Reflections of an RSCJ

Time for a holiday

2012-01-27T11:10:00.000-08:00

I will be away the first two weeks of February giving a retreat in California and then seeing family as well as giving talks in Arizona; right now we are celebrating the 50 years of the founding of our school, Carrollton, in Miami. Seventeen RSCJs have come for these days of celebration and I have decided that I need to take time off until February 16th from my daily blog. I will be back and reflecting on my life as we prepare to go into the Lenten season. I hope you will not mind my taking time out as writing reflections when I travel is not easy for me and I look forward to time off as I really have been faithful about posting everyday!

My life is a rollar-coaster somedays...

2012-01-26T02:51:00.000-08:00

I used to say that my theme song was the "Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down, O Lord, have mercy on me." Now I admire those who are always the same, but it seems impossible for me to always be the same, although I can try to always seem calm and peaceful. Pretending to be calm and peaceful leads to humor and joy in my life and then I find I really am calm and peaceful. I think it means taking the time to reflect with the Lord and then trusting Him.
Anyway, today I am going to reflect on #29 in Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart:

The Eucharist is the culmination of this ecclesial prayer.
As far as we can, we participate in it actively every day.
By receiving the Body of Christ,
we unite ourselves to His prayer of thanksgiving
and to His offering of Himself to the Father
for the life of the world.
Gradually, the Eucharist makes us become more truly
Body of Christ, broken to give birth to a new humanity.

I am trying to participate actively in the Eucharist every day; I find the new translation has made me aware of how often I respond without thinking. I love the thought that by receiving the Body of Christ we unite ourselves to His prayer of thanksgiving and to His offering of Himself to the Father. I think the union we experience with Christ in the Eucharist is so much greater than I can even imagine. I do believe that the Eucharist makes us become more truly the Body of Christ...now to live His offering.

Our prayer is that of the People of God

2012-01-25T02:42:00.000-08:00

This verse from the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart #28 keeps resonating with me: Whether we pray alone or with others, our prayer is that of the People of God."
Our hearts are to be as wide as the world, as wide as the universe and the universe is still expanding! I take all to prayer and know that God loves and cares for every creature and somehow we are going to help God in bringing all to unity.

2012-01-24T07:10:00.000-08:00

From the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart #5
Through the Eucharist we enter into
the mystery of the open side of Jesus.
In our daily life, the Eucharist celebrates
His death and resurrection,
the reality which lies at the heart of the sufferings
and hopes of the human family.
Through the Eucharist we are drawn into the gift of Jesus
to His Father,

Today I was pondering what I mean when I say that "through the Eucharist we enter into the mystery of the open side of Jesus."

I know that from the time I entered and read a circular letter written by Reverend Mother de Lescure on the name of the Society of the Sacred Heart, I felt called to enter the Heart of Jesus and descend into the depths of His Heart. She talked about the "solitude of His Heart" and I wanted to be there with Him, I still do, but now I am also aware that we are drawn into "the gift of Jesus to His Father" - the whole work of the evolution of the world and the building up of the Body of Christ.
Since my retreat last August my daily Mass has been a way to pray for the world as well as enter into the mystery of the open side of Jesus.

2012-01-23T02:53:00.000-08:00

Today I am not doing the Constitutions as I am only writing a short note. I think that Sunday is such a gift that I spent yesterday in thanksgiving. I was thanking for all the wonderful Sundays in my life; for all the family dinners, summer days at the lake with my Dad, singing in the choir at Mass in the Parish in seventh and eighth grade, playing Monopoly with my cousins; then, when I entered the Society of the Sacred Heart, we had exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday and that made it a special day besides having a "Sunday" habit and, I think, Sunday shoes!! That seems a long time ago, but now Sunday means more time for prayer, reading the Sunday paper and swimming as even in January we can swim in our pool!!! have so much to be grateful for and this is my attitude today for all. I hope this carries over into the entire week.

Please read the blog on "All this and heaven,too" listed on the right if you scroll down; the Constitutions are compared to an old friend!

2012-01-22T07:18:00.000-08:00

To continue with the passage from the Constitutions that we are reflecting on

15.
Contemplating Jesus, we learn
from His attitudes and responses
how, in all our relationships,
to witness to the liberating power of His love.
In faith and simplicity we meet the other
as a unique person,
having respect and affection for each,
and a humility which enables us to be receptive.
Always, we are filled with hope in our encounters,
sure of God's power at work in us all.

How, in all my relationships, am I a witness to the liberating power of His love?
Let me reflect on my way of being with each one whom I have met in the last 24 hours and be very concrete in this examen of how I am a witness to His Love? Certainly not by frowning or fussing in the doctor's office which I recall doing yesterday; on the other hand, I gave joy to others in several small ways that I can recall and feel that Jesus is pleased about the way I am trying to keep up relationships and give joy. But what about my humility?
Am I really receptive to the gift of each one I meet? Do I meet them with faith and simplicity, with respect and affection for each? Lots to think about in this passage and pray to be filled with hope in all our encounters!

Jesus was humble, amazingly so!

2012-01-21T04:04:00.000-08:00

15.
Contemplating Jesus, we learn
from His attitudes and responses
how, in all our relationships,
to witness to the liberating power of His love.
In faith and simplicity we meet the other
as a unique person,
having respect and affection for each,
and a humility which enables us to be receptive.
Always, we are filled with hope in our encounters,
sure of God's power at work in us all.

When I contemplate Jesus in the Gospels I am so impressed with His humility. He told us to learn that He is meek and humble of heart - and it showed from His birth to His death!
Now, I will no doubt need to use this passage for reflection for several days. First of all, we have the fact taken for granted that we are contemplating Jesus. And that we are learning from His attitudes and responses! What are we learning? How am I contemplating Jesus daily?
Is His Heart an "open book" for me? How are His attitudes, values and choices affecting my life?
More on this passage tomorrow.

Our Service of Education

2012-01-20T01:49:00.000-08:00

14.
Our service of education is carried out
in a genuine relationship of mutual interaction,
where each person both receives and gives
so that all may grow together.

Of its nature, our service of education
means creating community
among ourselves and with others.
It asks of us generous commitment,
serious on-going formation
and a broad critical vision of the world,
enlightened by faith.

We both give and receive in all our relationships and we learn to create community. We all are called to create community with others. We are also asked for a "generous commitment, serious on-going formation, and a broad critical vision of the world, enlightened by faith."

I think that spiritual reading is a must for me and for you, too. I am sure that some have the capacity to reflect deeply on events and find God in all but it is not something that just happens. We need to form ourselves by serious reflection. I guess I do this more than I realize, at least I hope I do!

A Passion to Proclaim the Gospel

2012-01-19T01:35:00.000-08:00

Wherever we are sent,
whatever our work may be,
our lives will be inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus
and the desire of making Him known, expressed in:

-a concern for the growth of the whole person

-a thirst for working towards justice and peace in the
world in response to the cry of the poor

a passion to proclaim the Gospel.

What does it mean for me to have a passion to proclaim the Gospel now that I am not actually doing so in theology classes? I guess it is just letting people know that God loves them unconditionally; this is the Good News and He is always loving us with an infinite love. We respond in joy and gratitude and carry this Good News to others in whatever way we can. I sent a comic strip to a friend today as it made me laugh out loud. It was Garfield who said to his cat, "You are not perfect, you know." The cat thinks about this and says to himself, "I have to agree." But then he says, "It is my only fault." I thought of how often I act a bit like this.
Anyway, I do want to give everyone the Good News that they are loved by God. And God is here and now! He is present in you!

A life inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus

2012-01-18T01:23:00.000-08:00

Wherever we are sent,
whatever our work may be,
our lives will be inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus
and the desire of making Him known, expressed in:

-a concern for the growth of the whole person

-a thirst for working towards justice and peace in the
world in response to the cry of the poor

-a passion to proclaim the Gospel.

I think it very consoling to know that whatever we are doing, wherever we are, our lives are "inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus."
I find myself praying, "Love of the Heart of Jesus, inflame my heart."

I have found that using this invocation from the Litany of the Sacred Heart has been very helpful for me and I suggest that others try it.

I think I have a passion to proclaim the Gospel. I think it is part of the grace of my vocation!

My life is unique and therefore very important, even essential

2012-01-17T01:02:00.000-08:00

Since we are studying and praying over our Constitutions this year, I am going to continue to put different paragraphs here this month to reflect on some aspect of our lives.

11.- (Fom our service in the Church)
Saint Madeleine Sophie chose to express this conviction
through the service of education, especially of the young.
Faithful to her inspiration, and, like her, open to new situations,
we make her desire our own:

- that people become ever more aware of truth, of love
and of freedom
- that they discover the significance of their lives, and devote themselves to others
- that they take part creatively in the common effort to
transform the world
- that they be enabled to encounter the love of Jesus
- that they let their lives be shaped by an active faith.

I am discovering every day how significant each one's life is and how important it is to realize this. Everything I do that is positive is helping the evolution of the world or the building up of the Body of Christ.

I guess I want everyone to encounter the love of Jesus and so I need to love them with the same love drawn from the Heart of Jesus. Jesus told us to "love one another as I have loved you."

Martin Luther King Day

2012-01-16T03:33:00.000-08:00

I had a picture but it seems to resist showing up in the blog so I am also resisting writing much today. I am enjoying a day at home with extra time for prayer. I know it is a holiday for many and I think God is happy to see us remembering one who stood up and preached with courage to bring justice to so many. We all need to have the courage to speak up against the injustices that are still enacted in all of our cities. Miami is a beautiful place but all sorts of vices exist and a great deal of injustice. Let us pray for our country today.

Come and See

2012-01-15T03:22:00.000-08:00

John the Baptist pointed Jesus out to his disciples saying, "Behold the Lamb of God."
Two of those disciples decided to follow Jesus but they were not sure what they wanted. Jesus asks them, "What are you looking for?" and they can only ask him, "Where do you live?" Jesus immediately invites them to "Come and see." And they went and stayed with Him that day.
I think there is much for us to reflect on in this first part of the Gospel.
John the Baptist is quite willing to direct his disciples to Jesus and let them go.
Jesus invites each of us to Come and see.L
What did they talk about when they arrived? Did Jesus ask them more questions? I suspect He drew out of them their deepest desires and that there hearts were burning within them when they left him that day. Andrew went to tell his brother that they had found the Messiah.
I receive Jesus in the Eucharist and He also wants me to express my desires to Him but He is comfortable when we sit in silence, too.

Speak, Lord, I am listening!

2012-01-14T09:08:00.000-08:00

The image of the cornucopia represents something of what I am feeling this week end. My mind and heart seem so full of God's goodness that all is spilling out and bearing fruit, I hope and trust. As I have said before, I am so grateful for my life and need to tell the world that God is good and wants us to live in His Love and joy.
At yesterday's meeting of my Shalem group (begun back in 1989 as supervision group for spiritual directors) we spoke about how our thinking has been changed. It was good to share this with others as I really believe that I am at a new place and it is hard to find the vocabulary to describe it. One used the image of being in God as a wave in the ocean and that is one aspect that has changed. I live and move and have my being in God. I have always believed that God is present everywhere but with the discoveries of science and finding how the world is evolving, I am caught up in a God who not only cares for me and the world, but a God who is calling each of us to help us build the Body of Christ.
The Sunday Liturgy this week has Samuel being called and needing help from an older, wiser Eli to recognize that it was God calling him. Eli then told him to answer: "Speak, Lord, your servant is listening!" And we are reminded in the psalm "If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts." Then the Gospel has Jesus inviting the two disciples to "Come and see." He continues to invite each of us to follow him!

