Divine Providence

Anywhere I go, people have lots of questions about my life as a sister. “What does your average day look like? What do you do for fun? What sort of ministry do you do? What do you eat? Who cooks?” etc.. One of my favorite questions is, “How do you get your food? Do you go shopping?” The answer, “No we generally don’t go shopping, we actually rely on Divine Providence,” prompts another question: “What is Divine Providence?”

Divine Providence is simply the Providence of God! To say that we Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal “live on Divine Providence” means that we live our vow of poverty in a way which gives God space to show very tangibly how He sees our needs and provides for them. We don’t have salaries or a regular income, and we don’t fundraise or sell anything to make money for ourselves. We rely on monetary donations to pay our bills. We don’t go to the grocery store to get the food we need for the week ahead. We rely on the help of friends who offer to bring us groceries, or we receive excess produce from businesses once the produce is past its selling point. By inspiring generous people, God provides for our material needs and the needs of the poor that we serve too. Living this way allows us to experience the reality of our neediness and dependence, and thus, raises our eyes to God Our Father as we ask in prayer for what we need.

            For example, I had once asked a friend of ours for some groceries and realized afterwards that we were out of eggs and I hadn’t asked for any. I prayed that perhaps the Lord would provide eggs through another means. Our friend showed up and shared that when she was in the grocery store, she closed her eyes and the thought, “Get eggs for the sisters,” came to her and she did just that. On another occasion, we had run out of sliced bread, and a family came to our door with excess bread after they had accidentally bought more than they needed for themselves. These little events are not rare by any means. But God does not only provide in material ways -  sometimes His Providence puts us in the right place at the right time. Cancelled and delayed flights are rather common experiences of this. Though inconvenient, they have led to countless encounters with strangers needing prayers or guidance. My sisters and I never would have met these people if our travels had gone smoothly according to our plans, and if we had our own phone and no need to borrow one from the person next to us to call back to the convent.

I think of experiences like these as we pray before each of our meals in the convent, “Praise the Lord. The eyes of all look hopefully to You, O Lord, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing (Psalm 145).” It strikes me that this frequently repeated line from the Psalm doesn’t say, “the eyes of all religious sisters look to you,” but, “the eyes of all.” God does not provide only for those who profess a vow of evangelical poverty, but for all His children. Are we all looking to Him with hope? Are we all waiting in confidence that He will provide in due season? Are we asking Him to satisfy our desires, or are we seeking to fulfill them ourselves? It is very easy to be caught in the notion that we have to take care of ourselves, keep busy, and avoid need, discomfort, and dependence at all costs. That’s what the world tells us, but it is not what God calls us to. God asks us to turn and become like little children, to seek first the Kingdom of God, not to worry but to come to Him.

Sr. Solanus, CFR