Flowing Water

As I prepare for the Feast of the Sacred Heart this Friday, my imagination is filled with the image of water flowing from the side of Christ only I seem to be seeing this water in images in nature. I was looking over retreat notes from 1987 and I found a poem that I wrote on living water. (I thiik I must have thrown it away as now I cannot find it!)
St. Madeleine Sophie wrote about the first days of the founding of the Society when they "sighed for solitude and freedom from all tasks...but had to sacrifice this attraction that must not have been God's will..."
She wrote also:
"What shall be our spirit? With one voice we all said, "Generosity! A strong and generous love for Jesus Christ, that is what we felt must be the character of the spouses of His Heart. Consequently we agreed to banish from among us all the pettiness of convent life, the tricks of self-love, the sensitiveness, the antipathies which are the faults of the half-hearted and divided souls."

God always is acting in my life, but not always according to my plans...

This is a picture of the way I think I would like to spend my vacation; at least some days on the beach, but this is romantic and does not fit my daily life which is full of humdrum things that need to be done, like emptying trash, dusting, sorting papers(this is the hardest for me as I stop to read everything and then end up with a pile to be filed) - the point is that God is with me in all these daily tasks and this is the way He plans the day and so I find joy in realizing that I am pleasing Him even if it means just cleaning up the kitchen. Now, I had better get busy and do some of the above but will close with a spiritual reflection from my morning prayer: It is the action of the Spirit that transforms us and I need to remember that I can do nothing by myself but all things in Him who strengthens me! Joy comes from doing what God wants and deciding it is what I want, too.
Here is an inspiring quote from St. Madeleine Sophie:
If it were necessary to go to the ends of the earth to gain a soul for God, I would not hesitate before any sacrifice. One soul saved is worth more than our lives."

"Jesus said that if you wish to be happy, come and follow me, and he who follows me will be truly free." Quote from the new Archbishop elect of Milan.

Community Can't Be Taken For Granted

Joan Chittister has a piece on community in the National Catholic Reporter. Here are a few thoughts from it that have struck me and are worth reflecting on today:
"Community is a matter of the heart and the mind. It cannot be created by place alone, and it cannot be destroyed by distance alone. It is of the essence of the soul.
What we identify with, what gives us a sense of purpose, of belonging, of support is our community.
Community building does not just happen.
It cannot be taken for granted.
It requires both great faith and great trust that is generated by a continuing display of great human care that begins with me, and then comes back to me.
It takes a great deal of energy to create community...."

I think it takes a great deal of humility and love and prayer but we are all called to create community. Joan also speaks of virtual community that is just as real in many dimensions as physical presence.
I guess there is more of the "nitty-gritty" in living daily with each other and the cooking, cleaning, washing dishes, taking out the trash, are all part of the way we build community and show love for one another.

How often do we use the Psalms?

Today I again remind you that the blogs I have listed on the right side of this blog (just scroll down to find them) are excellent. The Concord Pastor has a special Monday morning offering; one gives the latest Church news; and Random Musings has helpful hints such as what he posted last Friday: Five Ways to Pray the Psalms:
(He explains each but I will give you the five here in case you have not time to go look at his blog - he is a former student of mine and I admire all that he does to further God's Kingdom in Malaysia:
1. Say them out loud.
2. Use them as a jumping off platform.
3. Paraphrase them.
4. Memorize them.
5. Let them talk to you.

Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

This Feast gives me real devotion as I have always been attracted to the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. I find it such a great mystery and such a tremendous mark of His Love. I love just being able to take what we always called our half hour in the afternoon of Adoration. It was a sacred time and I have been trying to reclaim it. It makes a difference in my life to be able to sit in front of the Blessed Sacrament for a quiet half hour just to be with Him without an agenda. Many parishes have perpetual adoration now and I admire those who sign up and are faithful to their hour; I remember when my sister used to go on Friday afternoons and she told me it made a difference for her whole week. I have the Chapel next to my room now and so can stop and pray whenever I want. I do feel the presence of Christ and He is always saying, "Come to Me..."

