Hope-full Signs

Love of Jesus compelled them

2012-02-06T10:49:00.005-05:00

I don't know about you but there are days when I am grumpy, when the road of life seems to have many potholes and bumps! When I read the Office of Readings today from the Liturgy of the Hours I was greatly convicted of my lack of gratitude for the wonderful life that God has given me. I invite you to click on the following link and scroll down to the reading at the bottom of the page regading St. Paul Miki and Companions, the Japanese martyrs whose feast we celebrate today. I guarantee your heart will be deeply moved but the example of their faith. It brought me to tears.

http://www.universalis.com/readings.htm

A model for our turbulent times

2012-01-31T11:24:00.004-05:00

Today is the feast day of one our community "friends" - Saint Don Bosco! Because we are a community whose mission is to share the Catholic faith with children, young adults and adults, we find St. Don Bosco a worthy model for our Sisters. Here is a link to a thorough biography of this holy man of God, the founder of the Salesian Order of Priests and Sisters whose members number over 16,000 men and women throughout the world. Herhttp://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=63

And follow this link to an article that recounts the story of an amazing vision that the saint had of the Church, a vision that can apply to our present time in history.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/story.php?id=44592

Saint Don Bosco pray for us and intercede for our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI and your Holy Catholic Church here on earth.

A very courageous act

2012-01-13T11:01:00.006-05:00

Have your emotions sometimes made you feel like "going through the roof"?! Today's Gospel is about such an event (see Mark 2:12) http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011312.cfm It is one of my favorite examples of Jesus' great love and wisdom. As you read the story you see how four "friends" were determined to bring their friend to Jesus so He could heal him. The crowds around the house where Jesus was teaching were so thick they couldn't get through. They climbed on to the roof, carring their paralyzed friend on his mat and when they reached the top they began peeling off the tiles above the spot where Jesus was seated. Slowly, with ropes, they lowered the man down through the hole and laid him at the feet of Jesus. What a feat! You know the rest of the story.

As I prayed with this passage this morning I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal to me what God wanted me to know about the story. Some thoughts: the men loved their friend enough to go to great lengths to have him healed. They had great faith in Jesus and truly believed he would heal the paralytic. They had boldness and courage to place their petition before the Lord. As far as we know they chose to let Jesus handle the situation in His own way and He did - first of all teaching everyone about the power of His forgiveness. Before he healed the man He forgave Him his sins.

How do I petition the Lord.? Do I have faith in His love and mercy? Believing that He loves me, do I have he boldness and courage to ask Him for great things? Am I willing to go to great lengths in my prayer. Am I willing to take time to pray? Do I let it up to Jesus to answer the prayer in His own way or do I outline for Him the way I want my prayers to be answered? These were all the questions that I asked myself as I prayed through the passage. Why don't you try it yourself! See what Jesus wants to say to YOU!

What do we have to offer Him?

2012-01-08T14:01:00.004-05:00

On this great solemnity of the Epiphany, when Jesus was revealed to the world through the three Kings, here are some thoughts for meditation.

"The Wise Men persevered in their travel even though they did not know the exact place of Jesus' birth. In like manner each of us must persevere in doing good and in seeking God in spite of interior darkness, even when the light which shines on our path seems to grow dim. This darkness can only be overcome by an intense spirit of pure naked faith which trusts in God alone. I know that God wills it, I know he is calling, and this is enough for me. 'I know him whom I have believed, and I am sure (Tim 1:12), no matter what he permits or asks of me, I cannot doubt him. This is the best way to unite ourselves to the adoration of the Magi: 'as they brought forth from among their treasures mystical gifts which they offered the Lord, let us also bring forth from our hearts something fit to offer him.' (St. Leo the Great)."

(This meditation is taken from "Divine Intimacy" Volume I by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen O. C. D. Ignatius Press)

He who sings prays twice (St. Augustine)

2011-12-26T20:36:00.011-05:00

As you pray during this Christmas season perhaps you would want to meditate on the words of our traditional Christmas carols. The composers were men and women of great faith and their thoughts can lead us to ponder the mysteries of the Incarnation and cause us to give glory and praise to God. Give it a try!

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger;
In all our trials was born to be our friend.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!

For more hymns see your parish Missalette or click on http://ldsguy.tripod.com/Christmas.carols.html

My Christmas wish for you

2011-12-23T14:39:00.004-05:00

He was wrapped in swaddling clothes
But He wrapped us in immortality!
He could find no room in the inn
but He has made a temple for Himself in our hearts!
(St. Augustine)

May He find a place in your heart this Christmas! And may the light of His love chase away the darkness there and replace it with the brightness of His joy and peace!

God bless you and
Merry Christmas
From Sister Judith

Love has a Face

2011-12-18T20:09:00.005-05:00

The following is part of a talk that was given by the Sisters at an Advent Retreat Day for Single Women here at our motherhouse:

At a recent retreat day for Sisters we sang a lovely Offertory Hymn at Mass. Listen to the refrain: “Come down, Lord Jesus! Come quickly, Lord Jesus! The whole world is waiting for love. The whole world is waiting for Love.” Yes, it’s true, the whole world IS waiting for love, longs for love, needs love. And so many people in the world have no idea where to find it.

Our late Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II said in his first encyclical REDEMPTORIS HOMINIS (On Redemption and the Dignity of Man) that “man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it. This, as has already been said, is why Christ the Redeemer “fully reveals man to himself.”

Each one of us knows what the lack of love looks like – we see it in the faces on the news, we hear it in the voices around us, we feel it in the anger and impatience of those we work with. We see it reflected in the high rate of abortion, in the abuse of drugs and alcohol, in child abuse, in the aimlessness of teenagers, in the loneliness of the elderly. And often we experience it in our own hearts.

Do we know that WE are loved? How many of us struggle from time to time, even in very small, hidden ways because we don’t really comprehend, in the deep recesses of our heart, that we are loved – loved beyond our deepest imaginings – loved by the Person who loves us without limit - that Person is the Creator of the Universe, our loving Father, our loving God!

How do we get to know the Father? How do we come to experience his love? The answer is Jesus. Jesus is the way to the Father. The Father had such a deep desire to reach out to us, His children, that He sent His only Son to reveal to us what the Father looks like, how He acts, how He loves. Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity, is the Revelation of the Father.

In the Post Synodal Exhortation “Verbum Domini”, Pope Benedict XVI reaffirms the truth that “in the Incarnation…we are set before the very person of Jesus. His unique and singular history is the definitive word which God speaks to humanity... The Lord made his word short, he abbreviated it' (Is 10:23; Rom 9:28) … The Son himself is the Word, the Logos: the eternal word became small – small enough to fit into a manger. He became a child, so that the word could be grasped by us. Now the word is not simply audible; not only does it have a voice, now the word has a face, one which we can see: that of Jesus of Nazareth.

Cut out the noise!

2011-12-16T10:56:00.006-05:00

We are coming to the end of the third week of Advent. One more week to go! How are you doing with this grace-filled season? You know, the Church gives us this season to prepare spiritually for Christmas because the event that we celebrate on December 25 is the most important event that ever happened in the history of the world. Did you ever think about that? The Father doesn't just want us to rush into the day, out of breath, thinking a million things like "did I get this done?, did I forget this?, why am I so exhausted?!" It's not supposed to be like that.

The world is a noisy place these days - with politics, wars, unemployment, high prices at the supermarket. The Father wanted the birth of His Son to put all of these challenges into perspective. Have we thought about him lately? Have we knelt before Him in the Eucharist and thanked Him for coming? Have we even gone to the Eucharist -to Mass?

You might say, "well Sister, you have it easy - you have times during the day when you can pray and go to Mass. That's not the way it is with me!" Well, you know Sisters are busy too. I can have my body in the chapel when I am supposed to be praying and my mind is filled with lots of distractions too. We all need to take a look at what we are doing and where we are going and examine our priorities, even if that means having our families look at its priorities too.

We have one more week in Advent - a full week until we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Savior of the world - our Savior. Let's block out the noise and think about Him from time to time. He thinks about us ALL the time. As we await His coming He waits for us to come - to Him!

Grow in the Catholic Faith

2011-12-06T15:45:00.004-05:00

When I lit the second candle on our Advent Wreath this past Sunday I wanted to stop the clock and slow down the progress of this wonderful, grace-filled liturgical season. But alas, I realize that I am the one who needs to slow down so I have time to reflect and take in all the Lord has for me during these few brief weeks before Christmas. One of our parish priests said last week that Advent is like the “baby shower” before the Birth of the “baby”. That baby is Jesus and Advent gives us time to prepare the gifts of our heart that we will present to Him on Christmas Day.

One of the ways the Sisters in our convent are preparing is by watching the amazing “Catholicism” series by Father Robert Barron. Please click on this link to Father's web site, “Word on Fire” to reap the fruit of Father Barron’s YouTube videos, his blog, and information on the “Catholicism” DVDs, study guide and book which can be purchased on his site. The series, I think, was over 10 years in the making and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Author George Weigel says the series is "the most important media project in the history of the Catholic Church in America. Many parishes are offering it to their parishioners; perhaps yours can too. http://www.wordonfire.org/

Perhaps all of us can make a decision to slow down and let the Lord lead us into the dessert where He can prepare OUR hearts for his coming in mystery this Christmas.

We are a celebrating Church

2011-11-25T10:53:00.006-05:00

This Sunday we begin the grace-filled season of Advent - my favorite Liturgical season! Also, we begin to pray the Mass from the new Roman Missal! What a day Sunday will be! In some of our parishes the priest and the people have been "practicing" ahead of time. It seems as if everyone is ready to go! As you know our Sisters serve in parish Religious Education programs and some are Directors of Religious Ed. One of our Sisters sent the following memo to her catechists:

Dear Catechists, Aides and Volunteers,

I have truly come to LOVE THE CHURCH, and to LOVE THE CHURCH YEAR! I remember the first time I became aware that the Church has its own calendar.… What excited me most was discovering that if I followed this calendar, there would be many opportunities for celebrations, and I love to celebrate! Sometimes the celebrations are big. With Solemnities we pull out all the stops and really celebrate, (e.g. Christmas, Ascension Thursday) going to Mass and sometimes having the day off. On Feasts, we remember and celebrate the lives of special people who show us how to live, and how to love God and others. Then there are smaller celebrations, memorials or optional memorials.

I love this quote in YouCat (the youth catechism of the Catholic Church) about the Church year, offered by a German writer: “The Church year which makes present and portrays anew the life of Christ, is mankind’s greatest work of art; and God has acknowledged it and allows it year after year, always granting it new light, as though one were encountering it for the first time.”

Article 185 in YouCat says: “Just as we celebrate a birthday or a wedding anniversary each year, so too the Liturgy celebrates over the course of the year the most important events in Christian salvation history. With one important difference, however: All time is God’s time. “Memories” of Jesus’ life and teaching are simultaneously encounters with the living God”.”

I also love looking at great works of art. Some paintings seem to bring us into the event which they portray. But even more profound is remembering the life of Jesus, since this brings us into an encounter with the living God. Yes, living the Liturgical year brings us into an encounter with the living God!

Talking turkey

2011-11-22T15:06:00.004-05:00

As part of our apostolate our Sisters are engaged in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ, bringing hope through catechesis and faith formation of adults in the parish. When it comes to catechesis you never know how you can spread the good news!

This week one of our Sisters was talking with the mother of a child in the religious education program. She was a bit frazzled; she had gone back to work after a number of years and told Sister she didn't know how she was going to get the Thanksgiving dinner together. She had to bake and cook and roast the turkey and, and, and...

Sister stopped her and said "do the turkey the way I do it!" Then she told the woman to roast the turkey overnight in a low oven and presto, in the morning the turkey is done - and juicy and delicious! The woman left saying thank you, thank you, thank you!

There are many ways to bring hope to the people we serve - even through a turkey!

The waiting is over!

2011-11-21T10:40:00.006-05:00

At Mass this morning Father prayed from the New Roman Missal. Using our response cards we prayed the revised responses. The Mass prayers are beautiful and reverent and puts us in a posture of adoration and humility. What a blessing for the English-speaking Catholic Church. Catholics in other countries - Germany, Italy, Poland, etc. have been praying these same prayers for the past 40 years. It has taken us this long to catch up! The Church officially begins using these revised prayers on Sunday, the first Sunday of Advent.

Jokingly, Father commented that learning the new prayers from the New Roman Missal will "slow him down" and he will have to pray more slowly and reverently! Everyone at Morning Mass cheered! You see, those of us in the Church love the Mass - and the Lord - and we have a great desire to pray the Mass and not just say it! Isn't that wonderful!

Let's not forget

2011-11-15T11:31:00.004-05:00

As we know, November is the month of the Holy Souls - those men and women who have died and are on their way to Heaven. They are our friends and loved ones who are experiencing the Lord's purifying love in Purgatory and this month is devoted to praying for them that God will receive our prayers for their final eternal rest. Recently I came across a beautiful poem that our late Holy Father, Blessed John Paul II wrote about the promise we find in death:

"From dust you came, and to dust you shall return,"

What had shape is now shapeless.

What was alive is not dead.

What was beautiful is now the ugliness of decay.

And yet I do not altogether die,

What is indestructible in me remains!

What is imperishable in me

now stands face to face before Him Who Is!

Sometimes we forget to pray for our deceased loved ones. Let us not forget and remember that we do pray for them at Mass. "Lord, may the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.!

Heroes for Our World Today

2011-11-01T10:53:00.009-04:00

As you know, today the Church honors and celebrates the countless number of men and women who have made it to Heaven – to the Presence of God – those we call Saints. For years I looked upon these saints as “untouchables”, unreal people whose example I could never follow nor whose holiness I could never achieve. But then I realized that most of them were men and women just like me – sinners – such as St. Mary Magdalen and the great St. Augustine. Our late Pope John Paul II knew that and so he raised many ordinary men and women to the ranks of the altar. They overcame their “ordinariness” because their lives were surrendered to God - because they loved Him. Below is a road map to sanctity that Jesus gave to us in His sermon on the Mount. (Mt 5:1-12a).

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. (those who know their spiritual poverty and their need for God).

Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. (those who suffer the loss of love – through death, illness etc., who mourn for the world and its rejection of God).

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. (Those who are humble but who are courageous and willing to stand firm for the Truth).

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. (Those who persevere in their walk with God in spite of obstacles, because their desire for God can never be satisfied here on earth).

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. (Those who accept others the way they are, who are kind, forgiving).

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. (Those who refuse to be corrupted by our hedonistic culture).

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. (Those who do not divide, who lead others to reconciliation and peace).

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. (Those who endure the taunts of others for the sake of their religious beliefs).

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. (All of us who are hated because we are against abortion, same-sex marriages etc.) Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in Heaven!