Canada

2012-01-13T01:51:00.000-08:00

The picture from my file is labeled "Canadian Water" and I guess it says something to me today as we begin to communicate more with Canada.
We are growing closer to the Society of the Sacred Heart in Canada and I should be learning more about that beautiful country. I do know some Religious of the Sacred Heart as we used to have one novitiate. I have visited at Halifax where most of the elderly religious were living in a very nice house next to the school with their own Chapel.
I have not time for much reflection today but have been thinking about the coming Sunday Gospel when John the Baptist says: "Behold the lamb of God" and two of his disciples then follow Jesus. Jesus turns and asks them: "What are you looking for?" And they, maybe not having an idea and wanting to just keep their options open, ask Jesus where he is staying. Jesus says, "Come and see." And they go with him and stay with him that day.
I think Jesus is still asking us, "What are you looking for?"

A Contemplative Attitude

2012-01-12T03:04:00.000-08:00

I am continuing to comment on the section on Prayer in the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart as they are so pertinent to an understanding of our spirituality.

#22 This contemplative attitude permeates our whole being,
helping us to live ever more united to Christ
in our relationships, our tasks and our ministry;
it becomes a powerful force
of conversion and transformation for mission.
In welcoming God's word
Mary gave Christ to the world.
In receiving the life of Jesus
we give ourselves with Him so that all may have life.

We were talking about finding the presence of God and having the "mind" of Christ Jesus so what do I mean by this "contemplative attitude" that permeates our whole being? I think it means taking time to reflect and learn how to find God in all things. We are called to listen to God as He speaks to us through events, persons, circumstances in our daily lives.

The Spirit dwells within us...

2012-01-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

From the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart #21

The Spirit dwelling within us
gradually transforms us, enabling us
through His power to remove whatever
hinders His action.
The Spirit unites and conforms us to Jesus
and makes us sensitive to His presence
within ourselves, in others and in all that happens.
Thus we learn to contemplate reality
and to experience it with His Heart,
to commit ourselves to the service of the Kingdom
and to grow in love:
"Have this mind among yourselves
which was in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 2:5).

We cannot transform ourselves; it is the Spirit who dwells in us that does the work of transformation; we need to be humble and docile to all the promptings of the Spirit.

I am to find God in all - people, events, circumstances. But I am so easily distracted and insensible to the presence of God within me that I need the Spirit to make me aware. We are all called to live in union with Jesus and, the good news is that He is with us even when we are not aware of his presence. He is with us! He wants us to find Him "within ourselves, in others and in all that happens."
Then I grow in love and, as Paul says,
"Have this mind among yourselves
which was in Christ Jesus." (Phil. 2:5).

We learn to remain in silence...

2012-01-10T04:37:00.000-08:00

20. Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart:
In prayer we come to Him
with everything that touches our life,
with the sufferings and hopes of humanity.
We learn to remain in silence
and poverty of heart before Him.
In the free gift of ourselves
we learn to adore and to abide in His love.

Nothing is too small to take to Him; nothing is too big!

To remain in silence and poverty of heart before Him is not always easy to do. Our minds are so filled with daily concerns and cares that remaining in silence seems impossible without the gift of grace, that divine life in us that makes all possible.
"Be still and know that I am God."

We go to Him with all that touches our life: our concerns, our worries, our joys and our sufferings. We surrender all to Him and sit in silence. Take time to be quiet, breathe deeply, and descend into His Heart. He waits for us to "adore and abide in His love."

The Gift of the heart

2012-01-09T04:17:00.000-08:00

I am still reflecting on prayer in the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart but will begin today with a quote from a letter from Mother Stuart:

"You are quite on the right track, it is the gift of your heart that God wants above all in prayer, that you may both give to Him and receive Him. Keep it always uplifted with great expectations...God loves us to expect from Him, because He loves to give Himself to us. If we only believed this, as we profess it, how close our union would become and how blessed our work would be."

To continue with the Constitutions on Prayer:#19

In the Gospel
through His words, His attitudes,
His relationships with people,
His way of relating to all created things,
we discover His Heart
wholly given to the Father and to all people.

The Gospels show us the preferences of Jesus for the poor, the lowly, the ones in need of healing and they show us the feelings of His Heart so full of compassion and love! We not only discover His Heart, but He gives it to us!

Feast of the Epiphany

2012-01-08T03:57:00.000-08:00

The Three Kings followed the star and it led them to Jesus. Perhaps they were not really kings, but certainly they were wise-men! They left all and set out for the unknown. I was given my obedience for Vina del Mar on Christmas Eve; at that time we went on the missions for life. I did not even know where I was being sent and the Superior General told me it was to a school in Chile. Now, I knew nothing about Chile and did not know Spanish, but I set out to find Jesus wherever I was sent. Of course, Jesus was with me and helped me at every instant not only on the journey but when I arrived. I guess following the star has been part of my life, but I do admire the courage of these three and their faith. They found Jesus and adored Him! What more do we want? Then they were sent home by a different way!

I suspect we all have a special star to follow. I have found that my star is joy and I think each year has brought me so much joy. Once we follow our star we cannot return by the same way; we have found Jesus and now our lives are different. Let us stay attentive to our star that leads us to Jesus. We also thank on this feast for the manifestation of the star that leads to Jesus and we adore Him and offer Him the gift of ourselves.

Eve of Epiphany

2012-01-07T05:15:00.000-08:00

Today is Saturday and I am thinking of the expectation of the three wise men as they follow the star to find Jesus.
I find that there is something that happens when I sit in silence and let go of all my thoughts. I am immersed in God's love and feel so much peace and joy. I wonder why I do not try to pray this way more instead of having my head going around and around full of thoughts that really are not important.

I was reading the webpage of the England-Wales Province (the link is on the right side of my blog under Society of the Sacred Heart and it works now and is worth looking at. They have some of the Religious in the Province describing their prayer and I think this is a joy to be able to read about their experience and that they are able to articulate it.

My own morning hour of prayer seems to be a "hodge-podge" of some reading, some reflection, some silent time when I often feel that I am in the Heart of Christ; I also find myself sometimes praying for the world. One of my friends prays with her Christmas cards so that each sender has a special day of remembrance in prayer. I do pray for all who sent cards, but usually do it all at once. I am not so organized to be able to remember to take a card a day. However, I look forward to my morning prayer and usually manage to prolong it; going to noon Mass makes that the center of my day and then I look forward to having more time for prayer in the late afternoon. It is the joy of this year to have more time for prayer, but when I entered we had even more and I am just gradually trying to take back the contemplative moments that we had built into our days. Epiphany is a feast to take time to adore God who has come as a human infant to be like us in all except sin.

The Feast of the Epiphany is on Sunday now!

2012-01-06T04:58:00.000-08:00

The Kings are on their way and no longer arrive on January 6 but on Sunday!

How does Jesus "make known to us the feelings and the preferences of His Heart?"
I think He asks us to be still and silent so that we can really listen to Him in prayer. We only need to "show up" and we find His Heart open for us, if we open ourselves to His love.
More tomorrow or later as I need to go out this morning.

Jesus calls us

2012-01-05T06:41:00.000-08:00

"Jesus calls us to a personal encounter with Him. He wants to make known to us the feelings and preferences of His Heart." (#18 Constitutions on Prayer)

Do I really believe this? I do because I have had the experience of it through many years. Jesus calls us to a personal encounter with Him. He is always present waiting for me to be present to Him. He waits for me with longing; the desire I have to be with Him comes from Him and I know that the intensity of the desire increases the capacity I have to receive His love. He gives the desire; He wants to love us. Let Him! This is prayer!

Courage is good for the New Year!

2012-01-04T06:24:00.000-08:00

So much seems to be wrong with our world that we need to remember that it is God's world and He is present and wants us to help with the evolution of His creation until we are all one in the Cosmic Christ. It takes courage to face the New Year but let us advance with both hope and joy!

Now, to continue with the spirituality of the Society of the Sacred Heart as found in the Constitutions: What can I share from the section on prayer that will be helpful today for reflection? First of all, "the Society is essentially based upon prayer and the interior life since we cannot glorify the adorable Heart of Jesus worthily except inasmuch as we apply ourselves to study His interior dispositions in order to unite and conform ourselves to them."

Again we have the importance of union with Jesus and the need to know His interior dispositions. I guess all of our lives should be based on prayer and the interior life. Sometimes we forget that we are dependent on God and try to do things on our own. I think of St. Paul when he said that when he was weak he was strong with the strength of Christ and I think we have all experienced this. More tomorrow!

Union with Jesus

2012-01-03T04:51:00.000-08:00

Today we are having the first "cold" day in Miami and last night was supposed to be around 40 degrees which is really cold for us. It is to warm up by Thursday but the Salvation Army sent out buses to collect the homeless last night and warm food was prepared.
To continue with my idea to comment on the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart to deepen our spirituality, here is a bit more of #8 of what we continue to call the "new" Constitutions to distinguish them from those of 1815. (I am only going to take a selection of some of the passages that speak to me and especially I will use the section on prayer starting tomorrow, I think - remember that the Holy Spirit is my inspiration so I am never sure what I will be writing!)

For us, life, community, apostolic service,
all spring from our union and conformity
with the Heart of Jesus.
This grace of vocation
is a way of conversion and of apostolic fruitfulness.
The pierced Heart of Jesus
opens our being to the depths of God
and to the anguish of humankind.

Union with Jesus is what is essential and it is the grace of our vocation. We are both plunged into the Heart of God and the heart of the world. It is in opening ourselves both to God and to others that we can live the grace of our vocation. My journal this morning said this better than what I am now writing so I guess I will need to look at it.
I just added the link on the right side to the web page of the English Province of the Sacred Heart; they have some great quotes from the Constitutions and pictures! Check it out and also be sure and read about Mother Stuart.

This is a special year! Today is the Feast of Sts. Basil and Gregory

2012-01-02T07:17:00.000-08:00

I love these two 4th century bishops who were friends who studied together and then both loved the monastic life before being named bishops. Basil was a great bishop but Gregory soon retired to a more monastic life as he was more contemplative and a poet without Basil's gift for administration.

I think this is a special year because we are asked to study and pray over our Constitutions. I received a gift of a calendar with quotes from the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart from England from one of my dear friends in the English Province. It made me think that I could use the Constitutions this month to share some of our spirituality in my blog. It helps to have a theme for the month but my reflections seem just to come from the Holy Spirit when I sit down at the computer. However, this theme seems to be the inspiration to start the year with and I think it will profit all of us.

Helen McLaughlin, our Superior General at the time of the adoption of our new Constitutions, wrote: "Let us welcome these Constitutions in a spirit of deep faith and let us allow the Holy Spirit to call us forth through these texts, so that the written work becomes truly life-giving ...we need to pray over them, deepen them, absorb them and above all love them."

I think my favorite passage (impossible to name just one but I keep going back to this one) is "For us, life, community, apostolic service, all spring from our union and conformity with the Heart of Jesus."

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

This is just to say Happy New Year! I think the best way to spend it is in gratitude for all the graces of the past year! I would love to do what was suggested in today's paper by one who actually did it: Write a thank you note to someone every day"!!

New Year's Eve

2011-12-31T08:10:00.000-08:00

Quest for the Living God emphatically reminds us that God is engaged in our world and that Catholic theology, despite sometimes regressive pressures, remains active in our lives and in our church. Elizabeth Johnson, as theologian and signpost of the wider Catholic theological community, is, then, our NCR person of the year for 2011.

I just read this good news and want to pass it on in my blog. Elizabeth Johnson deserves to be the National Catholic Reporter's person of the year.
She is one of the greatest theologians alive today and has done so much to bring a deeper understanding of God to many. I am happy for her as I have suffered much for her when her book was questioned by the Bishops without any discussion with her. They were finding that theologians were adopting it as a text as it was thought to be an excellent book and one that would help college students to get insights.

