By Mary Najem, San Diego
The St. Ephrem Youth Group prayed the rosary on Thursday, March 5, 2009, as we do every week at our regular meeting. That rosary was special to us because we were blessed to have Sister Marla Marie join us, and give us a talk about her vocation and the Maronite Church.
I was inspired by her vocation because it seemed like something many of us could relate to. One thing that I learned from Sister Marla Marie is that we all have a vocation. Vocations are something that come not only in the form of becoming a nun or a priest, but also a calling that could happen in a marriage or single life. Sister explained that when she first heard the calling of our Lord, she felt that she was unworthy. Just like Sister Marla Marie had felt, I too feel unworthy of becoming a nun; but just like the word that lightened Sister Marla’s heart when she was approached by two nuns prior to her vocation, “who is?”
Many women, as well as myself, look too far into the long term, and like Sister Marla Marie said, one must take it day by day. If I heard the calling of the Lord I would definitely say yes because, how could one really say no? I pray every day for God to lead me to the right path, whatever that maybe. We all need to pray for God to allow us to realize the path he wishes us to pursue, and what our vocation in life must be.
A quote that always gets me through the day is “When life knocks you down to your knees, just remember that you are in the perfect position to pray.” Through prayer, all things are possible, and by following the Lord and his calling, we can only hope that our gratitude is evident to the Lord for the many sacrifices that He has given us.