Playfulness and Joy

"Playfulness, like wonder, is one of the childlike qualities we tend to lose as we grow up." This quote from Albert Nolan is true, but it is a sad truth.
Joy and playfulness are also signs of the Holy Spirit. Saints are joyful and joy attracts others. John Maine says that "we learn to be joyful only because we have learned not to possess, not to want to possess."
I think joy also implies trust. I have the image of a laughing two-year old; I watched him last Sunday climbing up on a cement platform and then jumping off into the arms of his father. This was repeated over and over with the same cries of glee! The toddler was full of joy and so was the father who kept catching him.
"Joy is the echo of God's life in us!" That quote from Dom Marmion means much to me as I find it is true in my own life. Real joy comes from the Holy Spirit. Mother Stuart said that "Joy is the song of the spirit under the pressure of happiness." May the coming of the Holy Spirit this Pentecost fill us with both joy and playfulness!

Some More New Books

The more I look at the ocean, the more I desire my retreat which will be on the ocean this summer. In the meantime, I have received several new books and will add them here even if I have not yet read them. I have looked through each and think each has merit and would be helpful. The only book I am actually using at this moment if John Main's Essential Writings which is from the Modern Spiritual Masters Series and I am sure that I mentioned before but am finding it a book that leads me to prayer.
The new books are:
Pennington, Basil M., OCSO. "Psalms: A Spiritual Commentary." Skylight Publishing, 2008. (The hardcover was published by the Cistercial Abbey of Spencer, Inc. in 2006.)
Basil's translations and commentaries are helpful for anyone wanting to use the Psalms for prayer.
Wiederkehr, Macrina. "Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day." Sorin Books, 2008. I love Macrina's books and think this will be helpful for really uniting oneself to the Church's prayer of the Hours- it helps to be conscious of the Presence of God in our day.
Coutinho, Paul, S.J. How Big Is Your God? The Freedom to Experience the Divine. Loyola, 2007. Paul is an Indian Jesuit who is a delight to read and I look forward to enjoying this book. I was tempted to browse and liked all that I read, but want to really reflect and so read this book slowly.
I am involved in some "end of the academic year" events and so wish the days were longer to accomplish more. It is time to remind myself that each of us has 24 hours, all the time there is and it is up to us to use it wisely.

Arizona and Desert Simplicity

I loved the boat ride in Arizona on the lake between canyons and I loved the view of the mountains and the desert landscapes. It left me thinking about the virtue of simplicity. In the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart we have this phrase that I find myself going back to often: "they must love and desire that simplicity which springs from the calmness of a soul who seeks and longs for nothing but her God, and who, without any thought of self or of her own interests, looks only to God whom alone she wishes to love and please in all things."

St. Madeleine Sophie had a real love for simplicity; so did, St. Julie Billiart, foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur who said that a simple soul is sweet tempered, affectionate, and attentive to the wants of others. She has a great love of truth, real humility, and a charming manner. Such a soul is the beloved child of God who finds in her much delight."
Julie also said that a simple soul speaks to God with easy familiarity, as to her Father and her Spouse. Adoring God with profound humility, she tells God her faults just as she sees them. Then she listens while our Lord communicates himself to her."

I think the world would be a better place if all of us had the virtue of simplicity; we would live seeking only to please Jesus, without thought of self or self-interest.
The Arizona desert brought me to this reflection on simplicity and the Desert Fathers seem to be calling me to let go of all that is not God!

Feast Day of St. Philip and St. James

I like to remember these two apostles as Philip was the one who at the Last Supper said, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." And Jesus answered him by asking, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip?
Then Jesus continues to tell us that "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father."

We know little of James who was known as James the Less probably to distinguish him from James, the brother of John. However, in the first reading from Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians we know that Jesus appeared to James before the Ascension.
In fact, it is good to remember that Paul tells us that he appeared to "Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the Apostles. Last of all, as one born abnormally, he appeared to me." Paul is not the last to have received appearances as many people today continue to be overwhelmed by the presence of Jesus in their lives. Sometimes it is only the feeling of being in His presence and overwhelmed by love; sometimes they hear Jesus speaking to them; sometimes a few even see Jesus. The important thing is to believe that He is still with us and does make his presence felt in many ways today in our daily lives. As we celebrate the Ascension tomorrow, let us thank Jesus for his presence among us all through the centuries.

"Do not be afraid for I am with you."

