All Hallows Eve

The history of this day is connected with the Feast of All Saints. On the eve, all sorts of things were supposed to happen, but we have mostly thought of the day as one to dress up in a costume and go out to collect treats or play tricks on neighbors. At boarding school we had a party planned always by the Third Academic or Juniors. We were allowed to plan the dinner, decorate, and then invent the night entertainment for the Halloween party. Since we were reading Macbeth, we had a cauldron with an artificial fire under it in a corner with the three witches but before that we had taken the entire boarding school on a nocturnal walk that included the cemetery with ghosts popping up all over and a realistic figure hanging from the loft of the barn. It was perhaps the most fun Halloween I have ever experienced; I also remember one time when some of us in about fifth grade went to a party as the "Dead End Kids" and we were so comfortable while others could hardly move without destroying their costumes. This is not a very spiritual reflection today, but I am preparing for all Saints! Here is something of the history of Halloween:

The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom, and northern France, celebrated their new year on November 1. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. Celts believed that on the night before the new year, the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead became blurred. On the night of October 31, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth. In addition to causing trouble and damaging crops, Celts thought that the presence of the otherworldly spirits made it easier for the Druids, or Celtic priests, to make predictions about the future. For a people entirely dependent on the volatile natural world, these prophecies were an important source of comfort and direction during the long, dark winter.
To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic deities.
During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other's fortunes. When the celebration was over, they re-lit their hearth fires, which they had extinguished earlier that evening, from the sacred bonfire to help protect them during the coming winter.
By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain.
By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1 All Saints' Day, a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All-hallowmas (from Middle English Alholowmesse meaning All Saints' Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and, eventually, Halloween. Even later, in A.D. 1000, the church would make November 2 All Souls' Day, a day to honor the dead. It was celebrated similarly to Samhain, with big bonfires, parades, and dressing up in costumes as saints, angels, and devils. Together, the three celebrations, the eve of All Saints', All Saints', and All Souls', were called Hallowmas.

"Draw your strength from the Lord..."

The first reading from Ephesians begins with "Draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power." Sometimes I forget that the Lord has told me to come to His Heart and find all that I need, even if it is what He has asked of me.
The reading continues telling us to "Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil." This seems a fitting text for the eve of all Hallows Eve. We are called to be saints!

I have finished talking about my trip in this blog, but I could not resist the pictures which are from the Lake District!

Called to journey with one another

In today's Gospel, Jesus passed through towns and villages, teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem. He walked; roads were only dusty, rutted paths. He and his followers had to contend with the climate, fatigue, dust, but Jesus was a man with a mission. He taught the truth and not just what people wanted to hear.

We are called to journey with each other. A sentence from the recent General Chapter of the Society of the Sacred Heart keeps coming to mind: "To understand others and to journey with them we must enter into their reality and let ourselves be changed by their lives." How am I letting others change me?

Trip continued and perhaps finished today:
I think I have now been writing about my three-week trip daily for two weeks and it is time to sum it up with just a few of the highlights. The trip to the Lake District was, of course, beautiful and my mind is still filled with pictures of the English countryside. In London, I will try to limit myself to what I consider three outstanding graces, each still influencing me as I write:
1. The tremendous welcome I received from the Community of New House where I stayed; each made me feel at home in so many ways. I was overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and kindness. I also enjoyed the community prayer each evening in their Chapel and I am just so grateful to each who showed me the love of the Heart of Christ.
2. The time I had for prayer in the Sacred Heart Chapel that contains the tombs of Father Varin, Reverend Mother Digby, and Reverend Mother Stuart--all important figures in the history of the Society of the Sacred Heart. It is a holy place and survived the bombing that destroyed most of Roehampton where we had a teacher training college; now Roehampton University occupies the site with five colleges and some of our Sisters, including the Provincial, live students in Barat House; I was invited to tea there and able to meet some of the students. But to go back to the Chapel and the grace I felt every time I walked over to pray there; I had Mass one day and stayed to read some of Mother Stuart's poems in a little red book that Jane gave me in Scotland. I really felt the presence of Mother Stuart and her blessing.
3. An unexpected grace: I was able to assist at a private Mass in the Chapel of St. Edward the Confessor in Westminster Abbey. The pictures above show the Abbey and the tomb of St. Edward who died just a week after finishing Westminster Abbey; his tomb is still there in the small Chapel not usually open to anyone because of the 13th century Italian floor (it was covered with a rug) - the Mass was for those who had tickets - only a small group, but Monica managed to get two tickets. We had the entire Abbey to ourselves when we came out of the Mass and that was thrilling; all the lights were on but it was silent!
My entire trip was special. I also saw, on my last afternoon, over 50 deer in a nearby park grazing in at least six different spots! I returned grateful for all and especially grateful for all the marvelous people I met both in Scotland and England and for my vocation to an international Society for one is at home in any Sacred Heart community!

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude

These are two Apostles that we know little about but they were called by Jesus. Jude is also called Thaddeus. According to tradition, both were martyrs and Jude has become the saint of the impossible! We pray to Jude for hopeless cases. Jude also seems to be identified as "son of James" or maybe it means brother of James. The point is that these two are not well-known.
Luke tells us in today's Gospel that Jesus spent the night in prayer before he chose the Twelve, whom he named Apostles. I like to contemplate the scene Luke gives us when he says: "Jesus went up the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God."
However, I need to also say something about the first reading today from Ephesians. Paul tells us that Jesus is the capstone and it is through him the whole structure is held together. We are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Think about this and be filled with gratitude. Jesus is the capstone!

