No place like home

Image: The Residence of the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary of the Springs in Columbus, Ohio is a 2007 American Institute of Architects Honor Award winner. The firm of Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay Penney Architects designed the 139,000-square-foot space less like a dormitory and more like a single-family home with 90 resident rooms, common areas, offices, a chapel, and a courtyard garden. The chapel’s seamless integration of indoor and outdoor spaces evokes the centrality of community prayer in the life of the congregation.

JESUS ASSURES US in the Gospel of John that he is going to prepare a place for us, and he will lead us there, “so that where I am you also may be.” But where is this place Jesus is leading us, and how will we know when we’ve arrived? These are the fundamental questions of vocation discernment.

We discerners, like any good house hunters, gather information and view the spaces available. Some of us find a place right away; others consider option after option. But ultimately we make our decision based on where we feel most at home.

Our Christian vocation is our unique individual sacred space where we can give our greatest glory to God. It is the place where we can be our true selves and find lasting comfort and joy. It is the place that brings us rest and renewal so that we are prepared to set forth each day to do God’s work.

How will we know where God is leading us? We’ll know when we can say with confidence, “I’m home.”