By Sister Dhanya Chothiparambil
Editor’s Note: Sister Dhanya offered this reflection on our congregation’s Response in Faith rule of life, particularly Principle 2, which is based on Acts 17:28: “In him we live and move and have our being.”
Principle 2 challenges me to intensify my relationship with Jesus Christ in order to share in the fullness of God’s life. Eucharist, prayer, and vowed life are the means to deepen our relationship with Jesus Christ. In my daily life these means are not just a routine but a channel of bringing God’s presence into my life; thus I become a Christ-bearer.
The presence of Jesus dwells in me always in the form of the Spirit, and it is this Spirit that enables me to recognize and respond to Christ in others. The Holy Spirit inspires me to carry out my ministry of teaching as a channel of God’s grace.
Eucharist is the center of my life, through which Jesus comes into my heart. Every participation in the Eucharist invites me to be transformed, to be united with Jesus and to carry Christ’s values in my community and ministry.
Through my daily prayer I encounter our Lord and am transformed to bear witness for divine grace through my ministry. The vows enable me to identify with Jesus as the one who was consecrated and sent to bring all to God. Through my vowed life, I learn to depend on God; I feel free and happy to share the love of God with everyone and to be submissive to the will of God.
Whenever I reflect on Principle 2, I become more convinced that I am called to be a Christ-bearer, to shine the light of Jesus who dwells in me. Thus, my prayer is to let the Spirit within me prompt me always to be enthusiastic and creative in accomplishing the mission of Christ. ‘’Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.’’
Sister Dhanya Chothiparambil ministers at St. Francis Convent in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. She is a member of our St. Francis Province (North India).