To all who are discerning a religious vocation
Pursue me. It is the cry of Christ’s heart, echoed in mine. It is the love song of the eternal Bridegroom and his Bride from the beginning until the end of time. From all eternity, God has chosen and created you for union with himself. That is why God sent his only Son into the world—to pursue your soul and claim you as his Bride for all eternity. In this dance of divinity, his footsteps mingle with our humanity, as he begins to transform the water of our lives into wine. And as we dance with him, we must be willing to follow where his footsteps lead. But even our prodigal fears cannot escape the embrace of eternal Love; his mercy choreographs our wounded wanderings into the dance at our heavenly wedding feast.
   In the Body of Christ, God invites souls to reveal the mystery of his love in different ways. For some, God extends the special invitation to make visible his love for the Church in the vocations of the priesthood or consecrated life. How do you know when God is calling you to enter the seminary or convent? There comes a point when you simply know that Jesus has called you to leave everything and follow him. As you stand upon the shores of your life, you are washed in the gaze of Christ’s merciful glance, whose loving voice cannot be denied or ignored. You want nothing more than to do what he desires. “Pursue me.”
     In my own life, I experienced the grace of hearing Jesus speak in the silence of my heart, revealing his eternal and infinite love for me as his bride. Through the grace of prayer, the sacraments, and solid spiritual direction, I gradually discovered that Jesus was calling me to enter the convent to discern a religious vocation. This album is a musical testimony of the grace that transformed my heart to respond to Christ’s call. Ten days before my entrance into the convent, I recorded Pursue Me with the great hope that God will be glorified by using these songs to encourage others who are being called to discern a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life.
     My beloved brothers and sisters, if the Lord is calling you to belong entirely to himself, say “Yes!” Do not be afraid … for you have found favor with God. He will give you every grace you need in order to respond to his call. There is nothing you cannot do by the power of his love in you. He has conquered death; can he not conquer your fears? If you feel that you are unworthy, remember that God has “chosen the weak in the world to shame the strong.” Spend time every day with Jesus in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. He will speak in the silence of your heart, and reveal his perfect plan for your life
in his perfect time. “Do whatever he tells you.” In his great mercy, Jesus has pursued you relentlessly from the foundation of the world. What is your response? Be willing to sacrifice all that you are and all that you have for love of him who gave his life for love of you. Allow God to reveal who you truly are, and
trust in his loving plans to give you a future full of hope. As you take up your cross and follow in his footsteps, he will be with you and will sustain you every step of the way.
      At every moment God is pursuing your soul. In this invitation to follow him, Christ mysteriously makes only one step clear: the one that lies directly in front of you. So take the leap of faith and put out into the deep! Allow the Lord to pursue you and lead you in the dance of his will, one step at a time. Discerning God’s will
is a process, and in her wisdom the Church understands this. When a young man or woman enters the seminary or convent, it is generally a six- to ten-year process of discernment and formation before ordination or final vows. Step by
step, God either confirms that this is his will for the soul, or he leads in a new direction.      In either case, it is a successful discernment, and the soul has been graced with the gift of formation for the particular vocation God has bestowed.
When Mary said “Yes” to the Lord’s invitation to become the Mother of the Redeemer, she did not know all that the future would hold. How could she have? Her fiat was an eternal symphony—each day a new note within its unfolding melody. Her love song was ever new. Day by day, Mary accepted and embraced the will of God for her life, confident of the love that led her to the foot of her Son’s cross. She is the model for every soul in every vocation: to say “Yes” to the will of God in the unique and irreplaceable call that he has made upon your life. This is how your soul is called to become a saint: by doing the Father’s will. Let us pray for one another, that we might all have the courage to say “Yes” to God’s will for our vocations, and that we might persevere in running the race, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his Church. Amen!