These beautiful Arizona sunsets help me to realize the words Our Lord said to Paul in today's reading from Acts 18: "Do not be afraid. Go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you."

How often God says to us, "Don't be afraid." If we really realized that God is with us and is all-powerful and loves us unconditionally, we would not be afraid. What is there to fear when God is with us? Certainly, we should not fear to preach the Good News.

I keep thinking of two quotes that I read recently. "Joy is the echo of God's love in us" (Don Marmion) The other is "Let us live in joy so that all will see this life of God in us."
Joy leaves no room for fear. He is with us, alleluia, alleluia!

I apologized to St. Joseph for forgetting that his feast of St. Joseph, the Worker, was celebrated yesterday. We had a beautiful liturgy at the University as a farewell to our priest campus minister - I shall miss him and his excellent homilies. Yesterday he began with the story of a child asking her mother where she had come from - the mother told her that God had created a beautiful woman and man and then they had children and their children had more children and this wonderful world of God was soon full of beautiful people. The little girl went out to play and found her father later and asked the same question. He told her that she had come from some playful monkeys. The little daughter then returned to ask her mother if what Daddy had said was true. The Mother told her that he was speaking of his side of the family but that her side had come from the first beautiful woman and man.

Arizona vacation is over!

Tomorrow I leave the house before five in the morning and will be flying home from Arizona to Florida with wonderful memories of these two weeks with my family. My brother and sister-in-law met me just two weeks ago in the evening and we went to one of their favorite restaurants and met my sister there for dinner. The next day was fairly quiet with time at the pool and driving around in my brother's new red convertible Corvette! On Thursday, we went to Sedona and stayed in the Sky Harbor Lodge with the most beautiful views imaginable from the balcony of our room (my sister went, too, and we shared this lovely large room with a fireplace.) Of course, we had the fireplace going until late the first night and it reminded me of so many family memories as my mother always loved a fire in the fireplace and the family would gather around and she even allowed us to toast marshmellows on winter nights. Living in Miami, we do not have a fireplace! The red rock mountains of Sedona are gorgeous and are all around - we went to the Holy Cross Chapel as one of our first stops. As both my sister and my brother had stayed in Sedona before, we returned to their favorite places and every meal seemed to be in a different, awesome spot. This blog will be too long to read if I tell you all the wonders of each day. I do need to mention going to St. Vincent de Paul Center in Phoenix where my nephew is in charge of fundraising among other things. He invented a very creative game last year and was repeating it for the public on a Saturday so we all went to "play" and it was quite an experience. You begin by being given a sheet that describes who you are. I was a homeless woman with a three year old son; because of having the baby, I was out of work and living in a shelter but had to find a job, childcare, money for transportation, etc. Actually, St. Vincent de Paul helps you with so many things so you start at one station and are passed on to another according to your needs. I was helped to see how to budget, what my needs were, where I could apply for a job, etc. I found the game to be such an education that I am hoping my nephew can market it for all St. Vincent de Paul groups in every parish. After that, we went to see where Blase and his wife live now and stayed there for dinner. I stayed with John and Anita in Gold Canyon until my sister came for dinner at the end of the week and I went to her home in Scottsdale. I suppose the most interesting things during this busy week were the boatride and then the Parish Renew retreat. Both are worth telling you about some day, but I want to get back to reflections and here is a tidbit from a talk that my sister gave. She spoke of three key words that are central to her love of the Eucharist:"Listen, love, trust." I suspect that these three words are central to every spirituality. I promise more when I am home!

Arizona, here I come

My sister has an Indian reservation behind her home and the sunsets are gorgeous; I think they are also spectacular at my brother's but his home faces a mountain and is almost in a desert although it is called Gold Canyon. I leave this afternoon on a direct flight of five hours to Phoenix where my brother and sister-in-law will pick me up. They had to put their dog to sleep yesterday as the dog had cancer, but it was a hard decision for them to make. I hope I can cheer them up!
For those who did not read yesterday's blog, I will be away from the computer and may not be posting my blog everyday during this time. I think it good to take the time off and will leave you with a quotation from Henri Nouwen about community that I think is worth reflecting on as we all belong to different communities and I was thanking for all the people in my life this morning who belong to my different and many communities.
"Community is first and foremost a gift of the Holy Spirit, not built upon mutual compatibility, shared affection, or common interests but upon having received the same divine breath, having been given a heart set aflame by the same divine fire, and having been embraced by the same divine love."
John Main's Essential Writings is also giving me much to reflect upon and I will be sharing some of his one-liners on my return. I am looking forward to seeing my family and just spending time with them.