Preparing for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ

Tomorrow is the Sunday that we now celebrate the gift of the Eucharist and the tremendous mystery of God's continued presence in the Sacrament of the Eucharist. I remember my father being in the first bench of the Church during Mass on Easter with my two little brothers looking angelic in white suits and well-combed hair. I was in a pew further back with my friends that Easter morning but could hear my brother John who was probably three years old that Easter asking my Dad how Jesus could possible live there as the door was too small for Him to enter.
Anyway, tomorrow's Feast is one where we need to adore, thank, and reverence the Presence of the Lord who has made Himself so accessible and so much a part of our daily lives. He loves us and waits for us.
Next Friday is the Feast of the Sacred Heart and we just had a wonderful letter from our Mother General to help us prepare for it. She brought out the fact that Jesus loves us and is always saying to us, "Come to Me..." We are asked to be so immersed in His Love that we give His love to all.
May the Holy Spirit inspire us to prepare well for both of these feasts; we need the Spirit to transform us so that we may love as Jesus loves.

Why does water lead me to prayer?

I do not really know why water, whether ocean, river, lake, pond, creek, stream, or lagoon, leads me into prayer. Perhaps because water is a symbol of the unconscious and takes me deep inside myself and into God. Whatever, I am fascinated by water and just can sit and look at even a picture of it and find an inner stillness and peace. If I am looking at the ocean, I am in awe of the greatness of God. I am also caught up in wonder though at the strength of the currant in some rivers, the depth of some lakes, and the calmness of lagoons, ponds, and smaller bodies of water. I give thanks everyday that we are blessed in Miami with a swimming pool and I can be immersed in the water. I do not know how to explain how this leads me into prayer but it has to do with the cleft in the rock where I enter the sea of Divine Love. Words cannot explain what happens.

Rivers, streams, any body of water has such beauty

I am seeing my life journey as a flowing river due to reading John O'Donohue. I think it fascinating to know that we keep flowing and need to let the water find its path. I think of the Grand Canyon and the strength of the Colorado river to cut its path through rock. A river just keeps rolling along; we are to be consciously aware of this flow in our own lives and let God direct the path our river takes. Sometimes my river seems to be so peaceful, almost at rest as it passes through beautiful scenery; at other times I am turbulent and tossing as I twist and turn down my river bed; I even change colors according to my mood and the sun and the moon. Life is a mystery and I am immersed in it.

I hope you are also looking at the blogs I have on the right side of my blog; the Concord Pastor has wonderful commentaries on the Sunday reading if you just click on the Bible. Today I found in another list of great spiritual books that you may also want to check out for summer reading. Go to:"Random Musings from a Doctor's Chair to find this list of spiritual books.
www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/reviews/

The Prayer of Appreciation

I am still using quotes in my journal from O'Donohue's "Eternal Echoes". He says:
One of the most beautiful forms of prayer is the prayer of appreciation...
When you appreciate all you are and all you have, you can celebrate and enjoy it. You realize how fortunate you are... You are able to bless and give thanks to God.

The prayer of appreciation has no agenda but gracious thanks.

The unknown evokes wonder. If you lose your sense of wonder, you lose the sacramental mystery of the world."

I think that is more than enough to reflect on today!

First Day of Summer

I think I need to find time to go to the ocean and find someone to go with as I think my days are too busy doing things around the house. I am reading a bit and trying to go swimming; it rained this afternoon and I did not get home from grocery shopping to eat lunch until 2:30 so I am not yet ready to cook dinner.
I spent the morning prayer with a sense of wonder. I think that when we put ourselves in the presence of God we are first filled with wonder. Then comes reverence and praise and even joy. I am going to quote from John O'Donohue's Eternal Echoes again: (these are my notes/quotes from p. 198 forward in book)

Prayer is the art of presence...The sense of wonder is one of the key sources of prayer. Wonder at the adventure of being here is one of the special qualities of humans.
Plato said, "All thoughts begin in wonder."
Sometimes..."profound wonder can only be expressed in silence.
Wonder is the child of mystery. It calls your heart to thanks and praise.
Wonder enlarges the heart. When you wonder, you are drawn out of yourself.
Wonder, as the child of mystery, is a natural source of prayer...

