Time for a holiday

I will be away the first two weeks of February giving a retreat in California and then seeing family as well as giving talks in Arizona; right now we are celebrating the 50 years of the founding of our school, Carrollton, in Miami. Seventeen RSCJs have come for these days of celebration and I have decided that I need to take time off until February 16th from my daily blog. I will be back and reflecting on my life as we prepare to go into the Lenten season. I hope you will not mind my taking time out as writing reflections when I travel is not easy for me and I look forward to time off as I really have been faithful about posting everyday!

My life is a rollar-coaster somedays...

I used to say that my theme song was the "Sometimes I'm up, sometimes I'm down, O Lord, have mercy on me." Now I admire those who are always the same, but it seems impossible for me to always be the same, although I can try to always seem calm and peaceful. Pretending to be calm and peaceful leads to humor and joy in my life and then I find I really am calm and peaceful. I think it means taking the time to reflect with the Lord and then trusting Him.
Anyway, today I am going to reflect on #29 in Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart:

The Eucharist is the culmination of this ecclesial prayer.
As far as we can, we participate in it actively every day.
By receiving the Body of Christ,
we unite ourselves to His prayer of thanksgiving
and to His offering of Himself to the Father
for the life of the world.
Gradually, the Eucharist makes us become more truly
Body of Christ, broken to give birth to a new humanity.

I am trying to participate actively in the Eucharist every day; I find the new translation has made me aware of how often I respond without thinking. I love the thought that by receiving the Body of Christ we unite ourselves to His prayer of thanksgiving and to His offering of Himself to the Father. I think the union we experience with Christ in the Eucharist is so much greater than I can even imagine. I do believe that the Eucharist makes us become more truly the Body of Christ...now to live His offering.

Our prayer is that of the People of God

This verse from the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart #28 keeps resonating with me: Whether we pray alone or with others, our prayer is that of the People of God."
Our hearts are to be as wide as the world, as wide as the universe and the universe is still expanding! I take all to prayer and know that God loves and cares for every creature and somehow we are going to help God in bringing all to unity.

From the Constitutions of the Society of the Sacred Heart #5
Through the Eucharist we enter into
the mystery of the open side of Jesus.
In our daily life, the Eucharist celebrates
His death and resurrection,
the reality which lies at the heart of the sufferings
and hopes of the human family.
Through the Eucharist we are drawn into the gift of Jesus
to His Father,

Today I was pondering what I mean when I say that "through the Eucharist we enter into the mystery of the open side of Jesus."

I know that from the time I entered and read a circular letter written by Reverend Mother de Lescure on the name of the Society of the Sacred Heart, I felt called to enter the Heart of Jesus and descend into the depths of His Heart. She talked about the "solitude of His Heart" and I wanted to be there with Him, I still do, but now I am also aware that we are drawn into "the gift of Jesus to His Father" - the whole work of the evolution of the world and the building up of the Body of Christ.
Since my retreat last August my daily Mass has been a way to pray for the world as well as enter into the mystery of the open side of Jesus.

Today I am not doing the Constitutions as I am only writing a short note. I think that Sunday is such a gift that I spent yesterday in thanksgiving. I was thanking for all the wonderful Sundays in my life; for all the family dinners, summer days at the lake with my Dad, singing in the choir at Mass in the Parish in seventh and eighth grade, playing Monopoly with my cousins; then, when I entered the Society of the Sacred Heart, we had exposition of the Blessed Sacrament every Sunday and that made it a special day besides having a "Sunday" habit and, I think, Sunday shoes!! That seems a long time ago, but now Sunday means more time for prayer, reading the Sunday paper and swimming as even in January we can swim in our pool!!! have so much to be grateful for and this is my attitude today for all. I hope this carries over into the entire week.

Please read the blog on "All this and heaven,too" listed on the right if you scroll down; the Constitutions are compared to an old friend!

To continue with the passage from the Constitutions that we are reflecting on

15.
Contemplating Jesus, we learn
from His attitudes and responses
how, in all our relationships,
to witness to the liberating power of His love.
In faith and simplicity we meet the other
as a unique person,
having respect and affection for each,
and a humility which enables us to be receptive.
Always, we are filled with hope in our encounters,
sure of God's power at work in us all.


How, in all my relationships, am I a witness to the liberating power of His love?
Let me reflect on my way of being with each one whom I have met in the last 24 hours and be very concrete in this examen of how I am a witness to His Love? Certainly not by frowning or fussing in the doctor's office which I recall doing yesterday; on the other hand, I gave joy to others in several small ways that I can recall and feel that Jesus is pleased about the way I am trying to keep up relationships and give joy. But what about my humility?
Am I really receptive to the gift of each one I meet? Do I meet them with faith and simplicity, with respect and affection for each? Lots to think about in this passage and pray to be filled with hope in all our encounters!

