Thursday, April 26, 2012

Teresa of the Andes Part 4

VEE:  AAAAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!  She entered but they ended it right there!!!!!!  I thought this episode really captured the sadness and difficulty of farewells.  I cried.

DS:  In this 4th installment, we see Juanita determined to enter Carmel.  But what will her family do?  It is time to face the biggest cross of religious life:  that of saying goodbye to family and loved ones.  

This episode made me reminisce about my own life, and the times when I said goodbye to my family to enter religious life.  It pulled on my heart strings, and sent me traveling down memory lane.  Vocations to religious life do not belong solely to the individual who is entering, but in reality, it is every family member's vocation---every loved one has their own part in answering the call to radical love.

There was a scene that I found most profound.  Maria, one of the servants, is sitting in the kitchen talking to Lucho, Juanita's brother.  He is  weeping bitterly, heartbroken over the news, and struggles to comprehend Juanita's decision.  Maria tries to talk to him, convince him that this is not as big a deal as they are making it out to be.  "She would have gotten married, and you would not have seen her as much."  Maria tries to sooth the wound.  Lucho retorts, "At least marriage is normal!~"

But Maria is right.  I don't know why loved ones panic when their son or daughter decides to enter religious life.  Marriage takes sons and daughters "away" as much as religious life does.  In fact, I dare to say, marriage is more of a separation than religious life, because when a son or daughter marries, she or he belongs to their spouse.  When a son or daughter enters religious life, she belongs solely to the Almighty  God, and He keeps families together, even with the physical separation.  Nuns, Sisters, priests and brothers will attests to the fact that they even become closer to their families while being away from them in religious life.  God has his ways...

I think I enjoyed this episode the most.  I look forward to the 5th installment.

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