Sunday is the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus

Jesus grew up in Nazareth and led a hidden life until he was probably around thirty years old! That seems strange to us today as the youth are off to college, finding jobs, taking trips and exploring the world before they are thirty. Maybe we need to reflect on this hidden life where Jesus was growing in wisdom and grace and preparing for his public ministry.
I feel that Jesus was really in the dark about what His Father wanted and so he waited and prayed and increased his own faith. Then came the inner urge to go to be baptized by John in the Jordan. John tried to prevent it so he must have recognized Jesus and known of him from his parents.
Jesus is baptized then and immediately he is given insight into his mission. He heard the voice saying "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
This was an affirmation that would stay with Jesus as the Spirit then led him into the desert. We think of those 40 days of fasting in the desert as the time of temptation; I suspect the first days were really a joyous communion with his Father and further insight into his mission. Jesus knew he was called by God, but only in prayer did he find out what God wanted of him, day by day. I think the Baptism was one of those peak moments and Jesus now is going to be sent by God to proclaim the Good News.

The calm of the water reflects the trees

Today the picture of the trees reflected in the lake caught my attention? When I am calm, what is reflected in me? What is the value of being able to see the reflection of others?
Yesterday I received affirmation and encouragement from that affirmation from several and it really made a difference. Now I hope I can affirm and encourage others today.

I want to share with you a quote from the 13th century mystic, Mechthild of Magdeburg:
"There is No Lord in all the world
Who lives in all his dwelling at once
Save God alone.
He lives in the peace of holy love
And whispers with his love
In the narrow confines of the soul."

That quote gives us matter to reflect on today!

Reflection Group

Tonight is our reflection group and we are using Albert Nolan's "Jesus Today and the chapter on the wonders of our universe. There is so much mystery in our world and the scientists are now aware of it. Energy, light, the parts of the atom, all really baffle the most learned. The whole is greater than its parts; the universe is expanding; let us bow down and worship the creator of all.

The picture of the empty boats reflects where I am this morning. Or maybe, it is where I want to be as the boats are at rest. I am feeling rather overwhelmed and glad to be going to my Shalom group this morning. We began almost twenty years ago and four of us have been together that long so it is almost group spiritual direction. We have taken in three more, but all of us have known each other for a long time. It is good to have such a group. Another group that is very life-giving for me is a faculty faith-sharing group that meets each Monday in my office. Again, the the male faculty members have been my friends for over twenty years and it is a real support group. I think the Reflection Group I started about 12 years ago with my community and many friends is what started my reflection on other important groups in my life. My Community (we are five) and the staff of the School of Theology are other groups that are life-giving and I am grateful for all those who make up these groups and other, more informal groups. It makes for a very full life and hence the moment of quiet, looking at empty boats, is essential, too.

Christmas Weekday

It is good to be reminded that the Christmas season lasts until February 2. It is a time of joy. The opening prayer in the Liturgy is a good one to reflect on today:
"God, light of all nations, give us the joy of lasting peace, and fill us with your radiance as you filled the hearts of our fathers."

May we all have the joy of lasting peace and be filled with the radiance of God!

The first reading reminds us, "Beloved, if God so loved us, we must all love one another...God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in her/him."

The Gospel is one of my favorites. Jesus sends his disciples out in the boat while he dismisses the crowd and goes off to the mountain to pray. The wind becomes so strong that the disciples in the boat are having a hard time; they see Jesus walking on the water and are terrified. Jesus says, "Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid." How often has Jesus said the same to me? Now, I want to be on the mountain with Jesus in prayer, but I am also willing to be in the boat with the wind against me. What is important is the trust I have in Jesus. This gives me courage.

What I Learned in 2007

I think I promised to share some of the things I learned in 2007 as I reflected back over the year.
1. I learned that I still procrastinate, especially when it is a disagreeable task (I think my mother pointed this out to me years ago), but I also learned that I have incredible discipline when I have decided to do something and I can sustain it.
2. I learned that I can sit and contemplate beauty, even a tree outside my window and be lost in wonder.
3. I learned that I have many relationships with different people of all ages and walks of life, but that I need to make time to foster these relationships and be grateful for them.
4. I have learned that I go to prayer to let God love me and that He does love me as I am and is always waiting for me and always with me, but I am so often insensitive to His Presence in me and in others.
5. I have learned that good spiritual reading is a way to nourish the soul.
6. I have learned that I can still be effective, even if I am not efficient!
7. I have learned that I tire more easily and need to use the morning energy.
8. I have learned that accepting my limitations gives me joy and contentment.
9. I have learned that joy and gratitude feed off one another and both grow when discontent is banished.
10.I have learned that some silence and solitude is essential for my inner life.
11. I have learned that what really matters is that God loves me as I am and wants me to surrender myself to Him and trust like a child in the arms of a loving mother.
12. I have learned that my "to do" lists are never realistic.
13. I have learned that small acts of kindness and words of encouragement make a difference.
14. I have learned that getting older has its own joys.

I am stopping there. I realize that all the above was not learned in a year and that I am still learning these same things in 2008. I remember being told that if we make a resolution and then break it almost immediately, it is a good resolution as it is what we need!

My star for the year is joy and I hope it will be reflected in this blog.

