God comes to us in so many ways

This picture is worth a meditation by itself. God has given us such beauty. Although I miss the autumn colors here, California is a beautiful state and I rejoice in the beauty around us.
I continue to read again the Letters and Conferences of Sister Clare Pratt who was Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus from 2000 - 2008 and now is our community director at Oakwood.
In Clare's letter for the Feast of the Sacred Heart in 2005, she invites us to share our stories. She says: "Let us get in touch with our own 'Eucharistic histories', share our own Eucharistic stories.... Let us begin from our experience: significant moments, ...shifts in our understanding and sacramental practice, 'where we are now'.
Some of us have walked a straight road from childhood. Others have known mountains and valleys..."
I was caught - hopefully it was an inspiration of the Holy Spirit - and decided immediately that I would try to trace my own Eucharistic history in order to both thank and ask forgiveness. I spent our day of silence listening to my memories of Eucharist from the preparation for my First Holy Communion when I was six to my love of the Eucharist today about 80 years later. I may share some of this.

Total gift of self

When one studies the life of so many saints, their gift of self becomes evident no matter what the circumstances. They are reflecting in their own way the gift of self that characterized Jesus. If we want to follow Jesus, to be united to Jesus, we will hear him call us, too, to this complete gift of self.

This is a quote from one of Sister Clare Pratt's Letters to the whole Society of the Sacred Heart in June of 2003:
"As we fix our gaze on Jesus poor and once more resolve to follow him in the midst of our fear-gripped world, our logo of the world inside the Heart takes on new meaning. The Heart of Jesus is a place of refuge and welcome, a shelter, a safe place, a place of peace where every fear is put to rest. His is a Heart open to ALL. Like a Mother, He reaches out to the weakest and most vulnerable, the mentally and physically handicapped, the psychologically fragile, the addict, the prisoner, the refugee, the unwanted and unloved, those suffering any form of rejection. His Heart is the wounded heart of humanity, pierced by injustice and oppression, crushed by rejection and exclusion, crying out: 'My God, My God, why have you abandoned me?'"

This paragraph from the Letter touched me deeply and has been a source of prayer for me since I used it for prayer on First Friday.
Jesus certainly gave Himself entirely to whoever was suffering, in need, and still is suffering in the wounded heart of humanity.

I need to go back to this Letter later as there is a call to real poverty to be following Jesus who chose to be poor; I felt that I really lived my vow of poverty in Chile and was happy to be sharing the life of the poor, at least in some ways. It is much harder for me now as I have all that I need and more so it is a challenge to live without desiring anything but being grateful for all that we are given. I need to reflect on what Jesus is asking me now with regard to poverty.

Only one returned

If I had been among the ten lepers cured by Jesus, would I have been the one who returned to give glory to God? How often do I forget to go back and thank Jesus? And how often am I grateful, but forget to go back and thank the person who is so thoughtful?
Gratitude is something that makes us more human, more appreciative of what is done for us. I think we feel gratitude but do not always take the time and trouble to say thank you. I guess I am realizing more and more that all is gift and sometimes one feels such gratitude and joy, but also feels inadequate to thank the very ones who are making me feel this way. Of course, we can easily turn to Jesus and sometimes I just ask Jesus to thank for me. Reflecting on yesterday's Gospel has made me realize that I am sometimes not the one who has returned to give thanks.

How grateful are you?

This is a commentary on the Sunday Gospel that has made me reflect:

"We will not take full possession of our lives until we learn to give thanks for them. We don’t really own our legs or eyes, our hands and skin unless we’re daily grateful. We don’t really live with our loved ones unless we foster an appreciative, almost contemplative sensitivity to their presence. It is only the loss of them—or the threat of it—that shakes us into an awareness of their manifold grace.
But when we wake up from our sleepwalk, when we see the wonder of the smallest parts of our existence, we begin to live. It is then we know what it is like, with the tenth leper, to be saved.
Perhaps the most grateful person I’ve ever heard of was an old woman in an extended care hospital. She had some kind of wasting disease, her different powers fading away over the march of months. A student of mine happened upon her on a coincidental visit. The student kept going back, drawn by the strange force of the woman’s joy. Though she could no longer move her arms and legs, she would say, “I’m just so happy I can move my neck.” When she could no longer move her neck, she would say, “I’m just so glad I can hear and see.”
When the young student finally asked the old woman what would happen if she lost her sense of sound and sight, the gentle lady said, “I’ll just be so grateful that you come to visit.” There was an uncommon freedom in that student’s eyes as she told me of her friend. Somehow a great enemy had been disarmed in her life.
Gratitude not only empowers the receiver of the gift; it confirms the giver. “You really believe I love you,” the giver says in the heart.
It is truly wondrous when others actually believe you love them. It is glorious when someone thanks you.
Might God be more interested in our gratitude than anything else? Was the primal sin ingratitude?
The healed leper, Naaman, proclaimed to Elisha, “Now I know there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.” How God must have delighted.
And Christ, having healed ten, saw something greater in the one Samaritan who made time to come back, fall at his feet, and praise God. He saw the splendor of a human heart that believes it is loved, that accepts the gift. Such faith not only brings salvation. It is the gift back to God, so enchanting that God would die for love of it.

John Kavanaugh, SJ

Magnanimity

In a talk to Jesuit students the Pope spoke about the main element at school, following what St. Ignatius teaches us, is to learn to be magnanimous. "Magnanimity: this virtue of the great and the small, which always makes us look at the horizon. What does being magnanimous mean? It means having a great heart, having greatness of mind; it means having ideals, the wish to do great things in response to what God asks of us. It also means to do well the routine...daily actions, tasks, meeting with people--doing the little every day thins with a great heart open to God and to others."

