Pentecost

Today is a great feast and brings to an end what we call the Easter Season.
"Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth."

How we need the Spirit today to renew the face of our earth!!
Let us take time to sit in silence and invite the Spirit into our hearts in a special way today. Just sit in silence and listen to whatever the Spirit will tell you. We also pray for the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Today is my birthday and I am 89 years old. I do not feel that old and have so much to be grateful for during all the years of my life!
Sometimes I forget to hit "done" after I schedule a blog ahead; I apologize but once published, I cannot change anything on the RSCJ website.

Stress Therapy

"Stress is a natural part of everyone's life. It's the physical and emotional agitation you feel when faced with threats and opportunities. Life is filled with events--big and small, happy and sad--that bring about stress."

That is a direct quote from the Foreword of Stress Therapy written by Tom McGrath and Illustrated by R.W. Alle. It is one of the Elf-help booklets printed by Abbey Press. I had a whole collection of them at one time, but gave all away except the one on Stress Therapy which has some good helps for me to share, probably in my own words. Some stress is good and keeps us going forward. I felt that kind of stress when writing my dissertation and I think we all have some stress when we know we have a deadline or must finish something and the stress gives us the courage and will power to meet the deadline. However, we need to watch that our lives are not in constant stress. I think the week end was first invented to help us all relax and rest. Now, even Sunday has become a busy day with the stores open. Maybe this "sheltering in place" is stressful for you, but could be a time of relaxation for many.

May Crownings

Our schools have always given importance to the month of Mary and, before the end of May, there is a May Crowning of the statue of Our Lady that is usually found in a grotto somewhere on the school grounds. This year, with the sheltering in place, some of our schools have been very creative and have made videos with children offering their flowers to Mary even from home. You can find some of these in Heartbeat which is online on the Province website:  https://www.rscj.org/
There are many good things to be found on our website. I am always amazed that many of the RSCJs do not check our website or the International one. Some have asked how to find my blog and I tell them that they can find it daily on the website or sign up for it by email. 
I just want to close with this quote that I received in a note:
"In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Preparing for Pentecost

This is the prayer we say each morning  in the Chapel sitting 6 feet apart; and then we have the Liturgy of the Word.

Breathe on us, Spirit of Wisdom, so that we may be Your divine life alive in the world.

Grow in us, Spirit of Understanding, so that we may listen and know how to speak your word.

Move within our community, Spirit of Counsel, so that everyone of our encounters may be filled with Your Presence.

Inspire us, Spirit of Fortitude, so that we may always have courage and speak the truth in love.

Fill us with insight, Spirit of Knowledge, so that we may put on the mind of Christ and see God in all creation.

Abide with us, Spirit of Reverence, so that we may be transformed into Your image and become holly.

Draw us into Yourself, Spirit of Wonder and Beauty, so that we may worship You and glorify You.

In union with Jesus who has given us this Spirit, we return to You. Loving God, all that You have given us. Amen!

The Eight Pillars of Joy

This picture was taken at Lake Tahoe and my Senior student of two years ago is in the canoe. I think pictures of water give me joy so now to tell you about the Eight Pillars of Joy in The Book of Joy:

1. Perspective: There are many different angles.
2. Humility: I tried to look humble and modest
3. Humor: Laughter, Joking is much better
4. Acceptance: The only place where change can begin
5. Forgiveness: Freeing ourselves from the past
6. Gratitude: I am fortunate to be alive
7. Compassion: Something we want to become
8. Generosity: We are filled with joy

These are taken up one by one in the third section of the book and I have not reached it yet.
I am also busy preparing for the Feast of Pentecost which is May 31 this year and that happens also to be my 89th birthday so I need to pray much to the Holy Spirit to prepare me for a new year of life.