That is enough for today but I will copy a few more quotes from my journal for tomorrow's blog. Now for a treat to see some of the pictures my nephew took when he was here of my birthday party, Key West and the Everglades especially go to:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2096160443151.2125884.1219545575&l=dd8015f184 or just copy and paste this one and I think you will see the photos.
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.209616

Picture is better than words

Today I have been thinking about wonder and will not doubt share some thoughts on that perhaps tomorrow. I am rushed now as I spent too long on e-mail so I am just going to share this prayer of St. Madeleine Sophie today:

"Jesus, my life, let's make a pact: let me die entirely to myself so that you may be the one who lives in me and instead of me; let me keep prefect silence, so that you may speak in me and through me; let me keep still that you may work in me and through me."

That plus the picture is plenty for reflection today!

Holy Trinity

Yesterday the pastor began his homily for the Feast of the Holy Trinity by telling us about a young boy who was being confirmed. The Bishop asked him if he was aware of who the Holy Spirit was. The boy quickly replied that the Holy Spirit was the third person in the Blessed Trinity; there were three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The Bishop, being slightly deaf, did not catch all of this and leaned over to whisper saying, "I don't understand you" - at which the boy exclaimed: "You are not supposed to understand; it is a mystery."
Well, at least I took something from that homily! The point is that we are blessed with Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and can only adore, thank and be filled with delight.
I read the following in John O'Donohue's "Eternal Echoes" this morning and want to share it with you.
"There is a subtle rhythm to joy. Until you break forth to embrace it, you will never know its power and delight. Every day of your life joy is waiting for you, hidden at the heart of the significant things that happen to you or secretly around the corner of the quieter things. If your heart loves delight, you will always be able to discover the quiet joy that awaits to shine forth in many situations. Prayer should help us to develop the habit of delight....It should arise from and bring us to humour, laughter, and joy." (p.186)

I copied this in my journal as we so often forget that joy is always waiting for us and that prayer should help us to develop the habit of delight!!

What a wonder is the Incarnation!

I am aware that tomorrow is the Feast of the Holy Trinity and I was praying over the Incarnation this morning using Savary's book on "The New Spiritual Exercises" and I was really in awe and wonder because God loved us so much that He wanted to be like us in all things except sin. Now, I usually think of the Blessed Trinity having decided that the time had come for the Word to be made flesh; that is such an awesome mystery that I really never thought about what it meant to be conceived in the womb of Mary and be formed there as a human; Savary takes one through the whole cycle of growth from conception. How humble of God to be born so tiny, so helpless in the womb of Mary. Anyway, these were my thoughts this morning and I still feel full of awe at the humility of God. God so loved the world...as someone has said, the Incarnation was the second "Big Bang"!
Happy week end!

Feast of the Holy Trinity

I love this icon of the Trinity. It is today's reflection and I am sure many of you have prayed before it. I should have found a way to enlarge it, but I leave it to you to go to googleimages.com if you want to see more. It is good to have a special Feast that celebrated the love of each person in the Blessed Trinity for us. I think it is a day to be grateful and joyful!

To Live With the Spirit

This is a poem by Jessica Powers that I love and fits this week after Pentecost:
To Live with the Spirit
To live with the Spirit of God is to be a listener.
It is to keep the vigil of mystery,
earthless and still.
One leans to catch the stirring of the Spirit,
strange as the wind's will.

The soul that walks where the wind of the Spirit blows
turns like a wandering weather-vane toward love.
It may lament like Job or Jeremiah,
echo the wounded hart, the mateless dove.
It may rejoice in spaciousness of meadow
that emulates the freedom of the sky.
Always it walks in waylessness, unknowing;
it has cast down forever from its hand
the compass of the whither and the why.

To live with the Spirit of God is to be a lover.
It is becoming love, and like to Him
toward whom we strain with metaphors of creatures:
fire-sweep and water-rush and the wind's whim.
The soul is all activity, all silence;
and though it surges Godward to its goal,
it holds, as moving earth holds sleeping noonday,
the peace that is the listening of the soul.
(1949; 1984) p. 38 in Selected Poetry of Jessica Powers.
Edited by Regina Siegfried and Robert Morneau, Sheed and Ward, 1989.

