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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Hope, a virtue for today!

Whoops! This was to be scheduled for later, but maybe someone needs to read it today as it just appeared!! Maybe I am the one who needs hope...
Here is a poem that I think you will like as we need hope so much today and it is good to realize that we do have this virtue; we just need to practice it!

HOPE

It hovers in dark corners
before the lights are turned on,
it shakes sleep from its eyes
and drops from mushroom gills,
it explodes in the starry heads
of dandelions turned sages,
it sticks to the wings of green angels
that sail from the tops of maples.

It sprouts in each occluded eye
of the many-eyed potato,
it lives in each earthworm segment
surviving cruelty,
it is the motion that runs the tail of a dog,
it is the mouth that inflates the lungs
of the child that has just been born.

It is the singular gift
we cannot destroy in ourselves,
the argument that refutes death,
the genius that invents the future,
all we know of God.

It is the serum that makes us swear
not to betray one another;
It is in this poem, trying to speak.



Lisel Mueller

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Today is the day of the Woman of Conscience Award

I wonder what Mary is going to say about my receiving this award. I am still feeling rather awed about it and also striving to remember that one needs to live up to it. I am grateful and feeling mixed emotions. It will be nice to see my friends at the ceremony. I will try to write something for Sunday.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Tulips are beautiful outside


Tulips are lovely in all their Spring colors, but I much prefer not to cut them. They need to be growing outside surrounded by nature.
Today I am giving my seminars on Lucile Mathevon and I am doing it in the first person. Actually, I feel that I have come to know a great deal about her and her life as an early pioneer and companion of St. Philippine Duchesne is fascinating. I do not know when the book will get written but I have a good pictorial life to show others this morning. The morning begins early with the movie, "Monica and David", so I am writing ahead so this is scheduled to be posted for you.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Dogwood, another sign that Spring is here!


Spring means new life and Jesus came to bring us life and to have it abundantly! I used to watch as a novice in Albany for the first buds to open on the Dogwood trees; then I knew that Spring was really coming and that winter was over and gone. I think Lent brings us new life when we try to enter into the mind and heart of Jesus. We will be changed at the end of Lent even if we do not see the growth that takes place ever so slowly. We do not see the grass growing, but know it has grown when we need to cut it. You do not see a child growing but realize that clothes and shoes no longer fit. I think we need to trust our spiritual growth to Jesus and to Mary and just keep nourishing our souls with contemplation of Jesus and good works.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

The scent of lavender makes me think of Spring

Lilacs are some of the earliest flowers to bloom and I love the freshness they bring with their scent of Spring.
It is going to be a busy, fun week. I have a friend here from Los Angeles and will take her to see the University and other places of interest; we will eat lunch out and then pick up my sister and brother-in-law and take them to the hotel where we can also pick up our AASH Conference Folder. I will take all to an early dinner as I need to be present for a webcast at Carrollton at 8:00 P.M.- then I am planning on sightseeing on Thursday morning, an early lunch, and back at the hotel to be ready for the Conference which opens at 2:00. I will try to keep you informed each day how things are going, but do not promise that I will be as faithful to the daily blog as usual this week. I hope we are all keeping some of our good (if we are breaking them they must be good for us)resolutions for Lent. This season is one that calls for silent reflection on the life of Jesus and then our own life.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Create a clean heart in me, God...


Last night we had a wonderful meeting with two of our Central Team from Rome. I loved the prayer which was taken from Joyce Rupp's Out of the Ordinary, a book I do not have but would like to have. Anyway, here is just the ending which I think you may like to use today:
"Create a clean heart in me, God. Dust off the unmindful activity that constantly collects there. De-clutter my heart from harsh judgments and negativity. Wash away my resistance to working through difficult relationships. Rinse off my un-loving so the beauty of my generous and kind heart can shine forth. Remove whatever keeps me from following in your compassionate footsteps. Amen."
After the prayer we saw slides from all over the world where we are working in India, Africa, Asia, South America, and Europe. It made me feel so proud to see the work the Society is doing in so many places with the poor and the needy and scenes after the earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and Japan. I felt part of those ministries just because I belong to the Society of the Sacred Heart. I also was happy to see so many young religious in Africa and Asia and other parts of the world. That was good to see. One way we are passing on the spirituality of the Society to young people today is through leadership training. I guess I felt full of hope when I heard all that is being done in the different regions.
Keep praying as I still have not found my profession ring!