Jesus was humble, amazingly so!

15.
Contemplating Jesus, we learn
from His attitudes and responses
how, in all our relationships,
to witness to the liberating power of His love.
In faith and simplicity we meet the other
as a unique person,
having respect and affection for each,
and a humility which enables us to be receptive.
Always, we are filled with hope in our encounters,
sure of God's power at work in us all.


When I contemplate Jesus in the Gospels I am so impressed with His humility. He told us to learn that He is meek and humble of heart - and it showed from His birth to His death!
Now, I will no doubt need to use this passage for reflection for several days. First of all, we have the fact taken for granted that we are contemplating Jesus. And that we are learning from His attitudes and responses! What are we learning? How am I contemplating Jesus daily?
Is His Heart an "open book" for me? How are His attitudes, values and choices affecting my life?
More on this passage tomorrow.

Our Service of Education

14.
Our service of education is carried out
in a genuine relationship of mutual interaction,
where each person both receives and gives
so that all may grow together.

Of its nature, our service of education
means creating community
among ourselves and with others.
It asks of us generous commitment,
serious on-going formation
and a broad critical vision of the world,
enlightened by faith.


We both give and receive in all our relationships and we learn to create community. We all are called to create community with others. We are also asked for a "generous commitment, serious on-going formation, and a broad critical vision of the world, enlightened by faith."

I think that spiritual reading is a must for me and for you, too. I am sure that some have the capacity to reflect deeply on events and find God in all but it is not something that just happens. We need to form ourselves by serious reflection. I guess I do this more than I realize, at least I hope I do!

A Passion to Proclaim the Gospel

Wherever we are sent,
whatever our work may be,
our lives will be inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus
and the desire of making Him known, expressed in:

-a concern for the growth of the whole person

-a thirst for working towards justice and peace in the
world in response to the cry of the poor

a passion to proclaim the Gospel.


What does it mean for me to have a passion to proclaim the Gospel now that I am not actually doing so in theology classes? I guess it is just letting people know that God loves them unconditionally; this is the Good News and He is always loving us with an infinite love. We respond in joy and gratitude and carry this Good News to others in whatever way we can. I sent a comic strip to a friend today as it made me laugh out loud. It was Garfield who said to his cat, "You are not perfect, you know." The cat thinks about this and says to himself, "I have to agree." But then he says, "It is my only fault." I thought of how often I act a bit like this.
Anyway, I do want to give everyone the Good News that they are loved by God. And God is here and now! He is present in you!

A life inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus

Wherever we are sent,
whatever our work may be,
our lives will be inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus
and the desire of making Him known, expressed in:

-a concern for the growth of the whole person

-a thirst for working towards justice and peace in the
world in response to the cry of the poor

-a passion to proclaim the Gospel.

I think it very consoling to know that whatever we are doing, wherever we are, our lives are "inspired by the love of the Heart of Jesus."
I find myself praying, "Love of the Heart of Jesus, inflame my heart."

I have found that using this invocation from the Litany of the Sacred Heart has been very helpful for me and I suggest that others try it.

I think I have a passion to proclaim the Gospel. I think it is part of the grace of my vocation!

My life is unique and therefore very important, even essential

Since we are studying and praying over our Constitutions this year, I am going to continue to put different paragraphs here this month to reflect on some aspect of our lives.

11.- (Fom our service in the Church)
Saint Madeleine Sophie chose to express this conviction
through the service of education, especially of the young.
Faithful to her inspiration, and, like her, open to new situations,
we make her desire our own:

- that people become ever more aware of truth, of love
and of freedom
- that they discover the significance of their lives, and devote themselves to others
- that they take part creatively in the common effort to
transform the world
- that they be enabled to encounter the love of Jesus
- that they let their lives be shaped by an active faith.



I am discovering every day how significant each one's life is and how important it is to realize this. Everything I do that is positive is helping the evolution of the world or the building up of the Body of Christ.

I guess I want everyone to encounter the love of Jesus and so I need to love them with the same love drawn from the Heart of Jesus. Jesus told us to "love one another as I have loved you."

Martin Luther King Day

I had a picture but it seems to resist showing up in the blog so I am also resisting writing much today. I am enjoying a day at home with extra time for prayer. I know it is a holiday for many and I think God is happy to see us remembering one who stood up and preached with courage to bring justice to so many. We all need to have the courage to speak up against the injustices that are still enacted in all of our cities. Miami is a beautiful place but all sorts of vices exist and a great deal of injustice. Let us pray for our country today.