I am Sr. Maria Grasso, from Italy (Catania). My vocation – or rather, my adventure – with the Lord was born in my parish of the “Nativity of the Lord”. We, the young people, used to meet every Saturday to pray the Word of God; our parish priest used to tell us: “Read and pray the Word, you will find the answers to all your deepest questions about your life and your desires”.
This is exactly what happened to me: at the parish, I met the Daughters of Wisdom, who became my sisters. By frequenting them and participating in their mission, I discovered God’s love for the poor, the needy families, the handicapped and the poorest areas of the city. I noticed in them a 360° openness to all the problems of the people.
While visiting their community and praying with them, I discovered Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort and Mother Marie-Louise de Jésus, two people madly in love with Jesus Wisdom and Mary.
Regarding Montfort, I was immediately fascinated by one of his writings: the Prayer in Flames. Montfort was a contemplative, but very active; he burned with love for Wisdom and for the poor, showing them the love of God.
Regarding Marie-Louise de Jésus, I was struck by her firmness, her determination, but also by her humanity and her simplicity, which I saw lived by the Sisters I was attending. The internationality and the mission of the Congregation opened a breach in my heart and influenced my choice; the Lord was calling me to give my life for the whole world.
“I remember the Sisters who arrived from Peru in my city, in Catania: you could read on their faces the joy and enthusiasm of the gift of self to the Lord and to the brothers and sisters.”
Leaving my family, my friends, and my job was not easy. When I look back on the past, I remember the hesitations, the questions, the doubts, the uncertainties: I often wondered if it was really my path, if it was what the Lord desired and asked me to live, etc… For all of this, and despite what I did not yet know, I left, so I put everything in the hands of Jesus Wisdom and Mary, his Mother. The Lord makes you his own and you can only respond: “Here I am”
Once I entered, I understood that it could not be otherwise in my life because joy filled my heart. I trusted, even if there were things that at first I did not understand, but that I discovered little by little, letting myself be guided in prayer by the Word of God and by my sisters in community.
For several years, I have been following Jesus Wisdom and I can assure you that he is beautiful:
It seems that you are the one who seeks the Lord, but in reality it is He who seeks you first in order to invite you to collaborate with Him for the coming of His Kingdom. This has been my answer, every day I renew my “here I am” because he is always on his way. All I can say is that it is worth following Jesus Wisdom because he makes you “HAPPY”.