Living Water

I know that I have used this picture in other blogs but it is one that immediately makes me think of the love and grace pouring forth from the Heart of Christ; God is love; He created us and everything in the universe is His, yet He keeps us in existence and loves us in spite of our lack of gratitude and awareness of His Presence in our lives. I was thinking this morning of the gift of solitude; how terrible never to have time to just be alone in silence.
I talked to a mother this morning who is looking for someone who could live in her home five and a half days a week and help with three small children. When I was small we had a wonderful woman who lived with us to help my mother. She returned when my brother George was born but soon the war had her leaving us to work in a factory. Then I remember that we had a laundress named Viola and a yard man, Tom, who also could put on a white coat and serve when my parents were giving a party; it was hard to get anyone full-time as a maid during the war but Tom would scrub the floors in all the bathrooms and the kitchen. When I went to boarding school, my mother found someone to come watch my brothers for a few hours after school so she could cook dinner in peace. I cannot imagine how so many manage with several small children that need to be watched. I remember making a marriage encounter week end with one of our Religious from Korea and hearing some young mothers express their frustration in trying to have the house in order, the children clean and quiet and dinner ready when the husbands arrived home. Older married women gave good advice, but I do not ever remember my mother showing any frustration; maybe because my Dad was easy-going and happy to be home with us and my mother always had a huge glass of ice-tea ready for him.
Why all of this today? I guess I am thinking of how to find someone to help this family in need and it took me back through the years. I also remember that my great-uncle Jim faithfully came every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to entertain us and stay for dinner. He took us for walks, fixed out toys, and stayed with us while my mother cooked dinner. He was a wonderful great-uncle and I am grateful for his presence in my life.

I cannot dance, O Lord, unless you lead me...

Mechtild of Magdeburg who was a 13th century mystic, one of the great mystics that were found in the Convent of Helfta. Mechtild wrote some poetry that has been translated into English and I have been reading her off and on this month and think the time has come to share a bit - the book I am using is "Women in Praise of the Sacred: 43 Centuries of Spiritual Poetry by Women", edited by Jane Hirshfield. It was published in 1994. Here is what I want to share today:
I cannot dance, O Lord,
Unless You lead me.
If you wish me to leap joyfully,
Let me see You dance and sing-

Then I will leap into Love-
And from Love into Knowledge,
And from Knowledge into the Harvest,
That sweetest Fruit beyond human sense.

There I will stay with You, whirling.

I am not a poet but love poetry. I especially like the "I cannot dance, O Lord, unless you lead me" and then the idea of leaping joyfully because it is the Lord's wish...

Sometimes I think a picture to reflect on says more than words...

As you know, I like to lose myself in beautiful scenes from nature. Sometimes I close my eyes and immediately can see the pacific ocean off the shore of Santa Cruz where I have made so many retreats. Just recalling the picture brings a sense of peace and a spiritual joy. I find that I have a great imagination and so I am often looking at a picture and imagining myself with Jesus at my side.
I am trying to clear out my room as much as possible. This is my work for today. I can clear out clutter better when it is someone else's clutter; I procrastinate when trying to get rid of pictures and papers that I know I no longer need. Pray that I keep throwing out today!
In the mail yesterday I was sent a profession ring from our archives after having lost mine over two months ago. I am happy to have this ring on my finger, a sign of my profession in the Society of the Sacred Heart, but even more a sign that I am a spouse of the Heart of Jesus. I also have found out that this ring belonged to a religious that I lived with and went on trips with and loved very much. That makes it mean even more to me.
It is much thicker than the one I had in Chile but I am grateful to be wearing it.