Well, I did not set out to write about Elizabeth but to share my own reflections this morning on the past year. Without doubt, being given the "Woman of Conscience" award at the national conference of the Alumni of the Sacred Heart made an impact on my life. Then, furthering relationships was an important part of my year. My retreat was a special grace and one of the fruits of it has been my effort to not only get to daily Mass but to pray for the world while there.
I suppose the one insight that stands out for me during the past year is a confirmation of my vocation within a vocation: I am called to pipe a song of joy to Jesus! This was a constant desire over the past sixty years but has become something that I now realize is a motivation and special call. There are many ways to do this but the inner joy comes from the Spirit and is deepened in prayer. God so wants to love us and that is such a reason for joy. I am sharing my soul today with you as I come to the end of a year full of many graces.
May the New Year bring us all new joy.

Eve of New Year's Eve

2011-12-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

I am reading and marking up "The Emergent Christ" and I am very much aware that our world needs healing but it is the responsibility of each of us. We are helping Christ in the evolution of our world. I have some good quotes but want to try to digest this book before posting. It is not an easy read but is making theology change its focus.
I am also looking back over my journals for the past year and finding that I have some excellent quotes that I do not want to forget.
I hope we all have some time to think back over the past year and thank for the many graces we have received. More tomorrow as I am rushing now!

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice!

2011-12-29T03:32:00.000-08:00

Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice! That is the Responsorial Psalm for today's liturgy and sums up the spirit of this Christmas season. The entrance antiphon is John 3:16: "God so loved the world that he gave his Only Begotten Son, so that all who believe in him may not perish, but may have eternal life."

Feast of the Holy Innocents

2011-12-28T03:59:00.000-08:00

I just lost the reflection I did for today so I will just say it was on the Holy Innocents and the fact that, according to Matthew's Gospel, Joseph had to take Mary and the baby Jesus and flee into Egypt. I think of all the refugees today who need to leave their homes and flee to other countries...

I thought I might add a recipe that I was asked to make again for our Christmas brunch and then type up for others; it is easy to make and can be used for dinner as well as brunch and you can use ham instead of sausage. Here it is:
Brunch Delight
This is the recipe for Brunch Delight:

2 lbs link sausage
8 slices of white bread
¾ lb of cheddar cheese grated
4 eggs
1 can of mushroom soup
2 &1/4 cups of milk

Fry, drain and cut up sausages
Trim crusts and cut bread into cubes
Grease a 4 qt casserole and place bread in below, add sausages and cheese
Beat eggs, add milk and soup and pour into casserole
Refrigerate overnight and backe 1!/2 hours at 325 – serves 8 easily

Come to save us!

2011-12-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

This is from the Holy Father's Christmas address:
"Jesus Christ is the proof that God has heard our cry. And not only this! God’s love for us is so strong that he cannot remain aloof; he comes out of himself to enter into our midst and to share fully in our human condition (cf. Ex 3:7-12). The answer to our cry which God gave in Jesus infinitely transcends our expectations, achieving a solidarity which cannot be human alone, but divine. Only the God who is love, and the love which is God, could choose to save us in this way, which is certainly the lengthiest way, yet the way which respects the truth about him and about us: the way of reconciliation, dialogue and cooperation.

Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, on this Christmas 2011, let us then turn to the Child of Bethlehem, to the Son of the Virgin Mary, and say: "Come to save us!" Let us repeat these words in spiritual union with the many people who experience particularly difficult situations; let us speak out for those who have no voice.

Feast of St. Stephen

2011-12-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

Usually I have a picture of the saint of the day, but like this one for today as I am taking some thoughts from a meditation of the day in Magnificat by Mother Elvira Petrozzi, foundress of Comunita Cenacolo. She writes:

" We continue to be amazed and to believe even more in this "crazy" God who chose to become a small, poor and fragile child. That child who two thousand years ago came to the world and exploded into history "bursts" into our lives today to re-write our history; mine, yours, and that of all of our wounded humanity. This Jesus shatters our reality and makes his way with only the weapon of love, the only weapon that can cause the rocks of the hardest heart to crumble."
She goes on to talk about how much "hardness" lives in the horizon of this century...how many broken hearts call out to God asking for help; "Come, Lord Jesus!" ...Come because we need you.

The Church celebrated St. Stephen today as the first to give his life for Christ; it reminds us that Jesus came to bring life to the world but did so by giving his life for the life of the world.

I hope you all had a great Christmas day full of many graces and will enjoy these final days of 2011.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T02:55:00.000-08:00

St. Madeleine Sophie said in a Conference of 1855: Prepare for His coming into your hearts, for that is why He came on earth: to be born, to develop in your souls, and when the beautiful day of Christmas arrives you will taste that peace the Angels announced to persons of good will.

Mother Stuart believed that "Joy is the song of the spirit under the pressure of happiness and to give God the fullest and best service possible, we much train our spirit to sing that song continually."

Both of these quotes were taken from our veilee to prepare for Christmas and I hope you find them helpful.

Christmas Eve, at last!

2011-12-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

I guess the expectation has built up so much that we are almost surprised to find that it is Christmas Eve! Now, we will be opening our stockings this evening and then we will, of course, have Mass; last night we had a beautiful prayer time together at the other community and a delicious dinner. We now do this on the 23rd so everyone in the area can be present.

This is from the Christmas card Magificat sent me today and I think it is worth passing on to all of you:

Litany of Christmas Thanks

Response: Baby Jesus, we thank you.

For the Blessed Virgin Mary your Mother who said "Yes" to the angel. R/

For John the Baptist who leapt in the womb of Elizabeth his mother when you visited him in Mary. R/

For Joseph your foster father who trusted the angel instead of heeding his own doubts. R/

For the donkey that carried your expectant Mother to Bethlehem. R/

For the neighbor who led your holy family to the stable. R/

For the manger in which you were placed as if in the first tabernacle. R/

For the animals who were there in the first moments that you were adored. R/

For the angels and their song that led shepherds to your stable. R/

For the shepherds who worshiped you and then proclaimed the Good News like priests. R/

For Simeon who all his life had been waiting for you in the temple, longing to hold you. R/

For Anna the prophetess who proclaimed you to all those looking for deliverance and peace. R/

For the star that led the Magi to your manger and your Mother. R/

Loving Father,

all of these Christmas gifts

symbolize how much you love us

with the supreme Gift of your Son, Jesus Christ,

born for us this Christmas day.

We give these gifts to one another to express

how grateful we are for your unfathomable generosity

and to show how eager we are to share that goodness with one another.

Bless these tokens of love and caring.

Never let us get attached to material things,

but rather let the joy flowing from these presents

strengthen our bonds of love, deepen our relationships,

and move us to be more thankful, selfless, and giving all the days of our life.

Thank you for the birth of Jesus,

our brother and our Savior.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning,

is now and will be forever.

Amen.*

O Emmanuel, God with us!

2011-12-23T01:14:00.000-08:00

Finally, the waiting that has been full of loving preparation is almost over. We sing this antiphon with joy:
O Emmanuel, God with us, our king and lawgiver, the one whom the nations await and their savior: come to save us, O Lord our God.

What a wonderful thing it is to know that God is with us! He is always with us, waiting for us to turn to Him. He is so much more than king and lawgiver, but now He comes to us as a helpless infant in need of our love and wanting to love us.

O king of all the nations

2011-12-22T11:26:00.000-08:00

Today's antiphon asks the Lord of all to come and save the entire human race.

O King of the nations and their desire, the cornerstone that makes both one: come and save the human race, which you fashioned from clay.

God is coming and He is always working to save the world; Jesus is the cornerstone and we are going to receive Him into our hearts and world again in a very special way so soon. Are we ready? What might he be asking in the way of last minute preparation for His coming? We need to make sure our hearts are ready and the best way is to slow down and take some time just to sit in His presence and listen to His desires.

O Radiant Dawn

2011-12-21T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today's antiphon is

"O Radiant Dawn, splendor of light eternal and sun of justice: come and enlighten those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death."

This antiphon is short but so full of meaning. We do dwell in darkness and the shadow of death but we also know that the Sun of Justice, the Radiant Dawn, has come to enlighten us.

O Key of David

2011-12-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

I like this Antiphon but I am not so sure I like the image of Jesus as a key! However, here is the antiphon:
O Key of David and scepter of the house of Israel, you open so that no one else can close again, you close so that no person can open: come, and lead the captive from prison, free those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.

I hope you have time to reflect on this antiphon which has many ways of speaking to what is happening in our world and in our own souls. I do like the image of God opening what no one can close again and closing at the same time so that no person can open; I suspect that is the deepest part of us that belongs to God alone.

Today's O Antiphon: O Root of Jesse

2011-12-19T05:40:00.000-08:00

Let us keep increasing our longing for the coming of Jesus. Here is today's antiphon:
O Root of Jesse, you stand as a signal for the people; before you kings shall fall silent and to you the nations shall make their prayer; come to deliver us, and do not delay.

I should have mentioned that the antiphon is adapted for use before the Gospel each day. Here is today's shorter form:
O Root of Jesse's stem, sign of God's love for all his people: come to save us without delay!

I suspect I find it easier to just pray with the shorter form but there is something to think about in comparing the two different versions. I like to think that Jesus is a sgn, a signal for the people, but really a sign of God's love for all his people. We acknowledge the greatness and majesty of God when we recall that kings shall fall silent. Then the nations shall make their prayer asking the Lord to come and save us without delay!Alleluia!

I hope everyone had a good week end. We are still able to swim in our pool and that is a blessing. I went to the pool in the park near us for water exercise on Saturday; I no longer go there during the week as we have a pool and I am going to a gym for exercise class three times a week that is more strenuous than the water exercise but I do love the time in the water and enjoy the others who come; we will have a Christmas party on Thursday.

O Antiphon: O Lord and Leader

2011-12-18T08:06:00.000-08:00

The second O Antiphon is
O Lord and Leader of the house of Israel, you appeared to Moses in the burning bush and gave him the law on Sinai: come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

If you are singing or at least listening to the popular Advent hymn, O Come, O Come Emmanuel, you may have noticed that it is based on the O Antiphons. It was written in the 12th century in Latin. The little Blue Book for Advent tells us that it was an Anglican priest, John Mason Neale, who translated it into English.

My own meditation on this antiphon this morning was full of gratitude for the Lord has come and redeemed us. I also tried to think of the qualities that we admire in a good Leader and find Jesus gives us the example of the best Leader.

The First O Antiphon

2011-12-17T12:52:00.000-08:00

Today we begin the O Antiphons; they are sung at evening prayer but also used as Gospel acclamations. Each one highlights an Old Testament messianic title and refers to a prophecy from Isaiah. They are full of longing as we wait for the birth of Jesus. Today's is

O Wisdom, you came from the mouth of the Most High, reaching from end to end and ordering all things mightily and sweetly; come, and teach us the way of prudence."

Wisdom comes and teaches us and desires us to be open to the coming of God as a helpless infant.

The O Antiphons Begin Tomorrow

2011-12-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

The O Antiphons, mostly from Isaiah, are usually found as the antiphon before the Gospel from December 17 to Christmas. I said "usually" as I looked at the Sunday readings and the antiphon is about Our Lady as the Gospel is that of the Annunciation. I will be saying something about each antiphon as I like to pray over them before Christmas; they date back to the early centuries and so I like to think that many have prayed these same prayers as preparation for Christ's coming.

These are busy days so I will keep my entries short. Thank you for the comments for my anniversary of vows and I am sorry that I missed celebrating John of the Cross in my blog this year. I so love his "The Flame of Divine Love".

