“You’re becoming an instrument of God in the world”
Sister Lillian Gives Words of Encouragement at Promise Ceremony

Audio (7.25 MB / 4:31 minutes / mp3 format)
Sister Lillian Shank, OCSO, provides spiritual guidance for the South Florida Lay Cistercians at the meetings north of Miami.


       I just thought this [profession] booklet was so beautiful and expresses so deeply what you are about to do today—this beautiful commitment of giving your life in a very deep way to Cistercian spirituality so that you can seek God with all your heart.
       I look at the antiphon, “Lord, I have sought to do your will through which you give me life.” That’s what each of you, the eight of you making promises this morning, have done. You’re seeking God’s will.
       And the next beautiful thought on Psalm 84, “How lovely is your dwelling place.” There’s nothing more beautiful to dwell in the house of the Lord. And even though your “house of the Lord” is in the middle of the world, it’s still the house of the Lord. You’re making the world the house of the Lord.
       And Psalm 96, “O sing a new song to the Lord.” There’s nothing more beautiful than to make these promises during the Easter season with all the newness we see around us: the new buds, the beginning flowers, the beautiful Easter candle with the Easter liturgy with its life-filled Alleluias. For each of you, this is going to be a beginning of new life. Even if it’s just for a year, it’s for life for that year, and it continues on and on.
       It’s an important event in your life and it’s grace-filled event. There’s many ways to seek God, and I just admire the grace I see in each of you—the grace that has followed a way of Cistercian life. As a Cistercian nun, I don’t think anything can be more beautiful than to see each of you trying to seek God in the Cistercian way. It’s just the most…
       For me, my Cistercian vocation has been the most grace-filled gift I could ever receive. To see lay people living this in the middle of the world is a wonderful grace that you are being given. Also, each of you are pioneers for the South Florida Lay Cistercians. A few have gone before you but most of you are beginners and have gone through the whole beautiful stretch.
       For those who are making their lifetime commitment, I think this will give you a wonderful gift of peace. You’re putting an anchor down—an anchor that is sure and strong. Whenever the waves get a little rough or little bouncy, you just kind of look at that anchor. You’ve made this wonderful promise to God for life. You want to follow the Cistercian way for life because you know this way will lead you to a deeper life. So your way won’t be on and on and on. It will be deeper, deeper and deeper. This is what they lifetime promise means—getting deeper and deeper and deeper.
       I remember when I made my first profession. This beautiful versicle: “God is within you, you shall not be moved” is a beautiful thing to hang onto when things get rough, when the boat starts rocking.
       You’re becoming more of who you really are. You’re becoming an instrument of God in the world. You’re called to be there for Him, and this wonderful commitment helps you to be more of a gift to God and a gift to your world.
       One more little thought which I love: The Cistercian way is the journey into the Sacred Heart. Our group is called “Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.” There is no better way, no surer way, than to go into that beautiful love of the Sacred Heart.