Pentecost Monday

After the prayer yesterday evening with the Religious of the Sacred Heart in the Miami area, we drew the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. I drew Counsel and Joy and find those make me feel happy and I will try to deepen both during this year. I think being faithful to the Holy Spirit's inspirations thoughout the day is a very good was to be joyful and spread joy. It is when I am not listening to the Spirit that I lose some of the peace and joy that usually is felt interiorly and, I hope, expressed exteriorly.
I have something to do, or even several things to get done, each day of this week. School is out and I am sure that is an adjustment for mothers as well as a joy for most children. Miami is feeling the loss of our basketball team last night. All these things have an effect on me as we are all so interconnected. We also are still fighting a large fire west of us, but nothing like the fight to save homes in eastern Arizona. We need rain badly; there was some yesterday north of us with lots of huge hailstones and even ice on the ground. This is only a half hour from us!

Pentecost Sunday

Imagine the joy that Jesus felt when He was able to send the Holy Spirit to Mary and the Apostles on that first Pentecost. He had greeted them on Easter Sunday night and did tell them then to "Receive the Holy Spirit" and gave them the power to forgive sins. Now, after days of prayer and desire, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to both strengthen and enlighten His friends so that they go forth and preach the good news. We are all given the Holy Spirit in Baptism but receive a deepening of the Spirit in Confirmation. It is the Holy Spirit that inspires us to do good in our world. I was reading a mystic yesterday from the early 19th century who insists that the "acquisition of the Holy Spirit" is what the Christian life is all about and implies that we keep working to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit. I guess this is what St. Madeleine Sophie meant when she said that she wanted to live under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. For me, I need first of all to recognize the constant action of the Holy Spirit in my life, be attentive to the nudges the Spirit gives me and respond with all my heart! Awareness is the first step in this deepening of our interior life.
I am being faithful to write in my prayer journal each day and find this very helpful so maybe I will urge my readers to do the same. Pentecost is a time to begin again to integrate and deepen our spirituality. I think that I need the Holy Spirit to show me how to make justice, peace, and the integrity of creation (we now refer to this a JPIC and have a serious commitment to it) is at the heart of our charism and how my choices should reflect this. I am praying about this and it is good to know that the Holy Spirit is active in our lives!

Eve of Pentecost

I was going to write about how school is over, but other ideas came instead!
The newspaper is telling us how much rain is needed and Miami has had only 2% of what is normal for June. June is when our rainy season really starts and usually there are showers every afternoon. It seems that when I taught summer school it always poured just at the time I had to leave for my 6:30 P.M. class. So far, we are lacking rain and it is causing concern to say nothing of the fires that have broken out just west of us. The four-foot snake in our garage may just have been searching for water, but I am so glad we had someone here painting and he killed the snake!
I guess I am not very spiritual today, but I am thinking about the Feast of Pentecost and what a gift the Holy Spirit is in our lives and how little we really know about his constant action and love. I want to be quiet for at least some extra prayer and imagine myself waiting with the Apostles and Mary for the coming of the Spirit. St. Madeleine Sophie wanted to live under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. And she wanted us to do the same and be very attentive to listen to the Spirit.
I am sure that there have been times for all of us when we have felt almost pushed by the Spirit. I guess I am praying that the Holy Spirit will continue to push us in the right direction and that we let ourselves be pushed!