Anniversary of my First Vows

2011-12-15T05:30:00.000-08:00

Today is a special day in my life; I made my first vows 59 years ago today! I still remember what a joy-filled day that was! In the afternoon I was sent to speak to the girls I had been coaching as a second-year novice. I had coached the entire high school plus seventh and eighth grade in hockey, basketball, and softball, and oversaw the tennis tournament and Field Day with games for all. I had only an hour with my "team" each week day and an hour and a half on week ends; most were boarders and I was supposed to coach and keep an eye on all the others; what I remember on my vow day was asking the Lord to allow some to also become Religious of the Sacred Heart and a couple of the students did enter with us later. My parents did not come as I was going to be sent back to St. Louis a few days after the ceremony; I had to wait for a student from St. Louis so we could travel on the train together. I was 21 but felt immediately at home in the classroon as I began teaching. I always loved to teach because I loved the children and it was a joy to see them learn and develop.
My blog seems to be full of memories these days. I did pray over a line from Mother Stuart who spoke of a "well of joy in the deepest part of her soul" - I have down deep in my soul a "well of joy" and it overflows when I am loving others.

Some helps for the Christmas spirit

2011-12-14T07:35:00.000-08:00

I have not been to the stores so I do not think the decorations there would be helping my Christmas spirit. However, I am really looking at each Christmas card we receive to try to internalize the message given by both picture and verse or good wishes on each card; I am also enjoying listening to Christmas music. Last night I went to the Carrollton Junior High and High School Christmas service held at the Church; some of the girls play the flute, others the violins, and still others use the bells, but the best of all was the choir. The girls were excellent and so well behaved. They were standing for an hour with great poise and intent on following the director and singing with all their hearts. The red shawls over black dresses made a pretty picture but the faces were beautiful as they sang and listened to the scripture readings.
It was a joyful night.
I am off to the gym and then Mass but Advent is such a lovely time; do prepare for the coming of the Lord by being joyful and giving joy!

Feast of St. Lucy

2011-12-13T06:46:00.000-08:00

I read today that we should be like a Christmas light and give joy to the Lord. I was thinking about the Feast of St.Lucy whose name means light; she is one to pray to for those who have trouble with their sight. I guess she is also a good one to pray to for interior light, to see what the Lord wants of each of us today. It is interesting that the few people I know named "Lucy" have all been a source of light for me. Now I am trying to write the life of Reverend Mother Lucille Mathevon, another "Lucy" and a great pioneer religious.
I took out a note I once received from one "Lucy" who had been my superior years ago and then became my spiritual director years later. She wrote me:
"The Lord is using you...trust Him. His ways are not our ways!" I keep that note written in 1995 in my copy of the Constitutions of the Society and I always find it helpful just to see Lucy's handwriting and remember her gift of listening and then helping me to laugh at myself. Humor is a gift!

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

2011-12-12T12:00:00.000-08:00

Today is both the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the birthday of St. Madeleine Sophie; I took the habit on this day sixty-one years ago. We were dressed as brides and walked solemnly down the middle aisle of the Kenwood Chapel while our parents shed tears in the benches. Then we left, had our hair cut off very quickly and were dressed in the black habits and returned to the altar for Mass as novices in white veils. I was happy to have my parents there for the ceremony, but remember that I still had a dreadful cold and cough and was trying not to show it. It was not easy for my parents but they went to Macy's in New York City after the day's visit with me and sent me a box of toys to play with on Christmas: pick-up sticks, jacks, playing cards and games like "Ole Maid" and a yo-yo, a ball with a paddle and I know not what but we really enjoyed them that Christmas day. It is funny how the 61 years can disappear when one returns to these old but dear memories.
I go straight to the church for Mass after my gym class and was glad I got there early today as there was not a single parking place left by Mass time and the cars were double-parked when I came out. The church for our 12:05 daily Mass is always crowded but on Feasts of Our Lady it is even more so.
It is good to see such devotion to Our Lady.
I said I would tell you about our week end in Tampa. It was great fun and we had wonderful seats for the musical of "The Christmas Story" and met afterwards with the actor, who played the father of the little boys in the musical. Marge's brother-in-law wrote the "Book" for this musical which had been a movie. I never saw it but it is about a little boy who wants a b-b-gun for Christmas. We returned in time to go to the lovely outdoor Mass and carols sung by the Middle School at Carrollton; it was dark at the end of the Liturgy so each child had an electric candle that she held while singing. It was all beautiful and several hundred chairs on the lawn were filled with proud parents and grandparents and siblings galore.

Gaudete Sunday

2011-12-11T03:59:00.000-08:00

We have reached the third Sunday of Advent and it is a time to rejoice. The Lord is coming and coming soon! Our longing increases each day as Christmas approaches and we are filled with joy.

As I said yesterday, I am in Tampa with my community this week end and will tell you more about it tomorrow.

Advent Journey

2011-12-10T03:45:00.000-08:00

I was thinking yesterday how uncomfortable the journey for Mary was as it would have been for any woman who was so close to giving birth. I think it must have been an anxious journey, too, for Joseph. Actually, it is hard to imagine that they would have left home where no doubt they had been preparing for the birth of their son, and set out without being able to take much with them. They had to trust God to provide in some way. It is an amazing story. Jesus is born in a stable or maybe it is only a cave in the hillside as so many of our cribs depict it; no doors so all may come and see the newborn infant who arrives helpless and vulnerable as all new babies. It is a mystery to contemplate in wonder, first of all, and then it fills us with love and gratitude.

My community is going on a journey this week end to Tampa, Florida. We leave at 7:00 on Saturday morning and drive to Tampa to see a Christmas musical there at 2:00; we will spend the night and return early Sunday.
I will tell you more on Monday about our trip.

There is a candle in your heart...

2011-12-09T01:13:00.000-08:00

I have just ordered a second hand copy of Rumi's poems that I did not have and I look forward to sharing some with you. Today I am using one that was given on the Advent retreat and is found in "Hush...":Passionate Poems of Rumi"

There is a candle in your heart,
ready to be kindled.
There is a void in your sould,
ready to be filled.
You feel it, don't you?
You feel the separation
From the Beloved.

Invite Him to full you up,
embrace the fire.
Remind those who tell you
otherwise that
Love
comes to you of its own accord,
and the yearning for it
cannot be learned in any school.

Let us realize that each of us does have a candle in our heart and it is ready to be kindled by our longing this Advent to embrace our Beloved!

Feast of the Immaculate Conception

2011-12-08T03:25:00.000-08:00

This is a feast that makes us realize what we owe to Mary who was conceived without sin and who has always said "Yes" to whatever God wanted of her. It must have been a tremendous leap of faith to believe the angel and accept to be the mother of Jesus! It brought a certain confusion with it, I think, as Mary kept silence about this tremendous event announced by the angel and did not even tell Joseph. It must have been a relief for her to know that the Holy Spirit revealed to Elizabeth that Mary was carrying a child destined to be the promised savior; I love the fact that Jesus in the womb of Mary met John in the womb of Elizabeth and gave a leap of joy.
Anyway, today's feast really is in memory of the conception of Mary that was without "original sin" or the tendency to follow Adam and Eve and not listen to God. I love to think that Mary was the one creature from conception who was pure and full of love for God.
As a child of the Sacred Heart, I have fond memories of our Advent practice of silence and purity of heart so that we could walk in the "Lily Procession" and offer Mary the "lily of my heart" so she could be its guardian forever. She has been so much in my life: mother, friend, comforter, guide, protector, companion, model, etc.

Prayer for Advent

2011-12-07T03:43:00.000-08:00

I am adapting this short prayer that the Society of the Sacred Heart used at the end of our national teleconference on Sunday; I have used it for the lighting of our Advent wreath before supper:

As we journey through the days of Advent, let us continue to be open, courageous, listening to one another and to the needs of the world, communicating our truth with simplicity, accepting hardship and pressing onward, that we may see Jesus. We invite God to show us our need for transformation as individuals and to give us the grace that we may be transformed and choose together the way to move forward today. Amen.

Advent is a gift for all of us

2011-12-06T02:01:00.000-08:00

Advent is a gift for all of us. It teaches us about the importance of slowing down, of preparing during four weeks for the coming of the Lord. Here is a prayer by Katherine James that may help our preparation:

"In the midst of my busyness, O Lord,
Remind me to slow down and savor each moment
As a gift from you.

As I move frantically from thought to thought, project to project, remind me that you are a God of abundance, not scarcity, and there is time enough for all that you have called me to do.

In the midst of worry, anxiety, fear, and discouragement,
Remind me, Loving God, that you have called me to serve the needs of others; needs that you have uniquely gifted me to fill.

Help me to remember that I am not alone, that I need to be connected with others who are struggling, for you are the source of all life and strength and peace." Amen.

HAPPY FEAST OF ST. NICHOLAS!

Faithful Friends

2011-12-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

I always think that those four friends who carried the paralytic to Jesus and did not let any obstacle such as a whole crowd of people blocking access stop them. They were determined, resourceful, and creative and managed to get the man up on top of the house where they removed part of the roof and then were able to lower their friend so that Jesus not only saw him but immediately forgave the man's sins! It is an extraordinary story when you think about it. Then, to show that he had the power to forgive sins, Jesus cures the man and has him get up and walk - he no longer needs his friends to carry him, but how grateful he must feel to Jesus and to his friends for carrying him.
Now, I know we all have friends and family who carry us; we need to look around and think of those who have helped and are helping us to have access to Jesus and thank them. We also need to look at those near or far who need us to carry them to Jesus. That is plenty to reflect on today!

2nd Sunday of Advent

2011-12-04T08:16:00.000-08:00

This is a comforting Sunday with still three weeks to go to prepare our hearts for Christmas. I hope we can concentrate on our hearts and not just on material things; getting ready for Christmas should take as much inner as outer preparation and we all know how overwhelmed we can get with the exterior shopping, cards, decorating, to say nothing about the hassle we experience trying to get in and out of malls! Now, what about our inner preparation? I think this reflection from Thomas Kelly that we were given in the Advent retreat yesterday may help us all. It is called "Silent Waiting":
We need times of silent waiting...when the busy intellect is not leaping from problem to problem, and from puzzle to puzzle.

If we learn the secret of carrying a living silence
At the very center of our being
We can listen on the run.

The listening silence can become intertwined
With all our inward prayers
A few moments of relaxed silence, allone
Every day
Are desperately important.

I hope you find those moments of relaxed silence!

Wherever you are giving and receiving love is where God is calling you.

2011-12-03T01:11:00.000-08:00

Today I will be making the Advent retreat at St. Thomas University and I am looking forward to it. I will share something with you after the retreat.

Louis Savary says: "Wherever you are giving and receiving life and love is where God is calling you."

I have been thinking about this and wonder if we need to discern some of our choices. I do feel more and more called to help "renew the face of the earth"; it seems strange that now I am retired I feel that I have more zeal and desire to work for God's reign in new ways. I also feel that what I contribute to the building up of the Body of Christ is something that is unique since I am unique (each of us is unique) and Jesus counts on me to do what I have been created for in this world. I guess I am beginning to realize that not only is one in mission for life, but one's daily life and choices are contributing to the evolution of the world or the Cosmic Christ. I am influenced by Savary's "The New Exercises in the Spirit of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin" and all this reflection came about because the liturgy had the image of the clay and the potter the other day and I keep thinking that I am clay, but precious in God's sight and God is the potter and is shaping me so I am really the work of his hands.

"The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord"

2011-12-02T01:14:00.000-08:00

I opened today's reading for the Liturgy and my eyes fell upon the first reading from Isaiah 29 and these words just jumped out at me:
"The lowly will ever find joy in the Lord"!! The exclamation points are mine, but I thought to myself that I had sort of been knocked over the head with a fundamental truth and one that certainly fit my retreat last August. It is the lowly, the humble, who always find joy in the Lord!

