Be still....

"Be still and know that I am God" is one of my favorite lines from Psalm 46 but how hard it is to stay still, to be calm and serene when one starts thinking of all that needs to be done. I let myself forget that I do have all the time there is and that what is really important will get done if I am peaceful and prioritize the tasks. Having said this, you will realize that I have planned too much for today and so need to get started - and I am very late getting started today as I read the paper and cleaned up the kitchen when I should have been grocery shopping. Now I will just go to the gym and try to accomplish all that I think needs to be done today in the afternoon. Hopefully, I will stay "still" deep inside and let God decide on the importance of my "to do" list. I am sure my readers often feel the same pressure but it does not help to feel stress - remember that each of us has all the time there is!

TRAGEDY IN BOSTON

Yesterday, after scheduling a blog for today, tragedy struck with two bombs in Boston killing and injuring over a hundred persons. It was such a shock and horrible to watch the replays on television, but it also made me think that I read about bombings in other parts of the world everyday almost and never feel the same heart-rending emotion as I did watching those in Boston being rushed to hospitals. I read two of the blogs on my blog and would ask you to do the same to pray for all involved in this act of terrorism. Cardinal Timothy Dolan spoke for the Bishops and ended by saying:

The growing culture of violence in our world and even in our country calls for both wise security measures by government officials and an examination by all of us to see what we can personally do to enhance peace and respect for one another in our world. In the wake of the tragedy, the Boston church circulated this image on its social-media sites....

Hidreth Meiere, 1892-1961

Hildreth Mei`ere (cannot get the accent over the second e) was one of the most influential and creative artists who left the world a richer place. Her art is everywhere. I had seen her wonderful mosaics in the cathedral in St. Louis, but her work is all over.
Hildreth Meière. Hildreth Meière (1892-1961) was a renowned Art Deco muralist, whose numerous commissions grace government and commercial buildings and houses of worship across the country. In midtown Manhattan alone, Meière’s mosaics decorate Temple Emanu-El and St. Bartholomew’s Church, where she also designed the stained glass clerestory windows. Her enormous mixed-metal and enamel sculptures adorn the façade of Radio City Music Hall. In lower Manhattan, Meière’s mosaics can be seen in the dramatic Red Banking Room at One Wall Street, and in the landmarked lobby of the Walker-Lispenard Building.

This is the Resurrection at the St. Louis Cathedral.

Recei9ving an honorary degree from Manhattanville - you can see the habit that I wore for almost 20 years!
Anyway, I just thought you might be interested in Hildreth and you can find much on the Internet. I asked her daughter what her day was like and she told me she always read the paper in bed every morning! I rather liked that.

Wonderful AASH in Omaha

There were over two hundred Sacred Heart alums gathered in Omaha for the national meeting of the AASH which is held every two years. Two years ago it was in Miami and I received the Woman of Conscience award with my sister, brother-in-law, and many friends present. I thought the alums in Miami did such a great job of planning and everyone was so happy about the meeting that this time might be less exciting, less fun, and less interesting. I was wrong! I have now been to about five of these AASH meetings over the past dozen years and I must say that this one was excellent and perhaps the one I enjoyed the most. I also found Omaha a fascinating city and our tour of the state capitol in Lincoln was one of the highlights of the trip. We were given a great tour of the building with all the lovely art work and mosaics of Hildreth Meiere and then we had a marvelous talk and slide show about Hildreth by her daughter! That was all on the first full day after we had had a general meeting and regional meetings in the morning before boarding our buses for the trip.
On Friday, we were at our school, Duchesne Academy, for the morning panels and talks and a lovely lunch; the afternoon had tours of Omaha past or present. I chose Omaha past and loved seeing the lovely old homes, the cemetery where many of our Religious are buried, and the museum where Union Station was once and now has all sorts of exhibits. Friday night we had the "at home" dinners where different alums host us in their homes. Each takes a certain number and opens her home for the evening. We had a delicious catered dinner where I was and the evening was full of good food and conversation in beautiful surroundings.
I was staying in the house where our Religious live in Omaha and they were so hospitable and made sure we had rides to and from the hotel and events. Saturday we had a gorgeous Mass at the Cathedral and the giving of awards followed by lunch at the hotel and then another tour. I was going on it but wanted to be able to go to another Mass at five on Saturday as I was flying home to Miami on Sunday and it takes a long time as we went to Houston and then to Miami. Saturday night we had a banquet at the zoo!! We walked through a marvelous display of all sorts of fish,  live, lively penguins, and other sea life and as we strolled past a bar, one picked up a drink and then kept meeting waiters with tempting appetizers so it was an interesting walk through these inside exhibits before reaching our beautiful dining room. I guess that is enough for today. I am glad to be home but loved the trip.

