Feast of the Visitation

My imagination runs away with me when I try to imagine the journey and then the meeting with Elizabeth. I also like to see Mary staying with Elizabeth to help her and both of them so caught up in the whole mystery that God involved them in so suddenly and so startling - their lives were changed forever. And then we can imagine the babies that were growing in the womb of each. I love Elizabeth saying that the child in her womb jumped for joy when Mary came. I guess we are free to imagine the scene anyway we want and then just be there with Mary. I also think I am to learn from her who was so thoughtful of others, who did not think of herself, who "went with haste" and who gave joy.

The Holy Father gave a homily on joy after his return from the Holy Land. I was struck by the Prefaces for after Easter and for the Feast of the Ascension and Pentecost. They all speak of being  overcome with paschal joy - are you feeling overcome with this Paschal Joy?

Here is the exact ending for all of these Prefaces:
"Therefore, overcome with paschal joy,
every land, every people exults in your praise
and even the heavenly Powers, with the angelic hosts,
sing together the unending hymn of your glory,
as they acclaim, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of Hosts...

I am rejoicing on a new year of life !!

Mary is on her way to visit Eliszabeth

This picture has nothing to do with the Visitation if you think of Mary on the journey to Elizabeth. However, tomorrow is the Feast of the Visitation and I seem to be still waiting for the computer man to come and so this picture is all that I had on my phone and it is a welcome change from the heat here in Miami and also makes one think of the hardships involved sometimes in going to visit a relative. Mary went in haste. Was she able to go with a group? She could not travel the roads alone. She must have been full of joy for her cousin who had been barren all these years, but must also have been thinking about what the angel said to her. She believed but did not really understand. However, the Holy Spirit must have filled her with both joy and new energy and off she went.
There are always others waiting for a visitation from us. Today that can be by mail or phone or e-mail to say nothing of the chat rooms, Facebook and other ways to visit. Indeed, if you are reading this blog, I feel that it is a way to visit. May Jesus be with us and may we be filled with joy tomorrow as we spend the day with Mary and Elizabeth.
As it is my birthday, we will have the Mass of the Ascension here in my community at 5:00 and I look forward to that gift.

Ascension Thursday

Still no one has arrived to fix our computer! I am again trying to write on my I-pad and so very grateful that I have one!

To continue with my morning reflection....I am trying to feel what Jesus must of felt on the day of His Ascension into heaven. He has been consoling and instructing his friends for some 40 Days and now is going to leave them as far as bodily appearance goes. He has given the gift of the Eucharist and has promised that He will send them the Holy Spirit, but I think He still has some mixed feelings about leaving them. He knows it is time and He gives them a farewell speech and let's them see Him ascending. What does His Heart feel as He leaves His Mother and His chosen friends?

Unexpected Gift

I am waiting for the man to come and fix our computer so I am having the unexpected gift of a day alone at home!! I shall make a big pot of soup and I have cleaned the kitchen and sorted out all our containers for left overs as we have so many tops that do not seem to match anything. Hurricane season begins next Sunday, along with the feast of the Ascension and we need to begin our preparations. We have had such good summers for so many years that we forget what can happen if a hurricane does come our way.
Today I want to share with you one of my favorite quotes from our formation booklet on Interior Life. It begins by reminding us that the "spirit of the Society is essentially founded on prayer and the interior life." (Constitutions 17)
Interior Life is "a source of fruitfulness, joy and vitality for us. It is the place where the human and the divine come together, the place of our encounter with the risen Christ, to which we bring our joys and sorrows and from which we draw strength to pronounce our "yes".
Our incarnational spirituality flows from our deep relationship with Jesus. We see the link between this experience of Jesus and our own way of living and growing in relationship with others. Our contemplative life is what helps us to discover God's love in the wounds of the world. We need to be transformed so that we may glimpse the face of Christ in the faces of the poor and in one another."

Joy, love, compassion

Joy, love and compassion are essential ingredients in spiritual growth.

this is a quote from Christina Feldman from last month's "Friend's of Silence". she says "Profound  joy is a celebration of our vision of connectedness, ...we must let our hearts dance and rejoice with love and compassion and yearn wholeheartedly for oneness and wholeness". I love the image of my heart dancing! 

