REGINA Magazine 34 | Page 35

Benedictine Sisters in the choir stalls of their new monastic church.

REGINA: What was so attractive?

Sr. Miriam Esther: Through my philosophy classes, I discovered St. Thomas Aquinas’s account of human nature which provides a logical basis for the superiority of the contemplative life. Through my history classes I learned also of the powerful spiritual force which monastic life wields over culture.

In particular, I discovered the wisdom of the Benedictine Rule, how it enlivened and molded and preserved Christian culture from the early centuries of the Church.

REGINA: What effect did that have on you?

Sr. Miriam Esther: My desire for the consecrated life slowly grew. I felt as though the Lord was courting my soul, offering me a glimpse of the joys experienced by those who accept a loving union with Him through the consecrated life. Though I still appreciated the beauty of a lay vocation to marriage and family life, my heart was made captive to Love Himself.

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