Kintsugi is the Japanese tradition of repairing broken pottery with a gold lacquer. They understand this breakage as part of the pottery's unique charm and character, and not a as a design flaw to hide.
This idea is quite similar to the Christian idea of "redemption" -- being made new. The 'cracks' in our lives actually serve a purpose: being the exact location where the agency of God's grace would become active in our lives! There's no such thing as a "perfect" life, (as in a life without struggle, failure or sin) but God did make our lives "good," even with its inherent flaws. It would be näive -- short of impossible -- to envision a human experience apart from these inherent flaws; it's a mystery of faith to believe that our imperfections are a part of what draws God's attraction towards us in the first place! The grace of redemption affords us a newness of life, and with that come gifts and capabilities that are meant to be used! That grace is meant to compel us towards impacting the world around us.
Dear consecrated brothers and sisters, you are simple men and women who caught sight of the treasure worth more than any worldly good. And so you left behind precious things, such as possessions, such as making a family for yourselves. Why did you do this? Because you fell in love with Jesus, you saw everything in him, and enraptured by his gaze, you left the rest behind. Religious life is this vision. It means seeing what really matters in life. It means welcoming the Lord’s gift with open arms, as Simeon did. This is what the eyes of consecrated men and women behold: the grace of God poured into their hands. The consecrated person is one who every day looks at himself or herself and says: “Everything is gift, all is grace”. Dear brothers and sisters, we did not deserve religious life; it is a gift of love that we have received.
- Pope Francis
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
24th World Day for Consecrated Life, February 2020
To continue with the kintsugi analogy, some repaired — or redeemed — pottery will be sold, and it will be delighted in someone else’s possession. This is an image of secular vocations. But there will be those few who remain in the possession of the potter, who won’t sell the repaired piece, but will want to keep it for Himself, for His own delight, for His own purposes. This is an image of a monastic vocation. The word monastic comes from the Greek word μόνος (monos), meaning alone. The monk (or nun) is one who lives for God alone in the midst of the world.
Redemption is the gift for all. Vocations are found within the gaze of this redemption, according to the plan of God. Vocations, or states of life, are the various ways that we live out God’s plan of redemption for ourselves and for the world.
For those few who would be called to religious or monastic life, the calling seems to start with a nagging, inescapable curiosity or desire towards some greater or mysterious cause, which is at once deeply personal and larger than life. It is not an escape from the realities or responsibilities of maturity, but rather a deeper embrace of them, albeit lived out in a very different manner. It is a rugged path, one not trod by many, but only by those who are called by God Himself to the journey. The price is high, the journey is stark, but the rewards are exhilarating beyond description.
“Operating in faith is like stepping out of the boat to walk on water with Jesus. Water isn’t made to be walked on. It’s made for boating or swimming. But, Jesus walks on water, and He invites us to walk on water too. When Jesus invited Peter to walk on water, Peter had to have the courage and the faith to step out of the boat. The boat is safe. It’s what Peter knew. To walk on water, Peter had to step out of the boat of his safety zone, and away from all he knew to be true. That is what it took to join Jesus on the water. And Peter did fine for a while. That is, until he got his eyes off of Jesus, and on to the waves. He did fine, until he focused on the storm. Then he began to sink. He began to sink beneath the waves in the storm. He was certain that he would drown.But Jesus reached to Peter under the waves, grabbed him by the hand, and pulled him back up to safety. The Jesus asked Peter, “Why did you doubt? Where is your faith?” It is the same with you and me. We must be willing to step out of the boats of our safety zones to really walk on water with Jesus. It takes great courage to step out of the lives we know and are comfortable with in order to follow Christ. We might be stuck in the storm of darkness or sin, but at least we are familiar with it, we feel comfortable in it. Jesus dares us to step out of the boat to walk on water with Him. It takes great faith to walk on water. It means doing something we do not yet understand, or comprehend. How can we do it? It is beyond our understanding. But we must take the step out of the boat of our familiarity to fully follow Christ into a world yet unknown, but full of miracles and promise. A world where he is and where he invites us to follow. “
— John Michael Talbot, Lessons from a Troubadour
When and how will you respond to Jesus’ invitation?