Feast of St. Andrew

Today is the Feast of St. Andrew who was the first to follow Jesus with John when he heard John the Baptist point him out. Andrew followed and stayed with Jesus that day and then went and told his brother, Simon Peter, about Jesus. Peter then is the disciple we hear most about, but Andrew has a tradition of preaching in both Greece and Scotland. The cross of St. Andrew, which represents Scotland on the Union Jack, was first associated with Andrew in the 10th century.
My parents were married on the Feast of St. Andrew and so it has always been a special day for me. It means, too, that Advent is very near!

New Book

This morning our newspaper did not come and that was a blessing for I had not yet read the last National Catholic Reporter and found several interesting things in it. The first thing I turned to is an article about a new book on prayer by Sister Wendy Beckett. It is called "Sister Wendy on Prayer", published by Harmony Books. As I love what she has written before on prayer (usually found in a preface or introduction to another book), I will certainly order this one. Wendy is a 77 year old contemplative nun made popular because of a documentary about the British National Gallery and a series of TV programs that resulted from that. David Wilcock, a producer of films who worked with many of Wendy's programs, gives us a brief biography in his introduction to the new book on prayer. She grew up in South Africa and entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur; she was sent to study English at Oxford in 1950 and spent the next twenty years teaching in local schools in South Africa. In 1970, having the call to be more contemplative, she was allowed to leave her order and become a hermit under the protection of the Carmelite monastery behind which she now lives in a trailor. In the 1980s she turned to studying and writing about art.
Sister Wendy on Prayer is divided into three sections: The Practice of Prayer, Prayer and Belief, and Prayer and Personality. According to the review, each section contains very short chapters. She also weaves in various artworks that enrich her own understanding of God. She is a witty, honest, self-effacing, independent writer and I look forward to reading her book.

Silly accident

I did not write my blog today. One reason is that I fell off the chair while sitting at the computer and did not really hurt myself, but have sore fingers and a swollen wrist so I will sign off until tomorrow. I was sitting on a desk chair that has wheels and leaned over to answer the phone and the chair scooted the other way and left me on the floor! It was indeed a silly accident but I may type less today as my fingers seem to be bruised. It will give me more time for reading!

Angels

I am a firm believer in angels. As we approach Advent, it is good to remember that our angels are like "alarm clocks" - I read this comparison in a book about Advent and it said that they are a wake up call for us. I believe that I have a special, guardian angel who watches over me. I am not fond of alarm clocks, but certainly my angel alerts me to possible falls of all kinds. My angel works hard to nudge me in the right-direction, to remind me of duties I might neglect, to inspire me with ways of being thoughtful and kind. Protection is a broad term; my angel guards me from myself as well as from exterior dangers. I think I have often felt the presence of my angel in my life and want to thank for this constant care and also the wake-up calls.
May we continue to pray one of the first prayers most of us learned to say:
Angel of God, my guardian dear,
to whom God's love commits me near
Ever this day be at my side,
to light, to guard, to rule and guide."

Holy Guardian Angels, protect us! Help us to prepare for Advent by being awake to God's calls.

The Widow's Mite

Luke tells us in today's gospel that "when Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor woman putting in two small coins. He said, "I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."

Jesus noticed and he called attention to it. In Mark's Gospel we have the same story but Mark has Jesus calling the disciples to let them know that this poor widow has put in more than all the wealthy as she has put in everything she had!
True generosity is like that. I saw this kind of generosity often in Chile. One day, visiting a very poor family with just a small shelter and dirt floor, I saw one of the neighbors come to ask if she could have a bit of sugar; immediately she was given their entire sugar supply which was a small bowel but it was all that the family had. It never would have entered their minds to give only half! I saw this happen over and over again among the poor. Why am I lacking this kind of generosity? I find myself calculating; this is humbling as I give only what I can spare. Jesus asks for more.
Lord, teach me to be generous!

A thankful heart

I came across this poem and thought it good for reflection on all that we receive.
Gratefulness
Thou that hast giv'n so much to me,
Give one thing more, a grateful heart.
See how thy beggar works on thee by art.

He makes thy gifts occasion more,
And says, If he in this be crossed,
All thou hast giv'n him heretofore is lost.

But thou didst reckon, when at first
Thy word our hearts and hands did crave,
What it would come to at the worst to save.

Perpetual knockings at thy door,
Tears sullying thy transparent rooms,
Gift upon gift, much would have more, and comes.

This notwithstanding, thou wentst on,
And didst allow us all our noise:
Nay thou hast made a sigh and groan thy joys.

Not that thou hast not still above
Much better tunes, than groans can make;
But that these country-airs thy love did take.

