Feast of the Visitation

Mary goes to visit Elizabeth and she is carrying Jesus who will communicate with the infant in the womb of Elizabeth. The Holy Spirit inspires Elizabeth to say, "Most blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb." Mary replies with her Magnificat, praising the Lord for all he has done for her. I am sure that Mary must have been composing some of that Magnificat on the journey to the hill country to visit Elizabeth. It is always good to praise the Lord for all He has done for us. We rejoice in His Love.
Yesterday, the Feast of the Sacred Heart, I prayed over this quote from David Richo's "The Sacred Heart of the World: Restoring Mystical Devotion to Our Spiritual Life." The quote is from Johann Tauler, a 14th century Dominican.
"What more could he still do for us that he has not done? He has opened his very heart to us, as the most secret chamber wherein to lead our soul, his chosen spouse. For it is his joy to be with us in silent stillness, and in peaceful silence to rest there with us... He gives us his heart entirely, that it may be our home. He desires our hearts in return that they may be his dwelling place."

It is his joy to be with us in silent stillness and peaceful silence - what a gift!

Feasrt of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

I do not like the images I found of the Heart of Jesus, but will use this one. I love the statue at Kenwood and have a picture of the head of Christ framed in both my office and my room and that is the only picture I really like. I will try to put it in my blog another day when I have the time.
I am just back from three days of prayer at the Cenacle in Gainesville. It was a tradition to take three days to prepare for the Feast of the Sacred Heart and we still renew our vows on this feast and are united with the Society of the Sacred Heart all over the world. In Miami today we will be renewing our vows in a liturgy with the students in our school. May our commitment of our lives to Jesus inspire the children who are present as I am convinced that Jesus continues to call others to follow him in religious life; our culture, with all the distractions, makes it difficult to hear his voice. We need to pray for those being called to whatever vocation God is drawing them to today. Sorry, but no time for more today.

Spirituality Today - More for Reflection

Each one is unique; each one has his or her own spirituality. It is good to reflect on how we would try to articulate ours today.

I am continuing to reflect on what the U.S. Province of the Society of the Sacred Heart has articulated. We state that "Prayer and intimacy with God in the Pierced Heart of Jesus is the wellspring of all that we are and do, and everything in our lives flows from it." We are "fed by prolonged times of contemplative silence and solitude."

When we were cloistered (we left the convent only for health and educational reasons), it was easy to have the silence and solitued; now we need to find ways to build it into our busy lives. I will be doing just that this week. I will drive up to Gainesville on Monday (today is Memorial Day holiday in the United States) to stay at the Cenacle for prayer and to see my spiritual director. These days will be preparing for the Feast of the Sacred Heart which is next Friday. I will drive back on Thursday. Because I will be out of town, I will not be writing my blog for the next three days. Pray for me.

Feast of Corpus Christi

For me, of course, this is the feast of the Body of Christ; for Google it is a lovely town in Texas on the water. I visited there on my way home from Mexico many summers ago when only sixteen! I was visiting a cousin who had seven brothers! It was a fun week and I have great memories of that friendly place.
But, to go back to today's feast, Jesus told us that he is "the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever."

We have been given the gift of the Eucharist so that we may have eternal life. Today's Gospel tells us that "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. " Jesus also said that he remains in us and we in him. Let us thank for this great gift of the Eucharist. Jesus gives us himself to nourish us! He remains with us!

Today is also the feast of St. Madeleine Sophie who so loved the Eucharist. Here is a quote from her I happened to read today: "Before the Blessed Sacrament, remain in the emptiness that precedes fullness. Renew yourself in the wounds of Jesus Christ, especially his pierced side; that is ours. Afterwards live a renewed life filled with joy."

She also wrote to St. Philippine Duchesne in 1823: "You will find strength in the Heart of Jesus. He is open for us; let us go to Him to draw the strength and courage we need."

One more quote: "When we participate in the Eucharist, the Lord is united with us and we with Him. That is why one single life, one single aim, should be our animating force…."

May St. Madeleine Sophie's love for the Eucharist enkindle our love and desire to receive Jesus into our hearts today and always.

Spirituality today

Everyone is interested in spirituality today! It is not easy to articulate one's spirituality, yet it is what gives purpose to our lives.

The Society of the Sacred Heart all over the world has been struggling all year to articulate our spirituality in preparation for the General Chapter held this summer. As each Province has shared their statement, I find a wealth of material for reflection and thought that I would begin with a few thoughts from the United States as we have formulated our spirituality statement.

We begin by affirming our "fundamental identity as women summoned by God's love revealed in Jesus." (I love the fact that being invited, called, attracted, by God's love has now become a more forceful "summoned" for us.)

Then we acknowledge that our "communion with the Triune God, who is Holy Mystery and Sacred Presence in our universe, is the ground of our being." To put this in my own words, union with God is essential, the ground of my being, the reason for my existence.

Check this out for spiritual growth!

Yesterday I promised that I would say more about my International Online Program in Spirituality Studies. It is time to offer this opportunity for real spiritual growth and here is what it is all about and I hope you are interested or will help me find the right students for September.

