The Rule of St. Benedict asks, “Is there anyone who yearns for life?” It was this desire for life that led me to truly encounter Christ as a teenager.
At first, I thought Jesus was calling me to be a missionary, and I followed that path while I finished studies in social work and theology in Madrid. Gradually, he helped me understand that he simply wanted me — more than anything I could do for him.
In discerning my vocation, I discovered my true self in Christ. He showed me that my greatest longing was to bring each person into the heart of God. By going deep into prayer, in union with my sisters, I would join Christ in his work of salvation!
The call of Jesus is a promise of love, but I needed our monastic tradition to learn what love means. For Trappist-Cistercians, the monastery is a school where we learn how love becomes concrete in joyful service. Preferring nothing to the love of Christ has become my straight path to life. I’m all his and he is all mine. What else could I want?
Sister Maria Gonzalo
Our Lady of the Angels Monastery
Crozet, Va.