Wherefore I cry, and cry again;
And in no quiet canst thou be,
Till I a thankful heart obtain of thee.

Not thankful, when it pleaseth me;
As if thy blessings had spare days:
But such a heart, whose pulse may be thy praise.
(George Herbert)

"My house shall be a house of prayer"

Today's Gospel has Jesus driving the sellers of the temple area saying to them, "It is written, My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."

My house shall be a house of prayer; my heart will be a heart of prayer. What does that mean? I think it means being aware of the presence of God. God is the essence of prayer. In the presence of God we are awed, reverent, hushed, and humble.
God really does make his home in us. It is a great mystery, but he is nearer to us than we are to ourselves! He desires us to acknowledge his presence within us. We are his temple!
The Communion Antiphon speaks to me: O Lord, how great is the depth of the kindness which you have shown to those who love you."

Today, we celebrate three saints: St. Clement of Rome, St. Columban, and Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro. The first died around the end of the first century and was the third Pope; Columban died in 615; Father Pro in 1927. The first and third were martyrs; Columban left Ireland and became a great missionary; he founded monasteries in Europe. He said, "Since we are travelers and pilgims in the world, let us ever ponder on the end of the road, that is our life, for the end of the roadway is our home." (Quoted in Living with Christ.)

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

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In today's paper's "Dear Abby" the following prayer penned by her mother, Pauline Phillips is reprinted and seems so fitting for my blog today that I am passing it on to all:
Oh, Heavenly Father,
We thank thee for food and remember the hungry.
We thank you for health and remember the sick.
We thank thee for friends and remember the friendless.
We thank thess for freedom and remember the enslaved.
May these remembrances stir us to service,
That thy gifts to us may be used for others. Amen.

Live the day in gratitude for all we have been given!

Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the feast of Mary's Presentation in the Temple. Actually, we do not know much about that. This feast originated as a commemoration of the dedication of the basilica of St. Mary's the New in Jerusalem in 543. It began to be celebrated in the Western liturgical calendar in 1585. This information comes from "Living With Christ" and also says that "today, we recognize Mary as a temple where God dwelt in a special way because of her role as Mother of Jesus."
There is a tradition in the Society of the Sacred Heart in our schools of preparing the little ones for this feast and allowing one among the best behaved to be "little Mary" in a special ceremony.

In preparation for the Feast of Thanksgiving, I am grateful for having a heavenly mother who often consoles me while telling me to do whatever Jesus tells me. I am also grateful for all mothers who teach children to realize that God loves us unconditionally.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving day was a feast to give thanks for the harvest. It was a meal to be thankful for not only the food but for the many blessings received during the year. We sometimes forget that hardships made the first settlers grateful just to be alive. We have so many comforts today that we may fall into a lack of gratitude for the daily gifts we take for granted. Let us prepare this Thanksgiving by reviewing our gifts and giving thanks to God.

As a Religious of the Sacred Heart I have the mission of making God's love visible in the heart of the world. This is done in many ways, but for me, living in gratitude and joy is an important way of making God's love visible.

Yesterday a friend sent me this quote:
"Someday after we have mastered the winds, the
waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness the energies of love. Then for the second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire."
Teilhard de Chardin

It seems appropriate for reflection.

"Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"

The blind man shouted out, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!" The people around him rebuked him and told him to be silent, but he was stubborn and "kept calling out the more, Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
Jesus stopped. He had heard the cry of the blind man and ordered that he be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked, "What do you want me to do for you?"
"Lord, please let me see" was the reply. Jesus then says, "Have sight; your faith has saved you."

I love this story because it is so simple and true. It is what happens to us. We call out to Jesus in prayer and Jesus hears us. He asks us "What do you want me to do for you?" We tell him our desire to see. We, too, want to see - and the blind man "immediately received his sight and followed him, giving glory to God."

Gratitude is one way to glorify God. Let us prepare this week to celebrate our American feast of Thanksgiving by thanking for the gift to see and thanking for the desire we have to see more, to see others as Jesus sees them, to see the needs of others, to see what is true and good. . .

Perseverance

Jesus tells us in today's Gospel: "Your will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives."

Perseverance is only possible with prayer. We are weak and need help to persevere. God gives us this help when we pray. To persevere day in and day out with all the ordinary, humdrum things of our daily life is not easy. We get up, pray, work, eat, sleep, and repeat the same actions. When done with Christ, for Christ and in Christ, they become our salvation--"by you perseverance you will secure your lives."

When we persevere and do all with love, we will be saints!

The opening prayer for today's Sunday liturgy is: "Father of all that is good, keep us faithful in serving you, for to serve you is our lasting joy."