I am writing on my I-pad as our computer stopped last Saturday morning -hope I can publish this today.

Memorial Day Week End and the Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie makes these three days special. We are now in the week before the Ascension; here we now celebrate this Feast on Sunday but we have the last week in May to think of how those forty days after Easter were for the Apostles. Jesus was still showing Himself in His glorified body so that they could see He was truly risen and continued to show His love and concern for others. I am reminded of the Bishop in Coquimbo who went around visiting to give joy to all during this time after Easter. He would just drop in and stay for tea and show interest in whatever we were doing. He lived in another city but tried to visit all the religious communities and other groups during these forty days. Would that more pastors tried to do the same!

Now, I have been thinking more about our formation booklet and how it calls us to really live an incarnated spirituality. At the same time, I was reading something from the Jesuits that speaks of the need for silence in our souls. We need to have that interior quiet no matter how busy we are. I suspect that the biggest obstacle to our spiritual life today is the lack of interior silence. Our minds are so full of everything!

There is a new App for Centering Prayer that I started using. It is nice as you can select an opening prayer, then the chimes to begin and it times your 20 minutes for you, chimes again, and offers a closing scripture. It is free and can be on you I-phone as well as your I-pad.

Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie

Today we have the Sunday Mass but it is still the Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie, the foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart. She had a real vision for an international society that would educate young girls. Here is something about her:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madeleine_Sophie_Barat


St. Madeleine Sophie must be happy to see all that the Society of the Sacred Heart in all parts of the world is doing for justice and our desire to make the world a better place by spreading the Love of the Heart of Jesus.

I was struck by the Pope's homily on May 22 when he said that a Christian must be full of joy. Jesus spoke of peace, love and joy and these three must be part of our lives. St. Madeleine Sophie told us to give joy to others. In giving joy to others, we are giving Jesus joy!

Today's Gospel reminds us: "Let not your hearts be troubled...."

Use a "to be" list instead of a "to do" one

Here is something to reflect on today:

An excerpt from from Seven Choices for Success and Significance by Nido R. Qubein

The bottom line is this: What you choose is what you get. Five years from today, you will be exactly the same person you are today except for the choices you make beginning right now. You make a lot of choices every day—what to wear, what to have for breakfast, which route to drive to work, etc. Those are transactional choices. But you can also choose at any point to transform your life. Those transformational choices are wise decisions that can change the direction of your life—putting your lfie on a path to success… and more importantly… significance. The people who I admire most don’t live their lives by a “to-do” list; they live their lives by a “to-be” list, for example: I want to be more generous, more patient, more learned, more reasoned. While you can check things quickly off a “to-do” list, it may be several months before you cross something off your “to-be” list. And here’s the other side of the coin: You can’t have a “to-be” list, without having a “stop doing” list. To become something, you must undo something…acting on an item from your “stop doing” list. Those who live by a “to-be” list have discovered wisdom…an education that serves them well for life.

Let the Holy Spirit prioritize your life

Here we are on Friday again and I wonder where the week went - the days seem to fly by and I do need to keep telling myself that a "to be" list is more important than my "to do" one. If it is essential, cannot be put off, it gets done. Some things that are put off seem to lose their importance and even get dropped off the list. I keep in mind what a very wise and holy nun told us when I was a novice: "Don't do today what you can put off until tomorrow" - if that sounds like heresy, I must give you the content in which she uttered these words of wisdom. We had asked her how she found time to be in front of Blessed Sacrament in the Chapel so often and she told us that she had learned that some things are essential and others not. She also was the one that told us that charity was to come before any rule.

I am trying to keep my priorities right and it is amazing all that can be done when you let the Holy Spirit prioritize your day!
There is a free App for Centering Prayer and worth having

Life unfolding...

The name of our new formation booklet is "Life unfolding....Offering the Gift Received" and it is for the entire Society of the Sacred Heart. We are always in formation. What has struck me in praying over it is the number of times the words "transformation" or "transformed" appear. Here is a sample:
"For us RSCJ, formation is a way of being open to life, a constant invitation to learn, to grow, to let ourselves be transformed."....

