Reflection: Vigil for Sister Grace Dahmus
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God…you received a spirit of adoption through which we cry, “Abba,” Father…we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so we may be glorified in him.”
Sister Grace, child of God, received the spirit of adoption at her baptism. She lived her baptismal call as a professed member of Annunciation Monastery. In this genuine offering of herself to God, she deepened her relationship to Christ, sharing more fully what it means to be heir with Christ.
St. Benedict’s Rule is based on the Gospel and those called to live the Benedictine way live in a community; live with others giving witness to the Gospel. We share our common life with each other. We pray together. We love and support one another. We challenge each other; we delight in each other’s company. In a true spirit of hospitality, we welcome each other in complementary ways and welcome all who come to the monastery.
The quotation from St. Paul to the Romans which we just heard, reminds us that we are “joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so we may be glorified in him.” Each of us suffers with Christ in our unique and distinct ways. Sister Grace faced challenges and difficulties, trusting God’s loving presence. As she grappled with failing vision and managed her hearing loss, I often marveled at her fairly consistent good nature. Was Sister Grace ever frustrated, or fearful, or angry in adjusting to these losses? I would say yes; I believe she would agree that she experienced all three. For these physical losses meant letting go of teaching and pastoral care to which she dedicated herself. And, yes, there were times when frustration and fear were evident in an angry response. Yet, I am convinced that Sister Grace acknowledged in her heart that she was suffering with Christ. The hymn addresses this with the words “mold us and fashion us into the image of Jesus.”
Sister Grace learned humility in that she had to depend on others to provide for her immediate needs. She came to rely on others to see for her and hear for her as she was being molded and fashioned in the image of Jesus. She trusted God was working with her and in her through these challenges.
It was a privilege of mine to read to her. I read items that were important to her as a member of our community. We would go over minutes of committees, changes in schedule, news items of members of our community, articles for discussion in group later, sometimes obituaries of people she knew. She delighted in hearing good news and empathized with those who faced difficult situations. Sometimes I would present questions which required a response. She would dictate her responses, and I would write them down. On other occasions she would tell me she needed to think about the question. Her memory was phenomenal; she would remember the question when I returned a day or two later and her response would be most appropriate. Sister Mariah and others assisted her with writing Christmas cards.
Sister Grace was an avid reader and a great collector of photographs: places she visited or toured. She loved to travel. Most photographs are of family. She also collected pictures and words from magazines, newspaper ads and filed them. She created collages for greeting cards and posters. When her brother Al died two years ago, she intended to create a memory scrapbook for his family. Al, a year older than Sr. Grace, shared farm chores and activities with her. From her numerous files of pictures and words she began selecting pictures and words that reflected their life as farm kids. I don’t think she ever finished that scrapbook. She created scrapbooks for her pen pals. Each scrapbook had a theme. A project like that was very time-consuming; she had to look carefully to cut and paste the picture or words to depict the idea or image she wanted to convey.
Sister Grace loved family connections; she was proud of her family and her family heritage. She gratefully acknowledged her mother’s skills as a seamstress when one complemented her on her clothing. She had wonderful memories of Msgr. Dahmus and her aunt Pauline Dahmus and Sister Dunstan.
Sister Grace, thank you for trusting God, thank you for trusting us, your Sisters in Christ, thank you for entrusting your life to God. Pray for us as we are molded and fashioned into the image of Jesus.
We pray, your sight and hearing now restored, may you see the radiant splendor of God, and greet those loved ones who have gone before you. And join the choirs of angels praising God. May angels lead you into paradise where you are now glorified in Christ.
