Reflections on Magnificat House of Discernment

I believe one of religious life’s greatest treasures is a love and a talent for weaving ritual into daily life. Joining the sisters for prayers, meals, and even the nightly news - as well as having my own rituals of biking to the farm and working joyfully with the soil, plants, and people there – has been unexpectedly rewarding and has brought me to a sense of peace and purpose that I haven’t felt in a while.

I have learned that when I live a “life of liturgy,” I am better able to notice the extraordinary hiding in the ordinary. Because of regular interactions with the sisters and everyone else I encounter, insight and awe and gratitude arise out of and enrich every day. Engaging conversations over dinner, a striking psalm during morning prayer, a new face passed on my commute all stand out as extraordinary because of the “liturgy” and the ordinariness they are contained in. 

 Maggie with black shirt
 

Being at the Magnificat House of Discernment has been, as they say, a challenge and a blessing. It was a challenge in that it, in effect, challenged my notion of what it means to discern God’s will. When I came to the house, I came with an agenda—I was here to discover whether religious life was for me. If not, then I would go to graduate school. If so, then I would be told what community and head off there, end of story.

To me, discernment was a black and white issue, but discernment is not black and white. When I failed to receive “answers,” it became a blessing because it forced me to
change my questions. I now ask myself “Who am I? Who is God for me? Who am I to God? What do I believe?”

The Magnificat House has allowed me to interact with others discerning their vocation. As we began, it was really great to see JOY radiating out of each of us as we spoke about the next step in our journey. As we told our experiences and what it has meant and been for us to live at the Magnificat House of Discernment, many of our responses were the same.

I tell people that every Catholic diocese needs a house of discernment! A house of discernment fits the signs of the time in the 21st century. It is something that young adults are looking for and I can’t express enough how important it is for the young adults and those discerning a call to the priesthood or religious life to come together and create a space for prayer! I am ever so grateful for this opportunity of partaking in the House of Discernment!