The Feast of Saint Colette!

Many of you may not be familiar with Saint Colette of Corbie, one of my favorite Saints- other 14th and 15th Century such as St. Vincent Ferrer and Joan of Arc have been more famous throughout the ages. However, Saint Colette is a very important Saint, as she is the co-foundress of my beloved Poor Clare Colettines.

The story of Colette's life has personal significance for me, since I've recently been filled with much uncertainty about my direction in life. When she was a young adult, Colette also went through a time in her life when she has trouble discerning God's plan for her. For instance, Colette spent time at several different monasteries before deciding that God wanted her to reform the Poor Clares, and experienced frustration along each step of the way. However, throughout her discernment process, she learned to put God's will above her own desires and approach her search patiently and prayerfully. Here are two prayers by St. Colette that illustrate her desire to place God at the center of her discernment:

The Dedication Prayer of Saint Colette

O Blessed Jesus,I dedicate myself to You

in health,

in illness,

in my life,

in my death,

in all my desires,

in all my deeds.

So that,I may never work henceforth

except for Your glory,for the salvation of souls,and for that which

You have chosen me.

From this moment on, dearest Lord,

there is nothingwhich I am not prepared

to undertake for love of You.

LIFT UP YOUR HEARTS…

Let us always regret

that we have but one heart

with which to love God,

and that this heart is so poor and weak.

But such as it is,

God asks it of us!
Let us give it to Him

Constantly and completely.
Let Him have this poor heart

for time and eternity.

In a world where so many young adults seek immediate answers, we can surely learn from the young Saint Colette's patience, perseverence, and trust in God as she tried to figure out His plan for her. In the spirit of Saint Colette, I'd like to share with you all one of my favorite prayers, written by the late Thomas Merton:

Thomas Merton's Prayer of Trust

My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so.
But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you and I hope that I have that desire in all that I am doing.
And I know that if I do this, you will lead me by the right road although I may know nothing about it.

Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death, I will not fear, for you are ever with me and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Happy Feast Day, Saint Colette! Please pray for us!