Let us strive to be lowly and then we will be joyful and be a part of the great Christ project to bring all things to fulfillment in God.

What does Advent mean for me this year?

2011-12-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

Here is my reflection on what Advent means to me this year:

What does Advent mean for me this year?

I want it to mean a time of preparation, a time of love, longing, and inner work. My soul needs a good housecleaning! Just as I can accumulate extras in closets and drawers, so, too, I pick up unnecessary baggage that crowds into my interior and clogs my heart. It is time to wait in silence with the Lord who will help “declutter” my soul if I can be still and allow Jesus to fill me with His love, peace, and joy.

Part of my inner work means taking time to work out a balance each day of prayer, work, exercise, and relaxation. I sometimes get caught up in work or a list of things to do and forget that when I relax and slow down I am aware that Jesus is with me and whether things get done (they usually do and better, of course, when Jesus is with me) or do not get done, Advent is here and now. Jesus is coming and that fills me with hope and desire. I also feel so grateful that I am able to take time to prepare for His coming again this year. I am missing the three days I have spent at the Cenacle for the past several years, but will make up for it by finding three separate days of retreat before Christmas, or I hope to do this. December 3 will be the Advent retreat at the University that I began over twenty-four years ago; I will be going to a party that night so the retreat day will be over by evening, but it will be a start. I am hoping I can make December 15th special, too, as I made my first vows on that day in 1952 and have vivid, joyful, memories that require a day to return thanks for that day and the years that have followed. Then, December 22 seems to be another day to save for quiet prayer.

Now, I hope you, too, are reflecting this week on what Advent means for you this year?

Now, as I do send many Christmas cards, I need to get these written and out of the way. It is a work of love, but does take time and I am sorry that I did not get it all done before Advent! However, I guess my Christmas cards help me to understand what Advent means for me. Each card brings my prayer and love to someone who is part of my life.

Feast of St. Andrew, Apostle

2011-11-30T00:35:00.000-08:00

My mother and father were married on the Feast of St. Andrew, the Apostle. They wanted to get married before Advent began and without any fuss so my Dad had been to see the Archbishop (my Dad was captain of his tennis team in college and had often played tennis with the Archbishop) and so they were able to keep the marriage secret. My mother was the only daughter and my Dad the only son and the oldest with five sisters behind him so they would not have let them have a quiet wedding. They were married at an early Mass with only one couple chosen among all their friends to be witnesses. They kept the marriage secret until Christmas when my Dad knew there was going to be a notice in the paper that he had bought a house and so they told their families. It must have been a shock but brought joy to all.
Anyway, I never forget this anniversary and was able to get back from Chile in time for their golden jubilee! That was over thirty years ago, but it does not seem that long.

I have a quote from Thomas Merton that I do not think I have shared with you, although I have been meaning to do so.
"We do not exist for ourselves alone, and it is only when we are fully convinced of this fact that we begin to love ourselves properly and thus also love others. What do I meant by loving ourselves properly? I mean, first of all, desiring to live, accepting life as a very great gift and a great good, not because of what it gives us, but because of what it enables us to give to others."

St. Andrew is mostly known for being Peter's brother; John's Gospel tells us that Jesus called Andrew first and then Andrew told his brother about Jesus. Maybe he is the saint to pray to when we want to bring others to Jesus.

Advent - Week One

2011-11-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

I am still pondering the question: "What does Advent mean for me this year?"
I will be posting a longer reflection during the week that I actually began to write on the First Sunday of Advent. Here, I am just sharing some words that I jotted down at the end of my prayer this morning. Each word could trigger a reflection on Advent:
Preparation
longing
desire
expectation
hope
waiting
silence
patience
love
joy
humility

Now, why have I not mentioned being alert, awake, watchful? These were words that did strike me in Sunday's liturgy. Mark's Gospel has "Be watchful! Be alert! ...May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: 'Watch!'"

As you can see, Advent lends itself to reflection so do choose your favorite Advent words and reflect why these are important to you to express something about this season.

Advent: What does Advent 2011 mean for me?

2011-11-28T03:32:00.000-08:00

I suspect that I may have a question like "What does Advent mean for me?" to ponder each week. I am narrowing this down a bit to "What does Advent 2011 mean for me?" and I hope my readers will ponder their own reflections on the meaning of Advent at this moment in each of our lives.
As I need time to think and pray about this, I will sign off now and spend quiet time with the Lord and hope you are able to do the same today.

Advent - What does that mean for me this year?

2011-11-27T07:31:00.000-08:00

As we light the first candle on the Advent wreath, we stop and reflect on what Advent means for each of us. I am using the "Little Blue Book: Advent and Christmas Season 2011-2012" that are six-minute reflections on the Sunday Gospels but contain loads of interesting facts.

The first page is titled: Advent/Christmas plans and asks us to spend today's six minutes with the Lord sketching below (there is space to write) "some ideas on how you can spend these 28 days of Advent well. Your plans can include items that are spiritual (deciding where and when you will pray each day)...practical(your gift list)...personal(sending a Christmas card to someone with whom you've not been on good terms)...charitable(doing something for the poor)...
Before you write anything, spend a few quiet moments with the Lord and ask for help.

I love the fact that we are asked on most pages to "Spend some quiet time with the Lord" as I think that is the best preparation for His coming into our hearts anew this Advent.
I have not yet started my new Journal as I find I still have pages left in the one I started last August with my retreat. I suspect I will begin the new one anyway as Advent is the beginning of the new Liturgical year.

Advent, a season of longing

2011-11-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

Since I go to Mass on Saturday evening, I am beginning the lovely season of Advent with the lighting of the Advent wreath and the readings for the first Sunday of Advent. Be alert, the Lord is coming and let your hearts be filled with longing for his advent.
I am off to water exercise now so will write more tomorrow. I just want all to have a great Advent this year!

Dawn beauty

2011-11-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Today is "Black Friday" and we are such a crazy nation of consumers that many are out there fighting to buy, fighting for parking spaces, standing in lines, and some, according to our newspaper, really enjoy this marathon of shopping.

I woke up thinking how much we have to be grateful for and asking myself why I never get up and go watch the sunrise over the ocean.
I also keep thinking of a poem I read yesterday in "The Grateful Heart" that is from Patricia Schneider's "The Patience of Ordinary Things". I think it does make me aware of more things to thank for and helps me to see common things with fresh eyes:

"It is a kind of love, is it not?
How the cup holds the tea,
How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare,
How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes or toes,
How soles of feet know where they're suppose to be,
I've been thinking about the patience of ordinary things,
How clothes wait respectfully in closets
And soap dries quietly in the dish,
And towels drink the wet from the skin of the back,
And the lovely repetition of stairs,
And what is more generous than a window?"

You can probably add to this.
I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. We did and the dinner turned out to be delicious, the company delightful, and I am now left to make turkey soup which I think I will freeze and wait for a cool night in December to serve to my community.

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T11:10:00.000-08:00

I went to Church and that took three hours as we went early for parking; there is only one Mass on Thanksgiving and the children all sing as well as the adult choir; some are dressed as Pilgrims and others as Indians. They carry in the flag at the end and we all sing patriotic songs. There are always some who tell their stories that call forth thanksgiving on the part of all of us.

A parting thought: Yesterday is history; tomorrow is mystery; today is gift.That is why it is called the present.
(I think this comes from AA but was in "The Grateful Heart" which I am still reading.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T07:13:00.000-08:00

I am wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving today as I will probably not be writing tomorrow. There is a long but beautiful Mass I usually go to that takes most of the morning and then dinner and a football game. I hope all of my readers have a blessed, joyful holiday.
Here is a good thought from James Martin, S.J.'s book on "Becoming Who You Are: Insights on the True Self from Thomas Merton and other saints:

I don't think that you can be a true contemplative without being utterly honest before yourself and God. I don't think you can be honest with yourself without being a contemplative in some way. One supports the other. Honesty before God and others deepens your relationship with God, and therefore your prayer. Likewise a deepening intimacy with God frees you to be honest with yourself and with others.

He quotes Merton as saying "To be a saint means for me to be myself." I find this consoling and also that if we want to be a saint, we will be one.
I think the first quote goes with all I have written in the past about the call to be transparent.
I hope you are all thinking about how to enter Advent on Sunday with the spirit of preparation so we profit from that joyful season of four weeks of expectation before the coming of Christ celebrated as a triple coming into our history, our hearts, and the final coming of which we know not the day...

Preparing for Thanksgiving

2011-11-22T06:32:00.000-08:00

This week families are preparing for our national holiday by buying a turkey and all the trimmings to go with it: dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberries, green beans, sweet potato casserole, dinner rolls, and then desserts. I will not name those as I may be making you hungry just thinking about the feast on Thursday! It is a time for families to gather and give thanks. The thanksgiving should begin way before the holiday when we are too busy to just sit down and reflect on the many things we have to be thankful for in our daily lives and even more if we start naming all the priceless gifts we have been given: our health, our sight, hearing, sense of taste and smell, our ability to think, remember, walk, talk, make friends, enjoy life, and then our family, our faith, our education, our country with all its beauty and freedom, etc. Some may want to thank for concrete things like a warm sweater on a cold morning, a cup of tea with a friend, the smile of a child, the smell of a wood fire, roasting marsh-mellows in front of the fireplace, the sound of laughter, the joy of freedom, etc. I think we all need to take time and go back to thank God for his many gifts to us. I especially want to thank for all the persons who have helped me to be the person I am today. They are many so I will begin now to recall them and let you do the same.
This giving thanks is what Thanksgiving is all about so let us be filled with gratitude. It will also be a good preparation for Advent which begins on Sunday.

Sunday Solitude

2011-11-21T04:01:00.000-08:00

I wrote this on Sunday but am posting on Monday which is also the feast of the Presentation of Mary and the day we celebrate the founding of the Society of the Sacred Heart in 1800.

My community have all been away since Friday afternoon, but two of them return Sunday afternoon. It is the first time in months and probably years that I have been alone in the house. I planned to do so much this week end and seem not to be doing much of anything. When I opened the door yesterday morning to go out and get the morning paper, I forgot to turn off the alarm. That scared me as I was afraid the police would come before I could call the alarm company. Fortunately, that was not the case but I made sure I turned off the alarm before bringing in the paper this morning. It made me realize that I am never the first one to get the paper as I do not leave my room usually without at least an hour of prayer and preferably it is closer to an hour and twenty or even thirty minutes. I am most contemplative in the morning; some get coffee before prayer, but I do not drink coffee and wait for a cup of tea until after prayer. My morning prayer sets the tone for the entire day and I look forward to that time with Jesus, even when I seem to spend a great deal of it in thinking rather than just sitting in silence in His Presence. I also do some spiritual reading before facing my day. That is nourishing and feeds further conversation with Jesus who is my Beloved and best friend as well as my God and Savior and Spouse. Well, when no one is here, I find myself wanting to take more time to just be. I have cards to write and will write them today so they will arrive before Thanksgiving.

For reflection today I guess I am still with Jesus as my Shepherd. When I was still a young novice, I had an incredible experience of Jesus as the Good Shepherd and understood what mercy meant and how merciful Jesus is - It was such an intense experience of God's love and mercy that I have never forgotten it. It was summer and so we were having the morning hour of prayer on the roof sitting on camp stools! I told the Novice Mistress about this experience when I wrote my journal to her and she told me that it was a moment of infused contemplation and I should thank God for it. I knew, at that time, nothing about infused contemplation, but know that this experience made me so sure of God's love and mercy that nothing could make me doubt it. Well, I did not set out to share that deep experience, but it seems to me that this Sunday's readings have made me relive that moment.