Finding the Presence of Jesus in our Lives

We need to keep finding the presence of Jesus in our daily lives. Nothing is more important. I bought the little book by Jose Pagola, "Following in the Footsteps of Jesus: Meditations on the Gospels for Year A" and he mentions in his Introduction that "the life of the church would be transformed if believers, Christian couples, priests, religious, bishops and educators would make the Gospels their bedside book." That may be true, but I suggest that we all read his book, "Jesus: An Historical Approximation" to really make the Gospels come alive for us. I am adding both books to the list of spiritual reading on the right side of the blog.

I have other books to add, too. I am reading a new book by Ilia Delio, "The Unbearable Wholeness of Being: God, Evolution, and the Power of Love." You remember how much I enjoyed her book on "The Emergent Christ" after I got through the first two chapters. I think I had to read it three times before I really grasped all the consequences of what she was writing about - how everything I do helps or hinders the evolution of the world. That is a powerful book. Much easier to read and enjoy is her "Ten Evenings With God" and her "Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis" which I loved. The new book looks to be dense but worth the effort to grasp her thought. I find I need to stop often to think about what she says.

Now, I am also taking a little vacation from my blog as I go to Omaha for the National Meeting of the Associated Alumni of the Sacred Heart on Tuesday morning and only return on Sunday so no blog between April 9-15. In the meantime, let us look for the Presence of Jesus in our lives and try to be like Jesus in our daily lives!

First Sunday after Easter

This is also now called Divine Mercy Sunday. Our newspaper has a full page add in the main section showing Jesus pointing to His heart from which flows graces as he promised , "a whole ocean of graces" for those who approach the Fount of His Mercy.
Jesus told St. Faustina (I never could get through her writings but like this quote): "When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest."
I think that the grace of the Sacrament of Reconciliation really does bring the Presence of Jesus and with it a deep peace that sometimes last for days. I like the face to face confession possibility now and would not go back to the "hiding behind a screen" - anyway, the gift of the Sacraments are ways that Jesus comes to us and we should thank for them at this season of the year.
As far as this Sunday's Gospel highlights both the institution of the Sacrament and Jesus great love for his friends. He does not reproach them for abandoning Him; He comes again when Thomas is present and tells him to come and put his fingers into the wounds of his hands and his hand into his side. Thomas believes and exclaims, "My Lord and My God" - Jesus ends by saying that blessed are those who believe without seeing.
I find this a very consoling Gospel.

Jesus Still Walks With Us

I think that the days after Easter are times when Jesus keeps coming to us in many ways. Sometimes it is a phone call or letter or just an encounter with a friend; at other times it is a sense of presence that makes us feel loved and cherished. I guess I find these days happy ones as I am more conscious of the Presence of Jesus who really wants us to enjoy life!

Here is a blessing that we used for one of my community and I think worth reflecting on:

May the Word of God always be heard from your lips
as you unfold for others the mystery of Christ at work within you,
doing immeasurable more than you can ask or imagine.

May your heart be a fountain of the unfailing waters of salvation.
May your love be as free as the waving of your hands,
and your hope a plaid of many colors.

May your heart see its shores undivided.
May those you see, the pain you feel,
the doubt, the fears of tomorrow speak to you every day
of the God who accompanies you each day.