Athirst for the living God

"As the deer long for for the running waters, so my soul longs for you, O God. Athirst is my soul for God, the living God..."

God gives us the desire for Him; the more we desire God, the more capacity we have to receive His Love. He longs to love us but we need to learn how to allow Him to love us.

I will be going out to Arizona tomorrow to visit my brother and sister-in law in Gold Canyon, go up to Sedona with them, my sister, and possibly my nephew and his wife,for a couple of days. Then I will be visiting my sister the next week in Scottsdale and making a retreat she is helping give the next week end at the nearby retreat house. I will only return on April 29.
I usually take a vacation from the computer when I go away, but this time I may try keeping my blog; it will not be everyday and I am sure the reflections will flow from what I am experiencing as well as my prayer.
This morning I thought about the Regina Coeli It is the prayer we say to Mary instead of the Angelus from Easter to Pentecost. In other words, it is a prayer for the Easter season. I was trying to say it in the car the other day and found that I was not sure of the exact wording so here it is, just in case any of you are in doubt about how to pray this ancient prayer:
Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia.
The Son whom it was your privilege to bear, alleluia
Has risen as He said, alleluia.
Pray to God for us, alleluia
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia!
For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.
Let us pray
O God, You gave joy to the world
through the Resurrection of Your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ. We ask You through the
intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother,
to bring us to the happiness of eternal life.
Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.

May God be ever near

I came across this verse somewhere and it stayed in my head: "May all your wishes come true and every dream be found. May God be ever near and joy be all around."

Since God is ever near, it is nice to realize, too, that joy is all around.

In the first reading from Acts today, Peter brings back from the dead Tabitha. He does this by prayer and then just said, "Tabitha, rise up." Before this, in the same reading, Peter has cured Aeneas who had been confined to bed for eight years because he was paralyzed. Peter simply said to him, "Aneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and make your bed." When we have faith in Jesus, we can work wonders. Let us pray for the gift of faith to be able to use it to make the world a better place.

I want to share a quote from St. Madeleine Sophie from a conference she gave for the Feast of Pentecost in 1827 - "Now these persons about whom I have been speaking have found the secret of touching hearts; as they are no longer on the lookout for their own advantage, they do not even desire to do good; rather they have only one desire: to follow the impulse of the Holy Spirit. As to good or poor success, they calmly leave that to God...Let us call on the Spirit, therefore, so that she can fill us with her gifts."
It is always a good thing to call on the Spirit and desire to have her gifts!

New Books

My office and my room at home are overflowing with books, but I could not resist buying a few more. One is John Main. Essential Writings with an Introduction by Laurence Freeman. It is one of the Modern Spiritual Masters Series by Orbis and I have the 5th printing, 2006. It looks really good with the story of his life, then his writings and some wonderful short quotes at the end. Then, I bought Timothy Gallagher's The Examen Prayer: Ignatian Wisdom for Our Lives Today. Crossroad, 2006. It looks very helpful and practical with lots of the experience of others included in how to make this prayer a really important part of our daily life. The third book is by Thomas Rausch, S.J. An 8 Day Ignatian Retreat for Priests, Religious, Deacons, and Lay Ministers. Paulist Press, 2008. I looked it over and think it could be very useful outside of retreat as well as using the chapters in a retreat. He is writing for ministers and has some good reflection questions. As I have just received these three, I am not reviewing the books but only telling you that I shall be reading them and they look like they are going to be excellent spiritual reading.

Living Water

Jesus tells us that "no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him..."

The Father draws us to Jesus; on our own, we cannot connect with the Lord. It is a grace given to us by God. It is not our own doing. We are drawn to Jesus. There is, according to the Little White Book, a pull, an internal movement toward Christ. As a deer seeks water...God has put this "pull" in me to draw me. Have I sensed it? How do I respond? Do I desire to jump into the pool and find Jesus no matter what the obstacles? Or do I resist? Augustine told us, "Our hearts were made for you, O God, and they will not rest until they rest in you."

Here is a quote I like from St. Madeleine Sophie: "Go on advancing, you are on the true road. Remember, it is not you who have taken it, but God who has placed you there.

Jesus "rose" or "was raised"?

