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.

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!

Faith - We believe without seeing!

Jesus says that we are blessed. The Sunday after Easter always has the Gospel where Jesus returns to appear in the midst of the Apostles on Sunday evening. This time Thomas is there. Jesus gives his ordinary greeting: "Peace be with you." And then he turns to Thomas. Thomas sees Jesus and that is enough for his great confession of faith: "My Lord and my God!" How many of us say that at the Consecration of the Mass? Yet do we realize that Jesus has blessed us because we believe without seeing. I have more thoughts but it is too hot to even think them as we are now eight days without any air-conditioning and it is affecting us all, I think.
We are getting it fixed so maybe by Tuesday night, hopefully, we may be back to normal. Still, this is better than after a hurricane when we do not even have power to turn on a fan. I am not complaining but just realizing that days of heat do affect us all. Thank God for the many ways we do have to cool off!