St. Raymond of Penafort

We still are in the Christmas season although everyone is back at school and work today. I knew nothing about St. Raymond who was a Spanish Dominican; he was also a professor of philosophy and a lawyer. He organized the papal decrees and this became the basis for the code of canon law. He also wrote practical guidelines for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

I want to share a poem I love written by Carmen Smith, RSCJ. She was a wonderful English teacher and taught me in high school. This poem is called "Prayer for Latter Days" and was published in On the Way Home: Reflections for Old Age" edited by two RSCJS, Frances Makower and Joan Faber.

I want to grow old
comfortably,
life hanging on my shoulders
like an old sweater-
warm and loose
And shapeless.

Let my days and nights
move slowly
taking my shape,
old shoes-
looking like me
even when
I'm not wearing them.

I have loved life,
all of it,
an old friend-
faithful
to the very end.

Make me ready, Lord
to slip off
shoes and sweater
Wen my spirit
puts on eternal youth.

Feast of the Epiphany

I have always loved this feast and the tradition we have of drawing a "star" to follow for the year. The star is a virtue to cultivate and I hope I draw "joy" this year, but love, faith, gratitude, hope, humility, peace, etc. are all stars needed in our journey to find Jesus and Mary. May the Holy Spirit point you to your star for this new year of life.

Robert Morneau in his book "Fathoming Bethlehem" says that divine epiphanies are marked by song, whether sung by angels or shepherds or bus boys or migrant workers. He says that the Feast of the Epiphany is about the mystery of love. "Two elements always accompany love and are essential elements: light and life. In Jesus we are given the Light of the world and the very gift of Life itself, grace. What has been revealed is to be internalized and then shared. Each follower of Jesus is to become an epiphany. The true co-ordinates of the soul lie in the longitude of joy and the latitude of peace. The Magi returned to their homelands hands emptied but souls filled. In giving their material gifts they created room for spiritual blessings. The marking of Epiphany are the peace and joy that come from encountering God-made-man."
How am I an epiphany for others? Have I the faith to follow a star when it means leaving all?

Feast of St. John Neumann

St. John Neumann was born in 1811 in Bohemia. He came to America to be ordained and then entered the Redemptorist Order in 1840. Twelve years later he was consecrated Bishop of Philadelphia. He was a great advocate for Catholic education. He died in 1860 and was canonized in 1977.
When I first started teaching at St. Thomas University, I used the Neumann room in the library for both giving the retreat in daily life and for spiritual direction. The University has an excellent collection of all his writings and I realize that I have never taken the time to read his life. Perhaps this will be one of the books to put on my reading list.
I finished, "Come Be My Light" this morning and loved the collection of private writings of Mother Theresa. You feel close to someone after reading their letters and even her retreat notes. She did not want these to be saved, but I am glad they were as I enjoyed seeing how God worked in her life and her generous response.

Today is First Friday and the Feast of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. She had a fascinating life. She was born to a devout Episcopalian family in New York, married William Seton and had five children. Her husband died in 1803 when she was only 29. She became a Catholic, founded a girl's school in Baltimore, formed an order using a modified rule of the Daughters of Charity. She was canonized in 1975, a wonderful American born saint!
Barbara Bowe, writing in this month's "Living with Christ" says that spirituality takes time. "Only through lived experience can we come to know certain truths. Only by living the spiritual life, the life of faith in response to God, can we come to know more of its depths and believe in God's powerful claim on our lives."
My dear friend and doctor in Malaysia sent me his reflections on what he had learned in 2007 and that triggered off my own reflections. I shall share some of them with you tomorrow.

Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus

Today I have been working at the University and realized that I did not post my blog before I left home this morning. Vacation is really over and my mind is filled with so many things to do that I have just stopped and am taking quiet time at my desk and thinking of the meaning of the Holy Name of Jesus. One of my favorite short prayers that I often find myself saying is "Jesus, Jesus, be to me a Jesus!"
I was still young when my great uncle Jim died and my great aunt told me that he had kept repeating that prayer. I know that it made an impresssion on me.
Now I am just going to sit at my desk and clear my mind so that I can listen to Jesus and rest in His Heart.

Basil and Gregory, Bishops and Doctors of the Church

Today is the feast of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nazianzen, both bishops and doctors of the Eastern Church. Anyone taking my online course can tell you about these who are two of the Cappadocian trio of Fathers; Basil's brother, Gregory of Nyssa is the third. All proclaimed the truth that Jesus is both human and devine!

May your new year be a holy and happy one!

"The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!"

Feast of Mary, Mother of God

Today's Feast in Mary's honor has the Shepherds telling her all that they had been told by the angel about Jesus. Mary "Kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart." May I learn to ponder the things of God in my heart as Mary did!

My "Living With Christ" has a "Household Ritual" each month. As the new year begins, it is a blessing for our calendars, appointment books, and new year. It begins with reflection on these three questions:
1. As we look at our calendars, what priorities are revealed?
2. How might we be more attentive to God's hidden presence in some of our appointments?
3. How might God enter through surprises that are not recorded on the calendar?
After some moments for sharing, all hold out their calendars and recite together:
"God of all times and seasons, we begin a new year on our journey toward you. In each of our encounters with others this year, be present and fill our days with your presence. Help us to be attentive to the needs and concerns of others and bring to them the joy of your transforming presence. Amen.