One thought about today's Gospel is that even the sheep need to ask Jesus "when did we see you hungry or thirsty, naked or ill, or in prison?" Even the good sheep fail to recognize Jesus as he comes to us in each person who is needy. I feel that it is His Mother, Mary, who often says to me as she did to her Son: "They have no wine..." or whatever is lacking. May I learn to recognize Jesus in each.

Now, let me send those cards as I know my family and friends do expect to hear from me at Thanksgiving. My mother started sending cards for all the holidays of the year and I have tried to do the same. This year, I have received an early Thanksgiving card from my brother and sister-in-law and it made me feel good so I hope my cards do the same. I mention this today in case some of you need to remember family or friends before our national holiday of giving thanks. Let us make the next few days ones or real thanksgiving to prepare for the feast on Thursday and, also, giving thanks is a great way to begin to prepare for Advent as next Sunday is the First Sunday of Advent, a special season of just four weeks.

The Shepherd King

2011-11-20T02:28:00.000-08:00

Today is the Feast of Christ the King; however, Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd and there is a real contrast between the humble shepherd who leads his sheep home and tends to their needs and the powerful King who will judge us in the end. I am concentrating on Jesus as one who seeks the lost sheep, who has compassion on the crowds who are like sheep without a shepherd, and who says that he knows his sheep and they know him and he calls us by name. He also lays down his life for the sheep. How grateful I am for the image given us by Jesus of this Good Shepherd. Let us celebrate this Feast of Christ the King by drawing near to our Shepherd King and ask to be numbered always among his sheep.

I have added a new blog to my list so do check it out as it is by one of our religious who lives in Oxford. I have just discovered her blog and it makes me very happy!!

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want...

2011-11-19T02:22:00.000-08:00

I do believe that Jesus is our Good Shepherd and with Him nothing is wanting. I love the image of the Good Shepherd and this Sunday's first reading is so consoling.

Thus says the Lord GOD:
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.

As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Feast of St. Philippine Duchesne

2011-11-18T02:29:00.000-08:00

Mother Duchesne always seemed very close to me when I was at school at St. Charles. We used to go out to the little shrine in front of the school each night to help one of the nuns close up for the night after some prayer. I still remember the vigil lights that had been burning around the tomb and gave us enough light to kneel there in the shadows. It seems to me that they were usually green and amber lights almost burned out. Philippine was always there for me and I was astonished when I entered to find out that so many thought of her as an austere person while I saw her as a mother. I still do and feel that she watched over all of us in a special way at St. Charles and still does. I think she has inspired me as a missionary, as a faithful religious who loved the Society, her family, her country, America, the Church, the nuns and children entrusted to her care and the Indians. She had a heart as wide as the world and was so generous and did so much to help the pioneer Jesuits. She is still an inspiration for me and I am happy to celebrate her feast. The "woman who prays always", as the Indians named her, calls me to a life of prayer and integrity. I think she lived the prayer of Ignatius "to give without counting the cost', to toil without rest, to labor and not to seek any reward except that of doing the will of God. May she give us her gift of prayer and her fortitude and faithfulness!

Jesus will separate the sheep from the goats

2011-11-17T08:19:00.000-08:00

I want to be a sheep, of course. But then I do not do the things I want to do. I think one sins by omission more than we may be aware of each day. On the other hand, I find so much to be grateful for and believe that Jesus loves a grateful person and a cheerful giver so I am not going to worry too much about what I am not doing but examine how consistent my actions are with my desire to please Jesus. I encourage all to think positively and to also heed the words of Jesus in this coming Sunday's Gospel that I copied for you yesterday as it is an important one and shows us how we can please Jesus by caring for others. People are hungry for food, but also people hunger for love, praise, encouragement, and understanding.

I am off to the University but wish you all a happy day!

Thoughts on next Sunday's Gospel

2011-11-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

Next Sunday is the last Sunday of the Liturgical Year and we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King. I love the readings but will only comment on the Gospel today as it is so important.
Gospel Mt 25:31-46
Jesus said to his disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."

I think sometimes we need the reminder of what we are to do for others; and there are many ways of giving nourishment to those who surround us, of welcoming them as they are, clothing them with love and understanding, and being with them when they need us. I am thinking that there are many days when I fail to do all that Jesus asks me to do in helping others; if I really were loving them as Jesus loves me, I would leave nothing undone for my neighbor and would study how I can be of greater help. I think this Sunday's Gospel calls us to love in action and a concentrated effort to see how those around me can be aided - it is not just to feed the hungry, visit the sick, or do what we can for the poor. It is to take positive action to nourish others in all the ways that we can, to be with them and remember that what we do to others we do to the Lord!

Water is such a gift!

2011-11-15T14:24:00.000-08:00

I spent the morning at the doctor's and then cleaning our refrigerator which was almost empty; then I went to the grocery store and bought many things so we are well-stocked for food maybe until Thanksgiving! I cannot believe that a week from Thursday is Thanksgiving but have been thanking today for the gift of water. My reflection has taken me through many thoughts of water, the need we have for it, the abundance of water in some places and the lack of water in others. Especially, it has led me to be grateful for our pool as I was able to get in and swim today and feel so relaxed and at peace now.
I am praying for our world. In Miami we are having many houses broken into and their was a robbery just across and down from our house this morning. I guess people are in such need that they are breaking into houses to steal whatever they can find to sell.

I hope I will be more spiritual and have some better reflections soon, but I just sit here and share with you whatever seems to be on my mind. NN

Monday Morning

2011-11-14T08:24:00.000-08:00

We are having beautiful weather and I am heading for the swimming pool while the sun is out. I missed my time at the gym while I was away and am missing it again today as I needed to do some more urgent things around the house. As you can probably tell from my lack of quiet reflection for my blogs since I have been home, I am still trying to do too much and not doing all that I want. I would tell someone else to just take it easy, breathe deeply, and calmly prioritize and then do one thing at a time. It is easier to give advice to someone else than follow it myself!

Here is a nice quote from Mechtild of Magdeburg:
"To love in every moment praises God.
Longing love brings a sorrow sweet to the pure.
Seeking love belongs to itself alone.
Understanding love is mingled with the sadness of the world.
But selfless love bears an effortless fruit,
Working so quietly even the body cannot say how it comes and goes."

2011-11-13T14:02:00.000-08:00

Something has happened to my blog and I cannot find my original one to post or edit posts. I am just letting you know this and will try to solve the problem tomorrow. I think it will publish correctly, but I have only a tiny font and cannot discover anything to make it bigger and there is not any help button. I will be able, I hope, to tackle this problem tomorrow.

Week end at home!

2011-11-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel that you might not catch up with all that you think you need to do? We have an RSCJ visiting this week end and I gave her the keys to my 12-year old Toyota and so I am staying at home. I will go to Mass this evening with one of my community but I am really cleaning up my desk, answering letters, deleting e-mails, and many necessary tasks that must be done before I am swamped. However, even as I wrote the first sentence for this blog, I realized that nothing drastic will happen if all that I "think" I need to do does not get done! So I am also relaxing and watching part of the Nebraska game with Penn State with one of my community. The game began with prayer for the victims of abuse - what a terrible thing to do to young boys and how many have been abused by persons one would trust. It makes the scandal of the abuse by priests such a terrible thing and it will not go away. I think we need to pray much for all the victims as I suspect there are some who will never come forward; I suspect there are women, too, who were abused by priests, teachers, and others in authority and who were and are afraid to accuse their abusers.

I did not sit down to write this kind of a reflection but maybe I need to let it go as it is weighing heavily on me today.

On a lighter note, I have so much to be grateful for and I am trying to be very conscious of the fact that every moment is a gift and I have this desire to thank and praise God that I am alive and able to do so many things. Let us thank God together for the good things of each day and be aware that He is gifting us constantly with life and love!

Live and Learn

2011-11-11T03:43:00.000-08:00

I wish everyone a joy filled day! If you are looking for a job, here is a website you might want to look at:http://jooble-us.com/ I am not looking for a job, but I am glad to pass on this information to anyone who is. I spent some time today with the Gospel for next Sunday. It is the parable that Jesus told of the Master who gave his three servants different amounts of "talents" or money before he left for a long journey. You will remember that the one who received five talents doubled the amount; the one who had received two talents also doubled the amount he had. To both of them the Master said on his return: "Well done, good and faithful servant. Because you have been faithful in small things greater responsibilities will be given to you. Enter into your Master's joy." (I am trying to quote from memory so may not be exact.)
I keep thinking about what it means to enter into the Master's joy.
I also think of the third servant who received only one talent and went and buried it. He must have been fearful and maybe lazy and did nothing with his talent and the Master was not pleased and banished him. I guess this can point to our own holding back sometimes and being afraid to use the gifts God has given us. We sin by omission and this is easy to do as sometimes we just do not even want to make the effort to use what has been given to us. Spreading joy would be one gift I would love to use today!

Home again after a visit to Arizona to see my family

2011-11-10T15:01:00.000-08:00

I had a great week in Arizona and felt good about having the first four nights with my brother and sister-in-law as I see very little of them now that they have been living in Gold Canyon for at least ten years. I watched multiple football games with John, my brother, who has five TVs in one room set up so he can watch five games at a time! On Sunday evening, we had a family dinner with my sister and her husband and my nephew and his wife and then I went to Scottsdale with my sister and brother-in-law. I was spoiled all week and now need to get to work.
The picture is not from Arizona but a weather vane seemed appropriate as I have had several kinds of weather this past week: first it was hot, then windy with a dust storm, and then rain and then cold. Some parts of Arizona had seven inches of snow! I enjoyed sleeping under blankets every night.
I was at the University today, Thursday, as I came home last night. We have our reflection group now.

Rain and Snow and the Feast of All Saints

2011-11-01T03:23:00.000-07:00

We are having rain and some flooding of streets this week, but the northeast has had heavy snow that has knocked out power and I am sure many are suffering up there. It is a strange thing to think of snow at the end of October! However, it is now November and the Feast of All Saints which I love.

Here is the the reason the Feast gives us joy:
The Preface for All Saints
Today we keep the festival of Your holy city,
the heavenly Jerusalem, our mother.
Around Your throne the saints,
our brothers and sisters,
sing Your praise for ever.
Their glory fills us with joy,
and their communion with us in Your Church
gives us inspiration and strength
as we hasten on our pilgrimage of faith,
eager to meet them.

With their great company and all the angels
we praise Your glory as we cry out with one voice:

Holy, holy, holy...

I need to tell you that I will be away again for a week - just to get to see family in Arizona. I found a cheap ticket on Southwest months ago and was happy about that and these dates seemed to be good for everyone so I take off and will be away from the blog for a whole week. Maybe it will be nine days as I am usually swamped the first days back. I am sure that I will be watching many football games with my brother! Maybe I will really learn the difference between some of the rules for college games and for Professional games as I get confused sometimes. It is always good to see family and worth the whole day of travel as Southwest leaves from Fort Lauderdale and then goes to Kansas City before Phoenix so it will be about ten hours or so after I leave home before I arrive out there and my sister-in-law is going to meet me. I will spend some of the week with her and my brother in Gold Canyon and then go to Scottsdale to be with my sister. She and her husband live about 45 minutes away and my nephew and his wife live about forty-five minutes away from both of them so it is a nice triangle; I suspect it is about an hour each way now that traffic has increased out there, but still close enough for them to get together.
Look for the next post around November 12th.