Trip continued

The scenic route to Bronte country was through a very old and Catholic part of England. We passed Blackburn where the English St. Margaret was martyred.
We saw an ancient Roman aqueduct, passed farms and fields, cattle and sheep. Never a billboard. We stopped for tea and scones, of course, but then on to the Doles and moors. The picture above is of the Parsonage where the Brontes lived and wrote but I will need to write more tomorrow as I want to try to vote today and one must go early. All of my community have gone for early voting, but have waited up to three hours to vote! A million people in just our part of Florida have been to the polls early!

"Be imitators of God...live in love..."

Paul tells the Ephesians: "Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. Be imitators of God...and live in love..." I was struck by the phrase "Be imitators of God" and see it as a call to really live in love as God is love.

Reflections on my trip continued:
The castle of Edinburgh can be seen from Christine's flat! It was hard to leave.
What hospitality! I am still amazed at the goodness and kindness of each! Christine came to the airport and went in with me to make sure I would be checked in for my flight to London; Frances in London did the same for me when I was returning to the States. In Chile, it is the same and friends insist on going with you to the airport and coming in to see you off. Here in Miami we only drop people at the airport; perhaps I will park and wait with our next departing international guest. I was very happy to discover Monica and Frances waiting for me at Heathrow in Terminal 5 which is at the end of nowhere but British Airways from Edinburgh lands there. Sunday dinner was waiting for us when we returned to the community. In England, they warm the plates and I remember that we did that at home when I was an child. I unpacked and packed a small bag as I left by train on Monday morning to visit Veronica, a friend who lives in the north of England now. She was waiting for me in Preston but the train was quite late and had stopped at every village on the way up and also had to wait as the signals were not working. Veronica took me to her lovely little duplex in Freckleton, gave me lunch, and then drove me along the coast as it was a gorgeous, sunny day. We returned for dinner and then drove off to see the lights of Blackpool. These are famous but defy description; they are strung over and along six miles of road and the colors are constantly changing and some form pictures. Each year is different but thousands of tourists come in October to see these lights.

God is compassionate!

The map and the picture are of Perthshire.
This is a Sunday where the Lord says that we should be good to all. The first reading from Exodus 22:20-26 begins: "Thus says the Lord: 'You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you yourself were once aliens yourselves...'" It ends with God promising to hear us if we cry out to God for he is compassionate. We do cry out. We need help to fulfill the commandments that Jesus says are the greatest: "...love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind....love your neighbor as yourself."

Recalling the Last Days in Scotland
After Iona, I still had two wonderful days in Perthshire. I visited the boarding school for girls, Kilgraston, and hope that American parents who need to find a boarding school for their daughters will discover Kilgraston. It was a Sacred Heart school and still has the spirit; Barbara, a former head of the school, took me on a tour and I was quite impressed not only by the lovely rooms, Chapel, new sports complex with an indoor swimming pool, but by the graciousness and happiness of both students and teachers that we met in the halls or classrooms. We returned to the Garden Cottage to have tea outside in the sun. I offer this as proof that October can be mild and sunny in Scotland.
Jane picked me up and we went to her favorite spot, a house-hotel on the river Tay. As we drove into the estate, we needed to wait for pheasants to cross the road-lovely, plump ones. We had the spacious dining room almost to ourselves and then took our tea afterwards in the drawing room. Both elegant rooms overlook the river Tay and we could watch three men in a small boat fishing. It was a wonderful place to sit and talk and talk we did; I feel as if I have always known Jane, but how good to be face-to-face!
The next day, I went to Mass with Jenny and then to Jenny's; Jane, Jenny, Ruth (my third student from Scotland in the International Online Certificate Program in Spirituality Studies), a friend of theirs, Sally, and I had lunch together in an organic restaurant and then Sally and Ruth drove me back to Edinburgh. It was such a wonderful five days that I cannot begin to tell you the joy I felt.

"Living the truth in love..."

Paul tells us in today's reading from Ephesians that "grace was given to each of us according to the measure of God's gift." He then tells us that "living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole Body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament...brings about the Body's growth and builds itself up in love." That is a long quote but one that helps us to understand the Mystical Body of Christ and our part in it. I especially like the phrase "living the truth in love."
I guess that I want to do whatever I am called to do, to use the gift I have been given with joy. Joy changes a dull task into an exciting one. Try today to do the most mundane tasks with joy and see the difference it makes! We are all gifted by God so let us rejoice and be glad!
Trip continued:
The picture is of the isle of Mull. It is time to finish up my trip to Iona. Before I do that though I need to say again how really beautiful Scotland is and Mull is a photographer's delight. I found an atmosphere of holiness in the Iona Abbey, but that same atmosphere is in the air in the countryside on Mull. I did want to share though, one last experience at the Abbey on Iona. Jenny and I had arrived early so we had the Church to ourselves the hour before the first tour. I found a corner to pray. After a time, having been lost in the atmosphere of prayer that permeates the church, I looked up and was startled to see someone sitting in the corner across from me. She was so still that I thought I must be seeing either a ghost or a statue but then realized that it was one of the Iona community who had also chosen a quiet nook for prayer. I do not usually think of ghosts, but such was the mood that it seemed plausible to find one sitting across from me!!
The Isle on Mull is quite visible from Iona. I loved looking across the sea knowing that it was the same sea that so many monks contemplated in the 6th century and maybe in doing so received their vocations to be missionaries to the rest of Scotland and to Europe. How did so many even find Iona to be formed by Colomba?
We had lunch overlooking the Bay of Martyrs, returned to the Nunnery for a bit and then got caught in the rain on the way back to the House of Prayer so were content to stay in with our tea and scones. Wednesday morning found us on the return journey with our hearts burning within us!