Impelled to Preach with my Life

“Impelled by the Gospel,” as I see it, means living the Gospel with my life. I am a catechist in a Christian community that is turned out toward the whole world while bonded with Jesus. Living all the aspects of love in its most universal meaning, then translating them fully into my Dominican life as expressed in our specific rules and Constitution, is how I live the Vision.

Fully aware that we have only a short time to reach sanctity by loving God and neighbor, my concrete expression of love, which is the core of the Word, includes: welcoming sisters from all congregations to the House of God I live in; tutoring young women worldwide—presently from Paraguay, Slovakia, Brazil and Italy; visiting a nursing home to share the monthly Word of Life, consisting of one line of Scripture with a commentary, as well as sharing it by computer and snail mail; proofreading the magazine Living City — with articles on the environment, justice, ecumenism, globalization and the economy (Livingcitymagazine.org).

The truth that I am impelled to preach with my life is that God loves each one of us immensely. This truth frees me to love unconditionally. My response is making myself one with rich and poor, attractive and ugly, all races and colors, men and women. The result is relationships and reciprocity, mutual love, so that “all may be one.” An example of this is the yearly dinner at Malcolm Shabazz Mosque in Harlem, reciprocated by some of our peaceful friends, followers of W.D. Mohammed, coming to us for dinner.

W.D., leader of 2 million Muslims in the U.S., left for Paradise recently. A few days before his departure he addressed a group of his followers, suggesting that they follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. All of this is the fruit of hope, based on love – God’s greatest miracle.