Dear Sisters,
I know that each of us has had this experience...you read or pray a phrase that you've read a hundred times before and suddenly the words hit you like a two by four. For me these words came from the Canticle of Zechariah.
Luke 1:68-79
In the tender compassion of our God
the dawn from on high shall break upon us,
to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,
and to guide our feet into the way of peace.
I've been working on quieting my mind after a whirlwind of activity in my life. God is with me in the chaos and busy-ness, but I have a difficult time being with Him when my mind is whirling. My heart has been full, but my mind has been racing for so long that I can't seem to catch a thought.
So much to do...and since I've been in this hyper-activity mode for so long, it now seems like the norm. So I do, do, do until I lay exhausted in my bed wondering where the day went. A quick prayer of contrition, thanks, praise and then oblivion until the next morning. Repeat.
Then something happens...I nearly pull the nail off my big toe. Yes friends, ouch! But guess what? God in his genius has given me the perfect opportunity to slow down. No morning walk before it gets too hot. No pool activity for a week. In fact the toe throbs quite a bit if it's not elevated. He knows me so well...I'm a doer. But God wants me to have the better part which is Him and He wants me to stop thinking about so many other things. He knows that I needed something to put a stop to all the activity. He knows that before too long I would feel empty, alone, needy...because the one thing necessary was not front and center in my life.
So this morning I hobbled out to my yard with a glass of water and opened the Magnificat and started my day in prayer...which is really the BEST way to start the day. This was a habit of mine before all the recent chaos and I've missed it so much. The weather turning to summer heat changed up my schedule so that I tried to sneak a walk in first. I say the rosary while I walk, but somehow that centering moment first thing in the morning where I'm still and just loving on God and He's loving on me was missing.
I felt myself start to settle into the familiar rhythm of prayer in the morning. No news show, no list making in my head, just God. It's like waking up after a long sleep. He's been with me every step of the way, but now I'm with Him too. I feel myself awaken, I feel full of love and purpose. This purpose has nothing to do with doing and everything to do with being.
In these moments of being in the Lord, Zechariah's words hit me so very hard. Tender Compassion. Tender like a mother with a child. Tender like a lover with a beloved. Tender like grandparent with a grandchild. He loves us tenderly. How those words impacted me today! What love is this that loves so tenderly? We are called to love tenderly too.
Compassion comes from the Latin compati, which means 'to suffer with'. He loves us so tenderly that he has come to suffer with us and for us. How dark are our times? How much do we need the 'dawn from on high' to break upon us again and to shine on all of us that are dwelling in this present darkness and in the culture (shadow) of death. We so need the God that loves us tenderly and suffers with us in His compassion to guide our feet into the way of peace. We yearn for His peace in our hearts, our relationships, our families, our communities, our churches, our cities, our country, our world.
The United States will some day be a chapter in a history book, but God and His church will still be there...shining the light from on high into the darkness, tenderly walking in compassion with the suffering humanity, shining light into all the shadows of death in human hearts and guiding again our feet into the way of peace.
My prayer for each of you dear sisters is peace in your hearts. With that peace from Christ, we can transform the world.
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
God's Gift; Family
Dear Sisters,
It occurs to me that so much of society doesn't understand the treasure we have in our families. I read a comment to a pro-life article the other day that made me sad. The young woman wrote that she had no interest in stretch marks or in the sacrificing necessary to be a mother. She wants abortion on demand, any time for any reason without apology. I applaud her honesty, but can you imagine anything sadder than a woman who denies her biology, her Feminine Genius and her vocation as a mother? For surely someone with this view wouldn't 'mother' anyone under any circumstances. The emphasis is all on her wants, her desires and how her body looks. Her selfishness will never allow her the intimacy of any relationship other than a physical one. Can you imagine her bewilderment when someday she finds herself alone in an assisted living facility? No one will visit her, no one will care if she lives or dies. Maybe with her world view, once her physical attributes start to go, she'll simply 'check-out' and commit suicide.
So many of our dearest sisters for one reason or another do not have children. Yet, these sisters are some of the most loving, understanding and motherly ladies I know. They mother each of us with their concern for our well-being. They pray for each of us and give of themselves to offer what they can for our comfort. These ladies understand their role as Spiritual Mothers to those they know. They are aware of their Feminine Genius and have rejected the societal view that the perfect human is a male one.
