So, I graduated. St. Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for me.
Why St. Kateri? Well, my friends gave me, as a senior gift, a children's book on St. Kateri, and she seems so fitting for a time graduations and transition periods.
St. Kateri: The first Native American to be canonized a saint. She lived in what is modern day New York, where she met Jesuit missionaries coming to her tribe. She enjoyed their teachings and was eager to learn, even if her uncle, the chief, did not appreciate this new Christian religion. A few years later she was baptized by Missionaries. She was mocked and hated by her tribe for her new religion, so she ran away. Kateri took a canoe and traveled up the St. Lawrence river for over 200 miles, ending up in Montreal where she was welcomed at a Jesuit Mission. There she taught children and cared for the sick for the rest of her days. She died at the age of 24.
200 miles. That's a lot for one Native American girl to be traveling through the wilderness. She may have had one or two helpers, but still. This is uncharted territory. She didn't know where she would end up, she was only hoping for somewhere safe where she wouldn't be hated. So she went where the Lord took her. She followed the trail that God provided her to a safe place, and this is what we are all called to do. No matter where we are in life, if we are not sure where we are going, or have just left a place and are unsure of the future, we can trust in God. He knows what trail we are going to blaze, so why not go and blaze it? God has a safe place ready for us. We just have to hop in the canoe and start rowing.
No comments:
Post a Comment