"The Book of Joy"

I have been reading The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Abrams. It begins with the invitation to Joy. We are able to create and re-create our lives and the very quality of human life on our planet. At this time of sheltering in place, it is good to reflect on the fact that "lasting happiness cannot be found in pursuit of any goal or achievement. It does not reside in fortune or fame. It resides only in the human mind and heart, and it is here that we hope you will find it."
It is a very positive book and a great one to read during this time.
It has three main sections: The Nature of True Joy, The Obstacles to Joy and The Eight Pillars of Joy. Tomorrow I will share more from this lovely book. I have long been an admirer of both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

Memorial Day and Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie

Today we celebrate twice: it is the Feast of our Mother Foundress, St. Madeleine Sophie and it is also a national holiday, Memorial Day. We are having a prayer service for the entire Province in honor of Sophie. She still watches over her little Society and each of us. I have had several real encounters with her. One was when I was visiting in Belgium and in the Chapel at Jette where her body is still intact under the altar, but so life looking. Now she has been moved to Paris, but I had this wonderful time with her sitting on a little chair very close to her. We had a real dialogue. I was on my way to Rome to do my dissertation research on "Union and Conformity with the Heart of Jesus: A Key Phrase in the Spirituality of St. Madeleine Sophie." I wrote that dialogue with her down, but think it was in one of the many Journals I destroyed before moving out here. 
Reading all of Sophie's letters (at least I read over 1,000 as I read all her letters to members of the Society and also read all of her Conferences that were printed), made her seem very close to me. I had also had a terrific experience my first year in Chile when she appeared to me in a dream and gave me spiritual direction. I still remember her presence and the peace she gave me, but, alas, do not remember her words to me.
All of us love her and feel her presence in our lives so it is good to have a special day to honor her.
Memorial Day takes second place this year!

Seventh Sunday of Easter and Celebration of the Ascension of the Lord

Here is the Collect for the Feast of the Ascension:

"O God, whose Son, at his Ascension to the heavens, was pleased to promise the Holy Spirit to the Apostles, grant, we pray, that just as they received manifold gifts of heavenly teaching, so on us, too, you may bestow spiritual gifts...."

The first reading is from the Acts of the Apostles: 1:12-14

"After Jesus had been taken up to heaven the apostles returned to Jerusalem  from the mount of Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a 
 sabbath day's journey away.
When they returned tot he city they went to the upper room where they were staying,,," 
Then the names of the eleven Apostles are given - I wonder if they were drawn to stay in that room because there Jesus had washed their feet and given them the gift of Himself in the Eucharist and then appeared to them on the first Easter Sunday night and gave them His peace and the power to forgive sins. I hope the owner of the house was happy to have all these men staying in his upper room!
The reading continues by telling us "All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers."

Let us also prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit next Sunday by prayer.

Preparing for feasts

It is Memorial Day week end. Since we are still not allowed to have visitors, it will be a quiet one. I have grown to love the silence.
Monday is both Memorial Day and the Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie. I am asking Sophie to help me to prepare for the feast of Pentecost which is the last Sunday of May this year and my 89th birthday. We all need to pray for the grace to be more attentive to the Holy Spirit each day and all day. We say a prayer each morning to prepare for Pentecost and there is a novena online. I am asking for the Holy Spirit to help all of us to discern even the little things in our lives.

My favorite quote from St. Madeleine Sophie is:

"Be humble, be simple, and bring joy to others."

Let us ask the Holy Spirit to make us humble, simple, and allow us to give joy to others.

Thought from the retreat in daily life

My retreat group ended the complete Exercises of St. Ignatius with a very good sharing. We shall continue to meet to pray together and share, but I guess I will share a few things that have come clear to me as I look back over the 34 weeks of retreat. First, a retreat in daily life is always a grace. It helped me to turn often to Jesus during the day. One thing that stands out is how grateful I am for all the little things in my life as well as the big.
During the retreat I was aware of how wonderful my parents were; I was also aware of my own desire to stay with Jesus and how I have found Him in the Blessed Sacrament in so many chapels and churches during my whole life. I am also aware that I need to cultivate compassion. These are all graces to thank for this week.
I am sure that each of my reader has a list and I again suggest keeping a gratitude journal. (My own Journal is a mixture of whatever the day brought to mind, but I write directly addressing Jesus).

An incentive to pray more

Today I have a quote from St. Teresa of Calcutta that may call us to pray more:

"Jesus often retires alone

and spent the night in silence and prayer.

The fruit of silence is prayer.

The fruit of prayer is faith. 

The fruit of faith is love.

The fruit of love is service.

The fruit of service is peace.

Let us provide each other 

an atmosphere of peace and quiet

which will facilitate prayer, work, study, and rest."

Are we conscious that we live in the Presence of God?

