Summer goes so quick;y

Summer is half over and I am still waiting to tackle a "to do" list that I made for these days, which I thought might be quieter since we do not have the school in session. We do hear children's voices as there is a summer program for different ages, I think, and the pool is being used. 
I have done some good reading and also have spent time just reading for fun. One older book that I had never read before and that needs to be read slowly in Cynthia Bourgeault's The Meaning of Mary Magdalene: Discovering the Woman at the Heart of Christianity. This book is giving me much to think about as I go through the chapters slowly. The book has three parts and I am still on the second. The parts are: Mary Magdalene as Apostle; Mary Magdalene as Beloved; Mary Magdalene as Unitive Wisdom. 
There are about 30 pages of notes on the 17 Chapters, but I am finding some new ideas that lead to reflection. I no doubt will be sharing some when I have managed to digest this book.

Earthquakes are no fun

On the 4th of July Southern California was hit by a 6.4 quake. The pictures showed all sorts of damage and people trying to get away. It, of course, brought back memories of the earthquakes I lived through in Chile. Our convent in Vina del Mar was completely destroyed except for the very back kitchen wing and children's dining room. It was a 6.5 quake and the aftermath was the worst for me as there was no water, no electricity, and sixteen of us slept in the children's dining room for weeks after that quake. One adapts, but I am so glad this one was not worse. California is due, so they tell us, for another bigger one but we can only wait and pray that it will not take lives.
After I wrote this, (I try to schedule ahead) there was another 7.1 quake that has done much damage and I am sure that many people are living in fear in Southern California. The fact is that we are due for large quakes and no one can predict when they will happen. I think it is a call to put all in God's hands, but we also need to help those who have suffered now during these last two quakes in the South.

For all parents and anyone in contact with young people

"Anyone called to be a parent, a pastor or guide to young people must have the farsightedness to appreciate the little flame that continues to burn, the fragile reed that is shaken but not broken...  The ability to discern pathways where others see only walls, to recognize potential where others see only peril. That is how God the Father sees things; he knows how to cherish and nurture the seeds of goodness sown in the hearts of the young. Each young person's heart should thus be considered 'holy ground', a bearer of seeds of divine life, before which we must 'take off our shoes' in order to draw near and enter more deeply into the Mystery."
Pope Francis in Christus Vivit.

I wonder if this passage will really be of help to parents with teen-agers. I suspect it could be, but in the moment of finding coke cans stashed under the couch, (my mother told me how that tried her patience with my younger brother) one might not be remembering those seeds of goodness in the hearts of the young. 
But the Pope also calls us to contemplate the plight of so many young people today "who suffer forms of marginalization and social exclusion for religious, ethnic or economic reasons." And he asks if we can weep before the tragedies of our young.  I hope you will read the entire Exhortation which was published last March 25. It can be found online.

"For whom am I?"

What I want to share today is from the last chapter of Pope Francis' Exhortation, Christus Vivit which is on discernment. This is the passage that has stayed with me:

“So often in life, we waste time asking ourselves: ’Who am I?’ You can keep asking ‘Who am I?’ for the rest of your lives. But the real question is: ‘For whom am I?’ Of course, you are for God. But he has given you many qualities, inclinations, gifts and charisms that are not for you, but for you to share with those around you.”

It might be good to make a list of our qualities, inclinations, gifts and charisms to see how I am sharing them with those around me.

Remembering last February in Tahoe

If the summer heat is bothering you, this picture should help cool you; it was taken after we had been snowed in by a blizzard and it was so beautiful. We loved having the extra days and it was such a peaceful time. I needed to look at this picture again to feel that deep peace and the silent beauty of the snow. 

I forgot to mention that one important reading is from Heart Magazine; actually, the entire issue is well worth reading and can be found on our Province webpage, but the first article by Sister Suzanne Cooke is really exciting for me. I hope you will find it and read it and all of Heart !

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today's Gospel from Luke 10 has Jesus appointing 72 others whom he sends ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He tells them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. Go on you way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one alone the way...."
Jesus continues to give instructions, but even this first part of the Gospel for today gives us much to think about. I just realized how organized Jesus was for the Kingdom of God and how many places he intended to visit. The Kingdom of God was to be announced to all and that was what was important and still is important for us today. How are we being sent to announce the Kingdom. One of the priests who comes for Mass always tells us after the last blessing: 
"Go now and announce the Gospel by your love." I think that is every one did that, the world would be changed!