May the beautiful things you see along the road of life
get up and join you on your journey,
and may the god of the journey
bless you every step along the way. Amen

Stars are wonderful and make me wonder...

This is not going to be about the stars really but about how we are all caught up in the evolution of the world. It is such a mystery how the universe keeps expanding and we keep evolving. It causes an attitude in me of wonder. Wonder is such a gift; I watched a young baby examining a toy with eyes of such wonder. I do not want to lose this gift.

Be Happy!

Jesus wants us to share his joy. He made us to be happy. So often we let stress into our lives and so we end up fretting about what we think we should be doing and not doing. Here is something I copied this morning that made me reflect on my own life and my "to do lists"!!

Stress is a Choice
by David Zerfoss Several years ago while listening to my pastor give a Sunday sermon, he spoke about how life is made up of a series of choices. It made me realize that my hectic professional and personal life was of my choosing. Therefore, a life of stress had become my choice.

Many of us hurry through life going from one place to the next, focused on conquering the next mountain, making the next deal, running the next errand, and believing we will never have enough time to do all the things we need to get done. Yet, there is all the time in the world if we just realize that we are the creators of this life we choose to live. That's right. Life is a series of choices and being free from stress is one of those choices.

Whether your business life is overly complicated or your personal life (or both), you have chosen this current system of chaos. The world is a tantalizing swirl of getting the next "fix," tempting us to fit more and more things, people and processes into our lives, personally and professionally. And because we are so busy being busy, it's easy to be lured into the fray, with our lengthy to-do lists. Yet, the greatest achievements have often come from the simplest of ideas and in the simplest forms.

A very wise and holy Religious of the Sacred Heart told me once that "We have all the time there is - twenty-four hours each day. No one has more time than I have. Slow down and enjoy!"

"The things of the heart can't be explained..."

You may have missed what the Holy Father said at the juvenile prison after washing the feet of the twelve young people, boys and girls on Holy Thursday. Here it is:
"I thank you, boys and girls, for welcoming me today; I am happy to be with you. Go forward (avanti), eh? And don't let yourselves be robbed of hope, don't let yourselves lose hope! You understand? With hope always, let's go forward! Thank you.
Then a young man in the crowd said, "Thank you for coming today, Father. But I want to know one thing: why did you come here to Casal del Marmo today? That's all."
Pope Francis replied: "It's something that came from my heart; I just felt it. Where are those who perhaps could help me more to be humble, to be a servant as a bishop must be. So I thought, I asked: "Where are people who might like a visit?" And they told me, "Casal del Marmo, maybe." And since they said it, here I came. But it really just came from my heart. The things of the heart can't be explained, they just come.
Thanks, eh!
I need to say goodbye now. Thank you so much for your welcome. Pray for me and don't lose hope. Always go forward! Thanks a lot!

The things of the heart can't be explained, they just come. Let us reflect on this today!!

Easter Tuesday

This is a week to rejoice with Jesus who is truly risen. We have a double "Alleluia" all week in the Liturgy and we should go around sharing the joy of Jesus. I remember when I was a missionary in Coquimbo in the poorest region in Chile, the Bishop appeared on Easter Monday; he just dropped in and stayed for tea and said it was what he liked to do during Easter week. I guess Jesus gave us the example of appearing to share his own peace and joy and we should do the same. If you do not feel up to dropping in on others, you can call or send a note. I suspect there are many elderly people who would enjoy some kind of a visit.

A Poem for Reflection

May Jesus be with us today and each day to give us His Joy to pass to others!

The fire rises in me By Symeon the New Theologian (949 - 1032) English version by Ivan M. Granger   The fire rises in me,           and lights up my heart. Like the sun! Like the golden disk! Opening, expanding, radiant --           Yes!           -- a flame! I say again:           I don't know           what to say! I'd fall silent -- If only I could -- but this marvel           makes my heart leap, it leaves me open mouthed           like a fool, urging me           to summon words           from my silence.   -- from Real Thirst: Poetry of the Spiritual Journey, by Ivan M. Granger Amazon.com / Photo by ImagineAMatrix /