She answers our prayers

2011-10-17T10:47:00.006-04:00

In September when Pope Benedict XVI visited Germany he scheduled a side trip to the Chapel of the Shrine of Our Lady in Etzelsbach, Germany. He said he had wanted to visit the Shrine since his youth! He spoke a beautiful word to the Pilgrims who were there to pray with him. That message in part follows: (Photo is of the Sculpture of the Pieta at Etzelsbach).

"When Christians of all times and places turn to Mary, they are acting on the spontaneous conviction that Jesus cannot refuse his mother what she asks; and they are relying on the unshakable trust that Mary is also our mother – a mother who has experienced the greatest of all sorrows, who feels all our griefs with us and ponders in a maternal way how to overcome them. How many people down the centuries have made pilgrimages to Mary, in order to find comfort and strength before the image of the Mother of Sorrows, as here at Etzelsbach!

Our trust in the powerful intercession of the Mother of God and our gratitude for the help we have repeatedly experienced impel us, as it were, to think beyond the needs of the moment. What does Mary actually want to say to us, when she rescues us from some trial? She wants to help us grasp the breadth and depth of our Christian vocation. With a mother’s tenderness, she wants to make us understand that our whole life should be a response to the love of our God, who is so rich in mercy. “Understand,” she seems to say to us, “that God, who is the source of all that is good and who never desires anything other than your true happiness, has the right to demand of you a life that yields wholly and joyfully to his will, striving at the same time that others may do likewise.” Where God is, there is a future. Indeed – when we allow God’s love to pervade and to shape the whole of our lives, then heaven stands open. Then it is possible so to shape the present that it corresponds more and more to the Good News of our Lord Jesus Christ. Then the little things of everyday life acquire meaning, and great problems find solutions.

To read the full article (I suggest you do) click on http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/september/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20110923_vespers-etzelsbach_en.html

Satisfaction guaranteed

2011-10-10T15:56:00.004-04:00

Today as I was dusting and cleaning around my desk I found this item in the Life After Sunday newsletter concerning "Beauty". I had circled the following article in order to share it with you some time. Today is the time.

"It is Jesus who you seek when you dream of happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the wil to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal." (Blessed John Paul II).

So much in our world does not satisfy us. We seek but many times we do not find. Perhaps we are looking in the wrong places or for the wrong thing. "He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies..."

My written guarantee

2011-10-05T20:47:00.005-04:00

Do you sometimes feel you are too busy to pray? Or you are just too tired? Or you are too distracted? Or you can’t find a quiet place to get in touch with God? Today’s Gospel offers one answer to the dilemma.

Gospel Lk 11:1-4
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,one of his disciples said to him,"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your Kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,

Jesus taught us how to pray to His Father. To Our Father! Over and over again throughout the day we can say this prayer to that One Person who will hear us. God is a Person – a real Person. So when we say “Father” we are calling out to a real Person. In fact, we can linger on that one word – “Father” saying it over and over again. Father. Jesus taught us to call him “Abba” – daddy. We can pray the “Our Father” many, many times during the day. St. Luke’s version in today’s Gospel is briefer than the version in St. Matthew’s Gospel but we certainly know the prayer by heart. We are never too busy to pray the Lord’s prayer, nor too tired, nor too distracted. As we cry out to the Father He hears us and He will put into our hearts a desire to pray more! I guarantee it!

Change is coming

2011-10-02T20:36:00.008-04:00

I don't know about you but at our house we are getting ready for the implementation of the New Roman Missal! I hope you know what I am talking about. There is a new translation of the prayers for the Mass that will go into effect on the first Sunday of Advent, November 27. I am sure you have heard about it at your local parish. Our Sisters have been spending time each Sunday studying the changes.

Here is a link to a YouTube Video which gives a quick explanation of what has been happening to make the prayers at Mass conform more to the Latin original. It is part of the Church's effort to open our minds and hearts to all that is happening in the Mass and to enable us to grow more deeply in love with the Mass - with the Lord! Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeHHDnpnu98

Also, here is a link to the web site of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop which is well worth checking out. Search through this page on the site for more information. http://old.usccb.org/romanmissal/

Some of us attended a conference this weekend on the Liturgy given by Dr. Edward Sri, a Scripture scholar. http://www.augustineinstitute.org/faculty/profsriprofile.html It was wonderful. His conferences about the Mass are in a newly-released book entitled "A Biblical Walk Through the Mass" published by Ascension Press.

Get your heart ready for the new Roman Missal (Third Edition) It is a very exciting time!

Men and women of faith and courage

2011-09-20T10:55:00.003-04:00

If life is a challenge today, if you are feeling a little bit grumpy, or...if you are feeling joyful and happy...think about the saints whose feast day we commemorate today. They are the courageous and faith-filled men and women, children, young adults, the eldery, bishops, priests, who were martyred during the 19th century in Korea. Father Andrew Kim Taegon and Paul Hasang, a husband and father, along with 103 others were horribly tortured and gave up their lives for Jesus Christ. If you want to learn a little bit more about them click on http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2011-09-20

From the last letter of St Andrew Kim Taegŏn to his parish as he awaited martyrdom with a group of twenty persons, the Korean Church was bequeathed these noble words:

“My dear brothers and sisters, know this: Our Lord Jesus Christ upon descending into the world took innumerable pains upon and constituted the Holy Church through his own passion and increases it through the passion of its faithful.... Now, however, some fifty or sixty years since Holy Church entered into our Korea, the faithful suffer persecutions again. Even today persecution rages, so that many of our friends of the same faith, among whom am I myself, have been thrown into prison. just as you also remain in the midst of persecution. Since we have formed one body, how can we not be saddened in our innermost hearts? How can we not experience the pain of separation in our human faculties? However, as Scripture says, God cares for the least hair of our heads, and indeed he cares with his omniscience; therefore, how can persecution be considered as anything other than the command of God, or his prize, or precisely his punishment?...We are twenty here, and thanks be to God all are still well. If anyone is killed, I beg you not to forget his family. I have many more things to say, but how can I express them with pen and paper? I make an end to this letter. Since we are now close to the struggle, I pray you to walk in faith, so that when you have finally entered into Heaven, we may greet one another. I leave you my kiss of love.”

Excerpt taken from: http://romanchristendom.blogspot.com/2008/06/st-andrew-kim-taegon-and-glorious.html

Dear North Korean Martyrs, pray for us

2011-09-11T15:43:00.005-04:00

September 11 is my late Aunt Vi’s birthday. Growing up I sent her a birthday card every year and since she has died I remember her on this day and pray for her eternal rest and peace.

But then came the infamous “9/11” and Aunt Vi’s birthday has been eclipsed by the horror of that day. So sad! The heart pain is still there, I am sure, for all of us as we remember the unbelievable events of that day.

Can you believe the readings for Mass today?! Sirach 27-28, Psalm 103, Mt 18:21-35. As you probably know, they are all about forgiveness and God’s mercy and compassion. (Here is a link to those readings) http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/

I was struck by these words from the Book of Sirach:
Forgive your neighbor's injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD?

As the Sisters shared on the readings last evening before dinner, we talked a lot about “forgive your neighbor’s injustice”. So much injustice in the world. This is a tall order. I was reminded of the Scripture story of Jesus cleansing the temple. In His righteous anger he took a whip and upset the money changers tables and chased the merchants out of the temple – out of his father’s house. Jesus had to confront the injustice – the greed – but He loved the sinners. As God he could not not love the merchants and the money changers. That is the challenge for us. We hate sin but we are called to forgive the sinner. But we can’t do that without God’s grace. We can beg God to shed his mercy on the terrorists who were responsible for so many deaths. We hate what they did. But we are called to forgive them – as best we can.

He spoke the Truth

2011-08-29T11:01:00.006-04:00

For years I couldn’t understand the role of St. John the Baptist in the life of Jesus. Then I discovered that St. John was a great evangelist! Of course we all know that! But I understood his role. By his boldness in proclaiming the Truth, he prepared the hearts of the Jewish people and called them to repentance and to conversion. When Jesus came and began to teach them, their hearts were then ready to receive His message. The soil had been tilled. (St. Bede the Venerable says in today’s Office of Readings that St. John was baptized in His own blood!) We too are called to be evangelists - speaking the Truth about God, with boldness and conviction, either with words or with the witness of our lives.

Today is the memorial of the beheading of St. John the Baptism. For an interesting commentary on St. John click on http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=42594 (see Mk 6:17-29)

And here is an insight into St. John's fearlessness from the homily by St. Bede:
There is no doubt that blessed John suffered imprisonment and chains as a witness to our Redeemer, whose forerunner he was, and gave his life for him. His persecutor had demanded not that he should deny Christ, but only that he should keep silent about the truth. Nevertheless, he died for Christ. Does Christ not say: I am the truth? Therefore, because John shed his blood for the truth, he surely died for Christ.

We too should not be silent about the Truth. It is unlikely that we will be called to shed our blood like St. John but speaking the Truth might entail some hardships. However, being with Jesus for all eternity is worth it!

She goes before us!

2011-08-15T13:31:00.006-04:00

"Being the most glorious Mother of Christ our saviour and our God, the giver of life and immortality, she is given life by him and shares bodily incorruptibility for all eternity with him who raised her from the grave and drew her up to him in a way that only he can understand." (by an ancient writer - Liturgy of the Hours)

Today is the glorious solemnity of the Assumption - the feast that celebrates the truth that our Blessed Mother, at the time of her death, fell asleep and was taken body and soul into Heaven. There she reigns as Queen of Heaven (feast August 22) and waits to embrace us there. (Seehttp://www.ewtn.com/library/papaldoc/p12munif.htm

"Mary's lithe, liberating passage from this world reminds us that God's graceful love is at work and available to us in the hour of our death, if we live in a manner that refelects our total dependency on God." (Father William M. Joensen in the Magnificat Rosary Companion)

What does this mean for us? Mary was free from Original Sin and therefore she did not experience bodily corruption. We, on the other hand, because we were born with Original Sin will experience bodily corruption. BUT at the end of time, if we have died in the state of grace, our bodies will be resurrected, freed from all deformity and disease, and reunited with our souls to live for all eternity with the Triune God. (see Articles 997-1001 Catechism of the Catholic Church) http://www.christusrex.org/www1/CDHN/art11.html#RESURRECTION

Summertime reading

2011-07-25T14:07:00.004-04:00

It’s summer! And that means that our community schedule is quite altered. It is a time for retreat, for vacation, for family visits. In June I spent a full week with my sister and her husband. And I also joined with a group of my religious Sisters for a week of retreat. This week some of us are cooking for another group of our Sisters so they can be free to pray and retreat with the Lord.

Rather than focusing on desk work this month, I too have extra time to pray and to read. I am enjoying a series of teachings on prayer given by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. These teachings are given during his weekly audience on Wednesdays at the Vatican. (Those weekly audiences have been suspended for awhile while our Holy Father spends his own vacation at Castel Gondolfo.) The text of his teachings on prayer can be found on Zenit, the on-line Catholic news source (under documents). Here is a link to the Holy Father’s talk on Praying with the Psalms http://www.zenit.org/article-32912?l=english

And here is an excerpt from that same talk:

The Psalms are given to the believer precisely as a text of prayer, which has as its one end that of becoming the prayer of the one who takes them up and, with them, addresses himself to God. Since they are the Word of God, he who prays the Psalms speaks to God with the very words that God has given to us; he addresses Him with the words that He Himself gives us. Thus, in praying the Psalms we learn to pray. They are a school of prayer...

...They are given to us so that we might learn to address ourselves to God, to communicate with Him, to talk to Him about ourselves with His words, to find language for an encounter with Him. And, through those words, it will also be possible to know and to receive the standards of his way of acting, to approach the mystery of his thoughts and of his ways (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9), so as to grow always more in faith and love. As our words are not only words, but also teach us about a real and conceptual world, so also these prayers teach us about the heart of God, for which reason are we able not only to speak with God, but also to learn who God is and -- in learning how to speak with Him -- we learn what is it to be man, to be ourselves.

Spiritual wrestling match

2011-07-05T11:18:00.004-04:00

After our busy apostolate year, the Sisters are able to visit family members and I just returned from a wonderful visit with my sisters (my parents are deceased). I was able to attend a concert with them as well as an art show, catch up on news, and deepen our relationships. Our family members become the family members of our sisters who pray for them every day.

But now I am back in the swing of things here at home. This morning while meditating on Scripture (Lectio Divina) I was focused on the first reading from Reading from Gn 32:23-33. It is the very strange story of Jacob wrestling with an unknown person during the night. Jacob prevailed in the wrestling match but before he would let the man go the mysterious visitor wounded Jacob's sciatica muscle in his hip causing Jacob to limp away! Jacob realized he had been wrestling with God.

Pope Benedict is presenting a weekly catechesis on prayer and several weeks ago his teaching was on this Old Testamen reading. (click on http://www.zenit.org/article-32676?l=english

It is an excellent explanation of this scripture lesson! I really encourage you to print it out and study it. Over the years I too have wrestled with God - when I wanted my own way since I was SURE it was the best way. But with God's grace He finally wore me down and I was able to win - by accepting God's will. However, during my struggle I was indeed wounded - in my emotions, in my pride! But after the battle, again through God's grace, I was converted and became a different person. After Jacob's battle he was renewed and received a new name - Israel. This Scripture story is well worth reading and understanding. What and who are you wrestling with today?

The Divine Three in One

2011-06-20T12:32:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the Church celebrated the solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. I was away from my desk then but I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to share some thoughts on this magnificent Truth of our Catholic faith. So allow me to share some material on the subject. After all, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are with us now and will be forever!

I often meditate from a wonderful book entitled “Divine Intimacy” by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O. C. D. and published by Ignatius Press. In fact “Divine Intimacy” is a set of four volumes with reflections on the readings of each Sunday as well as for the days of the week. Allow me to share from yesterday’s readings: The entrance hymn for Trinity Sunday urges us to pray: “Blessed be God the Father and his only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit; for he has shown that he loves us.” This entrance hymn “leads us immediately to the consideration of the great mystery of the Blessed Trinity – stressing its essential aspect: love.”

“Love illuminates the mystery of the Trinity in which God is love, always in the act of begetting, of giving himself, of communicating himself. From all eternity the Father begets his Word – the Son – in whom he expresses his entire self, communicating his entire divinity; the Father and the Son each give each other and possess each other in an act of infinite love, in a perfect substantial communion that is the Holy Spirit. Yet God’s love does not remain circumscribed within the Trinity, but bursts forth onto creation. All that man is and has is a gift of the Holy Trinity, of the love of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, for “great is his love for us.” (p. 247-248 Volume III)

Here is a link to other refections that you can print out and read from time to time.
http://www.catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=homilies&homilies=20050522

The deacon who gave the homily at Mass yesterday encouraged each one of us to take two minutes each day, alone in a quiet space, and slowly make the Sign of the Cross, telling God that we want to live our lives "in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." So be it? Amen!

