What I love about St. Madeleine Sophie?

This I thought I had found on the RSCJ International Website, but now cannot find it to tell you who wrote it. It was one of our RSCJs in France, I am sure, but someone gave me a copy without the author's name so I am sharing it with you today:
( I just heard from our wonderful webmaster for the International RSCJ website so this poem is from Marie-Thérèse Théry, published on
http://www.rscjinternational.org/en/spirituality and we do have a search engine.)
What do I love about you, Madeleine Sophie?

The woman of frailty and strength,
The woman tender, yet firm,
The woman demanding and compassionate.

What I love about you is the active woman
Whose activity draws its inspiration
From the Heart of Christ.

What I love about you is the woman of contrasts:
Friend of the humble,
Yet approaching with simplicity
The great ones of the world;
Friend of silence and prayer, forever traveling the roads of Europe
Bringing communities to birth and nurturing them;
You are skilled in loving strongly,
You are skilled in parting too.

What I love about you, Madeleine Sophie,
Is your eagerness to serve families,
Young people and children.
I love your creativity, your dynamism,
The talent for rejuvenation that made you say, at 83:
“The world is changing;
Our Plan of Studies must change too.”

Thank you, Madeleine Sophie,
For seeing beyond your weakness,
And letting the Strength of God
Perform its work in you.

You lead us to a great discovery;
The Fountain of Life itself springs out of a wounded Heart!

This is a real reflection!

St. Madeleine Sophie

Sometimes I feel that Saint Madeleine Sophie is so near to me. I find her sending me to read again some of my favorite quotes. Today, I will share with you a quote from our document from the General Chapter of 2008. It is taken from the section on Contemplation that begins: "Today, as women rooted in the heart of Christ, we reaffirm our heritage of contemplation that springs from 'a compelling love written in our hearts by the Spirit.'"

It tells us a bit later in this section that "we are called to stop, to choose silence and to open and let ourselves be opened to our inner depths where the Spirit of God allows us to feel, see and understand life and reality with God's heart. When we allow our bodies to be silent, our senses awaken and we are able to hear the voice of the Spirit within us. Then in the secret place of the heart the Spirit gradually transforms our feelings and responses, and draws us into an intimate relationship with God. The Spirit attunes us to the heartbeat of our people to discover the presence and love of God in everyday life."

I guess it is a call to me today to really choose silence and let the Spirit draw me into an intimate relationship with God."

St. Teresa of Avila wrote:
Remember that you have
only one soul,
that you have only
one death to die,
that you have only one life,
which is short and has to be
lived by you alone;
and that there is only one
glory which is eternal.
If you do this, there will be
many things about which
you care nothing

Swanlake Ballet Video

I have finally begun to put videos on my blog. You can just click on the link under Videos on the right to see an amazing performance of Swanlake. I promise more wonderful videos in the days to come.

My sister's birthday

Today is my sister's 75th birthday. I called her this morning before she left for Mass and promised to pray for her at the noon Mass today at the University. I am writing my blog today in the computer room in the library at St. Thomas University as we are having the inside of our house painted and it is quite noisy, messy, and the computer is under a protective sheet. I just mention this in case you find me missing a blog tomorrow.

I continue to read about Mother Duchesne and Lucile Mathevon and the first days of the Society of the Sacred Heart in America. It is fascinating to read as Philippine arrived in the Missiouri territory; Missouri was not yet a state in 1818. However, after the War of 1812 was over, many settlers were arriving in St. Louis founded on the banks of the Mississippi. Philippine wanted to make a foundation in St. Louis but there was not a house to be found and the Bishop was firm about starting the first school west of the Missouri river in St. Charles. And so we began a school there amid great hardship.

The responsorial psalm for this Sunday's response is "Rest in God alone, my soul." I think I hear God saying this to me today.
Here is the first verse taken from Psalm 62:

"Only in God is my soul at rest;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold;
I shall not be disturbed at all."

Our Priority for Youth

I told you that Barb Quinn had written a good article on "Our Priority for Youth" and I even quoted from it and told you that it was on our International Website. Today I was reading the History of the Society of the Sacred Heart in North America by Mother Callan. It is a huge and heavy book and I took it with me for the three hour wait I had while my car was having its semi-annual check-up. It is a 1999 Toyota and got the 105,000 mile inspection and I am happy that it is such a good little car that I intend to keep it running smoothly. Anyway, between the History of the Society and Barb Quinn's paper, my reflection centered on my awareness of the needs of youth today and what I am doing about it.

One reason I try to write my daily blog is because I know that young people read blogs and even read mine. I love getting their comments. I realize that young people today are global-minded; they also have a passion for justice and are aware of so much that is not just in our world today. They are searching for love. St. Madeleine Sophie founded the Society to reveal God's love. She wanted us to reach out to youth and let them experience through our love and understanding and care, the love of the Heart of Jesus for each of them. Today, we need also to learn from young people; we also need to be able to help them discover the richness of an interior life, the value of silence, a way of discerning important decisions.
This is a strange reflection but I want to get it on my blog tonight for tomorrow just to help us all be more aware of the mutuality that old and young can find as we face the future of our world together!