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T03:28:00.000-07:00

Today is important because it is the eve of All Saint' Day. It is also one of the favorite days for children as it comes at a special moment when there are no other fun days and children love the idea of dressing up and having a party or going out for tricks and treats. I remember the best time I enjoyed a costume party was when four of us decided to be the "Dead End Kids" when I was in about the fifth grade (my memory is fussy on this but we must have seen the movie and decided to go to the party at school dressed as these kids with old blue jeans and patches sewed on our shirts). I think I was a tomboy anyway, but this was a really comfortable costume that made me feel free to be myself. It is funny what we remember. When I was in seventh grade, my mother went all out to give me a great Halloween party for my classmates. I think she enjoyed planning it, too, but it was such fun and one of the best parties given when I was in grade school.

Well, let us use this eve of All Saints to remember all who have gone before us and who are still watching over us from Heaven. I need to begin today to recall the huge number of saints that I have known plus many of my favorite canonized saints!

Peace sought for the world by Pope Benedict XVI

2011-10-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

I do not know if you have been following the Pope's journey to Assisi these past days; I have not really seen our newspapers covering it, but here is an excerpt from Benedict XVI's talk there that is good for us to reflect on today. Peace is so important in our world.

"As a Christian I want to say at this point: yes, it is true, in the course of history, force has also been used in the name of the Christian faith. We acknowledge it with great shame. But it is utterly clear that this was an abuse of the Christian faith, one that evidently contradicts its true nature. The God in whom we Christians believe is the Creator and Father of all, and from him all people are brothers and sisters and form one single family. For us the Cross of Christ is the sign of the God who put “suffering-with” (compassion) and “loving-with” in place of force. His name is “God of love and peace” (2 Cor 13:11). It is the task of all who bear responsibility for the Christian faith to purify the religion of Christians again and again from its very heart, so that it truly serves as an instrument of God’s peace in the world, despite the fallibility of humans.

If one basic type of violence today is religiously motivated and thus confronts religions with the question as to their true nature and obliges all of us to undergo purification, a second complex type of violence is motivated in precisely the opposite way: as a result of God’s absence, his denial and the loss of humanity which goes hand in hand with it. The enemies of religion – as we said earlier – see in religion one of the principal sources of violence in the history of humanity and thus they demand that it disappear. But the denial of God has led to much cruelty and to a degree of violence that knows no bounds, which only becomes possible when man no longer recognizes any criterion or any judge above himself, now having only himself to take as a criterion. The horrors of the concentration camps reveal with utter clarity the consequences of God’s absence."

"It is the task of all who bear responsibility for the Christian faith to purify the religion of Christians again and again from its very heart, so that it truly serves as an instrument of God’s peace in the world, despite the fallibility of humans."
How am I helping to do this?

Yesterday, as I walked into Church I saw one of my favorite priests, a Franciscan, who used to say the Saturday evening Mass until he was recalled by his province to New York. I was so happy to see him and hear that he is staying for a few months on sabbatical. I am sure others are as happy as I am as he is such a simple, holy, humble priest and radiates goodness, joy and love. It did me good just to see him. I am grateful, too, to have him back and hope his Provincial knows how much he is appreciated here!

Have a Happy Hallowmeen tomorrow!

Canadian beauty

2011-10-29T05:40:00.000-07:00

The Canadian Province of the Society of the Sacred Heart has asked not to be a Province as they are fewer now, but still doing a great work in their beautiful country. I am thinking of all we have to thank for in that country - we are close because the Canadian novices were formed with us at Kenwood. I guess I am thinking of gratitude because I am reading "The Grateful Heart" and the authors insist that we need to establish regular practices of gratitude to develop an attitude of gratefulness. I guess the Ignatian daily examen is one way to look back over the day and thank God for all the gifts and blessings received. I am most struck these days by realizing that it is in Him we live and move and have our being. God is with us in everything and everything is gift. Someone said that gratitude is the echo of grace.

Our Lady of the Snows

2011-10-28T04:03:00.000-07:00

Since I spent last week end at the shrine of Our Lady of the Snows, it seems fitting that I talk a bit about the devotion to her which was first introduced to the Midwest in 1941 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. This was mostly through th work of the :Flying Priest of the Arctic", Father Paul Schulte, O.M.I. and the founder of the National Shrine, Father Edwin Guild, O.M.I. but the devotion is much older.

There is a legend about a marvelous snowfall in Rome in 352 A.D. It seems that Mary had indicated in a dream to a Roman couple that she wanted a church built in her honor and the site for the church would be covered with snow. On a hot, sultry day, August 5, the Esquiline Hill was covered with snow. Everyone proclaimed this summer snow a miracle. The great basilica of St. Mary Major was built on the site.
The Oblates of Mary Immaculate have honored Mary in Belleville, Illinois, as Our Lady of the Snows. They are her missionaries and see her special role in the Church as the first missionary who carried Jesus to others.

Looking ahead to Sunday's Gospel

2011-10-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

I like to click on the Concord Pastor's blog (found on the right hand side of my blog)and then click on the Bible to read some of the commentaries for next Sunday's Gospel. Today I am quoting from one of my favorite commentators, John Kavanaugh, S. J. of Saint Louis University - do go read the entire commentary as I have just quoted the last part:

"You, dear reader, need not bear the burden of my gospel literal-mindedness or my scruples, but it is noteworthy that Jesus makes such a big deal out of the whole thing.

Clearly he is talking about the danger of putting anyone in the place of God. Surely he is warning us against the tendency to set up a guru or a master as a solution for life’s travails. And there is no doubt that Jesus is reminding all of us that we should not pose as the savior or master of anybody.

Only God is God. As St. Paul reminds the Thessalonians, our message, our word, and our teaching are God’s, who works through and in us all. It is so tempting to make oneself the message and the teaching—especially if you have an honorific title.

If we wish honor or pre-eminence, let it be in service, rather than in being served. If we aspire to be Number One, let us be the first to forgive, to heal, to minister. We can’t escape the message. Jesus is getting at something here.

We are brothers and sisters. That’s that. In this matter of grace and salvation, there is no one of us above the other, even though some of us, by the grace of God, are asked to read the book, preach the word, offer the consecration, or pray the absolution.

Our ministry, like St. Paul’s, must be one of gentle encouragement, “as a mother,” he says, sharing the Good News and graces of our lives. This may not make us look very imposing. But it will make us, with Paul, more grateful."

Gratitude

2011-10-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

As I am reading The Grateful Heart by Wilkie and Noreen Au, I am going to share some of my thoughts this morning about the four facets they give of a grateful disposition. First comes intensity which really means that I need to take time to feel intensely my gratitude. I can increase my feeling of gratitude by savoring with more appreciation the people and events that make me feel grateful.
2.Frequency: I need to really be aware of the gifts and blessings in my life and that means stopping to reflect on them and "count my blessings". By consciously thanking for the many gifts of each day, I increase my disposition towards gratitude.
3. Span: This is not taking things for granted but including all the daily events, people, experiences, in my gratitude. We often take things for granted as we enjoy them everyday - that includes our senses, our freedom, our meals, our home, etc.
4. Density: This includes being grateful for all that goes into whatever success or achievement I have; think of the people who have helped me to be who I am today as well as the unique experiences I have had to bring me to this point and thank for all who have contributed to my gratitude today.

I just think that by being grateful we will be pleasing Jesus who is aware of all the gifts that God has given each one of us. He cured ten lepers but only one returned to give thanks!

A Wonderful Week

2011-10-25T07:59:00.000-07:00

I had a really wonderful week and then the Province week end at Our Lady of the Snows so I will share some of the highlights which gave me great joy. The day I arrived I was met by one of my favorite RSCJs who promptly offered me her ticket for the symphony that night. I went and enjoyed every minute. The next morning I went with another RSCJ friend (also a visitor that Saturday) to St. Charles for a morning of silent prayer both in the Shrine and in the room where Philippine lived for the last ten years of her life. The morning flew by and then we went to lunch in St. Charles. We had a welcome prayer and dinner that night for another RSCJ who has returned after thirty years as a missionary in Africa. On Sunday morning we went to the College Church for Mass and then I had a visit and lunch with my provincial which made me very grateful and then I went to visit one of my RSCJ friends and back to watch the Cardinals play (that, of course, became a big part of the visit). On Monday, I began work at the Archives but went to Mass at the Cathedral and then had a visit with one of my friends from early childhood; on Tuesday, after a day at the Archives, I went out with another friend to visit with her husband who is in a nursing home and then to dinner. It was so good seeing her as we have been friends for 69 years!!
Wednesday I made my famous chicken vegetable soup for the community where I stay in St. Louis. The secret is to use French onion soup with chicken broth as the base and throw in every kind of vegetable that is available plus a can of diced stewed-tomatoes and cut up lots of celery and carrots, too. Then, Thursday was Mater's Feast so I went to the Mass at our school, Villa Duchesne, and then to the archives. On Friday, my sister-in-law was in town to celebrate her mother's 87th birthday so they picked me up and we went to lunch at Steak and Shake and then I went home to finish packing and drive with others to Our Lady of the Snows in Belleville. There were twenty-four Religious of the Sacred Heart making this dialog week end which is being held in five different places on different dates so over 150 of us will have had the opportunity to be together and share and pray as it is also a contemplative type of week end with beautiful prayer together, sharing in small groups, meals together, time for personal prayer and reflection and time to just enjoy one another. We ended with a box lunch on Sunday and then off to the airport for some of us and others drove or even took a train. It was just good to be together and made me so grateful to be an RSCJ! Well, now I am trying to get through about three hundred e-mails that I let pile up and now need to read, answer or just delete. I suspect this will take me a couple of days.
Not much of a spiritual reflection today, but I thought you would enjoy an account of my week away. Here is a quote though that I took from a new book I have just begun to read. The book is "The Grateful Heart: Living the Christian Message" by Wilkie Au and Noreen Cannon Au. (Paulist Press, 2011). Positive psychologists have found that happiness is closely associated "with a core set of personal character traits that they labeled "heart strengths': gratitude, hope, zest, and the ability to love and to be loved."

Home again and happy to be back on the blog

2011-10-24T10:04:00.000-07:00

Since I was not here for Mater's feast last Thursday, I thought you might like to have a litany that was composed for Mater and sent to me on her feast. I went to the celebration of Mater with a beautiful Liturgy at our school, Villa Duchesne in St. Louis with pink-icing on the cookies passed out as we emerged from the Chapel. Later, at our national Society of the Sacred Heart archives, I enjoyed a cupcake with pink icing; we do have some traditions that last and I was happy to see so many pink shirts, sweaters, hair ribbons, and scarfs during the day. More about my wonderful week away tomorrow.

Litany of Mater Admirabilis

Mother most Admirable,
Pray for us.

Mother most Admirable, Lily of the Valley, and Flower of the Field,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, whose image shows forth the beauty of purity,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you make all things easy for us,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, to look upon you lifts us above the things of earth,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you teach us to love Jesus,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you break the bonds of the most hardened sinners,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you teach us to despise the pleasures and honors of the world.
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you reveal to your children the secrets of the Tabernacle,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, purer than the whitest Lily,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, balm for every wound,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you hold the secret of perfect serenity,
Pray for us.

Mother most Admirable, Model of true Greatness,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, at whose feet we would remain forever,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, none can approach you without becoming holier,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, best of comforters,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, lowly as the hidden violet,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you fill our hearts with happiness,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you give us a foretaste of Heaven,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you give courage for the greatest sacrifices,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, delight of Heaven and earth,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, the very thought of you brings peace to the heart,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you speak to all the words of Life,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, to look upon you is to find peace,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, Mother of the interior life,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you revive our failing courage
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, your gentle modesty equals your high dignity,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, you have long ago revealed how dear this title is to you,
Pray for us.
Mother most Admirable, none have never invoked you in vain,
Pray for us.
AMEN

Commentary on the Litany of Mater Admirabilis

By the Society of the Sacred Heart

Translated from the French

Rome, Mother House 1960

Feast of Mater, October 20

2011-10-13T12:10:00.000-07:00

Since I am away, I am posting this early to remind you of this feast.
Today is the Feast of Mater, dear to all Sacred Heart children, old pupils, and many others who have confided in Our Lady under this title of Mother most Admirable. Here is one of my favorite prayers:
Under the pressure of over-activity which at times consumes us,
disturbs us, or scatters our energies in doing what is visible and accidental
let us come to our Mater.