Come Holy Spirit

2011-06-11T14:15:00.005-04:00

This evening in our chapel we will sing the First Vespers of the Solemnity of Pentecost. What a great feast! We rejoice in the coming of the Promised Gift of our Redeemer - the Advocate, the Consoler, the Comforter - the Holy Spirit - the third Person of the Blessed Trinity!

Pentecost is one of five feasts in the Church that includes a Sequence Prayer in the Liturgy. On Pentecost Sunday we will pray or sing the following Sequence which is not taken from Scripture but is a prayer that was composed in the Middle Ages and that contains sublime truths of our Faith. Use it for your own personal prayer this weekend.

COME, Holy Spirit, send forth from heaven the rays of thy light.
Come, Father of the poor; Come, giver of gifts; Come, light of [our] hearts.
Oh blest Comforter, Sweet guest of the soul, Sweet refreshment.
In labor rest; in the heat, moderation; in tears, solace.
O most blessed Light fill the inmost heart of thy faithful.
Without your spirit, nothing is in man, nothing that is harmless.
Wash that which is sordid, water that which is dry, heal that which is wounded.
Make flexible that which is rigid, warm that which is cold, rule that which is deviant.
Give to thy faithful who trust in thee the sevenfold gifts.
Grant to us the merit of virtue, grant salvation at our going forth. grant eternal joy.

Amen. Alleluia.

For a marvelous web site with lots of material on the Holy Spirit, click on

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/pent1.htm

Let us begin today!

2011-06-03T20:24:00.003-04:00

It is hard to believe but today we begin the very special Pentecost Novena ~ nine days of prayer seeking a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The following is my favorite prayer to the Holy Spirit and I hope it will inspire you as well. (to read about the gifts and the fruits of the Holy Spirit read Articles 1830-1832 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. You can find it on-line)

Oh, Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore You. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what to do. Direct my every choice. I promise to submit myself to all that You desire of me and to accept all that You permit to happen to me. Let me only know Your will. Christ Jesus, before ascending into heaven, you promised to send the Holy Spirit to your apostles and disciples. Grant that the same Spirit may perfect in our lives the work of your grace and love.

Grant us the Spirit of Wisdom that we may aspire to the things that last forever;
The Spirit of Understanding to enlighten our minds with the light of your truth;
The Spirit of Counsel that we may choose the surest way of doing your will, seeking first the Kingdom;
The Spirit of Fortitude that we may bear our cross with you and, with courage, overcome the obstacles that interfere with our salvation;
The Spirit of Knowledge that we may know you and know ourselves and grow in holiness:
The Spirit of Piety that we may find peace and fulfillment in the service of God while serving others;
The Spirit of Fear of the Lord, that we may be filled with a loving reverence toward you.

Teach us to be your faithful disciples and animate us in every way with your Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray for the suffering

2011-05-24T10:35:00.003-04:00

As I sit here at my computer it is raining. It seems as if has been raining for weeks and weeks. Yesterday I was really feeling grumpy about the weather and I wasn't even feeling sorry about that! But then I went on to the internet to check the news and I saw it - news of the terrible tragedy in Joplin, MO. The photos from Joplin stunned me! I tried to put myself in the place of the people there and to do that was unimaginable.

God, please forgive me for being grumpy about the rain here in the East Coast. Thank you for the house I live in, the roof over my head, the Sisters I live with. The floods in the South, the people suffering around the world, especially those who are being persecuted for their belief in Jesus - Lord, I repent for my ungrateful heart. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy upon us and on the whole world.

Our Shepherd is a Real Person

2011-05-16T15:00:00.004-04:00

I feel as if I have been away from blogging for a very long time! My goal is to post something several times a week but Sisters, like everyone else, can get "too busy" and that is not always a good thing! Today is Monday, the first day of a NEW week and I have a new resolve. (We will see how long it lasts! Ugghhh!) But I was greatly inspired with the Scriptures yesterday and today as we observe that time in the Easter Season devoted to Jesus as "The Good Shepherd." Here is a wonderful article and video on that theme. Jesus, the Lamb of God, loves and cares for us and the analogy of the Shepherd brings home that truth. Please take time this week to meditate on the attached.

http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=41406

Let us give glory to God!

2011-05-01T11:20:00.000-04:00

BLESSED JOHN PAUL THE GREAT

PRAY FOR US!

He is alive! Therefore, we have hope!

2011-04-24T11:44:00.006-04:00

God our Father, creator of all,

today is the day of Easter joy!

This is the morning on which the Lord appeared to men who had begun to lose hope and opened their eyes to what the scriptures foretold: that first he must die, and then he would rise and ascend into his Father's glorious presence. May the risen Lord breathe on our minds and open our eyes that we may know him in the breaking of bread, and follow him in his risen life. Grant this through Christ our Lord.

MAY THE LORD GRANT YOU AN EASTER FILLED WITH JOY AND HOPE!

(alternative prayer from Morning Prayer, Liturgy of the Hours)

Ecce Homo

2011-04-22T10:46:00.001-04:00

Hail, bloody head, crowned with thorns, broken, struck by a rod, and covered with spit. Hail! There is a foreboding of death upon your gentle face; its color is gone, but under that frightening pallor the heavenly court adores you.

O holy Face, so struck, so bruised and condemned because of our sins, brighten the eyes of this unworthy sinner with a sign of your love! I have sinned, oh forgive me! Do not reject me. While death draws near, bend your head a little toward me and let it rest in my arms.

When my time shall come to die, come quickly, O Jesus! In that dread hour, let your blood be my protection, O Jesus! Protect me and deliver me! I will go whenever you want, my dear Jesus, but only be near me then! Hold me tight to you because you love me; then show yourself to me upon the cross that saved us! (attributed to St. Bernard)

An important examination

2011-04-16T14:46:00.005-04:00

This week it seems that many parishes are offering Penance Services in preparation for Easter. So I am sharing with you the examination of conscience that we received several years ago when we made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady in Lourdes, France. Perhaps it will be helpful to you.

Who is God for me? Does He have the most important place in my life? Am I open to His presence? * Do I listen to the words of the Gospel? What place has prayer in my life? Is the Eucharist at the center of my Christian life? * Do I allow the Lord to be the Lord, or do I try to be the Lord myself? Do I cling to my will, my wants, my ways? * Do I seek the wellbeing of others? Am I selfish? Am I proud? Am I jealous? Do I dislike or hate someone? * Am I bitter or resentful in my relationships? Do I treat my family with love and care? Do I love and respect enough my wife, my husband, my children? * Do I think enough of those who are less fortunate? Am I just a spectator before people’s problems, or do I help? Do I share what I have with others? * Do I despise those of another creed, colour or opinion? Am I respectful of other people’s property? Have I abused someone’s property or stolen or coveted another’s goods? * Do I judge my neighbor? Do I bear false witness? Do I sin against purity in mind or action? Have I used another person for my own pleasure? Do I forgive those who sin against me? * Do I appreciate the gift of life God has given to me? Do I use the gift of time well? Am I able to forgive myself? What are the priorities in my life?

ACT OF CONTRITION: Oh my God, I thank you for loving me. I am sorry for all my sins, for not loving others and not loving you. Help me to live like Jesus and not sin again. Amen.

Here is a link to an excellent article on Confession: http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=41048

Our daily invitation

2011-04-13T09:53:00.003-04:00

“I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself” (Jn 12:32).

In these remaining days of Lent it is appropriate for us to sharpen our focus and meditate on the Cross – the instrument of our salvation. It is not easy to do that and for some, it is distasteful and even “morbid."

But the Cross is the greatest sign of Love. When we are questioning ourselves, our life, the best place to look is at the Cross in order to know how much we are loved. It the first sign that the Church traces on the forehead of the newborn infant and it is the last sign with which she comforts and blesses the dying person. “We are not dealing with a symbolic gesture but with a great reality: Christian life is born of the cross; we are brought to life by the Lord crucified and can be saved only by attaching ourselves to this cross and by placing our trust in the merits of his passion.” (Divine Intimacy, Volume II, page 94, Ignatius Press).

Jesus tells us that each day we must take up OUR cross in order to follow him. We groan when we hear those words because we imagine God will ask us to carry the BIG crosses, like cancer or death. But, our daily crosses are not usually that big. For example, for the diabetic, it is the daily injections of insulin. For the parent, it is the concern for a child who is living outside the Faith. For an elderly person it’s those stiff joints and weakness that come with old age. Or it is the difficult relationship at work or at home. Jesus wants us to carry those crosses and join them to His, to offer them for some special intention, because by doing so we too express our love – for Him and for others.

A look at our fruitful life!

2011-04-09T13:12:00.006-04:00

It's been two weeks since I posted anything on this blog! We are a small community and a number of events and happenings have been keeping all of us busy. A single women's retreat brought the Sisters and five women together for a time of "Retreating with the Saints". It was a great weekend here at our motherhouse as you can tell on the faces of the Sisters and retreatants below! ( I was taking the picture!). Sister Ellen and I attended a one-day homeschool conference in Pennsylvania and met some wonderful parents and their children. Could this little one below be a future vocation? She is taking a hard look at our community brochure!

Nearly 400 women attended our 11th annual Lenten Retreat Day for Women, drawn we think by the dynamic and holy Johnnette Benkovic of "Living Life Abundantly" and "Women of Grace". Here is Johnnette with some of the wonderful women who attended. Many said the day was a "life-changing" experience for them.

Our Sisters as well as members of the parish's "Women of Grace" group did the behind-the-scenes work for the day. What a blessing it was for all of us! Some mothers and daughters came together for the retreat. (see below)

All of our activities are part of our apostolate to spread the word about Jesus Who is our Hope and to give those we serve hope in a world that is struggling through a lot of darkness.

History's most significant moment

2011-03-24T13:11:00.006-04:00

Tomorrow, March 25, the Church inserts into the penitential season of Lent, a solemn feast by which we recall the very moment when Jesus became one of us in the womb of the Blessed Mother. The feast of the Annunciation celebrates Mary's complete surrender to the will of God! Our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, reflected on the mystery in a homily he gave in Rome in 2006. Here is an excerpt:

In celebrating the Incarnation of the Son, therefore, we cannot fail to honour his Mother. The Angel's proclamation was addressed to her; she accepted it, and when she responded from the depths of her heart: "Here I am... let it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1: 38), at that moment the eternal Word began to exist as a human being in time. From generation to generation, the wonder evoked by this ineffable mystery never ceases. St Augustine imagines a dialogue between himself and the Angel of the Annunciation, in which he asks: "Tell me, O Angel, why did this happen in Mary?". The answer, says the Messenger, is contained in the very words of the greeting: "Hail, full of grace" (cf. Sermo 291: 6).

In fact, the Angel, "appearing to her", does not call her by her earthly name, Mary, but by her divine name, as she has always been seen and characterized by God: "Full of grace - gratia plena", which in the original Greek is 6,P"D4JTµXv0, "full of grace", and the grace is none other than the love of God; thus, in the end, we can translate this word: "beloved" of God (cf. Lk 1: 28). Origen observes that no such title had ever been given to a human being, and that it is unparalleled in all of Sacred Scripture (cf. In Lucam 6: 7).

To read the full homily you may click on: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20060325_anello-cardinalizio_en.html

As we continue to move through the Lenten season, let us look at our own hearts; we who are infinitely loved by God. "Dear Lord, whatever is your will for my life, let it be done unto ME, according to your Word."

Lighting a fire in our hearts

2011-03-21T13:30:00.003-04:00

Today I was using our paper cutter for about an hour, getting our programs ready for our Lenten Retreat Day on Saturday and it occured to me that I could spend the time listening to a tape as I worked. Then I remembered the Word On Fire web page of Father Robert Barron which contains videos and audio talks by this gifted Catholic evangelist.

As I listened to 15-minute homilies on the first two Sundays in Lent, I was so inspired by Father's message that I want to share the site with all of you. I am sure there are some 15-minute segments in your day that would provide time for you to listen as well. Father's talks are downloadable onto ipods. Here is the link. http://www.wordonfire.org/ I hope you will be inspired as much as I was.

There is Someone at the door

2011-03-20T14:24:00.003-04:00

As I was going through items on my desk yesterday, during a vigorous cleaning of my room, I came across this prayer card with thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI given in St. Peter's Square on Sunday, April 24, 2005. It was shortly after he became Pope. His thoughts gave us a glimpse of the thrust of his Pontificate. As I read it I realized it is a proper call to each one of us during these days of Lent.

"Do not be afraid of Christ! If we let Christ into our lives, we lose nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing of what makes life free, beautiful and great... I say to you, dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away, and He gives you everything. When we give ourselves to Him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ and you will find true life."

Whether we are old or young, we too are called to open the doors of our heart to Christ. He is the only One who can make us happy. He is the only One who offers us a future - with Him in Heaven. He longs to have us turn away from our busy lives and be aware of Him; He is waiting and waiting for us to "see" Him, to hear His voice, to turn to Him. Don't waste a minute - fling open the door!

Prayers and Parades

2011-03-17T13:39:00.004-04:00

We took a break from our regular schedule this morning to watch some of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Day parade. One of our Sisters often marched in the parade when she was a grade school student in New York City. Two other Sisters grew up in Manhattan and remember well being a part of the city celebration as well! Preceding the parade we had fresh Irish soda bread which I baked yesterday afternoon! Another of our Sisters is a native of County Wexford and the mother of another Sister is also from Ireland. (I grew up in Pennsylvania Dutch Pennsylvania and was raised on pork and sauerkraut!)

On a serious note, our Sisters were very aware today of praying for the Catholic Church in Ireland which has suffered so greatly this past year by the revelation of sexual abuse by some of the clergy. I was reminded of the great Saint Patrick who gave his life to preach the Gospel in that beautiful country. How we need to pray to him at this time for his help in bringing healing and renewed faith to the Irish people. In the Office of Readings today there is a passage from St. Patrick’s Confessions. (If you would like to read the entire passage click on http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/celtic/ctexts/p01.html)

Here is an excerpt:

I will tell briefly how most holy God frequently delivered me, from slavery, and from the twelve trials with which my soul was threatened, from man traps as well, and from things I am not able to put into words. I would not cause offence to readers, but I have God as witness who knew all things even before they happened, that, though I was a poor ignorant waif, still he gave me abundant warnings through divine prophecy...

Whence came the so great and so healthful gift of knowing or rather loving God, though I should lose homeland and family. And many gifts were offered to me with weeping and tears, and I offended them [the donors], and also went against the wishes of a good number of my elders; but guided by God, I neither agreed with them nor deferred to them, not by my own grace but by God who is victorious in me and withstands them all, so that I might come to the Irish people to preach the Gospel and endure insults from unbelievers; that I might hear scandal of my travels, and endure many persecutions to the extent of prison; and so that I might give up my free birthright for the advantage of others, and if I should be worthy, I am ready [to give] even m life without. hesitation; and most willingly for His name. And I choose to devote it to him even unto death, if God grant it to me.