Mother Stuart says this about the interior life of Mary:

"Thinking of Our Lady's interior life, it is difficult to put it to ourselves in an other form that that she lived in the presence of God. That was the atmosphere that surrounded everything she did, every word she uttered and her every thought."

I am convinced that the interior life of each of us here at Oakwood is much more interesting than our exterior life. We just need to learn how to share what is so real and so energizing. 

I have been praying and reflecting a great deal on the questions we have to discern about for our Provincial Chapter.  In one sense it is difficult because we are being asked to envision what the Society will be doing, where we will be, etc. in fifteen years from now. I will not be around to see what I am trying to plan for now. Do join me in prayer for our provincial Chapter which begins July 9.

Am I in touch with my desires?

The 34 week retreat of the complete Exercises of St. Ignatius is over and left us thinking about the importance of our desires. I opened a little booklet of Extracts from the Writings of Mother Stuart on Our Blessed Lady and found something to share with you today. She said, "Insight into spiritual things is in proportion to our desires, God hears not only our formal prayers, but also our unuttered desires. As they are satisfied, they grow.....
Apply that to Our Lady, to ourselves, to this life and to the next. The more we desire and attain, the more we shall attain. That is why our life is so immense. So simple outside, so almost matter-of-fact.
So with Our Lady, her life was ordinary; she, like everyone around her, did her spinning, household work, and had her home cares--yet the inner life was growing glorious, immense, without limit, for there is no limit to that which God will give to a soul that desires and wants it."

Our Interior Castles

This picture made me think of Teresa of Avila's interior castle.
Maybe I only have a small dwelling, but I hope it is on the sea. In this time of sheltering in place when we have all been housecleaning and decluttering, it is good to imagine how we are keeping our interior dwelling. Is it ready for Jesus who is always with us? 

Beatrice Bruteau in her book, "Radical Optimism: Practical Spirituality in an Uncertain World" says the was are "to feel ourselves transparent, so that this light of the Source can shine through us. It is as though each of us had been a many-faceted crystal, painted over in various colors. We could see how we were different and separate from each other because the colored paint made each of us quite visible--by reflected light--with definite boundaries. Now the power of renunciation--letting go our interest in our personality and our pride--dissolves the superficial decorations, washes the painted colors away, and let the light shine through the pure crystal. When this happens, the crystal as such becomes almost invisible, so the light pouring through it floods out to the whole environment."

Let us pray for this transparency!

Sixth Sunday after Easter

The weeks seem to be going by very quickly even with our sheltering in place. Ascension Thursday is this week, but now it is usually celebrated on the next Sunday. And, to make things more confusing, the readings for next Sunday could be used this Sunday.

I am going to be concentrating on these forty days after Easter where Jesus seems to have enjoyed going around and giving His Joy to others. I think He is still doing the same for us. We must be attentive to not miss the way He comes to us.

I have found the letters from the students and also from the faculty very uplifting. The students say they write "to cheer us up" or "to boost your spirits" and it is amazing but that is what happens when they reach out to us. Our Life Enrichment Director who cannot be with us because not considered essential for our health care, made individual packs of cookies for us last week end. She had to bake several batches to feed all of us. It is the little things that give joy. My brother calls me every Sunday now in the morning when he knows I am usually in my room. (I only give out my phone to my sister and brother, the nurse's station, and the front desk has it, but I really prefer email even if I have captions on my phone!).

Not a very spiritual blog today, but I am praying for the entire world and especially those who are dying alone.

God speaks to us in many ways

Take time today to see some of the ways God speaks to you. 
I was going to just send that one line today, but I did receive a poem that I will copy for those who love to pray with poems: 
                THE ROSARY In the doorway of a low grey house, built of stones as old as the Crusades, a woman of Bruges sits in the sunlight, among the flowers, saying her Rosary.

She seems to be carved out of season walnut and polished smooth by the constant touch of the hand of God, and the beads that twine her crippled fingers are scarlet berries on the thorny twigs.

The running rhythm and the repetition of the Paters and the Aves is like the rhythm that in nature moves through the seasons from seed to harvest with the unity and the pause and stress of music; like the bloodstream of Christ, that flows through the seasons from Advent to Easter in the Liturgy of the Church, the ebb and flow of the tide of love in the Mystical Body of Christ. Caryll Houselander                                                      




O Lady of Fatima, hail Immaculate Mother of grace O pray for us, help us today Thou hope of the human race.

