Powerful Quote Has Stayed With Me

I had the good fortune to develop a closer relationship with my Grandmother’s sister late in her life. Sister Davidica was a nun for 70 years - and lived her final years at a convent in Monroe, Michigan. I would stop and see her from time to time on my way to visit friends in Ohio. Born in 1909, she became a nun in 1926. She worked very hard and was a respected educator - and later head librarian. She was a real inspiration to the entire family. She lived her life based on this quote from St. John of the Cross: “In the evening of life we shall be judged on Love.”

In one of my visits she shared a quote from Edward Cardinal Mooney - former Archbishop of Detroit from 1937 until 1958. She worked with the Cardinal for many years and had a great deal of respect for him. She asked if I could turn the quote into a large poster that she could send to a number of people she had been associated with over her life. She also sent it to several educators at the high school named after the Cardinal in Marine City, Michigan. Cardinal Mooney’s quote - and, more importantly, the fact that Sister Davidica shared it with me in the manner that she did - has been central to how I have tried to live my life ever since.

“Be yourself, at your best, under the influence of Christ.” Edward Cardinal Mooney (September 8, 1958 - Detroit Michigan)

This quote is simple, yet powerful. For me, it has been a reminder to relax and be myself. To know that I can only be at my best under Christ’s influence. It is a quote that is really a way of life - a constant prayer. An inspiration.

David Weber