Going Home

Part of our Novitiate experience is to return to our home Congregations to celebrate Christmas with our sisters and re-connect. Our agendas include meetings with leadership, volunteering at holiday festivities, doing research in the archives, spending time with the elder sisters, and absorbing more of the culture of our communities. Another important part of our time “home” is to explain our novitiate experience to the sisters. Our experience is very different from theirs, which leaves a lot of questions, but the larger goals are the same across the generations.

We also have a chance to see our families whom we left behind when we moved to St. Louis in August.

During our break we will not be updating the blog as often, but will be back on schedule in mid-January.

Thanks for your prayers and support.

Krissie

Incubation

It takes about 9 months to make a baby.  Garlic has to stay in the ground for 10 months before it is ready to harvest.  Apparently, it takes approximately 10 months to create a better novice!  So, why are we given only 4 weeks to prepare for the coming of Christ?  Maybe that's why we need to repeat the process year after year after year.  One month is simply not enough time.

The season of Advent is unique, because in it we are called to be both incubator and incubatee.  We are called to bring the Christ child more fully into our lives, but at the same time to give ourselves over to God to continue the work begun in the Incarnation.  We at once hold God within ourselves and are asked to become God for all the people of the world.  All this, and we have four weeks to prepare.

What I pray most for this advent season is patience.  Patience to celebrate one season at a time, and not start siging Christmas carols before we're done with Advent hymns.  Patience to be preset in this tme and space, and not always looking forward to the things Ill do when I go home to Texas.  Patience to remove myself from this busy, hectic time and just sit and be with God.  The patience to prepare to celebrate, to wait on God and with God, and not rush the process.  The patience to incubate.

-Kelly 

PS.  Speaking of incubation – say “Hi!” to my first-ever niece AND nephew!!  Anyone got any name suggestions?  Dominic and Catherine have already been ruled out :(.