"We have come to realize that transformation is not the same as change. The strategies of change come from our own initiative, while transformation is always the fruit of an Encounter. It happens when we venture with our whole being into a deep, sincere encounter with God and let ourselves be encountered by God, just as we are, with nothing in our lives remaining outside of this encounter."...

"We need to be transformed so that we may glimpse the face of Christ in the faces of the poor and in one another."

I am reflecting on the moments or times of transformation in my own life!

Looking back I see so many moments of transformation. Many come in prayer, especially in retreats; others are with people or during a certain experience such as my months at the Trinita in Rome. Then I know I was transformed, but it is hard to recognize in the present moment anything I would call "transformation" but we are all being transformed each day and need faith to see it.

Chilean Beach

Re-living memories must be a good part of old age!
Another memory of the beach near the retreat house we, the Society of the Sacred Heart, administered for Cardinal Silva and where I not only gave retreats but also worked one summer as the driver. This meant going to all the farms to buy produce to feed the many persons that came to the retreat house. The man who went with me had not yet obtained his license to be able to drive, but he was the one that backed the car over a two plank bridge one day. I was afraid to even try it as the planks were just wide enough for a wheel. I really prayed then and, as always, the Heart of Jesus hears us when we put our trust in Him. I had driven over the planks to get to the island with the food but there was no way I could back out and no room to turn around. Maybe not one of my best memories but one that is still so powerful that it takes me back in an instant to the whole terrifying time as I watched the car being backed out on those little planks.

Thirsty for God

Some days one longs for God as the deer thirsts for water. I read the Pope's latest audience talk where he continues to explain the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Having treated the first three gifts, he spoke of fortitude. The first three gifts help us to know the will of God, but fortitude helps us to do it. We all need to patiently seek God and fortitude gives us the strength to do His will and to keep on even in the face of difficulties so we need to pray for this gift.

In the little book, "Jesus Calling"  it says: "Spending time alone with Me is essential for your well-being. It is not a luxury or an option; it is a necessity. Therefore, do not feel guilty about taking time to be with Me."

Sometimes, I need to hear that again as we get caught up in so many things to do and things that need to be done or that we think we should be doing. As the deer longs for water, my soul thirst for the Lord. Today I need a long drink!

Jesus is the Way

Sunday's Gospel is worth reading and re-reading. It begins with Jesus telling us not to let our hearts be troubled. That is good news. I read the newspaper every morning and it is difficult not to have a troubled heart with all the bad news that comes from all over our world. So what is the solution?

Jesus also tells us He is the Way... He has come and lived and suffered and died and then rose from the dead. He has gone before us to show us how to follow Him in love and service and peace. If we read at least a bit of the Gospel each day, as the Pope suggests, we will know how Jesus would have us act; we will know the Way.

If at first you don't succeed...

I wrote a blog for today but it just vanished so I am trying again!
 I think my blog was about following Jesus, "The Way, the Truth, and the Life." Every time I read in the Gospel that Jesus said He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, I remember the book we had for our Christian Doctrine class when I was in High School. It had a blue cover and written in white was the phrase: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." I do not seem to remember much about the contents of the book, but the cover is a vivid memory. Years later, as a novice, we were asked to write an essay on "What is Truth?" All I could think of was "it's Jesus." I was too shy to write that and remember agonizing over that essay

Besides having several blogs disappear, I want to share with you my joy in this time after Easter. We have many feast coming up soon: the Ascension, Pentecost, the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, the Feast of the Sacred Heart and that of the Immaculate Heart which takes us to the 28th of June. On May 25th we will celebrate the Feast of St. Madeleine Sophie, the Foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart. She is the one who said, "Be simple, be humble, and give joy to others."

Sheep and Community

When we live in community, we are never alone. We may all be engaged in different ministries, but there is a union that comes from living together and sharing the same charism. In our new formation booklet it mentions that the three basic elements: community, interior life, and a simple life with the poor, are a blessing and a challenge. I am reflecting on the blessings and challenges of each of these calls beginning with community. The people I feel closest to are those with whom I have lived in community even if this was years ago. One gets to know people in the daily duties that are part of community life. I am aware that much of what I reflect on about community is also true of family life. The beauty of community life is that we come together as mission and for mission and we grow together as we struggle to love one another and allow each to be herself. We are only like the sheep in the sense that we follow the same Good Shepherd, but each of us has her own personality and here the blessings and challenges come together. We respect each other, but we do have different backgrounds, different ways of doing things, different views on many things, but we are all striving for union with Jesus. I am just thinking this out for myself but know that people I lived with over sixty years ago are still counted among my best friends.