Butterflies enjoying the Spring flowers

There is something so invigorating about May in California. Even if we can only take walks inside the school property and in our own patios, there is so much to see and I am so ignorant about the names of many of our flowers and trees. I just enjoy them!

Make a decision to love - that is what all of us must do. Jesus has told us to love one another. I am reading "Dorothy Day The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate portrait of my grandmother" by Kate Hennessy. Dorothy had the gift to love others but she also needed time away to stay sane. I resonate with her love of the ocean and its healing power to give deep peace.

One of the teachers in the school has sent me pictures of the ocean near her home and of her two young boys on their bikes with the ocean behind them. I look forward to the end of this sheltering in place in order to go to the ocean. I am scheduled to make the Guided Imagery retreat at Villa Maria del Mar  August 4-10 and pray that this is possible. I did not get to make it in January because I had pneumonia. August is a wonderful time to be on the ocean.

Make a Decision to Love

Our roses are spectacular this year. There are over a dozen on almost every bush in our patio. Some are red, some white, some yellow, some pink, some a mixture as this picture shows. What beauty surrounds us at Oakwood! Now, our gardener cannot come because of the "shelter in place" so every rose bush is heavy with both full blooming roses and new buds.

I wonder how the interior life of each of us is blooming today? I know this time of isolation is a time of grace for many and they are taking more time for prayer and reflection. I find the silence here has deepened and helped me to be aware of the presence of God in each of us. 
One suggestion I gave my retreatants was to write a letter to Jesus about how we are feeling right now and maybe what we want to thank Him for or whatever we want to say. I am doing this but have not finished the letter. 

Our Lady of Fatima

The three children who saw Our Lady as they were tending their sheep in Fatima, Portugal were asked to pray and do penance in order to save themselves and the world. Our Lady reminds us that we need prayer. Many say the rosary daily and it is good to do so and the Hail Mary is a perfect prayer for this pandemic. We ask Our Lady to pray for us now and at the hour of our death. So go look for the rosary you probably have tucked away somewhere and say it today to stop the spread of this deadly virus.

What is really important?

I read today that often we get caught up in trying to do today what can easily be put off until tomorrow. I think that causes us to rush around and feel that we have too much to do and we are never going to finish the many tasks we think we need to do. Some things are important. You do not want your children to have nothing in the house to eat, but you do not need to do other things that take up our time and leave us feeling frazzled and wondering where the time we thought we would have just for restful prayer or reflection has gone. Remember, each of us has all the time there is. No one has less than 24 hours a day. How are we prioritizing our time? Even here, in a retirement home, I need to plan and take time to just enjoy the beauty around me. There will always be a list of things that we want to do, we should do, and we will do, but they do not need to be done today.
Again, perhaps this is the Holy Spirit as I did not intend to write any of this.

Monday Blues or Joy

It is never "blue" Monday for me as I cultivate joy and see all the possibilities of a new week before me. I do mourn the many deaths and the number of people suffering from this coronavirus all over the world. I need to believe that God is with us and we are all learning what is essential and what is not in this world of ours. I pray that we live to change many things and work for the common good of all.

Tonight I am sharing this in our Monday night prayer in Westwood:

"When you invite people into your house, you probably spend a fair amount of time getting ready-...what is the spiritual equivalent? What do we need to do to ready our interior castle for the most important visitor we could possibly entertain? It's not at all unlike the house prep. We need to declutter our minds, create an open space inside, clear out the things that get in the way of our relationship with God."
Taken from "Daily Reflections for Easter to Pentecost" by Mary DeTurris Poust.

How do I prepare my interior home to welcome the Lord? Do I need only to dust or is it time for a thorough cleaning - clearing out, putting order, and then opening the door...

Fifth Sunday after Easter

"Let not your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places."

These lines from John's Gospel (Jn 14: 1-12) have always given me consolation, even joy. Jesus is telling us not to be troubled. We need to believe in Him and know that He has a dwelling place prepared for us.

This is a time of uncertainty. People are fearful, anxious, worried, and so we need to remember these words of Jesus and ask Him to keep our hearts from being troubled. Let us ask for the grace to trust His Heart for all that we need!

It is also Mother's Day and I pray for all mothers - many are not able to see their children today but I am sure there is real effort to be creative in expressing gratitude for the great gift of a mother!

