This month I began my year of renewal, a year of deepening my commitment to Christ in preparation for final vows of religious life. One of the many blessings I receive is a class on our Rule of Life, and on scripture, taught by one of our own sisters. So, part of this blog is gleaned from her wisdom!

In our last class, we looked at "the gift of life." Everyone has heard of the phrase "eternal life" in our faith. We hear this over and over, in petition, in closing prayers of some sort: "grant us...lead us to everlasting / eternal life." Often when we hear this, we think of life after death.

But that's not it! We don't have to wait for that. Jesus speaks of our life now, our life to be lived in the present. Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it to the full (Jn. 10:10). Christ wants, asks us to live to the full now. And doesn't everyone want to live life to the fullest?

How do we obtain this life? Through knowing and communion with Christ. "Eternal life is to know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (Jn 17:3) Eternal life, then, is a relationship with Christ.

What means could I take to deepen my life with Christ?

I surrender to God anything that I have let take priority over our relationship – ambitions, attachments, obsessions. I give these over, and ask for the grace to come to know and love the One who is Life. Studying and pondering Scripture, as well as prayer, will help me to come to know Christ. Finally, I need to be attentive to Christ revealed to me in those people God puts on my path. Through them, Jesus takes on flesh, and calls me into relationship, into love. In recalling the faces and encounters, the blessings and challenges, I can say, "It was You, all along!"

"I am the Bread of life, whoever comes to me shall never hunger, whoever believes in me shall never thirst." (Jn. 6:35)