St. Patrick pray for the people of Ireland, for the Church in Ireland, and for all of us.

Almsgiving can have the fragrance of Spring

2011-03-10T10:41:00.004-05:00

As we begin our Lenten journey the Church reminds us that the way of grace is paved with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I have often been puzzled by the meaning of “almsgiving”. For a long time I thought it was giving money to someone or some cause. Well, we are invited to give to the poor and needy but it is more than money. I was taken with the writing of St. Leo the Great today in the Office of Readings.

There is no more profitable practice as a companion to holy and spiritual fasting than that of almsgiving. This embraces under the single name of mercy many excellent works of devotion, so that the good intentions of all the faithful may be of equal value, even where their means are not. The love that we owe both God and man is always free from any obstacle that would prevent us from having a good intention. The angels sang: Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. The person who shows love and compassion to those in any kind of affliction is blessed, not only with the virtue of good will but also with the gift of peace.

The works of mercy are innumerable. Their very variety brings this advantage to those who are true Christians, that in the matter of almsgiving not only the rich and affluent but also those of average means and the poor are able to play their part. Those who are unequal in their capacity to give can be equal in the love within their hearts.

As a Sister a live by the vow of poverty so I have no money of my own. But I do have love in my heart and I can give that away. We all can. We can give our "alms" to the elderly lady in our neighborhood by buying a few extra things for her at the supermarket when we shop. We can visit or send a card to our friend or acquaintance who is suffering some illness like cancer. We could even drop by with a bouquet of spring flowers or some homemade cookies. We can reach out to one of our children's friends whose parents are going through a divorce. Believe me, that child is suffering. Almsgiving does mean sacrificing to donate to a worthy cause but it also means not being too busy to give to the spiritually poor and needy around us. With no money in my pocket, I can do that. I think you probably can too!

A priceless blueprint

2011-03-06T13:49:00.003-05:00

Here in New Jersey it is raining - a lot! There is a flood watch for our area. This winter we had ferocious winds howling around our convent which sits up on a ridge. Fortunately we have never lost electrical power. Since we are on a ridge the house is obviously built on rock. I thought of all of this as I prayed through the Mass readings for this ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time. In Mark’s Gospel (7:21-17) Jesus talks about building our house on rock:

Jesus said to his disciples: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven… Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”

The blueprint for building our spiritual house is outlined in the 10 Commandments. The building materials come from God’s Word in Scripture. How do we build? By willingly and eagerly doing God’s will. How do I do that? I thought about that as I prayed with this Gospel and it occurred to me that first of all when I get up in the morning I make an offering of my day to the Lord. I surrender my life anew to him and I tell him that I want to be in His perfect will this day. I pray with the Scripture readings and go to Mass where I receive His body and blood in the Eucharist. Throughout the day I often get little nudges from the Holy Spirit to let me know if I am veering off course. Sometimes I ignore the nudges and do my own thing – not necessarily his will. At night before going to bed I examine my conscience to see how he answered my morning prayer during the day and how I responded or failed to respond.

How is God nudging you these days? Is there some area in your life where you really know you are not in God's will? Or could you be denying or ignoring the whole thing? On Wednesday, we begin the grace-filled season of Lent. Perhaps this is a good time to start remodeling your spiritual house! Take on the project - do it - before the strong winds of temptation come or you get flooded in the ways of our culture today. Confession is a good way to begin! God bless you; let us pray for one another.

Let's be faith-full

2011-02-19T10:18:00.005-05:00

How is your faith these days? Mine is often shaky. That’s why I was convicted a bit and encouraged a lot by the first reading at Mass today. It is from the Letter to the Hebrews, one of my favorites for its solid teaching. (Heb 11:1-7) I have highlighted some of the phrases that particularly struck me. Faith is one of the three theological virtues that were infused into our souls at our Baptism. We have faith but it needs to grow and deepen. It is like a muscle we have to exercise in order to make it strong. But we also need the grace of Faith to keep us firmly rooted in our relationship with the Lord. Perhaps you too can pray with this reading from Hebrews and allow the Holy Spirit to shed some light on the state of your Faith. “Lord, increase my Faith.”

Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible. By faith Abel offered to God a sacrifice greater than Cain’s. Through this, he was attested to be righteous, God bearing witness to his gifts, and through this, though dead, he still speaks.

By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death,and he was found no more because God had taken him. Before he was taken up, he was attested to have pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him, for anyone who approaches God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. By faith Noah, warned about what was not yet seen, with reverence built an ark for the salvation of his household. Through this, he condemned the world and inherited the righteousness that comes through faith.

In our culture today it is not always easy to have faith - but our faith is in God - not in the circumstances that surround us. Let's pray for one another that God will deepen our supernatural Faith - in Him and in His promises.

Retreating with the Saints

2011-02-17T14:51:00.002-05:00

Our community is sponsoring a weekend retreat for Catholic Single Women (18-35) here at our motherhouse next weekend (February 25-27.) "Retreating with the Saints" is the theme and we will look at several wonderful saints and explore their relationship with the Lord. Their lives certainly give us light to guide us in our own relationship with Him.

If you are anyone you know is interested you can find a flyer with all the information on our web site at www.sistersofjesusourhope.org

An intimate relationship

2011-02-05T14:25:00.006-05:00

The Psalm Response for today’s Mass recalls to my mind a story I heard recently that really touched my heart. I am not sure if it is true but in any event it has a wonderful point to make:

A famous actor and orator was appearing on stage to a large audience and was reciting various readings in his rich, trained, cultured voice. One of the readings was the famous Psalm 23, “The Lord is My Shepherd.” When he had finished his performance of the psalm the people applauded heartily – except for one man, sitting in the front row. He was elderly, poorly dressed and as he looked at the actor he had a serene smile on his face. The actor noticed him and when the applause settled he looked at the man and asked why he had not clapped. He called the elderly man to the stage and he stood before the actor who asked him, quite haughtily why he was not moved by the reading. He wondered whether the old man could recite it any better. Timidly the old man approached the microphone and began to recite the 23rd psalm. As he did, the audience was quiet and then moved to tears. When the old man had finished, the audience stood and applauded. The actor was stunned. He asked the old man why did he think he was able to touch the hearts of the audience. The old man said quite simply to the actor: “You know the Psalm but I know the Shepherd."

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.

Beside restful waters he leads me; he refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil;

for you are at my side with your rod and your staff that give me courage.

You spread the table before me in the sight of my foes;

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;

And I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.

The light in the darkness

2011-02-02T10:53:00.008-05:00

Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. (Malachi 3:1)
Today is the great feast of the Presentation in the Temple, the moment when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem, in keeping with the Mosaic Law, to present their first born son to God. Jesus was the first born son of the Father - the Son of God! It is the feast of light because as He came to the temple, the light of His glory was revealed. The holy man, Simeon, who was in the temple, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was anointed to reveal who Jesus was - this moment was another Ephipany, another manifestation of God! (see Lk 2:22-40) http://www.usccb.org/nab/020211.shtml
The glory of the Lord entered the temple by the gate facing east, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. Mary and Joseph brought the child Jesus into the temple, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple.
Simeon and Anna recognized the Messiah in the tiny baby. Lord, help us to recognize you in our brothers and sisters. Come be the light that illuminates the darkness in our lives - in our thoughts, in our actions, in our confusion. Fill our hearts with your Light.

On another note today is World Day for Consecrated Life. Each religious sister and brother is consecrated and set apart for God's work - we are called to be light bearers - to bring the light of Christ to others. It is a great joy and privilege to a consecrated vessel for the Lord! http://www.usccb.org/cl/world-day-2011.shtml

A Giant of a Man

2011-01-28T10:50:00.003-05:00

One of our favorite Heavenly Friends is the Saint whose feast day we celebrate today, St. Thomas Aquinas - known as the gentle Ox. He was a kind and gentle man, of very large stature and one of the greatest intellects of history. Reading his life story is well worthwhile. Here is an excerpt from one of his writings entitled "The Cross exemplifies every virtue."

Why did the Son of God have to suffer for us? There was a great need, and it can be considered in a twofold way: in the first place, as a remedy for sin, and secondly, as an example of how to act.

It is a remedy, for, in the face of all the evils which we incur on account of our sins, we have found relief through the passion of Christ. Yet, it is no less an example, for the passion of Christ completely suffices to fashion our lives. Whoever wishes to live perfectly should do nothing but disdain what Christ disdained on the cross and desire what he desired, for the cross exemplifies every virtue.

If you seek the example of love: Greater love than this no man has, than to lay down his life for his friends. Such a man was Christ on the cross. And if he gave his life for us, then it should not be difficult to bear whatever hardships arise for his sake.

If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter and he did not open his mouth. Therefore Christ’s patience on the cross was great. In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him, bore his cross and despised the shame.

If you seek an example of humility, look upon the crucified one, for God wished to be judged by Pontius Pilate and to die.

If you seek an example of obedience, follow him who became obedient to the Father even unto death. For just as by the disobedience of one man, namely, Adam, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one man, many were made righteous.

If you seek an example of despising earthly things, follow him who is the King of kings and the Lord of lords, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Upon the cross he was stripped, mocked, spat upon, struck, crowned with thorns, and given only vinegar and gall to drink.

Do not be attached, therefore, to clothing and riches, because they divided my garments among themselves. Nor to honours, for he experienced harsh words and scourgings. Nor to greatness of rank, for weaving a crown of thorns they placed it on my head. Nor to anything delightful, for in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.

He knew the gentle love of God

2011-01-24T16:43:00.005-05:00

During one of our annual retreats our retreat master called St. Francis deSales "the gentleman from Geneva." St. Francis de Sales was indeed the Bishop of Geneva but our retreat master wanted to emphasize the word "gentleman". For this beloved saint was truly a "gentle man".

Today is his feast day and our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI chose this feast to release his message for the 45th World Day of Social Communications. St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of journalists. Oh how we need his example and intercession today!

Here is a link to our Holy Father's address: http://www.zenit.org/article-31552?l=english

For a brief biography on this beloved Bishop and Doctor of the Church and the author of the spiritual classic "Introduction to the Devout Life" click on
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1270

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. (St. Francis de Sales)

St. Francis de Sales pray for us and for all those who work in the media.

In Persona Christi

2011-01-16T11:26:00.004-05:00

The news that our late Holy Father, Pope John Paul II will be beatified May 1 had many, many people rejoicing. I and all of our Sisters were among that number.

In 1979 before I became a Sister I did public relations work for the Bishops' Conference in my home state. In that position I had the great privilege of being present for Pope John Paul's visit to Philadelphia. We got to Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral early and I was so excited to get a seat on the aisle. However, State Police Officers in plain clothes soon arrived and for security reasons they were assigned aisle seats in all the pews. I had to move! However, I sat next to the State trooper in my row and he was kind enough to take pictures for me!

But I was able to take the picture (shown above) and I had the great privilege of seeing our Holy Father at close range. What a great blessing for me. He had the uncanny ability to make you think he was looking right at you. I believe he really was "in persona Christi" - in the person of Christ!

I have known many saintly people in my life and I am sure some of them who have gone before me are in the ranks of the blessed. But it was so wonderful to know that I was this close to a saint!

By the way, what saintly people do you know? My maternal grandmother comes to my mind. She was a very holy woman and she was a great influence in my life. One of our Sisters asked her Confirmation class this same question and she was amazed at how, after some thought, these children were able to offer specific names - "my father", my friend's father", "my uncle". Would anyone recognize a saintly person in you - in me? My great hope is that they would!

The certain answer

2011-01-11T13:43:00.007-05:00

In my daily Missal there is a brief reflection at the end of the Mass Readings for the day. One day this week there was an excerpt from Vatican II's "Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes) - article 10. I was deeply touched by it and thought about how rich are the documents of the Second Vatican Council. They can be read by downloading them on-line.

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_cons_19651207_gaudium-et-spes_en.html Here is a portion of Article 10:

The truth is that the imbalances under which the modern world labors are linked with that more basic imbalance which is rooted in the heart of man. For in man himself many elements wrestle with one another. Thus, on the one hand, as a creature he experiences his limitations in a multitude of ways; on the other he feels himself to be boundless in his desires and summoned to a higher life. Pulled by manifold attractions he is constantly forced to choose among them and renounce some. Indeed, as a weak and sinful being, he often does what he would not, and fails to do what he would.(1) Hence he suffers from internal divisions, and from these flow so many and such great discords in society. No doubt many whose lives are infected with a practical materialism are blinded against any sharp insight into this kind of dramatic situation; or else, weighed down by unhappiness they are prevented from giving the matter any thought. Thinking they have found serenity in an interpretation of reality everywhere proposed these days, many look forward to a genuine and total emancipation of humanity wrought solely by human effort; they are convinced that the future rule of man over the earth will satisfy every desire of his heart.

Nor are there lacking men who despair of any meaning to life and praise the boldness of those who think that human existence is devoid of any inherent significance and strive to confer a total meaning on it by their own ingenuity alone. Nevertheless, in the face of the modern development of the world, the number constantly swells of the people who raise the most basic questions or recognize them with a new sharpness: what is man? What is this sense of sorrow, of evil, of death, which continues to exist despite so much progress? What purpose have these victories purchased at so high a cost? What can man offer to society, what can he expect from it? What follows this earthly life?

The Church firmly believes that Christ, who died and was raised up for all,(2) can through His Spirit offer man the light and the strength to measure up to his supreme destiny. Nor has any other name under the heaven been given to man by which it is fitting for him to be saved.(3) She likewise holds that in her most benign Lord and Master can be found the key, the focal point and the goal of man, as well as of all human history. The Church also maintains that beneath all changes there are many realities which do not change and which have their ultimate foundation in Christ, Who is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever.(4) Hence under the light of Christ, the image of the unseen God, the firstborn of every creature,(5) the council wishes to speak to all men in order to shed light on the mystery of man and to cooperate in finding the solution to the outstanding problems of our time.

In short, Jesus is the Answer to all of our questions! He is our Hope! Let us surrender our lives anew to Him as we begin this New Year!

Truly the Mother of God

2011-01-01T10:45:00.005-05:00

Mary has given birth to a King whose name is everlasting; hers the joy of motherhood, hers the virgin's glory. Never was the like seen before, never shall it be seen again, alleluia.

