Beloved: The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia (2009) - Official Trailer
Summary
TLDRThe speaker recounts her journey of discerning a religious vocation, initially hesitant due to fear of losing her identity. Influenced by her Dominican sister and the charism of teaching within the Dominican Order, she embraced her calling. The summary highlights the daily life of a Nashville Dominican, the importance of prayer, and the commitment to an intimate relationship with Christ. It concludes with the transformative power of God's love and the potential for a life of surprising fulfillment in religious service.
Takeaways
- 🌟 The speaker first felt a calling to religious life at 15 but hesitated for nine years due to fear of losing personal identity and happiness.
- 👭 The influence of her Dominican sister, Sister Mary Angelica, played a significant role in her eventual decision to join the religious order.
- 🕊️ The speaker's mother initially had different expectations, hoping for her to marry and find a 'beautiful husband', but later came to accept and support her daughter's vocation.
- 📅 A typical day for a Nashville Dominican begins early with meditation, prayer, mass, and a structured daily routine emphasizing spiritual life.
- 📚 The Dominican Order is characterized by a charism of teaching, emphasizing the importance of sharing the fruits of contemplation with others.
- 🛡️ The metaphor of a shepherd guiding the sheep is used to illustrate the role of a religious in guiding and protecting others from danger and sin.
- 🙏 The necessity of a deep, consecrated life rooted in prayer is highlighted as the foundation for the religious's activities and identity.
- ❤️ The religious life is described as a balanced life lived for the Lord, with vows enabling a total union with Christ as the bride of Christ.
- 🌱 The speaker emphasizes the importance of being rooted in prayer and recognizing oneself as a spouse to Christ for the religious life to have meaning.
- 🎉 The final profession is a significant event, symbolizing a complete commitment to the religious life with a profound sense of love and service.
- 💌 A heartfelt letter from the speaker's mother signifies her acceptance and joy in her daughter's choice, recognizing God's plan for her life.
- ✨ The speaker conveys the message that God's love and power can bring about surprising and fulfilling paths in life, beyond human expectations.
Q & A
At what age did the speaker first hear the Lord's call?
-The speaker first heard the Lord's call when they were 15 years old.
Why did it take the speaker nine years to accept the Lord's call?
-It took the speaker nine years to accept the Lord's call because they were afraid of losing their identity and the things they thought would make them happy.
What is the speaker's relationship with Sister Mary Angelica?
-Sister Mary Angelica is the speaker's blood sister, and they are very close, visiting each other at least once a year.
What impact did the speaker's visits to Sister Mary Angelica have on them?
-The visits had a tremendous impact on the speaker, as they could see something beautiful and deep that they desired within the religious life.
What was the speaker's initial career aspiration?
-The speaker initially aspired to be a dancer, which was a role they believed God wanted them to fulfill.
What was the speaker's mother's wish for them?
-The speaker's mother wished for them to get married and prayed for God to give her a beautiful husband for her daughter.
What is the typical start time for a day in the life of a Nashville Dominican?
-A typical day for a Nashville Dominican begins at 5:00 a.m. with meditation and prayer in the chapel.
What is the charism of the Dominican Order that first attracted the speaker?
-The charism of teaching, the idea of not only contemplating God but also sharing the fruits of that contemplation with others, attracted the speaker to the Dominican Order.
What is the significance of the shepherd's staff in the speaker's analogy?
-The shepherd's staff is significant as it helps direct the sheep, preventing them from walking into danger, which is an analogy for the guidance provided by religious life.
What is the speaker's view on the importance of prayer in their life?
-The speaker believes that being rooted in prayer and seeing oneself as a bride of Christ is essential, as it gives meaning to the activities of life.
What does the speaker believe about the vows they took as a religious sister?
-The speaker believes that the vows enable them to live a life totally united to Christ, starting heaven on earth with a profound sense of love and commitment.
What was the speaker's mother's reaction to their final profession as a religious sister?
-The speaker's mother expressed that her prayer for a beautiful husband for her daughter had been answered in the form of Christ, showing her acceptance and happiness for the speaker's choice.
