Living in the World as a Consecrated Virgin

"The destiny of each of us is linked to that of everyone else." 
~Pope Benedict XVI, 1/12/12

Ave Maria!  The Holy Father made the above point yesterday in an audience which you can read more about here.  He affirmed that we are called to live in relation with other people and with God, Who alone "is capable of welcoming man unconditionally and of giving him infinite love."  We are not alone!  We have God and each other!  This is both comfort and challenge.  Being a high introvert, it's so easy for me to unintentionally withdraw from the people around me.  Solitude has always come naturally to me, even as a child, and it is an absolute priority for me in my life of prayer and contemplation as a consecrated virgin.  But precisely because I have been consecrated as a virgin "living in the world," I must constantly venture forth from my solitude to be, as Pope John Paul II exhorted us to be, the hands and feet of the Church, the Bride of Christ.  The love of Christ impels me (2 Cor 5:14).  And in giving, I receive -- blessedly and abundantly so!

Thank you, my dear Jesus, for binding us together in Your wondrous Love!  Amen.