(antiphon from the Office of Readings today)

She is beautiful. She is alive. She is in Heaven with her Divine Son. She is the Mother of God, and our mother as well. Today we honor her on this first day of this New Year. St. Athanasius, the great defender of the mystery of the Incarnation, had this to say about her:

The Word (that is Jesus) took to himself the sons of Abraham...and so had to be like his brothers in all things. He had then to take a body like ours. This explains the fact of Mary’s presence: she is to provide him with a body of his own, to be offered for our sake. Scripture records her giving birth, and says: She wrapped him in swaddling clothes. Her breasts, which fed him, were called blessed. Sacrifice was offered because the child was her firstborn. Gabriel used careful and prudent language when he announced his birth. He did not speak of “what will be born in you” to avoid the impression that a body would be introduced into her womb from outside; he spoke of “what will be born from you,” so that we might know by faith that her child originated within her and from her.

By taking our nature and offering it in sacrifice, the Word was to destroy it completely and then invest it with his own nature, and so prompt the Apostle to say: This corruptible body must put on incorruption; this mortal body must put on immortality. This was not done in outward show only, as some have imagined. This is not so. Our Saviour truly became man, and from this has followed the salvation of man as a whole. Our salvation is in no way fictitious, nor does it apply only to the body. The salvation of the whole man, that is, of soul and body, has really been achieved in the Word himself. What was born of Mary was therefore human by nature, in accordance with the inspired Scriptures, and the body of the Lord was a true body: It was a true body because it was the same as ours. Mary, you see, is our sister, for we are all born from Adam.

Dearest Mother of God, pray for us and keep us close to you all the days of this year!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

2010-12-24T13:24:00.005-05:00

May our precious Lord Jesus
smile on you as you gaze on Him

in the manger this Christmas.

May his love permeate your Heart and ignite the fire of His love within you!

With our love and best wishes!
The Sisters of Jesus Our Hope

The strong man of God

2010-12-19T11:00:00.005-05:00

...the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. (Mt 1:128-24)

Today's Gospel tells us about the faith and courage of St. Joseph, the almost-forgotten saint of Christmas. He is such a model for us, a model of trust, of obedience, of humilty, of self-forgetfulness. St. Bernard writes about him:

You were of the house of David and truly the son of David...Like another David, you were a man according to God's own heart, to whom he enrusted his most precious secret; to whom, as to David, he made manifest the uncertain and hidden things of his wisdom, and to whom he revealed a mystery hidden from the great ones of the world. To you it was given to behold him whom many kings and prophets had desired to see and had not seen, to hear and had not heard. And not only were you allowed to behold him and listen to his words, but you were able to bear him in your arms, guide his steps, embrace and caress him, feed and protect him."

In these remaining days of Advent, dear St. Joseph pray for us.

A day of joy!

2010-12-12T13:56:00.005-05:00

This reading from Today's Liturgy from the prophet Isaiah deeply touched my heart so I share it with you. It was the first reading at Mass and these are the words that spoke to me:

Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, Say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; With divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; Then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing.

This is a singular message of HOPE! Jesus is coming in new ways this Christmas but He has already come and comes to us each day! How can he do all of these things in our lives? He can, but there is a catch; we must have a relationship with Him first before He can move in and strengthen our hands and our knees, encourage our hearts, open our ears, enable us to sing with great joy. No matter what is happening in our lives, Jesus is there in the midst of our circumstances. We experience His presence through faith but our faith needs to be certain. In these remaining days of Advent let us ask him: "Lord Jesus, strengthen my faith." Here is a wonderful article to read at your leisure this week. It is about Advent and about joy!

http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=39532

A blessed Gaudete Sunday!

A treasured prayer

2010-12-05T20:44:00.003-05:00

During the early days of his pontificate, our late beloved Holy Father, Pope John Paul II said that the Rosary was his favorite prayer. According to Robert Feeney, author of the new book “The Rosary: the John Paul II Method” (Ignatius Press) from his youth the Rosary held an important place in John Paul’s spiritual life. It accompanied him “in the moments of difficulty and those of joy.” To the Rosary he entrusted any number of concerns and as he said, “in the Rosary I have always found comfort.”

It seems to me that saying the Rosary is one of the best ways to prepare for the coming of the Lord in news ways during this Advent Season. According to the JP II Method one should read the Gospel passages that pertain to each mystery and meditate on them before praying the vocal prayers. Using a picture of the mystery can help one to focus. Perhaps the Joyful Mysteries could be a springboard for our Advent reflections.

Mr. Feeney’s book might be a wonderful idea for your Christmas gift list! But in the meantime, pick up those treasured beads and as they slip through your fingers, think about Jesus and His mother and all that they did for us. As you pray the “Hail Mary” let that prayer be the background music for your fruitful meditation.

Reflection by St. Charles Borromeo

2010-11-29T10:08:00.003-05:00

Beloved, now is the acceptable time spoken of by the Spirit, the day of salvation, peace and reconciliation: the great season of Advent. This is the time eagerly awaited by the patriarchs and prophets, the time that holy Simeon rejoiced at last to see. This is the season that the Church has always celebrated with special solemnity. We too should always observe it with faith and love, offering praise and thanksgiving to the Father for the mercy and love he has shown us in this mystery.

In his infinite love for us, though we were sinners, he sent his only Son to free us from the tyranny of Satan, to summon us to heaven, to welcome us into its innermost recesses, to show us truth itself, to train us in right conduct, to plant within us the seeds of virtue, to enrich us with the treasures of his grace, and to make us children of God and heirs of eternal life.

Each year, as the Church recalls this mystery, she urges us to renew the memory of the great love God has shown us. This holy season teaches us that Christ’s coming was not only for the benefit of his contemporaries; his power has still to be communicated to us all. We shall share his power, if, through holy faith and the sacraments, we willingly accept the grace Christ earned for us, and live by that grace and in obedience to Christ.

The Church asks us to understand that Christ, who came once in the flesh, is prepared to come again. When we remove all obstacles to his presence he will come, at any hour and moment, to dwell spiritually in our hearts, bringing with him the riches of his grace.

In her concern for our salvation, our loving mother the Church uses this holy season to teach us through hymns, canticles and other forms of expression, of voice or ritual, used by the Holy Spirit. She shows us how grateful we should be for so great a blessing, and how to gain its benefit: our hearts should be as much prepared for the coming of Christ as if he were still to come

There is always a reason to be grateful

2010-11-25T11:32:00.004-05:00

God is good! Life is good! No matter what our life is like right now we have so much to be thankful for. If by any chance we are feeling glum I have personally discovered that the quickest way to climb out of the doldrums is to be grateful - for all the people and blessings that we have - right now!

I thank God for my health which is pretty good but not perfect; for the fact that I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in; that there is food on our table - and most of all because Jesus lives with me - with our Sisters - right here in the chapel in our motherhouse. But, if we don't have a chapel, Jesus still lives with us - in our hearts, in those who love us and in those we love. I read recently that if we have lost Jesus, we can find him - in the tabernacle. Thank God we still have freedom of religion in our country and Mass is available to us every day. To receive Jesus in the Eucharist is to give him thanks.

We should be thanking God every day for all the blessings we have received, but in this country we have a wonderful opportunity to focus on gratitude to God on this special civil holiday. "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his love is everlasting." Amen! (I Chronicles 16:33-35)

For a lovely reflection on Thanksgiving click on:

http://www.catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=homilies&homilies=20001121

May we live in Him forever!

2010-11-22T14:29:00.006-05:00

This past Sunday the Church celebrated the solemn Feast of Christ the King. The Feast gathers up all the mysteries of our Catholic Faith into one magnificent mystery of who Jesus is - He is our King! And if we have professed our faith in him, His kingdom is within us! (See http://enlargingtheheart.wordpress.com/2009/11/22/origen-adamantius-the-kingdom-of-god-is-within-us/

On the feast of Christ the King several writers highlighted the faith and martyrdom of Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro whose feast day is tomorrow, November 23. As he was executed in Mexico in 1927 for being a Catholic priest, he died exclaiming for all to hear "Viva Cristo Rey!" "Long Live Christ the King" !

Here is an excellent article on Blessed Miguel and on the feast of Christ the King. Perhaps you could cut and paste it onto a WORD document and meditate on it this week as we celebrate Blessed Miguel's feast day and as we prepare our hearts for the joyful season of Advent which begins this Sunday (November 28). http://catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=39214

Blessed Miguel pray for us!

On their way to Heaven

2010-11-08T15:12:00.005-05:00

This month of November is dedicated by the Church to prayer for those who have gone before us and who are experiencing their final purification so they can enter the Heavenly Presence of God. The Church calls that mystery of our Catholic Faith Purgatory. The feast of All Souls on November 2 sets the tone for our prayer during this month. In our chapel on that day we spread before the Blessed Sacrament the memorial cards of those we know who have died in recent years as well as deceased members of our families. Throughout the day we asked the Lord to shorten their time in Purgatory and to take them quickly to Himself.

In the "Catechism of the Catholic Church" Articles #1030 to #1032 explain the Church's teaching on Purgatory. If you do not have a copy of the Catechism you can find it online. http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/ccc_toc.htm (scroll down to Article 12)

In a recent parish bulletin one of our pastors made a comparison between the rescue of the Chilean miners and the souls in Purgatory. "Their long awaited moment of freedom came about through a cooperative effort (of many people) all under the providential influence of God's grace." We can pray for our deceased brothers and sisters to speed them along their way to eternal rest.

Too many to number!

2010-10-31T14:08:00.004-04:00

I am sure that each one of us has a favorite saint. Each one of us has a patron saint or saints. I have a number of favorite saints, one I just added to my list - St. Martin de Porres. Last night I finished reading his biography and I am overwhelmed by his holiness and by the way God used him for healing, feeding the poor etc. . His story is an amazing one!

Most well-known saints have their own feast days. But the saints in Heaven are numerous - most of them unknown to us and known only to God. Tomorrow, November 1, we celebrate THEIR feast day. We gather them all together and give glory to God for ALL SAINTS! That number probably includes some of our relatives, our ancestors, our acquaintances, priests and Sisters we have known. They were all ages when they died; one young woman recently beatified - Clare Luce Badana - was only 19 when she died of cancer. http://www.romereports.com/palio/Chiara-Luce-Badano-to-be-Beatified-Just-19-Years-After-Her-Death-english-2803.html

These men and women are alive - they are in Heaven in the company of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. They are in communion with us. The Church calls that mystery "the Communion of Saints." They have God's ear so let us rejoice tomorrow that these heavenly friends of ours have made it to Heaven. Ask them to pray for us so that we make it there too!

The above art work is part of a tapestry depicting the saints which hangs in the Cathedral of the Angels in Los Angeles, Calif. Click on this link for a story about the tapestry. http://www.olacathedral.org/

Our forgotten prayer

2010-10-25T12:57:00.006-04:00

Do you like "heaven" jokes? One of our Sisters shared this story today and it has a message that is no joking matter.

A man died and went to Heaven. When St. Peter met him at the gate he told him to come and he began to show him around. As they walked down the hall they came to a room that was filled with angels busily working. When the man asked St. Peter what was happening in the room, St. Peter said it was the room where they received all the prayers of petition from the people on earth.

They continued to walk the hall and they came to a second room. It too was filled with angels busily working. When the man asked St. Peter what was happening in this room, St. Peter said the angels were processing all the prayers of petition.

They walked further and came to a third room. Inside this smaller room there was just one angel and he didn't look very busy. When the man asked St. Peter what this room was for, St. Peter said the angel was processing all the "thank you" messages that were sent up from earth.

Did you send up your thank-you message to God today? I know I was convicted when I heard this story and I got right to it. That solitary angel is waiting.

A site to behold

2010-10-19T11:10:00.004-04:00

Today is one of my favorite feast days ~ the Memorial of the North American Martyrs, Jesuit priests who were killed by the Huron Indians in northern New York State while attempting to convert their hearts to Jesus Christ. St. John de Breubeuf and St. Issac Jogues who were priests and their companions labored many years to bring the Catholic Faith to the pagan Indian tribes, all at the cost of their lives. Some years ago I had the great privilege of visiting their shrine in Auriesville, New York and to walk along the ravine where some of them gave their lives.

Here is a link to their story. It is lengthy but well worth printing out and reading. http://catholicism.org/eight-na-martyrs.html

And here is a link to the Auriesville Shrine. http://www.martyrshrine.org/pages/saints-of-auriesville.html St. Kateri Tekawitha was born near Auriesville several years after the missionaries were martyred. The shrine is well worth a visit. In our country it is not often we get the opportunity to visit the actual site where some of our brothers were martyred for their faith.

The Poverello

2010-10-04T11:45:00.005-04:00

As I opened my Daily Missal today I happened upon the memorial card of Brother Francis, a Franciscan Brother and the natural brother of one of our Sisters. Sadly, Brother Francis died several weeks ago. On the back of the card was the well-known Prayer of St. Francis. I share it with you today in honor of this great Saint. And as we pray the prayer let it be a new invitation to follow in the footsteps of the Little Poor Man of Assisi. At Mass today Father said that because of our Baptism we are filled with the life of Jesus; it is the Holy Spirit who enlivens that life in us and enables us to be a reflection of the Lord. St. Francis was an untarnished, clear reflection of the Christ he loved so much. May all those who see us today see Jesus reflected in our countenance and in our actions. (picture reflects St. Francis' adoring Jesus in the Christmas crib.)

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon:
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope
where there is darkness, light
where there is sadness, joy
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Getting to know your Angel

2010-10-02T13:53:00.004-04:00

When I was growing up this picture of the Guardian Angel hung on the wall in our home. As a child I knew about Guardian Angels but my knowledge and understanding of their role in God's kingdom has widened and I have grown to love them. Some years ago I was led to give my own Guardian Angel a name. After praying about the matter I sensed that a perfect name would be "Mercy". I pray to Mercy and am grateful for my angel's care. Today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels.

I encourage you to click on this link for a very informative article on the Church's teaching about angels: http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=38544

Today is also the anniversary of my Baptism and in our community we celebrate Baptism anniversaries in a special way. It is the day when I became a child of God. So this evening at Evening Prayer I will renew my Baptism promises (to gain a plenary indulgence) and that will be followed by a fine dinner and some small gifts. The Sisters will take turns encouraging me about the way they see me growing in my spiritual life. (My faults and weaknesses are never mentioned!)

Perhaps that is why I love this feast day so much and why I love my Guardian Angel so much. Padre Pio had a very significant relationship with his Guardian Angel. And Padre Pio is a saint!