What message does the speaker wish to convey to their students about God's love and power?
-The speaker wants to teach their students that God has created them out of infinite love and has the power to do unbelievable, phenomenal, and surprising things in their lives.
Outlines
🙏 Answering the Call
The narrator reflects on the long journey to saying 'yes' to God's call, initially hearing it at 15 but taking nine years to embrace it due to fears of losing personal identity and happiness. Visits to her sister, a Dominican sister, played a significant role in shaping her desire to follow this path. Despite family pressures and obligations, including her mother's prayers for her to find a husband, she ultimately decided to enter the convent.
🌅 A Day in the Life of a Dominican
Describes the daily routine of a Nashville Dominican, beginning at 5:00 a.m. with meditation, the Divine Office, and Mass, followed by breakfast and various activities. The narrator was drawn to the Dominican Order by the charism of teaching and the idea of contemplating God while sharing that contemplation with others. The analogy of shepherds guiding sheep illustrates the role of guiding others away from danger and sin.
❤️ The Vows and Union with God
Emphasizes the significance of a deep, consecrated life and union with God. The narrator views herself as a bride of Christ, with every aspect of life, whether studying, playing, or praying, dedicated to living for the Lord. This balanced life aims to start living in union with Christ on earth, as everyone is ultimately called to do in heaven. The vows taken enable this deep connection and commitment.
💌 A Mother's Prayer Answered
Recounts a touching story of the narrator's mother praying for her to find a beautiful husband, which culminates in the realization that her prayer was answered through her daughter's vocation as a religious sister. The narrator discovers profound happiness and fulfillment in her calling, experiencing God's love and power in unexpected ways. She aims to teach her students about God's infinite love and the incredible, surprising plans He has for their lives.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Lord's call
💡Dominican Order
💡Contemplation
💡St. Cecilia
💡Divine Office
💡Apostolate
💡Consecrated life
💡Brides of Christ
💡Vows
💡Surprise of God's love
💡Final Profession
Highlights
The speaker first heard the Lord's call at 15 but took nine years to accept due to fear of losing personal identity and happiness.
The speaker's blood sister, a Dominican sister, had a profound influence through annual visits, showcasing a beautiful and deep life.
The speaker initially believed they were meant to be a dancer, influenced by family expectations and personal aspirations.
The speaker's mother prayed for her to find a beautiful husband, reflecting the societal and familial pressures.
Despite initial resistance, the speaker eventually decided to enter the religious life after much prayer and contemplation.
A day in the life of a Nashville Dominican begins with early morning meditation and prayer, emphasizing the importance of spiritual discipline.
The Dominican Order's charism of teaching is highlighted, with the speaker expressing a calling to share the fruits of contemplation.
The analogy of a shepherd guiding the sheep is used to illustrate the role of a teacher in guiding and protecting their students from danger.
The speaker discusses the importance of recognizing Jesus as the true teacher in their classroom, emphasizing reliance on divine guidance.
The necessity of a deep, consecrated life rooted in prayer is underscored as the foundation for the Dominican sisters' apostolate.
The sisters are described as having a simplicity, love for the church, zeal for the apostolate, and commitment to prayer.
The vow of the sisters to live as brides of Christ is highlighted, signifying a life of intimate union with God.
The balanced life of the sisters, where all activities are done for the Lord, is emphasized, including study and leisure.
The vows are likened to a marriage, where the sisters give themselves with abandon and a profound sense of love.
The speaker's mother's acceptance and joy upon the speaker's final profession, seeing it as God's answer to her prayers.
The transformative journey of the speaker from initial resistance to embracing a life of religious service as a surprise from God.
The speaker's desire to teach students about the reality of God's infinite love and the potential for surprising things in their lives.
