Five Takeaways from our January Come-and-See

Did you miss our January Come and See Day? While we can’t share everything about the day in one blog post, here are five takeaway-points given to us by our speakers: Father John Marie Bingham, O.P., Sister Mary Isabel of the Angels, O.P. and Brother Athanasius Thompson, O.P.

Before we can say “yes” to God’s will, we must lay a foundation of trusting in Him. Father John Marie advised the young women present to pray frequently, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Only when we trust in God’s goodness and love toward us can we also have the courage to do His will when he calls us to act.

A few of our sisters sitting in on Father John Marie’s talk.

Before we can tell God, ‘yes, I will follow your will’,
we have to trust Him
and that His will is for us to be truly happy.
The fact that you are here, that you took the step of coming today,
is proof of your trust in Him and His goodness and love for you.

Father John Marie Bingham, O.P.

Saint Dominic modeled for his sons and daughters a life of Gospel simplicity and nobility. How do we live this in our own lives? Father John Marie offered and explained five steps: earnestly ask God for mercy; sit at His feet and listen to Him; live as He lived; do what He did - go to the cross; and then go and preach the Gospel.

God will sustain our efforts in our given vocation. Whatever vocation God is calling you to, only His grace and strength will make it possible for you to be fruitful in it. All we have to do is receive the grace and respond with our “yes” - He will take care of the rest.

Religious life is a school of perfection. In other words, perfection is not a requirement for entering religious life - it is by living religious life in cooperation with God’s grace that we are made perfect.

Brother speaks on Dominican life.

As Dominicans, we participate in a rich spiritual and intellectual tradition for the mission of salvation of souls as part of the Dominican family. Sister Mary Isabel and Brother Athanasius shared about Dominican contemplative life, including how and why Dominicans stress community/common life and study. Dominican intellectual life is aimed at knowing God so we may love Him more; Dominican community/common life mirrors the Church in that the Dominican Order is truly a body with many parts.

I felt a great connection to the community and sisters, the prayer,
and description of life here. I would love to be in touch more about “what next”
- what I can or should do to continue discerning and learning…

Come and See Day Participant

Our deepest gratitude to Father John Marie, Brother Athanasius, and to all those who kept us, and the young women in attendance, in prayer.  Please continue to offer your prayers for them (and us!) as they continue seeking God's will for their lives.

Our next Come and See Day is Saturday, July 18th and we already have young women registering. If you or someone you know has put off taking the next step in discerning God’s will, say a prayer of trust and make a commitment today to simply “Come and See!” For more information about our Come and Say Days, and our Janua Caeli Retreat Days, or to register for either event, visit Retreat Days on our website.