Our Heavenly Friend

2010-10-01T11:04:00.006-04:00

Our community has a number of saints we consider our special "heavenly friends." Today's saint is one of them - St. Therese of Lisieux. When our retired bishop said Mass for us this morning he commented that he was honored to be able to participate in the process where all the Bishops in the world voted to support her elevation to the rank of "Doctor of the Church." Imagine this little 24-year-old cloistered Carmelite nun was so inspired by the wisdom of God that she ranks with St. Augustine and the other famous Doctors of the Church

Her life and wisdom have inspired me deeply. Today I re-read an excerpt from her autobiography that recounts her discovery of her vocation in the Church. Here is the excerpt:

When I had looked upon the mystical body of the Church, I recognised myself in none of the members which St. Paul described, and what is more, I desired to distinguish myself more favourably within the whole body. Love appeared to me to be the hinge for my vocation. Indeed I knew that the Church had a body composed of various members, but in this body the necessary and more noble member was not lacking; I knew that the Church had a heart and that such a heart appeared to be aflame with love. I knew that one love drove the members of the Church to action, that if this love were extinguished, the apostles would have proclaimed the Gospel no longer, the martyrs would have shed their blood no more. I saw and realised that love sets off the bounds of all vocations, that love is everything, that this same love embraces every time and every place. In one word, that love is everlasting.

Then, nearly ecstatic with the supreme joy in my soul, I proclaimed: O Jesus, my love, at last I have found my calling: my call is love. Certainly I have found my place in the Church, and you gave me that very place, my God. In the heart of the Church, my mother, I will be love, and thus I will be all things, as my desire finds its direction.

Dear St. Therese, pray that each one of us may realize our own calling to love.

Speaking from his heart

2010-09-28T11:31:00.005-04:00

While in England recently, Pope Benedict XVI spoke to a gathering of young people - a group very close to his heart. He spoke about love and his words are for each one of us as well:

"In these few moments that we are together, I wish to speak to you from my own heart, and I ask you to open your hearts to what I have to say. I ask each of you, first and foremost, to look into your own heart. Think of all the love that your heart was made to receive, and all the love it is meant to give. After all, we were made for love. Every day we should thank God for the love we have already known, for the love that has made us who we are, the love that has shown us what is truly important in life. We need to thank the Lord for the love we have received from our families, our friends, our teachers, and all those people in our lives who have helped us to realize how precious we are, in their eyes and in the eyes of God. We were also made to give love, to make it the inspiration for all we do and the most enduring thing in our lives.

"Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the great Missionary of Charity, reminded us that giving love, pure and generous love, is the fruit of a daily decision. Every day we have to choose to love and this requires help, the help that comes from Christ, from prayer and from the wisdom found in his word, and from the grace which he bestows on us in the sacraments of his Church.

"I ask you to look into your hearts each day to find the source of all true love. Jesus is always there, quietly waiting for us to be still with him and to hear his voice."

The final stop

2010-09-26T14:16:00.005-04:00

Today the Gospel recounts the story of the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. Rather than wax eloquently myself I encourage you to read a wonderful reflection by Father James Farfaglia on Catholic Online. Click on the link below.

http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=38425

At Mass today Father reminded us that when we die we have to get off the bus because that is the last stop on our journey through life. We decide our destination. Will it be Heaven where Father Abraham and Lazarus repose, or will it be in the darkness of Hell where the rich man is consigned - forever! Let us meditate on that word forever the next time we have to make a choice between loving and not loving! Our destination is determined by how much we love.

He left everything

2010-09-21T15:15:00.003-04:00

I was speaking to a class of seventh graders about vocations – to marriage, priesthood and consecrated life. One by one I asked the children if they knew what they wanted to be when they got older. One little boy startled me and said “I want to make lots of money!”That is not an uncommon response. In our culture today many children are programmed to want to grow up and make lots of money. Our late Holy Father Pope John Paul II said true happiness comes when we give ourselves away – happiness comes through “self-gift”.

Our saint today is a wonderful model regarding “making money” and self-gift. St. Matthew, the apostle and evangelist, and author of our first Gospel, was a tax collector and made a lot of money. In fact he was an outcast among the Jewish people because he skimmed off money from their taxes for his own income. But then Jesus Christ came into his life and he was drawn away from his riches to a life of self-gift.

In the Office of Readings today St. Bede writes about St. Matthew’s call:

Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me. Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with his merciful understanding of men. He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: Follow me. This following meant imitating the pattern of his life – not just walking after him. St. John tells us: Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked. And he rose and followed him. There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him. Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift.

Through an impulse of grace – through conversion – Matthew was able to detach himself from his earthly possessions. We certainly need money and possessions in order to live in our society today. But do we need to make “lots of money?” Ask Jesus for a deep impulse of grace in your life and perhaps you will find the answer.

Their lives touch ours

2010-09-20T09:58:00.003-04:00

I was deeply touched this morning as I read the letter of Father Andrew Kim Taegong, written while in prison to his Korean flock. He was the first native Korean Catholic priest. Today we remember Father Andrew Kim, catechist Paul Chong and some 100 Korean martyrs, the majority of whom were lay people – men, women, children and young adults. Here is an excerpt from his letter written in 1846:

"My dear brothers and sisters know this: Our Lord Jesus Christ upon descending into the world took innumerable pains upon and constituted the holy Church through his own passion and increases it through the passion of its faithful....Now, however, some fifty or sixty years since holy Church entered into our Korea, the faithful suffer persecutions again. Even today persecution rages, so that many of our friends of the same faith, among who am I myself, have been thrown into prison. Just as you also remain in the midst of persecution. Since we have formed one body, how can we not be saddened in our innermost hearts? How can we not experience the pain of separation in our human faculties? However, as Scripture says, God cares for the least hair of our heads, and indeed he cares with his omniscience; therefore, how can persecution be considered as anything other than the command of God, or his prize, or precisely his punishment?...We are twenty here, and thanks be to God all are still well. If anyone is killed, I beg you not to forget his family. I have many more things to say, but how can I express them with pen and paper? I make an end to this letter. Since we are now close to the struggle, I pray you to walk in faith, so that when you have finally entered into Heaven, we may greet one another. I leave you my kiss of love.

Here is a link with information about the Korean martyrs.
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Andrew_Kim_Taegon
http://www.americancatholic.org/features/saints/saint.aspx?id=1144
Let us pray for Korea, divided into North and South and still a troubled country

God was his light

2010-09-19T12:38:00.004-04:00

For the last few days, off and on as time permitted, we have been watching our Holy Father, Pope Benedict's visit to England and especially his beatification of John Henry Cardinal Newman in Birmingham, England today. We had to tape the beatification ceremony because it began at 4:30 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

Our Sisters have been immersed in the life of Blessed John Henry Newman and his significance for the Church. He was a learned but very gentle man. The following is a link to a wonderful comprehensive article (and video) about him - that reveals in a nutshell who he was and what he accomplished. I hope you will have a look at it.

http://www.kandle.ie/2010/09/11/cardinal-newman-fr-rosica/

Get to know Blessed John Henry Newman. He is a piercing light in the darkness of our times.

Lift High the Cross

2010-09-14T10:52:00.004-04:00

How are you feeling today? Sad, anxious, fearful, lonely, happy, depressed? Jesus Christ came into the world to shatter the darkness in our lives and to elevate our joy! He did so through his unbelievable sacrifice on the Cross - a sacrifice that makes us realize, more than anything else, how much we are loved. His Cross is firmly planted in the midst of our lives, if only we have the faith to see and the courage to reach out and touch it - to touch Him.

Today the Church celebrates the Triumph of the Cross - the mystery that by giving up His life on this instrument of His death, He defeated sin and all the agents of darkness. His cross is the sign of His victory! In the Office of Readings today St. Andrew of Crete reflects on the mystery:

We are celebrating the feast of the cross which drove away darkness and brought in the light. As we keep this feast, we are lifted up with the crucified Christ, leaving behind us earth and sin so that we may gain the things above. So great and outstanding a possession is the cross that he who wins it has won a treasure. Rightly could I call this treasure the fairest of all fair things and the costliest, in fact as well as in name, for on it and through it and for its sake the riches of salvation that had been lost were restored to us...

...Had there been no cross, Christ could not have been crucified. Had there been no cross, life itself could not have been nailed to the tree. And if life had not been nailed to it, there would be no streams of immortality pouring from Christ’s side, blood and water for the world’s cleansing. The legal bond of our sin would not be cancelled, we should not have attained our freedom, we should not have enjoyed the fruit of the tree of life and the gates of paradise would not stand open. Had there been no cross, death would not have been trodden underfoot, nor hell despoiled. Therefore, the cross is something wonderfully great and honourable...

We adore you, O Christ, and we praise you,

because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world.

His words are golden

2010-09-13T10:21:00.004-04:00

Today the Church remembers St. John Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople and one of the great Fathers of the Church. He is one of the favorite saints of our community because his writings and teachings are pure spiritual gold. He was a great preacher and his name, “Chrysostom” means “golden mouth”. We often use his teachings when we do our weekly study of Sacred Scripture.

In the Office of Readings today we can meditate on one of his homilies. Here is an excerpt. It has a timeless message and can be applied to our life in this present culture:

The waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning, for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock. Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear? Death? Life to me means Christ, and death is gain. Exile? ‘The earth and its fullness belong to the Lord. The confiscation of goods? We brought nothing into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it. I have only contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long to live, except for your good. I concentrate therefore on the present situation, and I urge you, my friends, to have confidence.

Do you not hear the Lord saying: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst? Will he be absent, then, when so many people united in love are gathered together? I have his promise; I am surely not going to rely on my own strength! I have what he has written; that is my staff, my security, my peaceful harbour. Let the world be in upheaval. I hold to his promise and read his message; that is my protecting wall and garrison. What message? Know that I am with you always, until the end of the world!

For more information about St. John Chrysostom check out the following links:
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=64
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08452b.htm

2010-09-08T10:42:00.003-04:00

Today is a wonderful feast day in the Church ~ the day we celebrate the day our Blessed Mother was born to Sts. Joachim and Ann. Do we know the real date of her birth? No, but Heaven knows and welcomes our rejoicing! The date is nine months after December 8, the solemnity of Mary's Immaculate Conception in the womb of her mother. She was conceived without the stain of Original Sin so that she would be a pure and untarnished vessel for the Incarnate Lord.

In the Office of Readings today from the Liturgy of the Hours St. Andrew of Crete reflects on this mystery and his writing ends with this paragraph:

"Justly, then, do we celebrate this mystery since it signifies for us a double grace. We are led toward the truth, and we are led away from our condition of slavery to the letter of the law. How can this be? Darkness yields before the coming of the light, and grace exchanges legalism for freedom. But midway between the two stands today’s mystery, at the frontier where types and symbols give way to reality, and the old is replaced by the new. Therefore, let all creation sing and dance and unite to make worthy contribution to the celebration of this day. Let there be one common festival for saints in heaven and men on earth. Let everything, mundane things and those above, join in festive celebration. Today this created world is raised to the dignity of a holy place for him who made all things. The creature is newly prepared to be a divine dwelling place for the Creator."

We wish you a very happy birthday, dear Mother of God!

From the Office or Readings: Let us celebrate today, with great devotion, the birth of Mary, the ever-virgin Mother of God, whose virtues shed light upon the Church throughout the world. Let us glorify Christ with heart and soul on this feast of Mary, the noble Mother of God...

http://www.universalis.com/readings.htm

2010-09-07T14:27:00.007-04:00

The summer is slipping away and so have the hours of my days! Our community life has been very full! Our Sisters have returned full time to their various apostolates but not before we had a few celebrations - birthdays, Baptism anniversaries and a very special Jubilee. Our Sister Gloria celeberated with the community the Golden Jubilee of the beginning of her life as a Religious Sister. She asked for a simple celebration - and it was - but one filled with great joy and thanksgiving to God.

Solemn Vespers before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament began our time together and was followed by a wonderful dinner and gifts for our Sister.

Sister Gloria, left, and Sister Eileen welcomed Joan,

one of Sister Gloria's long-time friends, to the celebration

Tomorrow, September 8 is the day the Church's remembers the birthday of Our Blessed Mother. September is filled with wonderful feast days. Check your calendar and stay tuned!

The Church's great treasure

2010-08-28T10:15:00.005-04:00

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the great St. Augustine. He is particularly important to our community since our Rule – our Way of Life – is adapted from the Rule that St. Augustine wrote to guide the monks in his monastic community. It calls us as Sisters to be “of one mind and heart on the way to God.” For a glimpse of his Rule see http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/ruleaug.html

We have special prayers to St. Augustine on this his feast day. One of my favorites is the well-known prayer to the Holy Spirit:

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may be holy;
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy;
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy;
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy;
Guard me, then O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

To learn more about St. August click on http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02084a.htm

St. Augustine is a great model for us today. He had a great desire to know the truth and it drove him into exploring many philosophies as he looked for happiness. For many years he led a sinful life (he had a mistress and an illegitimate son) but in answer to the prayers of his mother, Saint Monica, he found the Truth - Jesus Christ - and was baptized into the Catholic Church. He went on to become a priest and the Bishop of Hippo in Africa. He is beyond a doubt one of the Church’s greatest theologians. At some time during our lives his famous writing, the Confessions of St. Augustine should be read by each one of us. Confessions is a classic and can be found in most bookstores.
http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/confessions-bod.html

Faith unlocks the door

2010-08-04T13:14:00.003-04:00

The Gospel passage today is quite baffling. Jesus seems to be almost arrogant as he appears to rebuff the Canaanite woman who begs for his help. But in his love for the woman he is teasing out of her a strong profession of faith - a faith so persistent that it touches his heart and immediately her daughter is delivered from the demons that tormented her.

At that time Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out, “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.” But he did not say a word in answer to her. His disciples came and asked him,“Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.” He said in reply,“ I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman came and did him homage, saying, “Lord, help me.” He said in reply,“ It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.” Then Jesus said to her in reply,“ O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed from that hour. (Mt. 15:21-28)

In Israel, those outside the Jewish faith were considered "dogs". But not so in Jesus' eyes. This humble woman was a daughter of the Father and Jesus' heart with moved with pity for her.

Is our faith strong enough to move Jesus' heart? Jesus loves it when we trust in Him. Remember the prayer: "Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in you." As life confronts us with challenges, let us ask the Father for the grace of a deeper faith so that as we pray, we can move the heart of his Son - just as the Canaanite woman did.

Summer shapshots

2010-08-01T14:25:00.008-04:00

Something happens to our Sisters in the summer time! We "see" things in a new light! Sister Clare needs large glasses to keep things in perspective as she directs the summer camp at her parish, St. Cecilia's. Sister Ellen is our "golden girl" as she leads the music for the campers.

On another note, we just finished our annual community vacation together. The Sisters were of one mind that it was our best vacation so far. We had the opportunity to swim, fish, rest, play games, go off our diets! Seriously, we began each day with Mass and an hour of prayer which included chanting Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours and meditation on Sacred Scripture. After that we had work teams that weeded, power washed, weed whacked, and sewed for one hour. Lunch replenished our spent calories just in time for our afternoon recreation. It was great to be together for the week, to grow in sisterhood and in our relationship with the Lord. Tomorrow we return to our various apostolates to bring our refreshed minds, hearts and bodies to the mission of proclaiming Jesus to those we serve. God is good!