St. Thomas University's School of Theology and Ministry offers an Online International Certificate Program in Spirituality Studies. It covers the history of Christian Spirituality in four courses. For each course students read great spiritual classics from New Testament times to Contemporary Spirituality. Students enroll from all over the world providing exciting and rich dialogue. There are no tests or papers, but a brief summary is posted at the end of each Unit. The courses are 12 weeks; the first, New Testament Spirituality and the Early Fathers begins September 8, 2009. For more information please contact Dr. Helen Rosenthal, rscj at hrosenth@stu.edu or go to http://www.stu.edu/spiritual-studies-online-article-2851.html
Cost: Only $300 per course.
Hopefully, this information will bring students for a great experience!

For reflection today I took the refrain of Psalm 103 from the liturgy:
"The Lord is kind and merciful."

I also took the first line of the first reading from James: "Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged."
I will try to live today without a single discontent! It is a real challenge, but helps one to live in joy!

Peaceful water brings peace

Have you ever felt a bit overwhelmed or just disturbed and then looked at a peaceful lake, or a calm pond, and felt the stillness creep over you? Even looking at peaceful water brings me peace. I think others must have this same experience and I know that I am grateful for this means of restoring a calmness to my soul.

I am usually a very peaceful person and I thought the other day that it may be because I have so many lovely pictures of water around me. Over my desk at my office in the University I have about a dozen pictures of the Pacific ocean. The water is not still, but they bring peace. Perhaps because the pictures are scenes of the water where I make my retreat each summer, I find the peace of the retreat seeping into me by just contemplating the lovely scenes of the deep blue ocean.

This is the time of the year that I begin to look for new students for the International Online Program in Spirituality Studies. Having taught the online courses for six years, I am happy to let one of the graduates of the Program who is a read educator take over in September. I will continue as Coordinator of Spirituality Studies. I hope to attract more international students. We now have graduates from Belize, Malaysia, Australia, Scotland, Colombia, Haiti, and all parts of the United States.
If any of my readers are interested or know of others who might be interested in reading the spiritual classics and discovering how others have sought and found God through the centuries, please get in touch. I will add a bit of information about the Program tomorrow as it is a wonderful way to grow in your own spirituality.

"God is the strength of his people..."

Today's entrance antiphon was taken from Psalm 27: 8-9 and I have just stayed with it:
"God is the strength of his people. In him, we his chosen live in safety. Save us, Lord, who share in your life, and give us your blessing; be our shepherd forever."

I find these two verses very full of deep theology. God is our strength; we have all had the experience of knowing this to be true. How often I find myself unable to do anything, but with God all is possible. He has chosen us; that is a tremendous reason to rejoice. We have been chosen by God! In him, we live in safety. He has chosen us and he cares for us. We share in his life. Yet, we need to ask to be saved - to be saved from ourselves, from our busyness, from our weaknesses...and so we ask your blessing, Lord, knowing that if you are our shepherd we will not want; we will fear no evil for you are with us.

Heart Magazine arrived today and I read the article about my blog; it is true that it helps me to reflect and that it is not a burden for me to write it, but I am late today as I left the house early without having posted anything and then there now seems to be trouble with the blogspot connection and I am told to try later!
I think that my International Online Program in Spirituality Studies has led many to read Reflections of an RSCJ, but more about that tomorrow.

St. Bernardine of Siena

I do not know much about St. Bernardine of Siena. In 1397 after a course of civil and canon law, he joined the Confraternity of Our Lady attached to the great hospital of Santa Maria della Scala. Three years later, when the pestilence revisited Siena, he came forth from the life of seclusion and prayer he had embraced, to minister to the plague-stricken, and, assisted by ten companions, took upon himself for four months entire charge of this hospital. Despite his youth Bernardine proved fully equal to this task, but the heroic and unremitting labour it involved so far shattered his health that he never completely recovered. Having distributed his patrimony in charity, Bernardine received the habit of the Friars Minor at San Francesco in Siena, 8 September, 1402, but soon withdrew to the Observantine convent of Columbaio outside the city. He was professed 8 September, 1403 and ordained 8 September, 1404.

As a Franciscan priest he won many converts in Italy because of his eloquence and intuitive understanding of the needs of his listeners. After refusing various bishoprics, Bernardine became the Vicar General of the Franciscans and was canonized in 1450, just six years after his death!

This coming Sunday, May 25, is the feast of St. Madeleine Sophie, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Here is a quote from her that I was reflecting on today:
"We don't live among angels but among humans and sometimes we forget it. You know and admire a person but when you discover real faults in her you feel deceived. When this happens to me, in order to keep my peace, I "try to walk in her moccasins" and not judge by appearances." (St. Madeleine Sophie - Letter, May 31, 1828)

Faith and Humility

"I do believe, help my unbelief!"

In today's Gospel (Mark 9: 14-29), we have Jesus coming down from the mountain with Peter, James and John; they find a crowd around the other disciples and the scribes are there arguing with them. It seems that the disciples were not able to cast out a mute spirit. Jesus asks that the boy be brought to him. Then he questions the father who says to Jesus, "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." Jesus said, "'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith."
Then the father cried out. "I do believe, help my unbelief!"
Then Jesus ordered the unclean spirit to leave the boy and he took him by the hand and raised him and he stood up. Later he told his disciples when they asked why they could not drive out the spirit, "This kind can only come out through prayer."
I think the faith and humility of the father was the reason- his cry was prayer and we need to make it our prayer!
"I do believe, help my unbelief!"
I am now calling these May Reflections 2008.