A Strong Heritage

It hasn't been the most brilliant day. A situation has come up with a close friend that I will probably have to deal with tomorrow. At the very least I need to say some things to her that she may not want to hear, and ask her to stop leaving drunken voicemails on my cell phone in the middle of the night. It's time to figure out how to stop enabling self-destructive behavior.

But that's not what I've been thinking about for the last hour. Some of you know that one of my aunts is a Roman Catholic nun. I was browsing through her community's website for the last half hour and came upon something that made me grateful once again for at least a semi-godly heritage. Yes, there are a great number of failings in both sides of my extended family, but I have been blessed with parents who genuinely seek the heart of God, as well as a scattered few aunts and uncles who do the same. I was reading the statement of mission for my aunt's community, and loved it and thought I'd share it here.

We, the Sisters of St. Agnes, participate in the mission of Christ by joyful service in the Church, always aware that we, too, are among the needy and are enriched by those we serve.
Inspired by our founders--by the missionary zeal of Father Caspar Rehrl, the courageous initiatives of Mother Agnes Hazotte and the spiritual influence of Father Francis Haas--we continue to respond in our own times to those whose faith life or human dignity is threatened.
Rooted in Christ through prayer and worship we serve in both rural and urban settings throughout the United States and in Latin America.
We strive to minister with simplicity and hospitality in the fields of education, health care, pastoral ministry and social service.
We are committed to transformation of the world, the Church and ourselves through promoting
- systemic change for the quality of life
- justice for the economically poor
- furtherance of the role of women in church and society
- mutuality, inclusivity and collaboration.
Love binds us together, and by sharing our lives and our faith in community, we support one another to live with singleness of purpose: that among us and in our world the Risen Christ be discovered and revealed.

I'm so grateful for a heritage that pushes me to seek more of God, even if the method in which I'm choosing to seek Him is not always the method that my family members would have chosen. (You can find out more about my aunt's community here.)