I was happy to find a rather satisfying explanation for the question I have often been asked about why the scripture passage says that Jesus "was raised" from the dead when we also speak of Jesus "rising" from the dead. The Little White Book says that both are true. It is a question of whether Jesus is being looked at from the point of view of his humanity, or from the point of view of his divinity. On the one hand, Jesus was not simply god masquerading in a human body. In his humanity, he became truly one of us - "tested in every way, but without sin" (Heb 4:15). As one of us, Jesus placed himself in dependence on the Father, trusting that the Father would bring him through death to glory.
On the other hand, it was the Second Person of the Trinity who took flesh, and Jesus could say, "The Father and I are one."
Thinking about Jesus as the Bread of life, brings to mind all the "I statements" that Jesus says in John's Gospel. Jesus is not only talking about who he is but what he does for us. Some of these sayings are:
I am the light of the world.
I am the good Shepherd.
I am the resurrection and the life.
I am the way, the truth, and the life.
I am the vine, you are the branches.

Take time to go over the above statements and hear Jesus saying each to you personally.

"I am the Bread of life"

Jesus said, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me with never thirst."
How, if Jesus is the Bread of life, does he nourish me? The "give us our daily bread" may have new meaning when thinking of Jesus as the Bread of life!

I was reading in Albert Nolan's Jesus Today about what we need to do to live as Jesus did. Nolan says that busyness is the supreme distraction. He goes on to show how Jesus had a profound need for silence and solitude. For us, "Regular periods of solitude and silence are indispensable." We need inner silence above all as "inner silence switches off the inner stream of thoughts, images, and feelings. Without this, authentic spirituality and spiritual transformation would not be possible."
Meditation is a way of calming the mind and heart as well as the body. It is a way of arriving at inner silence. Let us meditate!

Joy, Rain, Alleluias!

In spite of the rain (we need it but had a real storm last night with thunder and lots of lightning and it seems to be continuing in a soft drizzle), I feel like shouting, "This is the day the Lord has made! Rejoice and be glad! Alleluia! Alleluia!"
Actually, today is the Ceremony of graduation for my Online International Certificate Program in Spirituality Studies. This is the third group to graduate from the two-year program and I am sure that Jesus is rejoicing in these students. They have not only learned how others have sought and found God through the centuries, but they have been seeking and finding god in their own lives. They have been transformed and go forth to encourage others to believe in God's action in our daily lives.
The Little White Book tells us for April 7 that ten years ago the Bishop of Saginaw, Michigan, decreed that any meeting "whatever its purpose, no matter how few or how many people are involved, shall have as its first agenda item, an open discussion of this question: "What does it mean that the Spirit is present in what we are about?"
If we followed this decree our lives would be transformed. Let us live today in the Spirit of Jesus, Alleluia! Alleluia!

At Sea With God at Dawn

I think this scene is helpful for beginning my morning prayer - I love the idea of setting sail with Jesus and letting the Lord plan my day and be with me in the boat. He is the captain and I am crew and we are going to do all today together and let the wind carry us along.
I have been planning the graduation ceremony for my Online International Certificate Program in Spirituality Studies which will be this Monday. Ten are graduating and five excellent students will still be in the Program in September. I hope to have a really good new batch of students to join them, but I must say that this last group has been one of the most hard-working, intelligent, creative groups that I have ever had the privilege of teaching. They have not only studied how others have sought and found God through the centuries, but they have been seeking and finding God in their own lives. I hope to tell them that on Monday. The ceremony will be videotaped and up on the University website hopefully as soon as possible.
Today's Gospel is special for me. It has Jesus coming to the disciples on the sea. They are afraid but he calls out, "It is I. Do not be afraid." John tells us that they wanted to take Jesus into the boat, but the boat immediately arrived at the shore to which they were heading. I have often heard Jesus say to me, "It is I. Do not be afraid." It is a grace to thank for and I do, but I like having Jesus in the boat with me. He likes to be invited so I urge you to invite him to sail with you today!

