Tuesday, November 05, 2013

The Power of the Religious Habit: A True Story

"Even though she is barely five feet tall, Sister Z drew everyone's attention when she entered the large visiting room of Greensville Prison.  It was as if a rock star had arrived.  All eyes were drawn to her, and each person's face held a slightly different expression.  Some quickly looked away as if ashamed, others smiled, and some kept staring like little children.  I suppose this is similar to what we will experience at the final judgment when we see Christ, face-to-face, instead of hidden in his representatives here on earth. 

 Their reaction was due to one small detail:  Sister Z wore her religious habit.  It is ironic that many nuns have given up their traditional habit in order to be more conformed to the world.  Perhaps, they have rejected the habit to stress their individuality, but God saves a community of people, not just individuals.  From the looks on people's faces that day in the visiting room, it was evident that Sister Z's habit conveyed to them something of the reality of the Incarnation, of the human linked to the divine, the subjective to the objective, the deeply personal to the institutional.  The habit suggested that she was grafted onto the Vine, the supernatural cause of all natural beauty, natural life, and natural power. 

Sister Z herself says that her habit is a daily reminder of her vow to God."

Read the rest to see the 'ordinary little miracle' that occurred.

No comments: