anything
the world could offer. It is a foretaste
of heaven even now, living the life of the
Kingdom, where there is no marrying or giving in
marriage.
I have been asked, “How do you experience Jesus
concretely as your Spouse? Wouldn’t it be easier
to enter a convent?” Entering the Convent
would definitely be something I would have
embraced, if God did not call me to live the
consecrated life in the world in the midst of my
brothers and sisters in community. Jesus is very
present in my daily life and I experience Him
concretely in many ways; primarily in communing
with Him in prayer and in the sacraments.
But Jesus shows His love and care, too, in many
daily practical ways. There were so many
instances when I was alone driving through the
streets of Metro Manila when the car would break
down with some mechanical problem. These
happened at the time when mobile phones were not
commonplace. The car would always
breakdown in front of a car repair shop or in a
place where I could easily get help. One
time as I was making my way to join the family
after the Christmas Eve mass of our community,
the fan belt broke and the car had just enough
inertia to enter the gate of my parent’s village
halting in front of the guardhouse where I could
easily call home for someone to pick me up.
There were other times when my token salary as a
staff worker for Christ’s Youth in Action was
wiped out by the need to purchase antibiotics.
Gone was my plan to host a dinner at home with a
few friends to celebrate my birthday after
returning from China. But lo and behold, without
asking in prayer, an unexpected check arrived in
the mail that would exactly cover the expenses
for the dinner. No other spouse can
compare to Jesus.
|
My Vows to
The Lord
“I desire to love God with all
my heart, soul, mind and
strength. I desire to follow
Jesus as my Lord and Savior and
to live in the power of the Holy
Spirit. I desire to live a life
of singlehearted devotion to the
Lord and His service. I desire
to love and serve God in a life
of daily prayer and service, to
praise and worship Him always,
to ever seek His face – desiring
always to grow in the fervor of
that “first love.” I
desire to offer my life to the
Lord so that He may use me in
any way He wishes to advance His
Kingdom. I desire to consecrate
my life completely to the Lord
that I might exist for His
pleasure and praise
I choose a way of life in which
I give up marriage and bearing
children – both good and valued
things – as a free will offering
of love to God.
I choose to live a life of
service and simplicity in order
to more closely imitate Jesus
who for our sakes became poor
and was the servant of all.
I choose to live out these
commitments in the midst of the
people God has called me to and
to embrace the way of life and
mission of this community. I
will respect and obey the
authority of the community and
the form of pastoral leadership
provided for me by the
community.
In all this, I stand in awe of
the great mercy and the gracious
love and faithfulness of God, He
who has called me by name and
has loved me first. I desire
only to make Him known and loved
by all, and to ever grow in my
love for Him in this life,
hoping to enjoy Him forever in
the life to come – He who is my
all.”
|
This
article is excerpted from Taken by
Love: From a Rebellious Youth to a
Missionary in China, Chapter Six,
(c) 2015 by Elizabeth Melchor, published
through Shepherd's Voice Publications,
Inc., under its self-publishing arm:
lifedreams books, Quezon City, Phlippines.
Used with permission.
See related Bethany Assocation articles:
|
|
. |
|