A Heart Touched by Grace: Reflection on Sr. Karen's Gift

In the geography of the soul, there are those rare encounters that become sacred landmarks—places we return to again and again for orientation, for comfort, for remembering who we are called to be. Sr. Karen has been such a landmark in my spiritual journey, a living reminder of how God's love moves through human hearts to touch and heal our blessed and broken world.

During one of life's most difficult passages, when vulnerability felt like exposure and wounds seemed too deep for healing, Sr. Karen appeared as an embodiment of grace. As my teacher and guide, she carried that rare quality of deep listening—not just to words, but to the movements of the Spirit within struggle, to the holy longing beneath the pain. In her gentle companionship, I discovered what it means to be truly seen and held in love without judgment, without the need to fix or rush toward resolution.

Through her superb mentorship, Sr. Karen formed me in the full breadth of spiritual direction ministry. She taught me not only how to be a spiritual director, but how to supervise other directors, how to guide retreatants through the profound journey of the 19th annotation, and how to create and facilitate group peer supervision. Each layer of teaching revealed new depths of what it means to be present to the sacred, whether sitting with an individual directee, mentoring a developing director, or holding space for the Spirit to move within a group dynamic.

It was Sr. Karen who taught me the sacred art of following grace rather than running ahead of it. In a world that demands urgency and immediate answers, she modeled a different way—patient attentiveness to the Spirit's timing, trust in the slow work of God, reverence for the mystery that unfolds only when we stop trying to force our way forward. This teaching became so central to my own understanding that I named my practice "Following Grace," carrying her wisdom into every sacred conversation I'm privileged to hold.

Even now, in the quiet moments after a particularly challenging spiritual direction session, I find myself pausing to ask: What would Sr. Karen notice here? How would her compassionate heart hold this person's struggle? Her voice has become an interior companion, a gentle guide helping me discern when to speak and when to simply be present, when to offer insight and when to trust the silence to do its holy work.

Sr. Karen embodies something essential about spiritual direction—that we are not called to be healers or fixers, but rather to be faithful witnesses to the sacred already at work in each person's life. Through her modeling, I learned that compassion is not merely feeling sorry for someone's pain, but entering into it with them, trusting that God is present even there, especially there.

The ripple effects of her ministry extend far beyond our direct encounters. In every person I now companion, in every moment I choose listening over speaking, in every instance I trust grace over my own agenda, Sr. Karen's influence continues to unfold. She taught me that this work of spiritual direction is ultimately about recognizing and honoring the image of God in each person who sits across from us—seeing them as beloved, whole, and already held in divine love.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Gracious God, Source of all compassion and healing,

I come before you with a heart overflowing with gratitude for the gift of Sr. Karen in my life. In her, I have glimpsed your own heart—patient, tender, infinitely loving. Through her presence during my darkest hours, you showed me that I am held, that I am worthy of love, that healing is always possible when we trust in your grace.

Thank you for the way she taught me to follow rather than lead, to listen rather than rush to speak, to trust the slow and sacred work you do in human hearts. Through her modeling of deep compassion, you prepared me to offer that same gift to others, to be your hands and heart in this beautiful, broken world.

I am grateful for the way her voice continues to guide me, even now, helping me discern how to hold space for the sacred encounters you place before me. In naming my practice "Following Grace," I carry forward not just her teaching but her very spirit of patient attentiveness to your movement in our lives.

Bless Sr. Karen abundantly, O God. May she know the profound impact she has had, not just on my life but on all the hearts she has touched with your love. May she continue to be a beacon of your compassion, a living reminder that you work through ordinary people to do extraordinary things in the lives of those who are hurting.

And help me, O God, to be for others what Sr. Karen has been for me—a faithful companion on the journey, a witness to your abiding presence, a voice that points always toward your grace.

In deep gratitude and love, Amen.