Bucket List

When I was in Arizona my brother told me that he had two good movies he wanted to watch again with me. Since I never go to movies, he knew that I would enjoy seeing them on his large TV and with captions so I could really understand the movies. The first was the Bucket List and I hope you have seen it. Two men who are dying make out a list of things to do before death will overtake them (before they "kick the bucker"). It made me think of maybe making my own list of things I want to do while I am still able to do them. The picture I chose today is one that made me think of making the list; it is too late for me to learn to ski, but I am off to my water exercise class now! Let us seize the day and do what we enjoy while we can still do it. Too many of my friends are dying so let us live our lives as fully as possible and be ready to go when God calls us.
My Province has been getting ready for a visit from two of our Central Team by a special focus each week in February. This week is awareness and the reflection ends with these lines:
"Let us pray this week for the grace to become increasingly aware of who we are and of God’s call to us in the midst of our changing relationships with others. We pray for the Spirit to guide us in our discernment of our future as a Province, our mission and life together."
Am I aware of the needs of others? In what way can I integrate my understanding of these needs with the way I live--the daily choices that I make?

Before this week of awareness, we have tried to be open, honest, and generous. I find that it really helps to take a special focus for each week. Perhaps you will like to make this a week of awareness - an awareness of the needs of others as well as an awareness that we must live our lives fully now and do those things that we keep putting off...

A Heart as Big as the World

St. Madeleine Sophie insisted that we were to be wholly contemplative and wholly apostolic. This is not easy but I think it is what makes Religious of the Sacred Heart effective in whatever type of educational ministry we are involved in today. I just read an interesting paper by Sister Barbara Quinn; you can find it on our international website that is listed on the right side of the blog along with an excellent video of the Asian meeting of some of our young professed religious. Barbara writes about the challenges of change and the need to change today. She is speaking about the priority we want to give to youth and how young people want to see the way we live; they are seeking our wisdom and looking for God. They have grown up with a global vision and we need to understand how connected they are to our world. It is amazing to talk to young people today and find that they have so much information at their fingertips; even my five year old grand nephew can text, or so they tell me. College students want to help their world be a better place; they are often more concerned about the environment, about justice for all, and about being open to different ways of seeking God, than some of us who need to learn from youth. Barb Quinn's paper is worth reading no matter what your age so do look at our international website.

Superstition Mountain in Arizona

I arrived on February 8 to spend the first five days with my brother and his wife in Gold Canyon, Arizona. Their house is at the foot of Superstition Mountain; when they moved out to Gold Canyon, there were very few streets and only a few stores. Now there are over a thousand homes but it is still so beautiful. They keep the desert colors for the homes and no one has grass in front of their home, but some trees and cactus are planted. It is so different from my sister's home in Scottsdale, less than an hour away. Her gated community has greenery everywhere; there are palm trees and green grass and the houses are often white instead of a desert color.
I promised that I would tell you a bit about my trip. One of the highlights was a train ride with lunch served in a domed dining car while we watched the gorgeous landscape. I would not like to live in Arizona in the summer, but it was wonderful to visit in February and I do love the mountains. The sunsets are so lovely there.
My sister had a big party on Sunday and so I stayed with her and her husband for the next four nights. My niece and her husband were there from Oregon and my nephew and his wife and son came to the party and then we also were together on Monday night. It was good to have the family together, but I am also happy to be home.
I am hoping to catch up with myself today.

Home again and here is something about St. Madeleine Sophie

What do I love about you,
Madeleine Sophie?
The woman of frailty and strength,
the woman tender, yet firm,
the woman demanding and compassionate.

What I love about you is
the active woman
whose activity draws its inspiration
from the Heart of Christ.

What I love about you is
the woman of contrasts:
friend of the humble,
yet approaching with simplicity
the great ones of this world;
friend of silence and of prayer,
forever traveling

the roads of Europe
bringing communities to
birth and nurturing them;
you are skilled in loving strongly,
you are skilled in parting too.

What I love about you,
Madeleine Sophie,
is your eagerness to serve families,
young people and children.
I love your creativity,
your dynamism,
the talent for rejuvenation
that made you say, at 83:
"The world is changing;
our Plan of Studies must change too."

Thank you, Madeleine Sophie,
for seeing beyond your weakness,
and letting the Strength of God
perform its work in you.
You lead us to a great discovery:
the Fountain of Life itself springs
out of a wounded Heart!

Marie-Thérèse Théry, RSCJ
Province of France

I thought this was worth passing on to all my readers with a love of St. Madeleine Sophie.

"To live with the Spirit of God is to be a lover..."

I am back but have scheduled this poem by Jessica Powers for my first day home:

"One leans to catch the stirring of the Spirit, strange as the wind's will"


The soul that walks where the wind of the Spirit blows
Turns like a wandering weather-vane toward love.
It may lament like Job or Jeremiah,
Echo the wounded heart, the mateless dove.
It may rejoice in spaciousness of meadow
That emulates the freedom of the sky.
Always it walks in waylessness, unknowing;
It has cast down forever from its hand
The compass of the whither and the why.

To live with the Spirit of God is to be a lover.
It is becoming love, and like to God
Toward Whom we strain with metaphors of creatures:
Fire-sweep and water-rush and the wind's shim.
The soul is all activity, all silence;
And though it surges Godward to its goal,
It holds, as moving earth holds sleeping noonday,
The peace that is the listening of the soul."

My friend in Scotland went peacefully to God this morning

As so many of my readers prayed for Jane, I thought you would like to know that God called her home this morning. She was surrounded by prayer and I know how much she appreciated knowing that others were praying for her. Let us continue to pray for and to Jane and for those who will miss her dearly.

I am writing from my brother's in Arizona having arrived last night.