LOS ROSTROS DE MATER ADMIRABILIS

This is beautiful and I hope you will be able to watch it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtZRKgjWbGM&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtZRKgjWbGM&feature=youtu.be

I put the same link twice. I did not realize we had so many beautiful Maters! I want to share again with you the Act of Consecration of the Society to the Immaculate Heart of Mary that we recite together every first Saturday: Holy Mary, Queen of Virgins, we come today with confidence and love to consecrate ourselves to your Immaculate Heart. You are the Mother of Fair Love. In you is all hope of life and virtue. Grant us this day the desire of our hearts by giving us: A love strong as death, which will separate us from all that is not God. A love so generous in its conformity to the good pleasure of God that it may transform us and give us new life; A love so ardent that it may enkindle the souls of those confided to our care; A love so insatiable that all work and suffering may be as fuel to feed its flame until our last breath. Mother of Holy Hope set your Divine Son as a seal upon our heart and upon our arms, that we may, after your example, live and act by Him and for Him alone. Intercede for our Holy Mother the Church in all her needs. Save all who put their trust in you. Bless our Society so devoted to you and to your Son. Be the stay and support of our Central Team; grant that we, united with you in love on earth, may bless and rejoice in you for all eternity. Amen.

The whole earth is an altar

I thought this would be a helpful picture for those who are having to stay inside. I love redwoods and have two huge ones just outside my window.

Father Pierre de Chardin, S. J.’s prayer is as poignant for us now, as it was for him then.

"Since once again, Lord,…I have neither bread, nor wine, nor

 altar, I will raise myself beyond these symbols….I will make 

the whole earth my altar and on it will offer You all the labors

 and sufferings of the world.  Over there, on the horizon, the sun

 has just touched with light the outermost fringe of the eastern

 sky.  Once again, beneath this moving sheet of fire, the living

 surface of the earth wakes and trembles, and once again begins 

its fearful travail.  I will place on my paten, O God, the harvest 

to be won by this renewal of labor.  Into my chalice I shall pour

 all the sap which is to be pressed out this day from the earth’s

 fruits". 

Moments of transition

I read this quote from Richard Rohr and want to share it:

"In moments of transition, we are simply to be. We are to pause and acknowledge that a transition is taking place. Instead of seeking to abruptly pass through a threshold, we are to tarry. . . . A new reality is emerging, but we cannot see beyond the threshold. All we know is that we exist in this moment, where everything is in transition. We may experience a new way of being, but we cannot yet sense what it will look like. "

To continue to share my thoughts on the Good Shepherd, I think I was influenced by the many sheep in Chile and Malta. They do fill the roads and are not at all willing to move when you arrive in a bus or car. When the shepherd is present, with the help of his dog, the sheep slowly move to the side of the road, but the shepherd is very watchful and guards his flock. He does have names for the sheep and they do respond to being called by name. I think I have mentioned before that our little house in Osorno was in a meadow belonging to the parish and surrounded by a small number of sheep. They had been given Biblical names and actually responded to them. But they were so dumb that they had to be shown where food was put out for them. 

What I really wanted to say today is that I have often felt the presence of Jesus in my life carrying me tenderly home. He comes when He sees I need a shepherd.

"I know mine and mine know me"

Let us reflect today on this statement of Jesus: "I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep."

We are all called to this intimacy that comes from knowing and being known by another. Jesus reveals Himself to us in so many ways each day and He knows my most inner thoughts and my feelings and He loves me. 

I am the good shepherd...

Yesterday's Gospel (John 10:11-18) begins with Jesus telling us: 
"I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep...." and then later Jesus says again, "I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father, and I will lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. These also I must lead, and they will hear my voice, and there will be one flock, one shepherd....."
The entire Gospel passage is powerful and needs reflection. 
What does it mean for me today? Jesus was never a shepherd, but used this familiar image to show His love and care for each of us. Remember Jesus gave the example of a shepherd leaving the 99 and going after the one lost sheep. We need to feel confident that Jesus is taking care of each of us. 

The Lord will shepherd us...

