When it comes to the gift of a religious vocation, there is plenty of room for wonder. Outsiders may wonder what religious life is for, especially when appraising the contemplative religious life. But religious life is not so much an avenue for doing as a space to be. Contemplative religious life, properly approached is a space for much “sacramental occupation,” to borrow a phrase from Hilaire Belloc.
Belloc uses the phrase to describe the attitude of quiet leisure and the wonder that follows as one makes connections between the little details of life and their Creator. This leisure and wonder begin with delight in God’s creation, become a communion with the whole world, and by extension, even communion with God Himself. For instance, I could begin by gazing on sunshine filtering through the stained-glass windows, delighting in the way the colors somberly dance across the floor and walls of the chapel, and end by pondering Christ, the Light of the world.
The same approach must be taken to viewing the gift of my own religious vocation. For some reason, God decided He wanted me to be with Him as a contemplative nun, and there was absolutely nothing I did to get His attention, no debt that He owed me, no special undertaken, or spiritual athletics performed that made me look “good enough” for the cloister. Instead, as Felix Duffey, CSC writes in his book, Manual for Novices, the selection is totally God’s initiative:
“God makes a free and deliberate choice of those whom He wishes to be His instruments in accomplishing His designs,” and “the central fact should never be forgotten that His calling of a picked group to be His companions is a special mark of His free choice” (17, 18).
That in itself is a perennial cause for wonder and awe. I can first look with wonder at God’s fingerprints in His creation, and then I can look down at my religious habit with awe and say, ” To keep religious life fresh, it is important to maintain the wide-eyed wonder of a child and calm, sacramental leisure in order to be able to learn not just what to do but who to be.
