Ninja Nuns...

This is the 400th post of the Nunessential blog. Whee! What better day than Divine Mercy Sunday, the Beatification of Pope John Paul II and May 1st- Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, to post a 400th entry.

So, of course I would have to post about the Ninja Nuns who were present at the Royal Wedding. I laughed out loud, really LOL, when I read the thoughts of people who determined that the nuns in gray and white who were seated in the Sanctuary of Westminster Abbey next to Prince William and Catherine Middleton, were actually secret service "ninja nuns" on security detail. Ha Ha!!!!! i loved that very much. read the article here

(my friend Sr. Mary Paul just commented about it, "people must really have nothing else to do in their lives")

I was immediately intrigued when I saw the Sisters, but not because I thought they were from Secret Ninja Security (although that would be really cool)

When I first saw them, I was struck by the dichotomy of the bride of William, Catherine Middleton, and the brides of Jesus, the two nuns.

Here we see the lovely Catherine on her wedding day- a gorgeous gown, over 2 billion wedding viewers worldwide, the future Queen of England, replete with diamond tiara and designer handmade shoes. Her make up and hair is perfect and she is trim, elegant and lovely.

What a surface difference the nuns are and their lives on earth-- the live poor, chaste and obedient. Their treasure is in heaven where they will realize the fullness of their marriage and identity to the King of the Universe. They wear no makeup, no jewels, no lace and one of the nuns is sporting a pair of black Reebok athletic shoes.

The three of them are brides. One known, the other two hidden and quiet. One is envied and admired by women all over the world. The other two are unnoticed and seen by many as old fashioned and irrelevant.

Yet, time will tell the truth of life. For life is far more than what is seen and cherished by the world.

We all want to believe and experience true love. Perhaps that's why the romance and wedding of William and Kate captivated so many people. We want to see young love that is beautiful and strong. We want to believe in an everlasting love. Women long to be the Princess and men the Prince. It's an echo of eternity and the deepest longings of communion within our hearts.

I wish William and Kate well, I pray that their love and union because a light to England and the world. They have a tough road ahead of them.

But love is worth the sacrifice it entails.

The beloved Blessed John Paul II wrote about this love in his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope, he said that young people, both boys and girls, long for their love to be beautiful, and even if they have followed worldly models of "love", they still long for love to be beautiful and know that ultimately it's only Jesus who will give them this kind of love and so they will follow Him in spite of the sacrifices it may entail.

How true this is.

The two nuns at the Royal Wedding are seeking a beautiful love as well. It won't be a love that most people on earth will notice or deem as "worthy" but it's an eternal love and is indeed beautiful for they are married to the Beautiful One. It is true and lasting, lovely and eternal.

It's the desire of our hearts-- whether we are Secret Ninjas or not ;)

Happy Easter.