Casting My Lot

By Sr. Meg Kymes

On January 7th I made my vows for the first time.  Some of my family was able to come to celebrate this next step with me.  My mom’s cousin, Mary Margaret, came from Kansas City to Emmitsburg for my celebration.  After the Mass, Mary Margaret came up to me and gave me a huge hug.  With tears in her eyes she said, “I’m so proud of you!  I’ve never seen so many joyful women in one place.  I can see why you cast your lot with them.” 

In the weeks following my vows Mary Margaret’s words resonated with me.  I thought of the Apostles leaving their nets to follow Jesus.   The Gospel of Matthew tells us that, “Going on from there, [Jesus] saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”   Like the Apostles, I chose to follow Jesus call to me to leave my family of origin to “cast my lot” with the Daughters of Charity.   

I wanted to share the joy of Christ’s presence in my life in a special way.  In our vows, the Daughters of Charity pray, “In response to the call of Christ who invites me to follow him and to be a witness to his charity to the poor, I ... vow to God for one year, chastity, poverty and obedience ... and to devote myself to the corporal and spiritual service of the poor.” 

Like all the Apostles, I chose to cast my lot through God’s call to me to be a witness with others to God’s love.  I chose to cast my lot with the example of the Sisters I live with, the Vincentian Saints and Blesseds, and the other smaller saints that have influenced my journey.

From left to right:  Brent, Mary Margaret, Steve (Dad), Mom (Martha), Myself, 

Edwin (Brother), Natalie (Sister-in-law), and Margaret (Grandmother)