Why personal conversion

Some asked me why I said yesterday belonging to a muticultural community is an apportunity for my  personal conversion.  

Being involved with multicultural Sisters who belong to the same community as I do, working toward communial goals, living and working with each other, sharing in ministry, prayer and discernment causes one to examine and be honest about feelings toward the other.

I had such an experience living with two US Sisters of Polish heritage. I believe they wont mind I share this experience. Now those of you who know me know I dont pay much attention to how my clothes match or if they do. I have been working on that to learn more of what goes with what. One day in the kitchen I said to one Sister (polish heritage) do I look okay or do I look Polish? Out of the bathroom came comment what did you just say. I said oh my where did that come from. When it was brought to my attention I realized this was a cultural predijuce statement. Where did I learn that?
Where I grew up in Northeastern wisconsin we often talked about the dumb polacks, shared polish jokes and the like. I really didnt realize how that became part of how I viewed those of polish heritage.

Another example of what I learned growing up at home was negative attitudes toward American Indians. In my SSM community we have two American Indians. I have a choice not to put those attitudes on them as well and  get to experience them as  co-partners on the journey.

These are only two examples of experiences within my own US area. I have had many more experiences where I have been faced with addressing my own orginal sin of predjuice.

I have the gift of sharing religious life with those with other cultures who have accepted God's call to further the Gospel in the SSM's congregation

The Gospel calls  us to be counter-cultural but we cant do so unless somewhere on the journey we get to know how we are accepting the things we learned or what current society is teaching us that has us acting on our predjuical beliefs.

I thank God I have the opportunity for personal conversion in this area.

I am sure if you think about this you too can identify persons with whom you are involved that can lead to your own letting go of some of your pre-conceived ideas and belief about those who appear different than you. Pray God to help you also to have a personal conversion experience.