In so many ways, these ladies have become extended family members in a world that really doesn't understand the truth family.
For those of us with children and grandchildren. How rich are our lives? How full of a million little deaths-to-self to reveal to us the goodness of a God who truly died for us. In our children we see the future, in their children we can see into eternity. Doing for others, putting another's comfort and dreams first comes so naturally for women who understand our precious and pivotal role in society. We see a whole person and we can see their journey. We rejoice in another's triumphs and cry with them in their despair. We look to do what we can to keep peace in our families, at work, in all of our pursuits.
Selfishness in either gender is sad, but particularly so in a woman. It denies at such a fundamental level that call to 'help mate'. From our Endow studies we understand with great clarity that this call is not one to washing dishes or cleaning the house, but a call to help others see the transcendent light of God. This is lived most truly in each of our families, whether they are in blood-relative relationships or the ones we form in love.
The very sadly misguided young woman who doesn't want to give up her selfishness and body image will one day find herself looking back at a life lacking in intimacy. Only a denial of the self can truly lead to that level of knowing another and through that knowing, understanding ourselves.
Pray for the women ladies! We need to follow Our Lady in bringing our societies back to God. And dare I say...it all starts in the family.
Blessings to all!
It occurs to me that so much of society doesn't understand the treasure we have in our families. I read a comment to a pro-life article the other day that made me sad. The young woman wrote that she had no interest in stretch marks or in the sacrificing necessary to be a mother. She wants abortion on demand, any time for any reason without apology. I applaud her honesty, but can you imagine anything sadder than a woman who denies her biology, her Feminine Genius and her vocation as a mother? For surely someone with this view wouldn't 'mother' anyone under any circumstances. The emphasis is all on her wants, her desires and how her body looks. Her selfishness will never allow her the intimacy of any relationship other than a physical one. Can you imagine her bewilderment when someday she finds herself alone in an assisted living facility? No one will visit her, no one will care if she lives or dies. Maybe with her world view, once her physical attributes start to go, she'll simply 'check-out' and commit suicide.
So many of our dearest sisters for one reason or another do not have children. Yet, these sisters are some of the most loving, understanding and motherly ladies I know. They mother each of us with their concern for our well-being. They pray for each of us and give of themselves to offer what they can for our comfort. These ladies understand their role as Spiritual Mothers to those they know. They are aware of their Feminine Genius and have rejected the societal view that the perfect human is a male one.
In so many ways, these ladies have become extended family members in a world that really doesn't understand the truth family.
For those of us with children and grandchildren. How rich are our lives? How full of a million little deaths-to-self to reveal to us the goodness of a God who truly died for us. In our children we see the future, in their children we can see into eternity. Doing for others, putting another's comfort and dreams first comes so naturally for women who understand our precious and pivotal role in society. We see a whole person and we can see their journey. We rejoice in another's triumphs and cry with them in their despair. We look to do what we can to keep peace in our families, at work, in all of our pursuits.
Selfishness in either gender is sad, but particularly so in a woman. It denies at such a fundamental level that call to 'help mate'. From our Endow studies we understand with great clarity that this call is not one to washing dishes or cleaning the house, but a call to help others see the transcendent light of God. This is lived most truly in each of our families, whether they are in blood-relative relationships or the ones we form in love.
The very sadly misguided young woman who doesn't want to give up her selfishness and body image will one day find herself looking back at a life lacking in intimacy. Only a denial of the self can truly lead to that level of knowing another and through that knowing, understanding ourselves.
Pray for the women ladies! We need to follow Our Lady in bringing our societies back to God. And dare I say...it all starts in the family.
Blessings to all!
He's Carrying MY Cross
Dear Sisters,
Blessings to each of you in Christ Jesus our Savior!
After receiving the Eucharist this Sunday, I felt the Holy Spirit move powerfully within me. My mediation started with an imagine of little-girl me sitting on Jesus' lap. I could hear his heart beating in his chest and thought about how much that poor heart had endured for us.