Our great teacher

2010-07-25T13:16:00.007-04:00

In today's Gospel Jesus, in response to a request from his disciples, teaches them how to pray. They had watched Jesus many times, wrapped in prayer and they wanted to pray as he did. As Father said at Mass this morning, as Jews the disciples already knew how to pray but they knew that with Jesus, there was something different about his prayers. So, Jesus introduced them to the Father and taught them how to pray as He prayed. That lesson is for us as well.

Jesus has given us the "Lord's Prayer" - his prayer. In it there is no mention of Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Isn't that interesting? The prayer is directed solely to the Father and Jesus invites us to pray it with him. We don't say "my father" but together with Jesus we say "our Father."

Read or re-read the Gospel for today http://www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml and see anew how Jesus responded to his disciples' request. Do we need to learn how to pray? I know that I have lots to learn. So instead of rattling off the "Our Father" let us slowly pray the Lord's Prayer with Jesus, addressing our heart-felt thoughts to our Abba, to our Father. Jesus has already taught us how to pray.

Back from retreat

2010-07-21T14:26:00.004-04:00

Summer is a challenging time to keep up with my blog. Soon after I returned from my visit with my family we began our annual community retreat. It was not a time for blogging but for listening and praying, resting and being quiet before the Lord. What a wonderful retreat it was!

Our reteat master based his conferences on the teachings and on the life of St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars. Much of Father's words were the words of the Cure so we soon felt as if the Cure himself was in our chapel, speaking to us - speaking to our hearts. It couldn't have come at a better time. As I went into the retreat I was feeling spiritually dry. The Lord knew that and He knew just what I needed to hear. By the end of the retreat I had no words to describe the graces I had received.

As I get my notes organized perhaps I can share some of them with you.

If you are feeling spiritually dry at this time in your life, perhaps a retreat is the answer. It isn't always easy to get away - to take time away from the busyness of daily life for quiet and prayer. But I encourage you to consider it. If you have responsibilities (husbands, children, jobs, families) perhaps you can find a way to have someone cover for you. Investing in a retreat is one investment that reaps marvelous dividends. As Sisters our retreat time is protected for us and we are able to take the time. But lay people are in need of renewal too so remember that no matter how great the obstacles, with the Lord all things are possible!

Soccer more than a game

2010-07-06T11:16:00.005-04:00

It's been a while since I have been blogging. During the summer months our Sisters have the wonderful opportunity for visits with our families. I just returned from a visit with my sister and her husband in up-state New York. During that time I was able to watch several of the World Cup soccer matches! I was sorry to see the USA lose to Ghana and enjoyed the footwork of Germany as they defeated England. I learned a lot about the game.

There is a famous someone else who knows a bit about the World Cup Soccer games. Pope Benedict XVI, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger, gave the games a spiritual perspective. Writing in 1985 in his book "Suchen was droben ist" (seeking what is above) the Holy Father said that the world Cup matches, played regularly every four years, have an enormous impact on a vast number of people. “The fascination with soccer lies essentially in that it forces man to discipline himself, such that through training, he acquires dominion over himself. Through dominion, he achieves superiority. And through superiority, freedom.” Soccer, he explained, teaches the person the value of “disciplined cooperation” and demands an ordering of the individual within the group. “It unites through a common objective; the success or failure of each individual is tied to the success or failure of the group.”

"Soccer teaches us to play a fair game in which the common rules of play are the source of what binds and unites all players, even if when they face each other as adversaries."

(Taken from Catholic News Service and L'Osservatore Romano)

Father, forgive them

2010-06-23T14:35:00.003-04:00

“I forgive. I forgive” Those were the words of Mrs. Marianna Popieluszko the day after her son, Father Jerzey Popieluszko, was martyred 25 years ago in Poland for his strong support of the Polish Solidarity Movement and his quiet but firm belief in freedom for the Polish People - freedom from the Communist tyranny that held Poland in its grip.

Father Jerzey was beatified on Sunday, June 6, his beatification the final step before he is elevated to the altar as a Saint in the Catholic Church.

The murder of her son “for me is like a stone for my whole life,” said Mrs. Popieluszko, in an interview prior to the beatification ceremony. “It is a great pain. This wound is opening over and over, for who can forget such a thing. But I do not judge no one, and I do not demand no one’s death. God Himself will judge them one day. And the murderers will have to bear their penance. But I ask Jesus to forgive them. I would be the most happy if they would come to God.

There is a beautiful account of Mrs. Popieluszko’s deep faith in the following link:
http://iwka.wordpress.com/2010/06/05/how-to-raise-a-saint-and-a-martyr-in-the-heart-of-europe-today/

I heartily encourage you to read through this beautiful reflection. She is a wonderful model and example of forgiveness. She has deeply touched my heart.

The hand of the Father

2010-06-20T13:21:00.002-04:00

At Mass this morning I was deeply touched by the way the Church celebrates Father’s Day. In fact in the Church’s liturgy every day is Father’s Day. Praying through the Canon of the Mass all the prayers are addressed to our heavenly Father. “We come to you, Father with praise and thanksgiving…” and “Father, accept this offering from your whole family,” and “Father you are holy indeed…” and “Father we acknowledge your greatness…” and of course, “Our Father who art in Heaven…”

And at the end of the Canon, before we pray the Lord’s Prayer we offer to God, the Father, the perfect sacrifice – that of the precious Body and Blood of His Son – when we pray in the Doxology: “Through him, with him, in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours, almighty Father, for ever and ever…”

At Mass we were immersed in the reality of the Father and in the pews were many human fathers and grandfathers, there to receive the graces they needed to exercise the role they had been given by God as fathers. Before the close of Mass Father Gerry, the celebrant, acknowledged their presence and prayed a prayer of the Church over them.

And today I prayed for my own father who is now in eternity. It was fun to look at some of the pictures of him taken from my childhood (see above). He and mom were there to give their wobbly daughter a steadying hand. That’s what our heavenly Father does for us – he is there to give us a steadying hand! Happy Father's Day!

The secret is out!

2010-06-14T12:29:00.005-04:00

We are on YouTube! There is a lovely two minute video about our community, the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope on the web site. I hope you will take the time to have a look! (see link below)

We are a small community of Sisters with limited access to the world but we hope this brief film about our life will give a wide audience an idea about our way of life, our charism of hope, and our mission of proclaiming Jesus Christ, risen and alive, to all those we serve.

We may be a small community but we have a big heart for God and for the Church. Our founding Sisters possess a great storehouse of wisdom regarding Religious Life and the ways to grow in holiness. Our community life brings us great joy which we are able to share with one another and others.

If you (or someone you know) is wondering whether God might be calling you to Religious Life please consider visiting with us. My favorite saying about the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope is that we are the best kept secret in the world!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ3un5UmUwU

The Source and Summit of our Lives

2010-06-06T12:51:00.007-04:00

Today is the Solemnity of Corpus Christi – the day the Church draws our attention to the incomprehensible gift of the Sacred Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Two of our Sisters who grew up in French-speaking families know the day as "Fete Dieu" - the "Feast of God".

As Catholics we often take the Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist for granted. We get caught up in the busyness of our lives and neglect to focus on the Truth that our God is really and truly present with us in consecrated bread and wine.

Twice a day we expose the Blessed Sacrament in our motherhouse chapel – in the morning for our common Morning Prayer and meditation and in the evening for our daily Holy Hour. I have the privilege of returning the host to the tabernacle at the end of our prayer time. Not always, but many times, I am in awe of the realization that I am carrying in my human hands the precious Risen Body of the Creator of the Universe – the God who created ME! No wonder so many saints went into ecstasy when they contemplated Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. If only I believed enough to experience that depth of intimacy with Jesus too.

Today and every day let us turn our eyes toward the tabernacle and attempt to realize that Jesus, the Son of God, is truly present there. God loved us so much that He couldn’t stand to be separated from us. He chose to remain with us, humbly contained in the small wafer of bread so that we could receive Him into our hearts every day if possible. Let’s not keep Him waiting.

Our belief in the Eucharistic Presence of Jesus Christ comes from St. John's Gospel. See:
http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/john/john6.htm (John 6:48-68)

For beautiful teachings and reflections on the Eucharist, click on:

http://www.crossroadsinitiative.com/library_article/130/Eucharist__The_Body_of_Christ__The_Real_Presence.html

or check into www.catholic.org

In Perfect Communion

2010-05-29T14:45:00.005-04:00

THE BLESSED TRINITY IS THE ONE GOD IN THREE DIVINE PERSONS, EACH HAVING THE FULLNESS OF THE DIVINE NATURE, WHO LIVE IN A PERFECT COMMUNION OF LOVE. THIS IS THE CENTRAL MYSTERY OF OUR CATHOLIC FAITH.

Today, Trinity Sunday, the Church celebrates this central mystery of our faith. Right now I have the privilege of teaching the Catholic Faith to a young single mother and this statement above begins our lesson on the Holy Trinity. We can meditate on this statement - on this Mystery - for the rest of our lives and we would never be able to plumb the depths of its meaning. It is wonderful of the Church to set aside this day to draw our attention away from the things of the world, not only to the reality of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit but to the "perfect communion of love" that exists among the Divine Three. We too are called to a communion of love - with God, with the members of our families, our Religious communities, with our brothers and sisters in the Church, using the Holy Trinity as our model.

Below is an excerpt from a famous prayer to the Trinity composed by Blessed Elizabeth of theTrinity. Perhaps you can cut and paste it on to a document, cut it out and keep it near you.

O my God, Trinity whom I adore, help me to become utterly forgetful of myself so that I may establish myself in you, as changeless and calm as though my soul were already in eternity. Let nothing disturb my peace nor draw me forth from you, O my unchanging God, but at every moment may I penetrate more deeply into the depths of your mystery. Give peace to my soul; make it your heaven, your cherished dwelling-place and the place of your repose. Let me never leave you there alone, but keep me there, wholly attentive, wholly alert in my faith, wholly adoring and fully given up to your creative action.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Watching nature live!

2010-05-20T10:17:00.004-04:00

It is spring - the season of new life - and speaking of new life I invite you to click on the following link to view live the new baby falcons in a nest high above downtown Rochester, NY. Two eggs have hatched and the third egg is yet to come. My sister alerted me to this site and I am thoroughly enjoying it. I hope you do to. It is evidence of God's creation. How wonderful!

http://rfalconcam.com/rfc-main/streamView.php

An abundance of Gifts

2010-05-17T13:50:00.005-04:00

As we prepare for the Solemnity of Pentecost (Sunday, May 23) our Sisters are praying the Litany of the Holy Spirit each day, asking the Holy Spirit to increase in our hearts His gifts and graces. (see link below)

If you are not already doing so, you might also like to pray with an expectant heart to the Holy Spirit for the many graces you need in your life at this time. While we are in the middle of the Novena (nine days of prayer) jump right in today and join your prayers with the Sisters and the many throughout the world who are seeking the Holy Spirit's favor during these special days of grace. Here is a wonderful prayer for the Gifts of the Holy Spirit

O blessed Spirit of WISDOM, help me to seek God. Make Him the Center of my life and order my life to Him so that love and harmony may reign in my soul.

O blessed Spirit of UNDERSTANDING, enlighten my mind that I may know and love the truths of Faith and make them truly my own.

O blessed Spirit of COUNSEL, enlighten and guide me in all my ways that I may always know and do your holy will.

O blessed Spirit of FORTITUDE, uphold my soul in every need, trouble or adversity. Make me loyal and confident.

O blessed Spirit of KNOWLEDGE, help me to know good from evil. Teach me to do what is right in the sight of God. Give me clear vision and firmness in decision.

O blessed Spirit of PIETY, possess my heart, incline it to a true faith in You, to a holy love of You, my God, that with my whole soul I may seek You, who are my Father and find you, my best, my truest joy.

O blessed Spirit of HOLY FEAR, penetrate my inmost heart that I may ever be mindful of your presence. Make me fly from sin and give me intense reverence for God and for all others who are made in God's image.

Grant me also, O Holy Spirit, Giver of all good gifts, the special favor for which I ask (name it), confident that it will be for Your honor and glory and for my good which you alone truly know. Amen.

http://www.ewtn.com/devotionals/pentecost/pent13.htm

Our Reason for Hope

2010-05-13T11:28:00.005-04:00

Today our community is celebrating its feast day - The Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven - the feast of hope! Jesus has returned with His resurrected Body to His Father amid the sounds of trumpets and great rejoicing. Jesus Christ is Risen and Alive - He is our Hope!

Are you scratching your head and wondering why this feast is so important to our community? Well where Jesus has gone we are destined to go - if only we persevere and follow in His ways. He has gone to prepare a place for us - each one of us has his or her own place in the Presence of the Triune God. It is waiting there for us! Doesn't that give you hope?! And He has returned to Heaven with his glorified body - assuring us that we will see Him there and that at the end of time OUR glorified bodies will be in Heaven as well. The bumps and bruises and broken bones and diseases will be gone and our glorified, resurrected bodies will be with God forever. If only we persevere! That promise should give us great hope!

This morning our retired Bishop, the one who founded our community, celebrated Mass for the intentions of our community, asking God to allow us to continue to be beacons of hope for those we serve. Our greatest need is vocations - many young women to join us to help us bring hope to others. The world is in great need of hope. (For another reflection click on: http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=36524)

Lord Jesus, you who are seated now at the right hand of the Father, pray for us; pour out your Holy Spirit upon each one of us and strengthen in our hearts the gift of supernatural hope.

I will trust Him!

2010-05-12T09:58:00.005-04:00

Getting to know the many, many saints of the Catholic Church is very good for our soul! They are not plaster statues or stained glass windows but they were real men and women who struggled, just as we do, to love God and to respond to God's will. The Church considers them men and women of heroic virtue. and many were sinners before they became saints!

In September in England our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI will beatify one of God's great heroes - the Venerable John Henry Cardinal Newman. http://www.newmancause.co.uk/ a convert to the faith. It is only in recent times that many of us are getting to know him and the treasure of his intellect and his faith. Here is one of my favorite writings of Cardinal Newman which contains his profound profession of faith:

God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission - I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next.

I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place while not intending it - if I do but keep His Commandments.

Whatever, wherever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him; in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him; if I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me - still He knows what He is about. Therefore, I will trust Him.

See also: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Newman

One of my heroes

2010-05-10T14:04:00.005-04:00

Today we are celebrating the feast day of one of my very favorite saints - Saint Damien of Moloka'i, the Apostle to the Lepers. At Mass this morning our retired Bishop said that Saint Damien was "one of my heroes." I think he is one of mine as well. It would be wonderful if many young men and women would adopt Father Damien as their hero as well in place of some of the more questionable heroes and heroines that we find in today's culture.