Monday, April 4, 2011

Time is a gift!


Time is a gift and we need to use it wisely, thank for it, and cherish it. I let myself begin to feel rushed instead of relishing each minute as a God-given gift to enjoy! This picture calms me. I am finding the Lenten Liturgy of each day very helpful for prayer and Richard Rohr's Lenten meditations are giving me some new insights into Jesus's thoughts and feelings. This is a short reflection today as I need to be elsewhere and I am still hoping to find my profession ring!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Spring is really here!


Miami is at its best in the winter and now the temperature is climbing so one needs to enjoy these Spring days before the summer is upon us. I wanted to have a quiet, contemplative Sunday; hopefully it can be contemplative, but it is going to be busy. I am still looking for my profession ring; I pray and then think of another spot to look. The problem is that I noticed it only on Saturday morning. Is it in the turkey meatloaf I made on Thursday? I guess I need to eat the leftover meatloaf today to check that out! I am running out of places to look, but keep praying as I am sure God knows what happened to my ring. It has my name with that of Jesus and Mary (in Spanish) and the date of my profession 2/8/1960 - I am not giving up.

Yesterday at Mass I felt that Lent is a splendid opportunity to examine our lives to see how ready we are to accept whatever Jesus sends us. I suspect the way we react to the small things of each day is a good indication of how we are living our lives - do I choose always what pleases Jesus? Or am I trying to please myself?
We need to do some honest reflecting about our choices!
I need to go grocery shopping today as we have 12 for dinner tomorrow and I need to prepare it today! This is not a choice but to do it with joy is what I can choose!

Saturday, April 2, 2011


Jesus heals the blind man in this Sunday Gospel. We are all in need of healing as we are blind to so much. I love the example of showing a lovely sculpture or even a flower arrangement to a group seated in a circle and asking them to paint what they see. Each sees from his or her own perspective. I guess this truth helps us to be tolerant and even humble as we realize that I can only see one angle and need others to help me to see the whole truth.
I am praying to St. Anthony and to St. Helen as I realized this morning that my profession ring was not on my finger. I noticed it before I went into the pool for water exercise so I am sure it must be somewhere in the house and must retrace my steps and look through all that I was packing away, the bag for Good Will, etc. But first I am praying and saying "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee." I count on the Heart of Jesus to help me to find it but it seems to be linked with the cure of a blind man as I need to be able to see it when looking for it.
Here is a poem that needs reflection and was just sent to me today by a friend:





A Cloth of Fine Gold

[ by Dorothy Walters]

You may think
that first lit flame
was the ultimate blaze,
the holy fire
entered at last.

What do you know of furnaces?
This is a sun that returns
again and again, refining, igniting,
pouring your spirit
through a cloth of delicate gold
until all dross is taken
and you are sweet as
clarified butter
in god's mouth.

Friday, April 1, 2011

April Fool's Day


This bridge is the seven-mile one to Key West. I thought of it today as I am arranging to take my sister and brother-in-law to the Keys at the end of the National Conference for the Sacred Heart alumni that is being held here in Miami for the first time. They are coming as I am to receive the Woman of Conscience Award at the Liturgy on Saturday. I am also giving seminars on "The Adventures of Lucille Mathevon: An Early Companion of Philippine Duchesne." We will not have time to drive as far as Key West, but at least I can take them to a wonderful Inn in Key Largo. It is right on the gulf and is a beautiful spot. I was only there once a few years ago but have fond memories of my one night there with a cousin. It is a rustic type of place but there are hammocks under the palm trees and the place is peaceful and right on the water. I think they will love it. I hope we are going to have good weather for the next week as April began with showers. No one has tried to play and April Fool's joke on me today and I am glad because I am full of lists, mostly in my head, of the things I need to do and have not had time to do. The men are supposed to be putting back my door and the closet doors to my room - after three weeks of chaos, my room is painted and almost ready to move into except for a hole in the wall (plaster dust has seeped into everything so I wish the hole could get fixed before I clean again!). I need to move back into my room and prepare for guests who are arriving on Tuesday.
May you all have a good week end.