The Blessing of Vulnerability

                       We are vulnerable and fragile people without exceptions. We need each other. 

When a community faces an emergency, it is able to move through it and into the future together. We Felician Sisters in North America experienced this in a powerful way during the COVID pandemic. Within a period of two months, we lost fourteen of our sisters. This was a traumatic time for us, one of distress and helplessness, but we got through it together. We bridged the physical distance between us through Hope Zooms where we shared our experiences and feelings. We even had a special Zoom session for our sisters in Michigan, who were hit hardest by COVID. Many sisters from across North America shared our prayers and warm wishes for those who needed them.

Our vulnerability became our strength. Being reminded of our fragility was a call to deeper connection with each other. We shared about our faith, how our relationships with God helped us through that difficult time. We lived the interdependence that we strive for, each taking her turn caring for others needs. This inspired me to embrace how much we rely on each other, and to move from an independent stance. Also, awareness of the needs of others became a call to action, to service that pours forth from the heart. This sensitivity was a movement out toward a suffering world.

This was possible because of the bonds we formed. We experienced a deeper love for each other, an agape love that wanted what was best for our sisters. In the past, I haven’t always wanted to be vulnerable, but I was blessed by our collective vulnerability. Accepting my own brokenness helps me see that of others, and to respond to it. I now see myself as broken for others. During COVID, my religious community drew closer to each other, in communion with each other and God. Our common prayers came from a common heart, out of a shared compassion for the international community of humanity. This compassion crosses borders and leads to true encounter with others.

The same agape love sent us forth to serve the world. Many of our sisters embraced opportunities to help in their local areas, bringing food and being as present as possible to those in need. They found partners in this ministry to their brothers and sisters in Christ. Serving as a family in Christ, they found family in Him, too. Those served did more than receive; they engaged in relationships with our sisters and lay partners. They also offered what they could to the work. In these ways, they joined the journey, walking with us.

We are inherently vulnerable people who rely on each other. Our experiences during the COVID pandemic revealed the blessing that vulnerability really is to my religious community. Interdependence makes us stronger in the present and helps us move into the future. It opens us to the relationships that bring communion with others and fill us with the compassion to both respond to their needs and accept the help we need. This is the kind of community God calls us all to.