Theme
Witnesses on transitions
Lives cut in two: conversions, departures, changes of state. They prayed in the passage.
A few words
O my cell, dwelling sweet and beloved, for ever and ever, O my cell, farewell.
The good Lord, whom I received before leaving, will help me and lead me in the undertaking he himself inspired in me. I shall always keep the fear of God before my eyes, and his love in my heart.
I can do all things in him who strengthens me.
He that is down needs fear no fall, he that is low no pride.
I am the daughter of such a man and the wife of such a man; I am Christ's slave.
We cultivate a very small field for Christ, but we love it, knowing that God does not require great achievements but a heart that holds back nothing for self.
All 30 witnesses on transitions
- Alcuin d'York Praying where one has been placed, while missing the silence one has left.
- André de Crète Beginning again, when one no longer knows where to start.
- Angèle Merici Trusting God with the future, and persons more than rules.
- Anne Comnène Holding the memory of those we have loved, when time would carry everything away.
- Augustin d’Hippone Conversion as the belated welcome of a presence that had always been waiting.
- Benoît-Joseph Labre Destitution chosen as a form of prayer; a wandering that seeks nothing to keep.
- Brigitte de Suède One life given whole, in marriage as in solitude, without surrendering any freedom of speech.
- Charles Péguy Hope as a little girl who leads the great virtues on, believing still in the morning.
- Colette de Corbie Letting oneself be reformed before reforming, keeping one's gaze on the cross.
- Elizabeth Ann Seton Lifting the heart to God in the midst of everything, without waiting for perfect silence.
- Frances Xavier Cabrini Prayer that crosses borders: to stay near the exile and tell him he is not forgotten.
- Gérard Groote Ordering one's life not by a solemn vow, but by a resolution taken up again each day.
- Harriet Tubman Active trust in God that sets one walking toward freedom, for oneself and for others.
- Henri Nouwen A spirituality of returning to the foundational identity of beloved child.
- Jean de la Croix Poetry forged in the dark, a map of the soul's darkest nights toward union with God, fidelity to reform even when it cost him everything.
- John Bunyan The way of faith as a pilgrimage through trial, grace greater than sin.
- John Henry Newman The prayer of sufficient light: not to demand a distant view, but to consent to today's single step.
- Juda Halevi The longing for a place one may never see, which orients everything else.
- Kaʻahumanu The prayer of someone carrying too heavy a load, who says so.
- Lakshmibai Tilak Faith won slowly through doubt and fury rather than handed down, honesty about the cost a conversion exacts on those not consulted, a memoir that refused to simplify a painful passage.
- Mélanie l'Ancienne Naming oneself by belonging to God, and not by what one owns.
- Moïse l'Éthiopien Not to judge the faults of others while already carrying one's own.
- Narayan Vaman Tilak To recognize the beloved face at the end of a long search, and to hand everything over to him.
- Niijima Jō (Joseph Neesima) The prayer of a man praying in a half-learned language, and the desire to teach his own people held through years of exile.
- Paula de Rome Stripping oneself bare by choice, late and in full strength, and a taste for the Scriptures learned for good.
- Rose-Philippine Duchesne Prayer offered when one can do nothing else, held as true labour before God.
- Sandra Sabattini The holiness of ordinary youth, and prayer become simple conversation with God.
- Sigrid Undset The long search for truth through one's work, unto prayer without deceit.
- Takayama Ukon The surrender of rank and goods rather than betray what matters most.
- Vittoria Colonna Changing your subject once you discover what is worth singing.