Here is a very comprehensive link to a biography of Father Damien. http://www.answers.com/topic/father-damien

I would greatly encourage you to find a good biography of the newly canonized saint and devour it. Men and women become canonized saints in the Catholic Church if they have lived lives of heroic virtue. There is no one who fits that description better than Saint Damien who went by choice to the island of Moloka'i to minister to the forgotten lepers there in spite of his fear and revulsion at the sight of this suffering humanity. He stayed on this Hawaiian island and became afflicted with the disease himself. He died there five years later. In a recent reflection on the Gospel I read again that the way we show our love for God is by loving and caring for His people. St. Damien loved God very much; otherwise how could he have done what he did. St. Damien of Moloka'i, pray for us.

Here is another link that is brief but very clear: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2817

Her month of May

2010-05-02T13:17:00.004-04:00

This is a very busy time of year and it's not always easy to keep up to date on our blog. But today is the Lord's Day, a day of rest and reflection. For our community, it is our monthly Retreat Day, a day of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, a day for spiritual reading and prayer. It has also given me time to think about the blog and what I should share with you today.

Really, the answer was easy. We are at the beginning of the month of May, my favorite month of the year. It is a month dedicated to our Blessed Mother who is very dear to my heart. I think of my childhood when I would put together a prayer table to Mary in my bedroom and I would bring her wild violets and other flowers that would be blooming in these early Spring days. But now I can visit with her Son in our chapel and place flowers before her statue there.

Each day our Sisters pray the Memorare for the intention of vocations to our community. Perhaps you would be willing to join us especially during this month of May. And bring your own intentions to our Heavenly Mother with this beautiful yet simple prayer.

THE MEMORARE

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in your mercy hear and answer me.
Amen.

Joy and happiness attract us to the Lord

2010-04-25T14:11:00.004-04:00

The witness and example of happy and joyful priests and Sisters is one of the most powerful instruments in fostering vocations to the Priesthood and Religious Life. So believes our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI expressed in his letter proclaiming the 47th World Day of Prayer for Vocations celebrated today, the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Appropriately, this Sunday in the Church year is known as Good Shepherd Sunday because the Gospel proclaims to us the role of Jesus, our Good Shepherd.

“Witness Awakens Vocations” is the theme of this year’s World Day of Prayer. “The fruitfulness of our efforts to promote vocations,” says the Holy Father, “depends primarily on God’s free action…yet it is also helped by the quality and depth of the personal and communal witness of those who have already answered the Lord’s call to the ministerial priesthood and to the consecrated life.” The Holy Father said such witness is able to awaken in others a desire to respond generously to Christ’s call.

Like the prophets in the Old Testament, these fulfilled Religious, fully engaged in the task that God has entrusted to them, have hearts filled with a “burning fire” to proclaim the Gospel – a fire that cannot be contained. “Every priest, every consecrated person, faithful to his or her vocation, radiates the joy of serving Christ and draws all Christians to respond to the universal call to holiness.”

The Holy Father believes that this World Day of Prayer for Vocations offers many young people “a precious opportunity” to reflect on their own vocation and to be faithful to it in simplicity, trust and complete openness.”

Some bits of truth and wisdom

2010-04-24T16:58:00.006-04:00

I was going through some papers on my desk today and from them I offer some thoughts from our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI:

If our relationship with God is not living - if it is not lived - then none of our other relationships can take their correct form.

If we do without God, if God is absent, we lack the compass to show us the path, the direction we must follow.

We must bring the truth of God back into the world, make Him known.

God's omnipotence is not an arbitrary power because God is Good. He is Truth. Hence God can to everything but He cannot act against goodness, He cannot act agsinst Truth. He cannot act against love and freedom, because He Himself is goodness, love and true freedom.

God is the custodian of our freedom, of love and of truth. This eye that looks down is not an evil eye watching over us, but the presence of a love that never abandons us.

The pinnacle of God's power is mercy and forgiveness.

Dive in!

2010-04-18T21:02:00.005-04:00

Is there some obstacle in your life that is preventing you from "jumping in" and going forward in your relationship with God? Is it fear? Uncertainty? Lack of confidence? Today's Gospel is a story about jumping in.

Still confused and uncertain about the Lord's Resurrection, St. Peter and some of the other apostles return momentarily to their old way of life and decide to go fishing. They fish all night and catch nothing but toward morning a stranger on the shore encourages them to cast their nets again and in no time their nets were overflowing. St. John recognized the "stranger" - it is the Lord, he said. Peter responded and in spite of the fact that he was lightly clad he jumped over the side and swam to shore. (John 21 and 22)

Our deacon gave the homily at Mass today and he suggested that what motivated Peter to jump into the water so quickly was Love! And he challenged us to follow Peter and to "jump in" in those areas of our life that are holding us back, holding us back from loving God and our families and life! As Peter swam to shore Jesus was waiting for him - waiting to serve him breakfast.

If our faith is faltering let us throw off anything that is holding us back and "put out into the deep". Hurry toward Jesus who is there waiting to serve us, with His grace, His guidance and especially with the nourishment of His Eucharistic Presence.

The absence of love

2010-04-16T11:09:00.004-04:00

Currently I am reading the story of Immaculee Ilibagiza as she tells it in the book "Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust." When it comes to telling others about the book and its impact on my life I am speechless. My only response is: "Lord, be merciful to me a sinner." It is not an easy book to read because it recounts in great detail the unbelievable horror of the genocide committed by the Hutu people against their Tutsi neighbors in 1994. However, Immaculee's conversion during the ordeal is what has left me without words. She meets God during 91 days confined in a postage-stamp bathroom, wedged in with 8 other women. Her response to Him is amazing. It is a jolting story of the power of the Resurrection - a story of hope amidst great suffering.

It reminded me of a news item recently concerning Pope Benedict XVI's message to the 10th International Youth Forum in Italy. Theme of the Forum was "Learn to Love".

The Holy Father told the young people, "In his Passion, in his total self-giving, Christ has revealed to us the face of God that is Love. Contemplation of the mystery of the Trinity makes us enter into this mystery of eternal Love, which is fundamental for us. The first pages of the Bible state, in fact, that "God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Genesis 1:27). By the very fact that God is love and man is in his image and likeness, we understand the profound identity of the person, his vocation to love.

Man is made to love; his life is fully realized only if he lives in love. After having searched for a long time, St. Therese of the Child Jesus understood the meaning of her existence: "My vocation is Love!" I exhort young people present in this forum to search with all their heart to discover their vocation to love, as persons and as baptized. This is the key to the whole of existence.

In Rwanda, in 1994, the people were blinded by the lies of the Evil One and unable to understand their vocation to love. Even in 2010 we see the tragic fruit of hatred and the absence of love. Let us think about that during these Easter days as we rejoice in the world's greatest evidence of Love!

PS I found Imaculee's book in the local library.

The Remdy for our fears

2010-04-08T10:46:00.004-04:00

Some days you just get overwhelmed with the Lord's kindness and care for His people. I felt that way today when I prayed with the Gospel. We have just emerged from the horrendous story of the Passion of Christ into the greatest miracle of history - the Resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, from the dead!

Except for St. John all of our Lord's disciples deserted him as he went through his trial and scourging, his crucifixion and death. As we read the Gospel today his discples are huddled together in the upper room, doors closed and locked, battling with their own guilt, their bewilderment, their loss, their fears. They are listening to the incredible story of the two disciples who had just returned from the town of Emmaus:

"The disciples of Jesus recounted what had taken place along the way, and how they had come to recognize him in the breaking of bread. While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, 'Peace be with you.' But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.”And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.'" (Luke 24:35-48)

Rather than chastise them for their desertion, Jesus comes to them, encourages them not to be frightened and gives them the gift of peace. He IS their peace. He is alive, he is real and he comes to comfort and reassure them.

Jesus does that with us as well. He is OUR peace! His great desire is that we not be troubled, that questions about our life do not weigh us down. "Look at my hands and feet" he says. We can do that - as we look at him on the Cross, or as we kneel before him in the tabernacle. He is not a ghost. His resurrected body is not confined to time and space so He is able to be in the tiny host in the tabernacle. He is our peace.

Like Mary Magdalen, let us share that good news with our friends, our family members, all those the Lord puts into our path today. We live in a world that it not very peaceful. That is because many people do not know Jesus. That is the reason they are not at peace.

Our greatest hope-filled sign!

2010-04-04T12:50:00.004-04:00

HE IS RISEN! HE IS ALIVE!

THE TOMB IS EMPTY! IT REALLY IS SO!

THERE IS NO MORE EVIL TO FEAR!

BECAUSE HE IS ALIVE WE HAVE HOPE!

NO MATTER HOW DEEP THE DARKNESS, NO MATTER HOW LOST WE FEEL,

HE IS ALIVE AND THAT GOOD NEWS GIVES US HOPE!

What wondrous Love

2010-03-27T14:14:00.003-04:00

There is an old song that says it’s “love that makes the world go ‘round”. That song once conjured up in my own mind thoughts of romantic love - two young people falling in love. Aaaahh yes!

But tomorrow, Palm Sunday, we enter into a holy week in which we contemplate Love, not the romantic kind but, to quote another jingle, it’s the kind of love “that’s the real thing.” We are about to enter into a dialogue of love - with the One who IS Love, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Holy Week is the week we have been waiting for all during Lent. We are coming to the mountaintop on which He who is Love shows us in staggering, dramatic, gripping ways what it means to Love. It means to give – to give one’s very life for those you love.

On the Cross Jesus willingly poured out His life – to the very last drop of blood and water to prove to us how much He loves us. Are we like the Pharisees who walk by that Cross and taunt Him with our unbelief? Or are we like Mary, and John and Mary Magdalene who stand there looking at Him with all the love that our human hearts can contain?

Before He died Jesus spoke to His mother, to His disciple. From that Cross this week He will speak to us as well. He calls us to a dialogue of love. What will we say to Him as He looks at us – through his blood-soaked eyes, pleading for our love?

A Day for Rejoicing!

2010-03-25T10:11:00.005-04:00

The Church celebrates the solemn feast of the Annunciation today. It was the moment when responding to Mary's "yes" Jesus took on our human nature and was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In the Office of Readings today St. Leo the Great writes about the Incarnation. "He took the nature of a servant without stain of sin, enlarging our humanity without diminishing his divinity. He emptied himself; though invisible he made himself visible, though Creator and Lord of all things he chose to be one of us mortal men. Yet this was the condescension of compassion, not the loss of omnipotence. So he who in the nature of God had created man, became in the nature of a servant, man himself. Thus the Son of God enters this lowly world. He comes down from the throne of heaven, yet does not separate himself from the Father’s glory. He is born in a new condition, by a new birth.

"He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death. He who is true God is also true man. There is no falsehood in this unity as long as the lowliness of man and the pre-eminence of God coexist in mutual relationship."

The Intercessory Prayer from Morning Prayer is a wonderful prayer for us this day:

Today we celebrate the Annunciation and the start of God’s work of salvation. Let us pray to him in jubilation:

– May the holy Mother of God intercede for us.
Just as the Virgin Mary received the happy news from the angel,
grant, Lord, that we may gratefully receive our Saviour.
– May the holy Mother of God intercede for us.
Just as you looked with compassion on the lowliness of your handmaiden, compassionate God, remember us all and take pity on us.
– May the holy Mother of God intercede for us.
Just as the new Eve obeyed your divine Word, so we accept whatever your will for us may be.
– May the holy Mother of God intercede for us.
May Holy Mary comfort those who are sad, help the faint-hearted, cheer those who weep, pray for the people and the clergy, and intercede for all consecrated women.
– May the holy Mother of God intercede for us.

For a deeper look into this feast click on http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=35941

Let's throw our stones away

2010-03-21T10:35:00.004-04:00

Today the Gospel offers us a beautiful story of forgiveness and love. It is the story of the woman who was thrown at Jesus’ feet because the hypocritical Pharisees and the crowd that followed them discovered her in the act of adultery. (see readings for today http://www.usccb.org/nab/032110c.shtml)

To test Jesus they brought the woman to Him to see how he would judge her. And we receive a wonderful insight into how Jesus judges us. As the crowd waited, Jesus bent down and with His finger began tracing something in the sand. He seemed to be ignoring the people as they kept asking him, “Teacher, what do you say?” As we know, Jesus stood, looked at them and said quite simply: “let the one among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone at her.” As they left, one by one, Jesus turned to the cowering woman and told her lovingly that He did not condemn her but He told her to go “and sin no more.”

In our community the Sisters share on the Sunday Readings each Saturday before our evening meal. One of the Sisters said she often thinks of Jesus standing in front of the woman so that He would be the One pelted by the stones. Jesus stood in front of each one of us all the way to the Cross. He does not condemn us but He asks us to sin no more. Look at what our sins cost Him.!Like the Pharisees and the crowd, let us not accuse or condemn others for what we perceive as their sin. Today let us toss our stones away and sin no more. Why? Because Jesus loves us!

For Father Landry's homily on the Gospel click on: http://www.catholicpreaching.com/index.php?content=homilies&homilies=20070325

Now is the time to go!

2010-03-14T12:59:00.004-04:00

Today the Gospel is the famous story of the Prodigal Son. http://www.usccb.org/nab/031410c.shtml It is the story of forgiveness. The Dictionary has several definitions for the word “prodigal”. It can mean “to squander” but it can also mean “to yield abundantly, to lavish”. So it seems that the Gospel is about the prodigal son but also about the prodigal father who, when the Son returned home, lavished his love and forgiveness on his prodigal son!

As I mediated on the lessons of this Gospel passage, it occurred to me that Jesus was the one who was telling this story. Jesus is the one who wanted to get a very important point across to His listeners. He was telling the Truth about His Heavenly Father and He wanted us to see ourselves in the prodigal Son. God the Father is lavish in His love and forgiveness and Jesus wants us to know that!

This past week there was a mission in our parish and the priest who conducted the mission issued an impassioned plea to the parishioners to come to Confession during the week. And the people responded. As I waited to go to Confession a friend came in the door with another woman. My friend whispered to me, “pray for Mary (not her real name). It has been a long time since she has been to confession. I squeezed “Mary’s” arm because she looked scared to death. The last I saw of “Mary” she was on her way into the confessional.

When we go to Confession we meet Jesus in that darkened space. Really! The priest is there as Christ and when we confess our sins we are confessing them directly to Jesus. When Father says, “I absolve you from your sins” that is really Jesus saying that to us. There is no need to be scared. As Father told us, “there is no original sin!” He has heard them all and his great desire is to be the instrument of God’s mercy and love for each one of us.

If it has been a while since you have been to Confession, like Father I passionately encourage you to go – not just to the priest but to Jesus. He waits in that darkened space for you!

Here is a guide to Confession: http://www.catholic.org/prayers/confession.php