Man of Blessing

Dear Sisters,

Lately I have read a biography of St. Benedict by Carmen Acevedo Butcher.  This beautifully written account of the holy man credited with the monastic movement was filled with wonderful accounts of miracles, love of Christ and of neighbor and a simplicity in life that I can't help but envy. 

St. Benedict started nearly every day at 2 a.m. and by 5 a.m. he had already spent 3 hours in communal prayer and the recitation of psalms known as the Divine Office.  It's an ironic fact that this architect of communal life who wrote a rule still used in monasteries today spent years first as a hermit before seeking out the company of others.  Once out of the confines of his solitary cave, this holy man started a movement that expanded exponentially throughout his life and still exists to modern times.

The father of monasticism was born in Nursia in 480 AD, the son of a Roman nobleman.  Tradition holds that he had a twin, St. Scholastica.  The foundational years for this young Roman were violent ones in his country with a number of armies and leaders invading, each causing death and destruction in their wake.  Personal stories of St. Benedict exist through the efforts of Pope Gregory the Great, who wrote about Benedict extensively.  Gregory in fact points out that "Benedict helped others achieve peace in the minutiae of ordinary life." 

This notion which resembles greatly 'The Little Way" of St. Therese who we will be studying more in-depth during the summer seems to be a recurrent theme with some of the holiest of our saints.  It appears that the love of Christ so permeated their lives, that every small action, gesture, conversation, desire and moment became an opportunity for living in God.

In his little cave in Subiaco, "Benedict came to understand in his every molecular cell, step, and breath that hours, days, and minutes do not belong to the human race."  This sense of our need to give our time to God is another common theme among our saints.  "Benedict's rule teaches that the only true way to yield to time is by praising God and praying for others."  Several times a day the Benedictines honor and praise God by stopping their work and simply worshiping Him who is all for all.

The book brings to life this brother of ours in faith in a way that I as a reader, felt that I had gained another good friend in my journey to the heavenly Jerusalem.  It reminds me of our riches in the Church and how good God has been to give us so many holy examples to follow.  The worlds that these mean and women lived in had their own challenges and evils. 

As we journey through our own period of time, let us realize that the evils we see so manifest in our society are the recycled ills that befell all the human race when Adam and Eve disobeyed Our Lord in the garden and have been plaguing mankind since that time. 

I have seen traditional marriage going the way of abortion, euthanasia and so many other gifts from our God that were meant for our good but now are used for evil.  Let us remember that we can appeal to these real people in heaven who 'have our backs' and will help us to navigate the turbulent waters of society and time.  Some day others will come after us who will also live in the light and will look around in bewilderment at the darkness crouched at their door.  Let's hope we are in a place where we can help them with our prayers as we now look to the prayers of our brothers and sisters in heaven.

Peace, Sisters

Take My Heart Lord

Dear Sisters,

I am currently reading Sr. Faustina's Diary.  Sometimes when I am reading something the saints have written, I feel a real pang of sweet pain for the love they have for our Lord.  It reminds me that I have a long way to go.

In Sr. Faustina's Diary (No. 57), she says "Oh, if I could only cut my heart into tiny pieces and in this way offer to You, O Jesus each piece as a heart whole and entire to make up in part for the hearts that do not love You!"

Imagine, each tiny piece of her heart a whole and complete loving heart to offer the Lord to make up for so many that don't give Jesus any part of their hearts.  This lovely thought struck so powerfully that it kept coming up at odd times to remind me to love Jesus in every moment as well as I can.

Today as the Eucharist was being distributed, it occurred to me that Jesus too cuts himself into tiny pieces so that each of us can have all of him 'body, blood, soul and divinity' in each and every host.

This reminds me that as we come to know and love Jesus more, we become more like Him and so it flows naturally and beautifully that we want to do for Him what He already does for us.

My nature is to 'do-do-do'.  At work I am pulled in dozens of directions.  I give of myself to my husband, my children, my family, my friends, my co-workers, the families I serve...but all?  Not usually.  I give some of my attention, some of my strength, some of my kindness, some of my love.  Instead of cutting myself into WHOLE tiny pieces and giving all to each endeavor, I cut myself into
selfish little pieces and tell myself that it is enough. 

Imagine if Jesus did that?  Instead of offering himself wholly and completely on the cross, imagine if he held some of himself back?  We would be right back where we started in the Garden, following the snake instead of our Father.

So today, I ask Jesus to grant me the grace to be 'all in'.  Not to do as Dusty Springfield
suggests and only give 'a little piece of my heart', but to do as Sr. Faustina suggests and give all to all and in that way imitate He who is Love.

Wishing you all peace on this beautiful Sunday!