A Simple Prayer

This was sent to me and I am sorry the picture did not copy, but I put another one - I guess we can all relate to this kind of simple conversation with the Lord.

~~~Hi Lord ~~~

Hi Lord, its me.

We are getting older and things are getting bad here.
Gas prices are too high, no jobs, food and heating costs too high.
I know some have taken you out of our schools, government and even
Christmas, but Lord I'm asking you to come back
and re-bless America .
We really need you!

There are more of us who want you than those who don't!
Thank You Lord,
I Love you.







Today I am just lifting a quote from one of my Sisters as I think it is just what I would like to say:
"During this week let us pray that our minds and hearts may be open to the gift of the Spirit promised by Christ on Ascension and given to all on Pentecost.

These important feast days remind us that Christ is counting on us to extend His mission of love into our world. May all that we do give God honor and glory and may we remember that it is through our thoughts and words that Christ continues to communicate His love. As the Spirit breathes through us, may people sense the invitation to be known as God’s Beloved."

How am I caring for our planet?

I find myself asking several times a day now this question of how I am caring for the planet and all of us on it. We have a commitment to Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation; this is at the heart of our charism but how am I living it? Then I am torn by the suffering caused by natural disasters: earthquakes, floods, fires, tornadoes, and now the volcano eruption in Chile that is causing great damage to both Chile and Argentina and more people are without homes. I think my asking the question is at least raising my consciousness and that is good.

When my nephew and his wife were here I discovered that she is now doing a great work, one that she created for St. Vincent de Paul's Society in Phoenix, Arizona. She had been working with many volunteers and they wanted to do even more to help others. She began to interview people in need of help with their living quarters; she would then select a situation where she could ask volunteers to help fix up a house for an elderly couple whose money all went now for medical bills, or a single mother who made only enough for food for her four children but could not afford furniture; then there was the single father with three boys who needed everything to furnish the house but was just able to make his payments on it with nothing left over - my nephew showed me pictures of before and after and it was really a good experience to see how they made a difference in the lives of so many by just getting the volunteers to help paint, asking for donated furniture or bedding, etc. The young volunteers even created art work for the walls in the children's rooms. I was impressed with what one person with a creative idea has been able to do since January! She is working long hours but says she has many volunteers who are being enriched by the experience of making a difference in the lives of these people. She screens carefully before selecting those to help and sometimes puts the family on trial before she brings in the volunteers. She even teaches them how to clean when that is needed.

Time between Ascension and Pentecost

I like to imagine how the Apostles felt when Jesus left them. They knew that the Holy Spirit was to come as Jesus had told them he would send them an advocate. They may have made the first retreat, waiting and praying together during these days. I am sure they spent time going over what Jesus had said to them while he was with them. They must also have wondered how they were to go out to the whole world and baptize in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They were still fearful and I suspect they felt lost without Jesus and turned to Mary for comfort.

Bridges are important

Today seems like a bridge to me from the intense week of "sightseeing" and vacation to a quiet Sunday leading into a normal week. I have used the day to catch up, write notes, swim, and read. Now we will have community prayer. I hope to get back to writing my blog each day. I have been faithful about writing my journal after prayer each morning and those personal reflections in writing are always helpful. Today it was on the cleft in the rock and that I feel Jesus wants me to dwell there in His Heart. I am still reflecting on what Jesus might be calling me to now.

Matthew 28:16-20 - Feast of the Ascension

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Help me, Lord, to notice how you are speaking to me.

I am back on after an intensive week of driving everywhere!

I now have been new places and revisited many others as I have driven my nephew and his wife every day to "see" Miami and get inserted in our culture. That is what they wanted to do so the first day we started with the largest tropical garden in the United States, went to the Cuban shrine, saw Little Havana, Coral Gables, and Coconut Grove. Tuesday, my 80th birthday, we went to the park at the end of Key Biscayne and swam near the Lighthouse there. The ocean was gorgeous, the water warmer than the air, and we had a glorious morning there and then had a picnic in the shade, came home and swam some more and then went to a Cuban restaurant for dinner and back to Coconut Grove to walk around but home early as we went to Key West on Wednesday.
I drove (our insurance kept me from letting them drive.) It was about a four hour drive but we had stopped to admire the view and to visit the Visitor's Center on the last Key before entering Key West. Then we parked and walked and took the Conch Tour Tram and then found a place that I knew from a previous visit for a fabulous lunch and more walking. By three we were back in the car for the drive home as I wanted to be home by dark. We did stop on the way back to stretch our legs twice and then we went grocery shopping before going home. On Thursday we went to the Everglades and took the two hour tram tour, saw sme birds and alligators, climbed the observation tower, and learned more about life in the Everglades. Then it was off to Miami Beach; they wanted to swim and bike so I left them there. They rented bikes and enjoyed exploring by themselves and rode the bikes back to Miami where they then took the metro to the University of Miami station and rode home from there. Yesterday afternoon they rode back and went swimming in the ocean again and rode their bikes all over Miami Beach. Today they fly back to Arizona and I will miss them as it has been fun to have them here and made me forget that I am 80 years old! I also had a wonderful time with them and saw again the beauty that surrounds us in Florida - ocean, sky, trees, and God's presence is in all!