The Freedom Lion

We have had two Sisters die recently who were in their upper 80s and early 90s. Neither of them was often in the spotlight. However, they emanated delightful uniqueness. 

One had an insatiable fondness for history. Though she lived many years with intractable neck and arm pain, she chose not to let altered health status dictate how she would spend her days. She quieted any inner voice that might have crowded her mind, inviting her to close down her life a bit, by giving herself over to her natural love of history. It would be difficult to name the number of 8-volume history texts she read and reread from a wide range of historical perspectives. Nor could we estimate the hours she spent applying her preference for natural healing by relaxing her body and energizing her brain with classical music each week. She definitely defied what crowds of people around her thought she was capable of.

The other sister, another avid reader, also silenced any inner voices she might have had that told her to slow down as her health diminished. Instead she used her active mind and clever use of language to write “spicy” newsletters for sisters who needed to be away from the monastery while doing their ministries. As blindness advanced, she invited books-for-the-blind into her life. Then, as her hearing diminished and the crowd of those around her wondered how she would deal with yet another loss, she welcomed three different volunteer-visitors into her room each week. Each would sit near her, project their voice and dialog about politics, current events and “matters of consequence”. 

These women’s lives kept reminding me of the “roar of freedom” described in Osho’s comment,

The greatest fear in the world is of the opinion of others,
and the moment you are unafraid of the crowd,
you are no longer a sheep, you become a lion.
A great roar arises in your heart, the roar of freedom.

I pray that the roar of freedom continues to arise in me and each of us.

Mary Rachel Kuebelbeck, OSB