Next I could see a narrow windy path strewn with rocks, brambles on the side of the road. Jesus was leading me by the hand up the path. My Guardian Angel was all around me, healing the rips in my skin caused by the brambles with a wave of his translucent hand. Our Lady had a hand on my shoulder as she urged me forward and up the difficult climb. Off to the side of the road on my left, beyond the thorny bushes I could see white-robed martyrs of our faith urging me forward, imploring me not to give up. On the right the angels were silent yet so present in their witness of my journey.
My breath was coming heavily from the effort of the arduous climb. The air felt thin and my heart beat fast in my chest. Jesus turned to me with sad eyes that burned a whole in my heart and handed me an enormous cross to carry up the path. The cross was huge, many feet taller than my height with the horizontal arms of the cross reaching far out. The weight of the wood took me to my knees and nearly doubled me over. My right shoulder took the brunt of the weight and I felt great pain. I cried out to Jesus... "How Lord can I carry this all the way up the path...it is too much!" In less than a second the weight had been lifted from me. I stood before Jesus as he took MY cross onto his shoulder. He handed me a smaller cross, about two feet tall. It fit comfortably in the crook of my arm.
Before me Jesus carried the huge cross that was meant for me. He took the pain, He took the punishing weight of that cross up the path. In my arms I held the small cross that He'd given me instead. It was a cross that I could handle. It didn't slow me down in my climb although it sometimes made me awkward as I tried to find my balance on the path.
I realized that He carried all our crosses on His way to Golgotha. He took our sins and washed them clean with His own blood. How good is our God!
It also occurs to me that He gives us the crosses we can carry, while He shoulders the real weight of our sins, sorrows and disappointments. Some great saints can carry very large crosses, but little souls like mine would wither away under the suffering. He knows this and adjusts things so that I can climb the windy, narrow path to eternal life. Along the way we have our dear Guardian Angels, the great saints, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and of course Our Lady. We also have each other for encouragement. Praise Be!
When I finally joined the mass again, I realized that I hadn't moved a muscle in a long time. It was time to take the knowledge of His immense LOVE and MERCY for each of us out to the world.
He cares so much. He loves so much. He suffers so much.
Jesus I love you and trust you! Thank you for taking my sufferings and making them your own. Thank you for your mercy.
Ladies if you hear me complaining about my little cross sometime, please remind me that He is the one carrying the full weight of my cross.
To God the Glory!
Blessings to each of you in Christ Jesus our Savior!
After receiving the Eucharist this Sunday, I felt the Holy Spirit move powerfully within me. My mediation started with an imagine of little-girl me sitting on Jesus' lap. I could hear his heart beating in his chest and thought about how much that poor heart had endured for us.
Next I could see a narrow windy path strewn with rocks, brambles on the side of the road. Jesus was leading me by the hand up the path. My Guardian Angel was all around me, healing the rips in my skin caused by the brambles with a wave of his translucent hand. Our Lady had a hand on my shoulder as she urged me forward and up the difficult climb. Off to the side of the road on my left, beyond the thorny bushes I could see white-robed martyrs of our faith urging me forward, imploring me not to give up. On the right the angels were silent yet so present in their witness of my journey.
My breath was coming heavily from the effort of the arduous climb. The air felt thin and my heart beat fast in my chest. Jesus turned to me with sad eyes that burned a whole in my heart and handed me an enormous cross to carry up the path. The cross was huge, many feet taller than my height with the horizontal arms of the cross reaching far out. The weight of the wood took me to my knees and nearly doubled me over. My right shoulder took the brunt of the weight and I felt great pain. I cried out to Jesus... "How Lord can I carry this all the way up the path...it is too much!" In less than a second the weight had been lifted from me. I stood before Jesus as he took MY cross onto his shoulder. He handed me a smaller cross, about two feet tall. It fit comfortably in the crook of my arm.
Before me Jesus carried the huge cross that was meant for me. He took the pain, He took the punishing weight of that cross up the path. In my arms I held the small cross that He'd given me instead. It was a cross that I could handle. It didn't slow me down in my climb although it sometimes made me awkward as I tried to find my balance on the path.
I realized that He carried all our crosses on His way to Golgotha. He took our sins and washed them clean with His own blood. How good is our God!
It also occurs to me that He gives us the crosses we can carry, while He shoulders the real weight of our sins, sorrows and disappointments. Some great saints can carry very large crosses, but little souls like mine would wither away under the suffering. He knows this and adjusts things so that I can climb the windy, narrow path to eternal life. Along the way we have our dear Guardian Angels, the great saints, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and of course Our Lady. We also have each other for encouragement. Praise Be!