She is the Mother of the Invisible and the Mother of the Essential.
Let us ask her to detach us, to free us from all that is not important,
to lead us on, and to fix our gaze upon the Invisible which her own eyes look upon.

May she give us the right understanding of the Essential and a hunger for it.
One thing alone is necessary: the will of God and the work of God's love.
May Mater give us this singleness of vision so that we, too, may see the Invisible and the Essential in all. Amen.

May Mater help us to prepare for her feast!

Julian of Norwich

2011-10-12T03:08:00.000-07:00

The last new book that I am going to talk about is Amy Frykholm's Julian of Norwich: A Contemplative Biography. Paraclete Press, 2010. I bought the book because I love Julian of Norwich. I have not yet read it, but look forward to doing so. I visited Norwich and the tiny cell attached to the Church that was rebuilt after the war. I found the Cathedral, more than a fairly recent church, more filled with the spirit of Julian, but I did enjoy my visit and now I feel that I will enjoy reading a contemplative biography of her. I have studied her visions which she wrote and remember that this was the first book in the English language written by a woman.
Now, I shall try to remember to say more about the book when I have had a chance to read it. I do read a great deal, but only spend a little time each day on spiritual reading. I think that I have given all my readers many suggestions to keep you all busy. I will be away so will not be writing probably until October 25. In the meantime, do not forget to look at the blog of the Concord Pastor and click on the Bible to have great commentaries for the Sunday readings...also check out some of the other online sources I list for prayer. Then I feel I can go away and know that I leave you with good sources. So, until October 25 - and, to quote Julian, "all will be well, and all will be well,..."

2011-10-11T04:47:00.000-07:00

Now…let us live in grateful remembrance and full of hope that even the best things that are behind us have no proportion with what is still before us, since God will always be better to us than God has been yet, and in all the vicissitudes of life we shall always know God better and have to lean more upon God.

[Janet Erskine Stuart, RSCJ, from Maud Monahan, Life and Letters of Janet Erskine Stuart]

Between Heaven and Mirth

2011-10-10T00:33:00.000-07:00

James Martin, S.J. has a new book: Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life. (HarperOne, 2011).
It is advertised and reviewed in this week's America and so I ordered it and it was downloaded to my Kindle in less than 40 seconds. I am so grateful for the gift of the Kindle as most books are much cheaper, but I think I really prefer to be able to have a spiritual book in my hand and mark it up as I go along. I can, of course, highlight passages of books on Kindle and make notes, but I mostly use for Kindle for light reading and games. This book is one that I wanted to read at once and pass on the good news to you for this is a book to give joy. I have become a fan of James Martin as he entertains as well as nourishes us in all his writings.
Now, I need to start adding all the books I have been reviewing to my list on the right. I know I still have a few to add and ordered a couple of more this week so I will complete the list for you before I take off on October 14 for St. Louis where I will work in our national archives, see friends, and attend a province week end for dialog with other Religious of the Sacred Heart. While I am away I will not be writing but I am giving you enough suggestions for good spiritual reading to keep you busy. I have not, as I told you from the beginning, read all of these books, but I have dipped into each one and find each worth reading or I would not list it on the right side of my blog!!Normally, I never list a book that I have not read, but this time I feel that I have read enough to know that these are good books for anyone to read. Some of them are outstandingly good!

We are all invited...

2011-10-09T00:51:00.000-07:00

God invites us all to the banquet. Am I like those in the parable Jesus told today who do not heed his invitation? When pressed, they give excuses. I wonder what the real reason is for refusing the invitation. I think I am one who has rejected the invitation often in the past and continue to do so for silly reasons. I think I am busy, but probably I am just lazy or too preoccupied with my own concerns to even remember that I am invited to this great banquet.
Then the King invites everyone. And God keeps inviting us. "If today You hear his voice, harden not your hearts."
The following is an excerpt of an article by Patricia Sanchez sent by NCR; itis a good reflection on today's Gospel:

"Perhaps one way of answering this question is to consider how we respond to God’s many invitations in our lives. Some of those are standing invitations that invite us to gather regularly for liturgy. These weekly or even daily invitations can become so routine that we might not be fully present at the banquet of word and bread and fellowship. At the end of a liturgical celebration, one pastor in a small rural parish in the South proclaimed to his congregation, “Go forth in peace; this has been the highlight of our day; it is all downhill from here.” This colloquial way of affirming the eucharistic banquet as the source and summit of our lives remained with his parishioners, who struggled to value all else in their lives as secondary to -- and dependent upon -- that time of sacred sharing.

God’s invitations reveal themselves in other ways as well. Through the persons who reach out to us in their need, God invites us to share. Through those who suffer injustice, God invites our advocacy and responsible participation at the ballot box. Through those who have no one to speak for them, no one to uphold their rights to live and work without fear, God invites our persistent involvement on their behalf.

In the beauties of nature, God invites our awe and admiration; in the calamities of nature, God invites our trust. In the warmth of friendship and familial harmony, God invites our gratitude; in the pain and turmoil of strained relationships, God invites our perseverance. In the vigor of our youth and good health, God invites our grateful service; in the pain of sickness and the struggles of old age, God invites our endurance and calm. In all our fears, in all our frustrations, in all our sadness, desires, accomplishments and joys, God is inviting us to be at peace and center upon the One who is to be our ultimate concern."

[Patricia Sánchez holds a master’s degree in literature and religion of the Bible from a joint degree program at Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary in New York.]

Book reviews will continue tomorrow.

Busy today adding books to the list on the right side of my blog

2011-10-08T06:55:00.000-07:00

It is pouring rain here and yet this picture just popped up and makes me think that summer is over although we still have hot weather that allows us to enjoy the water. I am sorry it is raining today, but good to stay home and catch up on letters and odd jobs.
I am not reviewing a book today, but have talked about Louis Savary's The New Spiritual Exercises in the Spirit of Teilhard de Chardin before in earlier blogs; we are using it in our Reflection Group and I think it is a book that all my friends should have. It is really transforming but is a retreat in daily life and is to be prayed rather than just read. The basic principles of Chardin are listed and worth the price of the book just to have Chardin's thought so clearly expressed and then applied throughout the book.

We are responsible for our planet!

2011-10-08T03:59:00.000-07:00

God has given us such a wonderful universe and we live in a world that contains beauty wherever we go, especially when we contemplate nature. I am always amazed at the gorgeous tracts of land we have in all our country that are still without homes and so keep their natural beauty. Well, the image above made me start thinking of the books that I have been reading and how all insist on our helping the evolution of the world; actually, we have God with us, but God created us to bring unity to all.

My book for today is by the Indian Jesuit, Paul Coutinho: An Ignatian Pathway: Experiencing the Mystical Dimensions of the Spiritual Exercises. (Loyola, 2011) This is an interesting little book with over 100 one-page reflections on some aspect of Ignatian Spirituality, usually on a phrase taken from the Spiritual Exercises. The book could be used as a resource for anyone wanting to deepen the graces of the Spiritual Exercises and especially for one who is looking for an experience of God. I like the short excerpts and love the one-liners in italics at the bottom of each page. Here are a couple of examples:
Ignatius converts the energy of doing into the celebration of being.

We become what we contemplate.

The source of our happiness and the meaning of our lives come from our relationship with God.

The good news is that God loves us totally and unconditionally--just as we are.

Our One Great Act of Fidelity

2011-10-07T03:26:00.000-07:00

Ronald Rolheiser's latest book, Our One Great Act of Fidelity
was one I read during my retreat. It is an easy book to read and gives many ways for us to look at the Eucharist and increase our appreciation and desire for Eucharist; it is really a book that motivated me to participate daily and with renewed love and attention.

"The Emergent Christ"

2011-10-06T07:50:00.000-07:00

The Emergent Christ: Exploring the Meaning of Catholic in an Evolutionary Universe
by Ilia Delio is a deep, fascinating book that unites scientific discoveries about the universe with our call to build of the Body of Christ and shows us how this is being accomplished through the Spirit. The book is so rich and I have just read it through and will begin again at the beginning to go through it slowly to try and digest the wisdom that Delio's book contains. She is a senior fellow in science and religion at Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University and is the author of several books including "Christ In Evolution."
This book makes a good companion to "The New Spiritual Exercises In the Spirit of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin"; it is not easy to read Delio but very worthwhile. She does have a Glossary and excellent notes. There are so many good parts, but I will quote only one from Chapter Nine: "If there is a movement towards wholeness in the universe, then it is first a movement toward wholeness of soul. Wholeness is the integrated field of energy whereby all bodies are joined together by a luminous thread of love. This can take place only when each soul discovers its own power to expand and hence its power to unite. Cosmic-unity is first self-unity; this is the core of the Christian spiritual journey. To participate in the flourishing of life in the universe is to discover first the inner universe; indeed, the secret of the universe lies within."

A Book of Hours

2011-10-05T06:45:00.000-07:00

Thomas Merton's A Book of Hours was published by Sorin Books in 2007 and sat on my bookshelf until it was mentioned by my retreat director this summer. I came home, found the book in pristine condition and started using it. It was edited by Kathleen Deignan but the words are all Merton's and he has some phrases that one wants to linger over. It is a book that can be dipped into at different times of the day as it is divided into the seven days of the week with each day having its own section for dawn, day, dusk and dark.
I will share here two quotes that I copied in my journal from the book:
"Be content, be content.
We are the Body of Christ.
We have found Him, He has found us.
We are in Him, He in us.
There is nothing further to look for, except the deepening of this life we already possess.
Be content."

"No matter how simple discourse may be, it is never simple enough.
No matter how simple thought may be, it is never simple enough.
No matter how simple love may be, it is never simple enough.
The only thing left is the simplicity of the soul in God, or better, the simplicity of God."

Books and our Inward Journey

2011-10-04T07:28:00.000-07:00

Books have always led me down a path of interior life; sometimes this is just day dreaming, but most spiritual books have led me to reflect on God's love and His constant presence and action in my life and the lives of others. I promised to share some of my thoughts from the books I listed on October 1. Today I realize that I need to give this more thought. In the meantime, let us all reflect on what a gift a book is and what a wonderful invention that first made the oral word into writing; then, after years of developing written communication and ways to store the writings, we came to the printing press! Now we have billions of books, libraries, e-books, and we read on Nooks and Kindles. Still, the power of the written word reaches us in newspapers, magazines, brochures, letters, ads, and signs. Let us spend time today recalling favorite books that have led us deeper inside ourselves or books that have opened new horizons for us. We all have favorite books we love to reread. Above all, let us be grateful for the great gift of books!

Changed Heart, Changed World

2011-10-04T01:22:00.000-07:00

Another book that I have recently read and enjoyed in William A. Barry, S.J.'s Changed Heart,Changed World: The Transforming Freedom of Friendship with God. Loyola, 2011. I have found all of Bill Barry's books helpful and easy to read. He stresses God's unconditional love for each of us and that really is a big part of my own spirituality. This is not one of my favorites of all his books, but it does have some new ideas. I like the author and would love to make a directed retreat with him. He is a well-known spiritual director and is tertian director for the New England Province of the Society of Jesus.