Every morning is a new birth for me, a birth which calls me into a new beginning and oneness with the God of love and care. To experience anew the freshness of all that is created out of love; I often wonder why God is so good and why everything God does comes out of love and care. I am challenged to model this God of love to the poor I know and come in contact with in my ministry.

Sr. Juliana Yarkwan

When I talk of the poor, I am talking about all the aspects of poverty which enslave the human heart for example, the poverty of food and shelter, the poverty of loneliness, the poverty of greediness, the poverty of knowledge, the poverty of possessiveness, the poverty of “you-don’t-belong-here” and the poor who are sick. These were the kind of issues Jesus addressed on a daily basis and taught his disciples how to go about them and render help which brought liberation and hope.

I can best compare this love of God for all human kind and the entire universe with a mother and her baby in the womb. The two (mother and baby) are connected through the umbilical cord and the baby’s dependence on the mother is absolute. The mother and the baby do not live as separate bodies, but as one body and their communication with each other is so intimate with love and affection.   And since the mother knows that the child depends on her, she will always make sure that her child is not deprived of anything. Which I suppose is the case when a pregnant woman is craving for food or her own space or anything that will support the life of her baby she will make sure that she receives it, in order to fulfill her child’s needs.

Pensioners at lunch in Alexendra Township

This is the kind of unconditional love, care and connection that is between the creator of the universe and each individual person which I experience every new day.   As a Sister of Mercy my journey of transition in life is a journey of love, faith and connection with God and my sisters in the Congregation. The story of Abraham our father in faith is a great story. (Gen 12:1) God said to Abraham “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you”. Abraham did not hesitate, he got himself prepared and set forth for the journey with faith and conviction that God was with him on the journey of his life.

People of Alexandria Township

May I have the courage to say that right from the beginning of my formation, I have had this faith and conviction deep within me that I am not alone on this journey of faith. I always believe that the Creator and my Sisters in the Congregation are making this journey with me; and I am certain, convinced and assured that it is a journey of faith which is renewed and refreshed every new day.

Juliana Yarkwan rsm
South African Province