Originally published at https://www.catholicyyc.ca/blog/sr-zacharia-hryc-op-god-heard-a-mothers-whisper
Does God hear the whisper of a mother praying quietly over her sleeping child? Yes, He does. Does God hear her cries and fervent prayers as she watches over a sick or dying child? Yes, He does, and He quietly whispers to her heart, "Entrust your child to me for I have the best plan for him."
My name is Sr. Zacharia Hryc, O.P., and I am a Dominican Sister of the Immaculate Conception Province. The story of my vocation highlights a significant aspect of parents dedicating their children to God's care and His plan. The truth that the family is, or at least should be, the first school of values, rooted in faith, is often overlooked today. It is the responsibility of the Church to form families into communities of love and growth, as God intended.
My parents married young. My mother had me at 19; my father was 24. They were inexperienced, anxious, and uncertain. My mother felt she couldn’t raise me without God's guidance. She often told me that each time she learned she was pregnant, she prayed earnestly for God's help and entrusted every part of her family life to God's care and Our Lady’s protection. This trust gave her peace of mind and the confidence that she wasn't alone in raising her children. However, she never expected that God and Mary would literally respond to the promise made in a moment of fear and dread for her child's life.
That moment came when I was 3 months old. My mother, while changing my clothes, turned around and immediately saw me fall from the changing table, about 70 cm to the floor. The fall caused me to cry so loudly that I lost my breath. My mother quickly picked me up from the floor and held me tightly, saying a prayer that expressed her fear for my fragile life: "Mary, please don't take her now, and I will give her to you in the future." God heard my mother's cry; Our Lady listened and accepted her offering.
The fall turned out not to be life-threatening; it left only a purple bump on my head. It was not mentioned for the next 18 years, until I stood before my mom to tell her that God was calling me to religious life and to a congregation where Mary is especially venerated. My mother cried profusely. It was a time to say “yes” to God again; to offer her child more intentionally and fully. The act of consecrating my siblings and me to God and the Mother Mary was an expression of deep faith and humility, recognizing that every life is a gift from God and that God has His own plan for each child.
In the Letter of Saint John Paul II to Families, Gratissimam Sane, we read: “And so, both in the conception and in the birth of a new child, parents find themselves face to face with a "great mystery" (cf. Eph 5:32). Like his parents, the new human being is also called to live as a person; he is called to a life "in truth and love". This call is not only open to what exists in time, but in God; it is also open to eternity.”
My mother entrusted my siblings and me to God's care so that God's Will and plan could be fulfilled in our lives, because she understood that "spouses, as parents, are collaborators with God the Creator in the conception and birth of a new human being…." (John Paul II to Families, Gratissimam Sane,1994), not their owners. Parents accompany their child on the path to discovering God through shared prayer, the Eucharist, and the expression of mutual love in service and forgiveness. Parents should help them find out their vocation and the plan God has prepared for their child. By offering their children to God and to Mary, parents help their children discover the mystery of their vocation and the plan God has prepared for them.
“Nonetheless, in conjugal love and in paternal and maternal love we should find inscribed the same truth about man which the Council expressed clearly and concisely in its statement that God "willed man for his own sake". It is thus necessary that the will of the parents should be in harmony with the will of God. They must want the new human creature in the same way as the Creator wants him: "for himself".
I invite you to watch the episode of “Vocare” by Shalom World, featuring my vocation story and our religious community. I urge you to pray sincerely and offer your families to God. Remember that He is the true source of all blessings, happiness and satisfaction; all that you truly want for your loved ones. And if your child is called to serve God in a more direct way in the priesthood or religious life, I ask you to pray for them and support them. This is a challenging, but also deeply fulfilling way of life: it will be the source of many blessings for your family now and in eternity.