Overwhelmed by all I want to read and reflect on these days of July

These last two weeks I have felt overwhelmed with all the good things to read. First, there is the Barb's Dawson's Letter addressed to all the Sisters and the Family of the Sacred Heart; then the document, " Being Artisans of Hope in our Blessed and Broken World." Now we have a letter from the Provincial Team and so much to ponder as well as the invitation to read White Fragility; that comes with helps for facilitators and discussion questions for each of the 12 Chapters. I am also trying to finish the Pope's Exhortation, Christus Vivit, to be able to share some on my blog. In the meantime, I am still praying over my retreat and have the desire to share more of it. I just need to take time to reflect on each of the above readings plus the wonderful issue of The Occasional Papers from the Leadership Conference of Women Religious on "Our Search for Meaning". And then there are the fascinating articles in the latest issue of Heart magazine that helps me to know how we are keeping the spirit of Sacred Heart education in so many ways and places. 
Really, we have a wealth of rich reading all coming at once. I need to slow down and find time to read all of this slowly. I am also reading the new volumes of Philippine's Writings; this is mostly a reread, but very fruitful for me and I hope all Philippine Duchesne's admirers will be able to read the two volume work that has just been published.
On my desk, there is another pile of magazines waiting to be read as I did not read during the retreat and see that even America is piling up. I did manage to finish the book that has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 41 weeks in order to pass it on as some of us want to discuss it. 
Perhaps summer is a time to read and reflect and you can make your own list. Children are often given a list of books to read. I remember one mother who posted her children's names on the refrigerator and pasted a tiny book next to a child's name when the child had finished a book. I forget how many books were to be read but remember the prize was a trip to a shoe store and each could pick out a brand new pair of sneakers at the end of the summer. I thought that was a wise mother and certainly helped her children find time to read.
Now I need to find some time to read!

First Friday of July

When I think of First Friday, I remember our hours before the Blessed Sacrament. To be truthful, I also remember when I had the experience of 7th and 8th grade in a parochial school, the breakfasts after Mass in the Church basement. We would be served hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls and that seemed to make First Fridays special. I knew, because of my many years at the Academy of the Visitation, that the First Friday devotion began with Jesus asking this of Saint Margaret Mary. It was only when I went to the Academy of the Sacred Heart in St. Charles that I learned about the idea of reparation. Now, some Catholic churches have perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; I am sure this has been a source of strength for many and has led to many good works. 
I have found that one only needs to sit in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament and let Jesus love us and a gradual transformation takes place. 

Happy Independence Day

Our country needs so much prayer today when we still have so much racism and our prisons are full, there are many homeless, hungry people in our land which is so full of riches and resources. We must change so that freedom from want is achieved instead of so much wealth going to few while many suffer.

Called to "set sail" in new ways

I am still out there in a boat as one of the calls of our last General Chapter was that of "setting sail" to reach new frontiers. To go back to sharing from my retreat, I connect this with our vocation to be prophets. This does not mean that I am called to announce the future, but it does mean that I am called to announce the good news of salvation and denounce the things that keep us from loving one another as Jesus has asked us to do.
I guess the plight of the refugees and the thousand of children who have been detained at our own borders is what I am trying to change but mostly by prayer and supporting petitions and those who are out there trying to do something positive to get the children out of these horrible conditions. 

One of my favorite Gospel passages

Today the Gospel is Matthew 8:23-27 where Jesus gets into the boat and goes sound to sleep. A violent storm started to swamp the boat, but Jesus continues to sleep. The disciples wake him, saying: "Lord, save us! We are perishing!" Jesus said to them, "Why are you terrified, O ye of little faith" Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

Now, I have been advocating among my large community here that we share some of the Gospel passages that have a story in our own life. This is one that I love as I often have had the image of being in a boat with Jesus but sometimes he seemed so relaxed that he went to sleep and left me feeling helpless, especially if the waves were rough and the wind strong. I felt this especially when I was sent to Chile straight from Rome without knowing a word of Spanish. Now, I still feel that I am in a boat with Jesus, but he is the pilot and knows our destination and I am relaxed and just happy to be a passenger without having to do anything, but just be there with the Lord.

Jesus is the Lamb of God as well as our Good Shepherd

John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to his disciples telling them to behold the Lamb of God. We use this title for Jesus in every Mass before Communion. And the pray says, "Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb."
I was thinking how inclusive Jesus was and wondering why the Church excludes so many who would love to come to the "supper of the Lamb." We do need to pray for change and the Pope has said that theology can and does change.

I meant to start with a few thoughts from the Letter to the Society of the Sacred Heart. Barb Dawson begins by addressing it to the "Sisters and Family of the Sacred Heart" so I am sure we would be happy for me to quote some of the letter in my blog as the letter is also including a gift and a challenge with the enclosed document , Being Artisans of Hope in our Blessed and Broken World." She then adds that she hopes that "wherever we are and however we expend our time and energy for mission and life that we take the calls of the document 'to heart'- to our own hearts and to God's Heart."
The document is long, but we will be looking, I think, at the four imperatives, if the Holy Spirit inspires me how to share these with you this week.