Sister Bethany Madonna: Love is Stronger Than Death

Sister Bethany Madonna speaks to attendees at the 2016 FOCUS Leadership Summit
Sister Bethany Madonna speaks to attendees at the 2016 FOCUS Leadership Summit (photo: Photo credit: Karlie Brown)

One day, a man named Andy gave the Sisters of Life a tour of a church in Colorado, where their new convent is also located. Andy is a 35-year-old sacristan who used to be an altar server at the parish.

During the tour, he said to the sisters, “I hope you can understand me okay. I have Down Syndrome.”

The sisters assured Andy of his clarity and thanked him for his consideration.

One particular Sister of Life always tries to get an “edge” on the spiritual life, and she picked up that Andy was an insider. She pulled him aside and said, “Andy, do you pray?”

Andy replied, “Yes, Sister, every day.”

Sister then said, “You must be close to God.”

Andy said, “Very close.”

“Is he your best friend?” Sister said.

Andy replied, “Hmmm…No…I have friends. This is different. It’s more like…we’re one. He’s in me, and I’m in Him and we’re one.”

Sister Bethany Madonna of the Sisters of Life told this story, among many others, to thousands of young people at the 2016 FOCUS Leadership Summit Jan. 1-5. Even though all of her stories were amazing and thought-provoking, this story really captivated me because Andy displayed such an array of innocence and holiness—a type of union with God that she suggested was the Unitive Way.

Sister Bethany Madonna's talk focused on God the Father’s love, mercy and call for each of us. She said that we must see what the God’s Word does for us through prayer, and that “a disciple is one who learns and always learns with their gaze fixed on the teacher.” She then explained the depth of God’s knowledge of our inner most being.

“We have to realize the Father has the big picture. He’s at work with the whole of my life. He’s at work with everyone else’s life; the life of the Church, the life of the world in their entirety. God sees you. He knows everything about you. All of the intricacies and the sensitivities, and He knows what He’s about. He knows that He deliberately bestowed upon you and within you unique attributes that reflect something of His glory, beauty, and goodness. These attributes were entrusted to you personally and intentionally. You are the only one who communicates them.”

She added that the Catechism of the Catholic Church shows us that “God is Father like no one else is Father,” and that regardless of the relationship with our earthly father, we long for the Heavenly Father. We want to know Him and be loved and accepted by Him.

“Our Heavenly Father is incomparable. His Fatherhood is unparalleled. His affirmation, his presence, His providence are unshakable and unfailing. He makes all things work for the good for those who love him. The Father Himself loves you intimately and personally. He’s deeply interested and he’s deeply invested in you and your life and what happens to you.”

The gentleness of Sister Bethany Madonna's voice radiated such love that it was as if God spoke right through her. The room was silent as she spoke, so I’m sure many were impacted by her words.

As a consecrated woman whose mission is to defend human life, she addressed prolife issues in her talk as well. Her statements tied into her previous subject about the Father’s love, because she wanted everyone to understand that God has a purpose for every life, and that He created all individuals with love and thoughtfulness.

“The Miracle of Conception blows my mind…If your parents conceived one month prior to or one month after your actual date of conception, you would not be here. That child conceived would be a sibling of yours instead of you. It’s unbelievable that the Lord chose you. He wanted you to be here… God wanted you. He took you from utter nothingness and he willed you into being. To be is to be loved. How good it is to be.”

Sister Bethany Madonna later assured listeners that God already knows who we really are. We can give Him everything when we enter into prayer: our insecurities, our doubts, our failures, our happiness, our struggles, our sadness, and the list goes on. Sometimes, we can feel as if God is distant because we can’t see Him physically, but Sister Bethany Madonna described Him as someone who aches for our intimacy, which created a visualization of His unending love.

“When we go into prayer, the Lord sees us and he sees when we’re trying to be someone we’re not. He does so without condemning and without offending, and we have to remember that the Lord never accuses us. He never discourages us. He’s all mercy.”

She then assured the audience that change is always possible, especially with God’s mercy. She said God always knocks at our door waiting for a welcome invitation.

“When I’m alone with the Lord in prayer, I don’t have to wear concealer and I don’t have to hide. Frankly, I can’t hide. I don’t have to pretend, I don’t have to prove anything, and I don’t have to impress anyone. Everything is open and exposed. I can come as I am: empty-handed, awkward, unimpressive, and in need of mercy. It’s at this time when I come in that I can be secure in the Father’s love for me, and His acceptance of me. He’s the one who fills the empty hands.”

She then asked the audience to trust the Lord in all things, and to help us live courageously in compassion and virtue.

“Sometimes the one who seems to be the weakest in ordinary circumstances is the very one who’s most prepared in extraordinary moments. Only God truly sees how we look at others, how we perceive their weaknesses and how we perceive our own weaknesses. God equips you and he equips you in a way that is for others.”

Everyone has wounds. Sometimes those wounds can prevent us from doing certain things, including serving others. We can feel as if we are not good enough because of our past indiscretions. However, she assured us that we should allow the Lord to help us to overcome those insecurities.

“A lot of times we think we are more equipped than we think we are…When you’re willing to accept your weakness and your vulnerability, you become strong with His strength. When we let the Lord in and when we expose wounds to the healer, those dark places can radiate with compassion and empathy for others. We usually have more to give when we recognize our weakness and go to the Lord’s supply. This baffles the world. There’s joy in being vulnerable with God. Vulnerable with God. There’s joy in living in trust, and there’s peace when I surrender.”

The words Sister Bethany Madonna continued with couldn’t have been more moving. She emphasized poverty—that material possessions will not feed us and will not feed others with God’s grace and love.

“God asks more from us because he can provide more for us. He poured his Holy Spirit into our hearts and empowered us. Brothers and sisters, the miracle of spiritual multiplication that the Lord wants to work in you and through you will not come from your wealth and it won’t come from your surplus. It comes from your happy poverty...The Lord takes your little loaves and multiplies them to feed the multitudes...He takes your pitchers of water filled at the brim at his request, and he turns it in to choice wine for those who have none. This is what the Lord wants to do. This is what he is doing.”

The Holy Spirit was so present in this woman that you could see God’s light radiate through her entire being. It is my hope that her words inspired these young people towards greater holiness, and will also inspire you to go out and be leaders in our Church and in our world.

“The Father himself calls you and is calling you and sending you out. Mary is also called the Star of the Sea. She lights the way in the darkness and in the turbulence of life’s storms…let us look to her, our Shining Star who leads us to Jesus. Let us fall on our knees and adore him, love him, receive his love, and let us ask him to prepare for us and to prepare our hearts to go home by a different route this New Year. God Bless you.”