Take time to enjoy the beauty around us

 On Saturday I went to the beach for a picnic with two lovely women and enjoyed the day so much.

I came home very tired, but it is somethimes good just to get away for a day and do nothing except enjoy the scenery and the company. It was a bit chilly and cloudy, but I love the ocean in all of its moods. 

I have been thinking of how synodality is helping the Church. I really hope you have read the letter of Pope Francis on Formation for the Liturgy that he wrote for June 29 this year.

More tomorrow as I am catching up with myself this week. I had my Bible Group in Mountain View yesterday and will tell you about it tomorrow as it is quite an experience.

Today we are having a funeral for one of our Sisters who was 104 years old and lucid until the end. 

A picture is better than words

 You can choose the one you want to reflect on - my computer was so slow I thought I could not find a picture and then have several. More tomorrow.

Simplicity

 Again, I turn to Mother Stuart who reminds us that "God is simplicity itself- one act; the nearer we come to God, the less complicated we become."

She said the "supernatural simplicity belons to those who are not only one with themselves but one with God. It is more that the 'simple life', it is the life of union."

Union with God is what we all strive for and certainly cultivating simplicity in all aspects of our life is helpful for it makes room for God to act in us and He wants us to live in union with Jesus now, today!

Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

 In today's Gospel, Jesus heals the ten lepers, but only one returns to thank Him. This has always touched me deeply. Jesus waits for us to return and thank Him. Gratitude is important and how many of us receive favors from Jesus daily and forget to thank for them.

I have a gratitude box on my desk. It is a daily reminder to spend some time thanking Jesus for all He does for each of us! I am not filling out the cards in the box, it is just enough to see the box on my desk to make me grateful and to pray for the one who gave it to me and for her family.

Rendering service to others

Today is Saturday and I look forward to a quiet weekend with time to read and pray.

Here is some good advice from Mother Stuart: "Try to render all possible service to others, not talking of the thing, but doing it. If you are known to be a person who loves to serve, many opportunities will come in your way, to your great inconvenience perhaps, but to your far greater profit and instruction."

I find Mother Sturart's quotations helpful and hope my readers do, too.
 

Our Lady of the Rosary and First Friday

 This Feast dates from the 16th century and used to be on October 6, or so I remember it. The Dominicans made the rosary popular and Our Lady has given many favors and special protection to those who say the rosary. My mother used to say the Rosary novena when there was something special to pray for and Our Lady always answered her by granting what she was praying for when it was something she was asking for herself, but she made it once for my grandfather and he did not get his desire to have his oil wells produce more or something like that. I just remember that my mother always got what she asked for but she spent 27 days asking and 27 days thanking by saying her rosary each night during this novena.

It is also First Friday and a special day to honor the Heart of Jesus so full of love for each of us!

Flu shots and boosters

 

Today we are going to get both our flu shots and our third booster shot. I will be happy to have both. It is amazing how we have been protected from sickness these last two years. We have had many deaths, but they were mostly because of old age. Our staff has not been seriously ill and are good about always wearing masks. This is hard for me as I need to read lips to understand.

Here is another quote from Mother Stuart: "Only one who is constantly growing in grace and love and knowledge can give the true appreciation of what that grace adn love and knowledge are in their bearing on human life: To be rather than to know is therefore a primary qualification."

To be rather than to know is important. 

My dialogue with the boat

 After my Guided Imagery began with me in a boat and Jesus came and sat with me, I thought I would have a conversation with the boat as I seem to often meet Jesus in a boat or I am out at sea by myself...

Me: Good morning, Boat.

Boat: Good morning, but come get in and let's go.

Me: Where are we going? 

Boat: Don't know. I'm not the Captain.

Me: How do you know when to pick me up?

Boat: That's easy. You need to get away when you are tense or too busy to see what is importat or when you begin to feel impatient, have critical thoughts, or just lose some of your joy.

Me: Oh, thank you. I do need to get away and relax and sometimes we just do that.

Boat: Yes, and sometimes the Captain joins us and that gives you deep peace and joy, even when you just sit in silence.

Me: Will Jesus join us today? Your Captain is Jesus, I think.

Boat: Yes, I just call Him my Captain. I do not know if He will come - I rather think that depends on you.

