From Sr. Clement
Last night, I got to see my cousin, who's been away at the Philippines to join the sisterhood. Sister Clement, or (as I know her) Sharilin Rose Valencia, started to share about her life in the Philippines and why she wore the things she was because my niece was staring at her like "Why are you wearing that?" so my mom started asking her questions. She asked about those who were part of other religions: the Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant faiths and about what happens when we leave the Catholic faith for those other faiths - knowing that we still worship the same God.
Sr. Clement told us that when we leave the faith, yeah we may be worshiping the same God in the end, but when we face God it's like we've chosen to have less knowledge, less truth. The reason why the Catholic Church has the Truth is because Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the 12 apostles, and made St. Peter the rock of our church. Everything that was passed down to him, he passes down to the pope after him, and so on. The Magisterium makes sure that we teach the Truth as well. Yes, even though man is writing down all the doctrines, they are simply instruments that God uses to share the Truth. They are nothing, as we are nothing, but as Catholics we must believe that the Church will give us the Truth, and show us the Way, and lead us to Christ because Christ gave them that authority. So after we leave the Church and when we see Him, it's like we're giving him our heart partially, ourselves partially when he wants all of it because we've known the Truth, but chose to leave it.
The will desires goodness, and the intellect desires truth. And the spirit always wants to go back to where it came from, that's why the spirit will lead us to God. No matter how much you try to deny what you already know in your heart, it doesn't work because you already know God and the spirit desires to be with God. That's why we have desires in this world that we can't satisfy. You want to keep getting more and more until you get what you want, but when you finally have you, you end up wanting more than that. But when you put God as the center, you now become content, because he is all that you need.
And honestly, I looked up to my cousin for the longest time, but what I love most about her is how ever since she joined the sisterhood, shes become more of herself than she was before. I can't really explain it, but this is the Sharilin that is, and the old Sharilin was simply created to bring birth to this new one. She wears a wedding ring on her finger and she told us that it was put on her the day she put on her habit because she is married to the Lord. If only I could be like her, and give my heart solely to the Lord, and put Him number one. If only I wasn't distracted by so many worldly things, material things and just be the person God wants me to be. She's so happy and shes chosen the path of poverty. What path must I choose to be truly happy?
