Mysterious encounters

By Patrice Tuohy  

Art by Sister Mary Southard, C.S.J. (center), (clockwise from upper left) Sister Patricia Reid, R.S.C.J., Sister Marguerite Niesen, P.H.J.C., Sister Maria Liebeck, D.C., Brother Cletus Behlman , S.M., Sister Josephine Pate, C.S.J.P., Sister Clarice Steinfeldt, S.D.S.

ART ITSELF is an encounter with mystery, and as such it is inherently sacred. We approach mysterious art forms with trepidation, but as we contemplate them, we are stirred and often called—the art speaks to us, draws us in, inspires us to feel and act.

This sense of call and connection is what leads to a vocation. Vocations take many forms. For some art becomes their vocation. For others marriage, priesthood, or religious life is their chosen path, and for still others, like the artist-religious featured in our story “Inspired images,” their commitment to their craft and to their vowed religious life are intertwined.

Whatever form your vocation takes, it is essential that it be creative—that is, life giving and divinely inspired. Don’t settle for anything less. Take time to contemplate the mystery you encounter on each step of your life’s journey. Allow yourself to be stirred and drawn to the unknown. If you do, you will find yourself doing, seeing, and being in ways beyond your wildest imagination. Your life will become art, which is a sacred thing.