Sharing the "Yes" Moment

The following excerpt was written many years ago by Sister Judy Molosky, one of the founders of House of Ruth...


The prayer of Jesus in John's gospel has been my prayer: "I pray for them; I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they belong to you." God gave me many gifts during six years of vocation ministry, but the best was the gift of the individual discerning woman. Her story, her longings, her God experiences were mine to hear, and most often on a first meeting! I often asked myself, "Who am I to be hearing the depths of this woman's spirit?" I felt like confessor, discerner, counselor and friend with each woman.

The highlight for me was the moment the individual shared the "yes" moment. The most memorable sharing happened when I lived at the House of Ruth. The young woman had been staying with us and because of crowded conditions was sharing my room. Around 2:00 a.m. on the way back from my nightly trip to the bathroom, I was stopped and asked if we could talk. "Of course," I said, not knowing what else to say at that time of night. And so it was in the darkness of the room that the young woman shared her fears, her resistance, her deep longing for God...her readiness to say "yes". Opposition from family and friends was not an obstacle anymore. The grace of the moment came in the experience of God's presence in darkness and in freedom. Her heart spoke like St. Paul's: Life to me is not a thing to waste words on, provided that when I finish my race I have carried out the mission the Lord Jesus gave me - and that was to bear witness to the Good News of God's grace."

Cathy, may you continue to bear witness to God's grace!

Sister Judy Molosky