Me: What do you mean? I don't even know when you will show up.

Boat: Well, He is really always present, but is inclined to show Himself only when there is great desire for Him or urgent need of His bodily presence.

Me: I still do not know who you are! Have you a name besides "Boat"?

Boat: Oh, Helen, I am your Guardian Angel. I just appear as a boat now that you need me in these final years when you have the time to come apart and rest awhile.

Me: Wow! This is October 2nd, the Feast of the Guardian Angels and you are here with me. It is also my mother's birthday and I am sure she is listening to our conversation from heaven.

Feast of St. Francis of Assisi

 

I just realized that I have now published 4, 943 posts and my blog has had over 570,849 hits since Google started keeping statistics on this blog.

Now, I want to share my Guided Imagery Retreat a bit with you today. It is the first time that I have gone for just Friday afternoon until Sunday noon and there were only six of us and two guides. Three of us were RSCJs and the other three were all nurses! One just teaches nurses now, but it was a good group as we shared both nights and kept silence until Sunday lunch. My guided imagery on Saturday morning began with me in a boat with one of the RSCJs here who is 104 years old and asked to be annointed on Friday morning, so she was on my mind as I love her dearly. We are sitting facing one another in the boat our on the water and it is a beautiful day. There are some lovely white clouds over us and heavenly music suddenly seems to come our to the clouds. Both of us want to go up through the clouds to see where the music is coming from, but I say that I cannot abandon the boat. So Be goes up and I watch her enter the clouds. Then I see that Jesus is sitting in her place in the boat. He is content to be with me in silence. I am feeling His love being poured into me. 

Well, that was just the first part of the guided imagery; then the music took me to a Cathedral; later I was in the Oakwood Chapel sitting in my chair and Jesus was celebrating Mass in a red vestment. He told me that He is glad to see me there.

There was more, but one needs to keep deepening the whole experience. One way is to dialogue with some of the images. I took the image of the boat and wrote my conversation with the boat and will copy it for tomorrow's blog. I also shared it with the Westwood community after prayer last night.

Come, Holy Spirit

 I will share my week end retreat tomorrow, but today I have another great quote from Mother Stuart.

"Let us pray to the Holy Spirit to guide us; then we will act on the Spirit's gentle inspiration. Let us accustom ourselves to walking in these divine paths, following grace and not human nature. When we go too fast it is easy to be influenced by the second. Ah! It is a great art to act only by the Spirit of God."

I firmly believe that a Guided Imagery retreat allows the Holy Spirit freedom to act in us, to show us new ways to love God and let God love us!

This Sunday is also the Feast of the Guardian Angels

 I think this may have been the very picture that we were shown in my First Communion class at the Academy of the Visitation back in 1937! It certainly made an impression on me and gave me great devotion to my Guardian Angel. Today was also my mother's birthday and when I was in Chile, I sent my angel to be with her on her birthday and I guess I am going to do it again this year. I will be in the Guided Imagery retreat this week end so I am scheduling ahead.

I do have devotion to the angels. I think they are still acting as God's messengers and they watch over us and protect us.

October has arrived

 A new month in which we can all love and serve the Lord is a reason for joy. We are alive and are grateful to be able to enjoy life! I still have my gratitude box on my desk and fill it with the many joys of each day. I think God waits to be thanked for all He gives us each day. How often we forget to take time just to say thank you to God!

I recently bought several boxes of cards from DaySpring. One box says: Encourage; another says: Encouragement. I have not looked inside yet, but I am delighted to have cards that encourage. I also bought Thanksgiving cards, Christmas, and Valentine cards plus one box of birthday cards. Then, I could not resist buying another Journal. The cover says "Count it All Joy" and I will be glad to use it when I finish the one I have been keeping faithfully every single day (maybe missed twice). It is helpful to write about the day with the Lord. He likes me to reflect back and talk to Him about the day by writing in my journal. I have often urged others to keep a journal because I find it so helpful, Maybe you only want to review your week and so make your journal a weekly one, unless something special happens. I am happy to know that my students from the past couple of years are keeping journals now at college because they began in high school. It is never too late to begin.

I am away today in the Guided Imagery Retreat.