So much to be grateful for...

Today may be my last day at St. Thomas University until next September. The students have left but summer school has begun and there is still noon Mass; then I have lunch with Patrick and Centering Prayer and faith-sharing on next Sunday's Gospel with three close friends - the three men in my life! We have been praying together and sharing each week for many years. I will be in Miami until July 30 when I go to California for my retreat and visit with our Religious out there.

When I look back on my life, there are so many graces to thank the Lord for that I get lost in my memories. Yesterday and today's pictures are scenes from Chile where I spent twenty wonderful years; I thank the Lord for the grace to have had this great experience and for all the graces received during those years. When I look back on that period of my life, I am amazed at how the Lord Himself was so present and directing the events and circumstances even before I was asked to go straight from Rome to Chile and without knowing any Spanish! What sometimes seems crazy seems to have been a special calling from the Lord.
Thank You, Lord, for all the graces of this past week, month, year, and all the graces You have been giving me since my birth!

Let not your hearts be troubled,,,

This is to help us prepare for next Sunday as the Gospel begins with one of my favorite sayings of Jesus: "Let not your hearts be troubled..."

Why do we let our hearts be troubled? Jesus is with us; He loves us and can take care of us so why be troubled? We are an Easter people and should be radiating joy and confidence because we know that we are loved by God!

A sad saint is a sorry saint - I am not sure who said this, but I have always thought it to be true. So smile and remember that Jesus is Risen and He is with us!

Docility to the Holy Spirit

This morning I read the Pope's homily and he speaks of how sometimes the Holy Spirit is very forceful but :
"At other times, the Holy spirit leads us gently and the virtue is in allowing ourselves to be carried by the Holy Spirit, in not resisting the Holy Spirit, in being docile to the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit works in the Church today, is acting in our lives today. Some of you may say: 'I have never seen him!'. But pay attention to what is happening, to what comes to your mind, to what comes in your heart. Good things? It is the Spirit that invites you to take that path. It takes docility! Docility to the Holy Spirit."

Thank the Lord for your problems

Thanking the Lord for my problems is not something I was ever taught to do, but I am beginning to see how helpful it is. I read in yesterday's meditation from "Jesus Calling": "Thank Me for your problems. As soon as your mind gets snagged on a difficulty, bring it to Me with thanksgiving. Then ask Me to show you My way to handle the situation. The very act of thanking Me releases your mind from its negative focus...."

Really, there is nothing that Jesus cannot handle and much better than I can do it. I read recently that becoming like a child means being weak, needy, and dependent. So, I am taking all the problems of the world to Jesus to handle and going back to the gratitude journal as the biggest help for living in joy!

Do you run from difficulties?

"Do not resist or run from the difficulties in your life. These problems are not random mistakes; they are hand-tailored blessings designed for your benefit and growth. Embrace all the circumstances that I allow in your life, trusting Me to bring good out of them. View problems as opportunities to rely more fully on Me."
The above is the first paragraph for May 10 from "Jesus Calling", the little daily meditation book that my brother-in-law gave me. I must confess that I had not picked it up for some days, but my sister called yesterday to ask prayers for Phil, her husband, who had fallen and broken his foot. He is not to put any weight on it for six weeks and is getting around the house on a little scooter!
Having said this, I shall add the rest of today's reflection from "Jesus Calling":
"When you feel stressed, let those feelings alert you to your need for Me. Thus, your needs become doorways to deep dependence on Me and increasing intimacy between us. Although self-sufficiency is acclaimed in the world, reliance on Me produces abundant living in My kingdom. Thank Me for the difficulties in your life since they provide protection from the idolatry of self-reliance."

The suggested Scripture readings are John 15:5; 2 Corinthians 1:8-9; Ephesians 5:20.