Yesterday's reflection in Give Us This Day by Mary De Turris Poust was helpful to me and I am copying a part of it here:

"Over and over, we hear that God is calling us, which is a comfort that comes with sacrifice. Following God's call does not guarantee a life free of heartache or a life filled with riches or a life marked with ease. What it does guarantee is that no matter where that call takes us, we will not have to weather an of it alone. The Lord will shepherd us, seeking us out when we stray, pulling us back when we want to rush ahead, soothing our hearts and souls with a voice that is as familiar as our own breath--if we would just take the time to stop moving and doing and achieving and just listen for the One who has the answers to all the questions we're asking.
We want to trust, to fall back into God's arms and rest, but it's so difficult because the world has told us that we're the ones in control. Today, stop grasping and let go. Trust. Listen. You are called, chosen, beloved."

One good thing that many are finding with the "shelter in place" is that there is more time for prayer, for silent listening, and for taking time to hear the Word of God by reading again the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles.

Fourth Sunday after Easter

I love the reading for this Sunday, but will start with the Collect as my own experience says that we often are not aware of the grace we are asking for in each Mass. It is short but powerful:
"Almighty ever-living God, lead us to a share in the joys of heaven, so that the humble flock may reach where the brave Shepherd has gone before..."

The responsorial Psalm is "The Lord is my Shepherd; there is nothing I shall want." Then follow Psalm 23 where we can think again of the Lord guiding us in right paths. leading us besides restful waters, giving us courage, and following  with goodness and kindness all the days of my life.

The Gospel has Jesus telling us that He is the gate for the sheep. "Whoever enters through me will be saved...I came so they might have life and have it more abundantly."

We will be looking at Jesus' first "I am" statement in John's Gospel where Jesus says He is the "gate" - the way the sheep enter the sheepfold. Then we will see this week that Jesus also tells us that He is the Good Shepherd.

First Saturday

Mater is a fresco on the wall in the ancient convent in Rome, but it was only painted in 1844. A picture or statue of Mater is found in every school of the Sacred Heart all over the world. She has much to teach all of us and I thought I would ask you to reflect with me on this picture as we want to honor Mary in a special way during the month of May.

Mary seems to be lost in contemplation. She is still, looking inward. She has not been idle; she holds the evidence of her work in her hand. There is also an open book beside her.

When I was a young child at the Academy of the Visitation, I had to wait for my father to come pick me up after he left work. The Sister in charge of the study hall would see that I needed to move around a bit and would send me out to be with the older student who was at a desk near Mater in order to answer the house phone during the study period. She and I would play hide and seek with a button; the hiding place had to be somewhere on the life-size statue of Mater. I learned to know all the crevices in her gown, and I also grew to love her. It was a joy to find her again at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles as I began boarding school there for my high school years. The statue was just outside our study hall and we curtseyed to her each time we passed Mater. She also held note for us asking favors, the basketball sat in her lap before a game and we left our hockey sticks in front of her, too. Now I think of her as a real Mater, a Mother, who is watching out for me and always ready to listen, to console, to give me hope and intercede for me.

Mary's Month

We have so much to pray for during this time. I hope the we are taking advantage of the need for prayer and slowing down so we can pray. I was reading how we should try to look for good things in this time of anxiety, fear, isolation and hardship. How do we find good in this time of world-wide sickness, death, poverty, misery of all kinds? I think we must have faith that this will pass and we will be able to see how we were made stronger because of suffering. It is not easy to see the good when we read about the many deaths, the people who are starving, the children who are suffering from hunger, etc. Let us ask Mary to help us see the good each day in this month of Mary. 

May has arrived!

This May is different from all the Mays we have lived before and I think we are all ready to enjoy the lovely weather - I do know that there are storms and floods but California is gorgeous and so I am welcoming this month with the firm intention to get outside more. I have loved being in my room and always seem to have many things to do so I mostly get outside when I walk to meals and to the Chapel as Westwood is a separate building. I do walk around the patios to say the rosary and will try to be faithful to that during May. I also usually try to walk around the track in the evening with one of the Sisters after supper. Others walk in the morning but I am usually praying both before and after our 7:30 breakfast. 
We continue to have a lovely Liturgy of the Word each morning that begins with the song, "Be still and know that I am God."

What do you do in prayer? I just sit there and let God be God. You need to let go of everything and relax to sit in His presence. You are there, surrendered, open, transparent, and God is there with you. He is closer to my true self than I am myself and knows me better than I know myself. He loves me better than I love myself. Just be.