"He does not ration his gift of the Spirit" (Jn 3:32)

I am using the Little White Book today for my blog as I was struck with what Bishop Ken Untener said about the generosity of Jesus. Ken died in 2004 but the Little Books with six minute meditations based on his writings keep appearing so that people have a help for prayer. Today's meditation is on this passage from today's Gospel of John 3:31-36:
Jesus said: "The one whom god sent speaks the words of God. He does not ration his gift of the Spirit. The Father loves the Son and has given everything over to him. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life."
That phrase catches one's eye: "He does not ration his gift of the Spirit."
Jesus isn't miserly with his gifts. He's like a grandmother serving up a Thanksgiving dinner, with enough food for an army.
We see his bountiful generosity everywhere in the Gospels. Look at John's Gospel alone. At Cana, Jesus doesn't dole out the wine (and good wine at that). He provides over 20 gallons. In the miracle of the loaves, 12 basketfuls are left over. When the disciples can't catch an fish, he miraculously provides not a pail-full, but over 150 fish. And when the woman anointed Jesus at Bethany with costly perfumes oil (over 300 days' wages worth), he defends her largesse.
No, Jesus isn't miserly. Neither is his Father who gave his only Son. Neither is the Holy Spirit who floods God's life upon us.
God doesn't dole out gifts on the basis of quantity or even the quality of the recipient: "He makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust."
The Easter season is one long celebration of God's goodness. Today's time with the Lord might well be a time of thank-you's. It's a beautiful, easy (and sometimes overlooked) way to pray.
Now, just spend some quiet time with Jesus thanking him for his generosity.

Peaceful Scene

Sometimes I just want to reflect without words on a picture. Looking at the lake amid the mountains gives me a sense of peace. I am feeling disorganized today and yet know that I need to get many things done but I want to do them in peace. We hurry too much and Easter season is a call to slow down and walk with Jesus.
On another note, can you believe that John Paul II died on this day in 2005? It does not seem that long, but much has happened in the past three years. I am beginning to reflect back on the past academic year as I sent in my grades and, after the Online Program graduation ceremony on Monday, will be concentrating on the new course for September.
There is always much to thank for and I am going to make a division in my Journal for "Gratitude" and try to thank for something everyday. A grateful person is a joyful person! Try it!

One heart and one mind...

Today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles begins with the sentence, "The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common."
Religious of the Sacred Heart have as our motto, One heart and one mind and the initials are carved on the cross we wear to remind us of our Cor Unum et Anima unum.
Community is formed by living together, sharing, praying, and becoming one heart and one mind. Since we are all very different individuals, it does not mean that we need to agree on many things, but that deep down we do have one heart and one mind because we share the same charism and mission.
Right now, many of us are reflecting on the transformation of religious life today and the challenges that face us. As long as we remain a community of believers and are of one heart and mind, I have no fear. God knows the future and is opening the life of religious communities to meet the needs of today's world. Associates are springing up all over the world who want to share in our "one heart and one mind."
It is an exciting time to live! Let us trust God and let God lead us into the future.

Feast of the Annunciation

It is difficult to find an image that resembles my own picture of the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary to ask her to be the Mother of Jesus.This one will have to do.
The feast was changed this year because of Easter week, but it is such a special feast as this is the moment that, as my "Living with Christ" says, "binds God to humanity forever." God becomes man! Mary is the chosen one; her generous and trusting response is an example for us. May we be able always to say, "Be it done to me according to your word."
To reflect upon today is a quote from St. Bede:
"A soul that has believed has both conceived and bears the Word of God and declares God's works. Let the spirit of Mary be in each of you, so that your soul rejoices in God." That is what we want to do today: rejoice in God!

Blessed are those who have not seen and who believe

This Sunday's Gospel takes in both the Easter Sunday evening appearance of Jesus to his apostles when he enters through the locked doors and tells them, "Peace be with you" and the next Sunday's appearance. On Easter Sunday, he shows them his hands and his side and they "rejoiced when they saw the Lord."
Then Jesus, without a word of reproof to them for having abandoned him, says again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
This gift of the Sacrament of Reconciliation was given on the very day that Jesus rose from the dead, but Thomas was not with the fearful disciples locked in the room. When the others told him that they had seen Jesus, he said that unless he saw the mark of the nails in his hands and put his finger into the nailmarks and put his hand into his side, he would not believe. So, a week later, Thomas now with the disciples, Jesus again comes, although the doors were still locked! Again, Jesus greets them with, "Peace be with you." Then he speaks to Thomas and says, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." And Thomas makes his magnificent profession of faith: "My Lord and my God!"
Thomas believes and because of Thomas we also know that Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed."
What a grace for us! We all have moments of doubt in our lives, but we do not see and still believe and that makes us blessed! The Gospel ends with John telling us that Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written, "But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name."
Divine Mercy Sunday is a time to go before the Lord with thanksgiving; we have been forgiven, we are given the peace of Christ, we have faith to say "My Lord and my God!" Let us put our trust in the Heart of Jesus and go forth to proclaim his love!