Glimpses of God: A Life of Prayer and Service

Written by: Sr. Mary Joanne Suranni, CSSF

I recently came across a quote that spoke to my heart about what it means to be called by God to a life of prayer and service. The renowned spiritual author Henri Nouwen once said, “My deepest vocation is to be a witness to the glimpses of God that I have been allowed to catch.” Over the years, I’ve come to understand that it’s not so much what we do as religious that matters, but how infused our lives are with the presence of God – and how His presence flows out to the world through us.

Glimpses of God are like points of light that one can catch with growing awareness and through paying attention. Sometimes they bring clarity, love and joy. These points of light can come in prayer or any other ordinary life situation. As we grow in prayer, we also grow in attentiveness and in our ability to listen. Through prayer, God teaches us to recognize His communication with us, even his whispers.

Some glimpses of God we receive in prayer are meant just for us. Others are meant to be shared with others – through ordinary interactions, acts of kindness or service. In this way, God shapes all of who we are and gives us the means to interact with the world so He can be known, loved glorified through us.

Most people in ordinary everyday life would ask, “What’s so exciting about prayer?”

For me, prayer has been a great adventure, a deepening of my relationship with God. I’ve thought about prayer as a great privilege in life to be in connection and communication with God on a deep level each day. A life of prayer requires an open mind and an open heart to what God may want to say to you. This doesn’t happen overnight, but it does take time, commitment and work to grow in a life of prayer. A strong bond with God grows day by day, little by little and it happens in prayer.

Intimate companionship with God through a strong prayer life is something that I treasure. It is an incredible gift that energizes me for ministry and community life helping me to become the best version of myself. The time spent with God each day brings meaning to my life and fosters within me a sense of wholeness.

Contemporary culture often tells us that we are masters of our own destiny, navigating our own ship. In a life of prayer, God leads us to destinations we never imagined. He steers the ship of our lives and through trust, we allow Him to take the wheel. This is countercultural on so many levels. In a world where control is valued, the invitation from God is to surrender.

Genuine prayer is really a two-way street where we are sometimes the speaker and sometimes the listener. It works the same way with God with whom we are in a personal relationship. Likewise, God sometimes speaks, and sometimes listens. If you want to really pray and experience God, you need to take time to speak and to listen and to allow God to do the same.

A life of prayer feeds a life of service, and a life of service nourishes a life of prayer. Through prayer God gives divine energy that motivates us to serve with love. Through service, God invites us to lift up those we encounter, bringing blessings and healing into the world.

A strong prayer life is essential to living religious life. One of the great blessings of religious life is that we can live our spiritual lives in quite an intentional way with others who are of the same mindset. This provides great freedom to deepen our relationship with God through prayer. Do you feel drawn to a life of prayer? Does your prayer life energize you for service? If so, God may be calling you to be a Felician Sister.