Suzy Donovan, a young woman from Jacksonville, Florida, received a letter from Sister Clare Crockett, a former Irish actress-turned-nun. Her canonization cause opened last year.
In the letter, Sister Crockett addresses a topic that affects many people: the desire to please everyone. The message can help us fight these "whispers from the devil."
“To be free and truly follow God, one must cut away all one's 'securities,'” Sister Clare writes at the beginning of her letter. With these words, she begins a reflection addressed to Suzy, whom she met during her mission in the United States.
In the text, Sister Clare warns against the false certainties that keep us from God's path. The fear of losing them leads us to create vain questions, which she calls "whispers from the devil."
“These questions torture us. They're like a whirlwind inside us,” she writes.
The nun points out that trying to “look good” paralyzes the soul and prevents us from acting freely.
“When someone (when you) tries to 'look good,' your intentions for doing so are misguided. Your constant fears about what people will think of you paralyze you, whether you realize it or not.”
Suzy generously shared this letter, and today, its message can touch many hearts. If you've ever felt trapped by "what people will say," insecurity, or the desire to please, this letter is for you, too.
Sister Clare's letter to Suzy:
Dear Suzy,
To be free and truly follow God, one must cut away all of one's "securities," often vain and false.
Image can be (and often is) a false sense of security. It's something we can "hide" behind. It's something we rely on too much: "What will they think of me if they see me like this?" "Do I look fat?" "Is my hair bad?" "Will people still want to be with me if I have an acne breakout?"
These questions torture us. They're like a whirlwind inside us. They're the whispers of the devil who, with these vain, superficial, and sad questions, distracts us from where we truly want to go, from who we truly want to be, from who we truly are.
When someone (or you) tries to "look good," your intentions for doing so are misguided. Your constant fears about what people will think of you paralyze you, whether you realize it or not. One way to break away from that "false image," that banal self-confidence, is to not give so much importance to your exterior. That's why I'm asking you what I'm asking! What do you care what people think of you?
“Love (and let me add surrender and obedience) is the beauty of the soul.”
Sister Clare