Chotard Doll

Dear Friends,

This morning my physician asked me, Is there anything exciting in your life right now? 

I wanted to say that as I age, I’m grateful that there is nothing “exciting” in my life. But the truth is, the things that excite me are not things that interest a lot of the world.

I’m really most interested in the interior life, and how the Holy Spirit is shaping and forming me. The exciting part comes from discovering more about myself and how I live and move and have my being, and how I can make a difference in the world. What am I called to accomplish with the abilities God have given me?

Matthew’s gospel has an image for this in the lessons today. “…the Kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” —Matthew 13:45

As we make our way through life there are lots of pretty baubles, many of which are tempting and wonderfully distracting. But eventually they all fail in value, and yes, I have played with a lot of them!

But only one pearl continues to feed our souls, causing us to abandon all the other lesser attractions. Only one demands the ultimate commitment, and only one gives the ultimate reward. I guess that’s the big excitement in my life.

Faithfully,

—Chotard