Transcripts
I first heard the Lord's call when I was
15 years old but it was nine years
before I finally said yes and the reason
it took me so long to say yes was
because I was afraid that in doing so I
would lose something of who I was and of
the things I thought would make me happy
my blood sister is a Dominican sister in
this order sister Mary Angelica I would
visit her at least once a year because
we're very close and these visits had a
tremendous impact in that I could see
something so beautiful and deep down I
desired it but I thought that I was
supposed to be this dancer that I had
always thought that God wanted me to be
because I was the oldest girl and my
mother depended upon me a lot she wanted
me to get married so much and she prayed
all through the years just give her a
beautiful husband just God give her a
beautiful husband so she prayed and
prayed and of course my heart was set on
st. Cecilia's and she got very very
upset she went about every priest in
Nashville I think to try to talk me out
of finally after all the obligations
were taken care of and and I prayed
about it quite a bit and I decided this
was the time to enter
you
you
a typical day for a nashville dominican
begins at 5:00 a.m. and we all come down
to the chapel and we're there for 30
minutes of meditation and then we pray
the Divine Office which is the prayer of
the whole church together and we have
the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of
the mass and then breakfast and after
breakfast fall we're off
one of the things that first drew me to
the Dominican Order was the charism of
teaching the idea that st. Thomas gives
us that we are called not only to
contemplate God but also to share with
others the fruits of that contemplation
Shepard's with shepherds to see the
lands okay so here's good shepherd he's
got a staff
now that staff helps him to direct the
lens hood lands are the dumbest animals
did you know that that they don't know
if they get to the end of a cliff they
don't know that there's a cliff there
you know what happens he'll go right off
and so the Shepherd has they all don't
go there so they don't know when there's
danger they'll walk right into trouble
if we do go on to danger we do sin he
gets this little hook and he pulls this
right back if you think back to the very
beginning of this commissioning that he
gave these disciples they were up on the
mountain and Jesus is about to ascend
into heaven and leave them and he says
something shocking go you know baptize
all nations all nations that you know
here are these eleven guys all nations
and teach them all that I've taught you
but there's that that key part that he
is with us and that we are not alone and
that he is really the teacher in our
classroom
the first thing that we must do is be
united with God and love the first thing
that we must do is live a deep
consecrated life and that's our first
obligation I believe that our sisters
have a real simplicity a real sense of
love for the church our zeal for the
apostolate and and a commitment to
prayer and all of those together I
believe comprise who we are essentially
if we're not rooted in prayer if we if
we don't see ourselves truly as brides
of Christ then the activity of our life
does not have meaning and so having
having been rooted in that which is most
essential is critical
the whole of our life is union with God
I'm called by him to an intimate
relationship of love I am a spouse to
Christ he is mine
we live a very balanced life and so we
really get to live for the Lord no
matter what we're doing whether we're
studying as postulants or whether we're
going outside to play frisbee or were in
the chapel praying the rosary
if you think about it all people are
called ultimately to live totally United
to Christ and most people will do so in
heaven we wish to start heaven here on
earth
and the vows enable us to do that
yes he was
Oh
like two people who marry who don't know
exactly what is going to unfold in their
life we give with abandon and we give to
it with a profound sense of love I vow
myself and then I lay down my life with
a willingness to go wherever I am sent
and to do whatever is asked of me on the
day of my final profession my mother
said to me she said if you got the
letter I sent you and I said no and she
said well go get it well and I so I went
to the mailbox a little bit all had long
little mail boxes and I went to it and I
pulled it out and there she'd written
this beautiful letter it makes me want
to cry
when I say about it because she said all
down through the years I prayed that God
would give you a beautiful beautiful
husband and as I saw you grow older and
more mature and learning the ways of the
world things I kept oh dear God please
give her a beautiful husband in the
letter she said and now God has answered
my prayer
it's here that I discover really who God
has met me to be for all my life he's
given me a happiness that I I never
imagined possible before for me my call
to be a religious sister came as a
surprise and it's a surprise that
continues to unfold and what is that
surprise the surprise of God's love and
of his power to do unbelievable things
with our lives and I think if there's
anything I would want to teach my
students it's it's that it's the reality
that God has created you out of infinite
love and he wants to do
unbelievable phenomenal surprising
things in your life beyond your wildest
dreams
so let them
Oh
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