When I finally joined the mass again, I realized that I hadn't moved a muscle in a long time. It was time to take the knowledge of His immense LOVE and MERCY for each of us out to the world.
He cares so much. He loves so much. He suffers so much.
Jesus I love you and trust you! Thank you for taking my sufferings and making them your own. Thank you for your mercy.
Ladies if you hear me complaining about my little cross sometime, please remind me that He is the one carrying the full weight of my cross.
To God the Glory!
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Faithful Servant
Dear Sisters,
At the St. Steven's Book Club we are undertaking consecration to Mary using 33 Days to Morning Glory by Micheal E. Gaitley, MIC. as our conduit. With a crazy holiday schedule, I've only been able to make one meeting. Keeping up with the readings while challenging during this busy time leading up to Christmas was rewarding too.
I blogged about my last experience with consecration. I was very ill throughout most of the consecration. I didn't get well in fact until I made the last vow at an evening mass. Even the ride to the church was ominous as the clouds were gathering and the sky became very threatening with the winds blowing. We've discussed among ourselves how suffering usually comes with the consecration. Our Deacon fell down a flight of stairs and was hurting mightily, one sister had leg pain, another had sciatica pain that was excruciating, one sister almost lost her beloved pet. During this consecration it seemed that obstacles were constantly in my way of being able to join the group and as the days of completing the journey were approaching, I was hit with a debilitating bout of allergies that made it nearly impossible to breath or sleep. One day in particular I coughed so violently I thought I had cracked a rib.
How the devil must hate when we commit ourselves to the Immaculata. Imagine how much he hates Our Blessed Mother; this lowly creature that gave birth to the son of God! She a queen? He could never serve her so he hates all of us that commit to doing just that! As we commit ourselves to her, he makes our life a misery. He hopes that we will stop the journey. He doesn't want us under her mantle of protection and doing her will. I've noticed that even the weather has once more reacted to the fact that we are nearly at the end of the journey. The skies are once more grey and it looks like it will be raining for days. Coincidence? Although it does rain in Phoenix, it doesn't usually rain this many days in a row at this time of year. But what can he do to keep us from saying YES to Our Lady? Yes! I'll be your faithful servant!
A reflection in Week 4 of the consecration in our books struck me mightily. It came from Saint Pope John Paul II...of course! In the bible account of the wedding feast in Cana, Mary as the ultimate mother is the very first person to notice that there is no wine. Such a small detail really, but she's alert to the needs of others and notices this situation. Her "Do whatever He tells you..." is directed at the servants. As a result of their faithful obedience to Jesus, to fill the jars with water...they were the very first humans to see the power of God manifested in his Son!
Mary needs servants who obey her and thereby obey Jesus! If we can do this concretely, every day of our lives, we WILL see the power of Jesus manifested in our lives and the lives of all we love.
Dear Mother,
I will be your faithful servant. I will do as you ask as I know that this will always lead me to Jesus. And I will become a conduit of the Lord's love in this small little patch of the Earth that I inhabit. I accept you as my Queen and my Mother! Do with me what you will!
Yours!
At the St. Steven's Book Club we are undertaking consecration to Mary using 33 Days to Morning Glory by Micheal E. Gaitley, MIC. as our conduit. With a crazy holiday schedule, I've only been able to make one meeting. Keeping up with the readings while challenging during this busy time leading up to Christmas was rewarding too.
I blogged about my last experience with consecration. I was very ill throughout most of the consecration. I didn't get well in fact until I made the last vow at an evening mass. Even the ride to the church was ominous as the clouds were gathering and the sky became very threatening with the winds blowing. We've discussed among ourselves how suffering usually comes with the consecration. Our Deacon fell down a flight of stairs and was hurting mightily, one sister had leg pain, another had sciatica pain that was excruciating, one sister almost lost her beloved pet. During this consecration it seemed that obstacles were constantly in my way of being able to join the group and as the days of completing the journey were approaching, I was hit with a debilitating bout of allergies that made it nearly impossible to breath or sleep. One day in particular I coughed so violently I thought I had cracked a rib.