I guess we all need to cultivate magnanimity. Am I seeking the greater good? Or do I settle for just doing enough to feel comfortable but not going the extra mile? Jesus wants us to cultivate this virtue. 

Go, for I am with you

The last point in the address of the Pope to that International
Congress on Catechesis also is for all of us to reflect on today.

The love of Christ compels us to go out. The Pope says that "starting anew with Christ means not being afraid to go with him to the outskirts. Jesus tells us to "Go, for I am with you." This is what is so beautiful for us; it is what guides us." If we go out to bring his  Gospel with love, with a true apostolic spirit, with parrhesia, he walks with us, he goes ahead of us, and he gets there first....God is always ahead of us! When we think about going far away...we may be a bit afraid, but in fact God is already there." 

Put Christ at the Center of our life

The second point of the Pope in the address to the International Congress on Catechesis was about "imitating Jesus and leaving ourselves behind and going out to encounter others." The Poe said that this is a beautiful experience, and yet a paradox. Why? "Because when we put Christ at the center of our life, we ourselves don't become the center! The more you united yourself to Christ and he becomes the center of your life, the more he leads you out  of yourself, leads you from making yourself the center and opens you to others. This is the true dynamism of love; this is the movement of God himself! God is the center, but he is always self-gift, relationship, love that gives itself away... and this is what we will become if we remain united to Christ. He will draw us into this dynamism of love. Where there is true life in Christ, there follows openness to others, and so a going out from oneself to encounter others in the name of Christ.

Be close to Jesus

Pope Francis has said " What is important is to find the way best suited for you to be with the Lord, and this everyone can do; it is possible for every state of life. Now each one of you could ask, how am I experiencing "being" with Jesus? This is a question I leave you: How do I experience this remaining with Jesus, abiding in Jesus? Do I find time to remain in his presence, in silence to be looked upon by him? Do I let his fire warm my heart? If the warmth of God, of his love, of his tenderness, is not in our own hearts, then how can we, who are poor sinners, warm the hearts of others? Think about it!"

I think that the above which is a continuation of the first point in the Pope's homily to the participants at the International Congress on Catechesis given in September of 2013, is a program of all of us. Tomorrow I will continue with his second point, but let us find time to sit with Jesus and let Him love us today.

A way of praying

"Abide in my love, remain attached to me, as the branch is attached to the vine. If we are joined to Him, then we are able to bear fruit. This is what it means to be close to Christ. Abide in Jesus! This means remaining attached to him, in him, and with him, talking to him. Abide in Jesus!"

The above quote is from Pope Francis, September 27, 2013. He was speaking to an International Congress on Catechesis. He tells them that the first thing for a disciple is to be with the Master, to listen to him and learn from him. This is always true, for us, too, and at every season of our lives.

Then, the Pope says:

"I ask you: How do you abide in the presence of the Lord? When you visit the Lord, when you look at the tabernacle, what do you do? Without speaking...do you let yourself be looked at by the Lord? May we let ourselves be gazed upon by the Lord. He looks at us, and this is itself a way of praying."

I find it an easy way to pray and a one that just lets me sit in the Presence of Jesus and let him love me. The Pope says this letting the Lord gaze on us "warms the heart, igniting the fire of friendship with the Lord, making you feel that he truly sees you, that he is close to you and loves you."
Go try it.

The fruit of sorrow

Mother Stuart gave one of her first conferences as Superior General on Our Lady of Sorrows. This was in September of 1911 and I want to share this quote with you today:

"In the spiritual life the fruit of sorrow is joy. When sorrow falls on the heart that loves God, it is sure to expand in that heart under the sunshine of faith and love, till it finally ripens into joy, whose fruit in turn becomes a seed for eternity."

What qualities does Jesus want us to have?

Today's Gospel tells us about the servant that was able to do all that was expected of him. He was loyal and trustworthy and wanted to do all that his master expected of him. Here is a bit of a commentary that is interesting:

"The neologism that I propose (“due-nothing” servant) reflects the pun-oriented sense of humor that Jesus exhibited (in Aramaic) on many occasions. While this servant clearly is not a “do-nothing” person, it is also clear that a servant is “due nothing” for services rendered.
Jesus’ demands of forgiveness, loyalty, and the surrendering of an entitlement mentality still challenge his American disciples."

John J. Pilch

Different parts of the Gospels show us different qualities that we need to be disciples, but we often forget that we are servants and therefore nothing is due to us.

We need to remember the angels today as it is also their feast.

Living in joy

The third attitude that Pope Francis spoke of in his homily is: "living in joy". He said, "if we walk in hope, allowing ourselves to be surprised by the new wine that Jesus offers us, we have joy in our hearts, and we cannot fail to be witnesses of this joy. Christians are joyful; they are never gloomy. God is at our side. We have a Mother who always intercedes for the life of her children, for us, ....

Jesus has shown us that the face of God is that of a loving Father. Sin and death have been defeated. Christians cannot be pessimists! They do not look like someone in constant mourning. If we are truly in love with Christ and if we sense how much he loves us, our hearts will 'light up' with a joy that spreads to everyone around us."

So, let us show our joy to all for Christ loves each of us and wants us to be joyful! We also can reflect with Mary today to see how we can give Jesus joy. Jesus told us that He always does what is pleasing to the Father. One way to give joy to Jesus is to do always what is pleasing to Him. Mary will help each of us to know what we can do this very day to please Jesus.