How the devil must hate when we commit ourselves to the Immaculata. Imagine how much he hates Our Blessed Mother; this lowly creature that gave birth to the son of God! She a queen? He could never serve her so he hates all of us that commit to doing just that! As we commit ourselves to her, he makes our life a misery. He hopes that we will stop the journey. He doesn't want us under her mantle of protection and doing her will. I've noticed that even the weather has once more reacted to the fact that we are nearly at the end of the journey. The skies are once more grey and it looks like it will be raining for days. Coincidence? Although it does rain in Phoenix, it doesn't usually rain this many days in a row at this time of year. But what can he do to keep us from saying YES to Our Lady? Yes! I'll be your faithful servant!
A reflection in Week 4 of the consecration in our books struck me mightily. It came from Saint Pope John Paul II...of course! In the bible account of the wedding feast in Cana, Mary as the ultimate mother is the very first person to notice that there is no wine. Such a small detail really, but she's alert to the needs of others and notices this situation. Her "Do whatever He tells you..." is directed at the servants. As a result of their faithful obedience to Jesus, to fill the jars with water...they were the very first humans to see the power of God manifested in his Son!
Mary needs servants who obey her and thereby obey Jesus! If we can do this concretely, every day of our lives, we WILL see the power of Jesus manifested in our lives and the lives of all we love.
Dear Mother,
I will be your faithful servant. I will do as you ask as I know that this will always lead me to Jesus. And I will become a conduit of the Lord's love in this small little patch of the Earth that I inhabit. I accept you as my Queen and my Mother! Do with me what you will!
Yours!
Monday, January 4, 2016
IT'S SIMPLE!
Dear Sisters,
God is simple.
In no way am I demeaning the work of so very many wonderful theologians in our church, but the truth is that God is simple.
Follow if you will the logic of this:
First, God is truth. He is not both truth and deceit.
God is Love. He does not love and hate.
God is Good. He is only good and never bad.
God is Powerful. He is never tired or weak.
God has revealed Himself as a Simple Nature.
I've taken a hard look at my life and have realized that anything complicated isn't coming from God. If I feel conflicted, it is my weakness that makes me so. God is simple...
I've pondered this so much lately. I've looked at all the crooked paths of my life and the crooked people that have come my way. I've looked at the deceit, the errors, the pain and have realized that this wasn't from God. Of course He's used all of it for good, in His wonderful simple way.
God in all his splendid simplicity stood by me at every turn and bump in the road. In His truth, love, goodness and power He sustained me, taught me, corrected me and invited me to join Him in His Divine Simplicity!
So lets take a look at our lives. Are they complicated? Do you have relationships that are a mess? If so sisters I ask you to meditate on God's simplicity and ask you to see that it is the enemy that is throwing a wrench into your lives. Ask God with all his simple power to help you to stay on the simple path.
God's way will never turn your journey into a knot; a knot, that Our Lady is so adept at taking apart. No, if we follow Him in all his simplicity, the way will be clear and sure.
God is simple!
God is simple.
In no way am I demeaning the work of so very many wonderful theologians in our church, but the truth is that God is simple.
Follow if you will the logic of this:
First, God is truth. He is not both truth and deceit.
God is Love. He does not love and hate.
God is Good. He is only good and never bad.
God is Powerful. He is never tired or weak.
God has revealed Himself as a Simple Nature.
I've taken a hard look at my life and have realized that anything complicated isn't coming from God. If I feel conflicted, it is my weakness that makes me so. God is simple...
I've pondered this so much lately. I've looked at all the crooked paths of my life and the crooked people that have come my way. I've looked at the deceit, the errors, the pain and have realized that this wasn't from God. Of course He's used all of it for good, in His wonderful simple way.
God in all his splendid simplicity stood by me at every turn and bump in the road. In His truth, love, goodness and power He sustained me, taught me, corrected me and invited me to join Him in His Divine Simplicity!
So lets take a look at our lives. Are they complicated? Do you have relationships that are a mess? If so sisters I ask you to meditate on God's simplicity and ask you to see that it is the enemy that is throwing a wrench into your lives. Ask God with all his simple power to help you to stay on the simple path.
God's way will never turn your journey into a knot; a knot, that Our Lady is so adept at taking apart. No, if we follow Him in all his simplicity, the way will be clear and sure.
God is simple!
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