A Cause for Wonder

A quote from Catherine:



Preserve union and peace. Do this and your happiness will be so
great as to cause you to wonder.


I was reflecting the other day about how gentle our Sister Cecelia is. She is a great example of a gentlewoman. Her simplicity and truly serene demeanor are inspiring. Her health is good, but her mind is not. She remembers but for a moment, yet she is always gracious and pleasant. She is an embodiment of happiness and wonder.

As I recall her in earlier years, she always was gracious. I don't know how she was in her ministry, but I am assuming she was much the same. I'm sure the high school students took advantage of her, but somehow she came across as a gracious woman.

I was also reflecting about the women in my house. There are 4 of us, all different temperaments and ministries. All of us work with people in a daily and somewhat close relationship. One is in health care, one works in alternative health, I as a vocation minister and the fourth with those with disabilities.

When we sit down to discuss matters that need to be taken care of, whether scheduling events, working out details for some project or to listening to the needs of one of us, we do it out of union and peace. That does not mean we don't have differences of opinion, we do. But somehow we work out the way that works best for the moment.

When Catherine was speaking, she was giving a vital piece of wisdom. Union and peace. Let no strife come between you. If there is peace in the house-real peace, then there is also peace in the hearts of those who live there. It brings about such happiness that others will notice.

Now I'm not saying we are a perfect community. We have so much yet to learn. But we do have some strong gifts and blessings that help us to be about life we lead. Some of us create prayer well, some of us create food well. Some of us are great at the yard work and others at the housework. Some of us connect with what's going on better than others. Some of us have a lot of energy and some of us don't. If we use the strengths we have and acknowledge them aloud, we can build an even better community.

I challenge each of you this Advent and Christmas season, to take time to share with a few others what you see as their gifts. Strengthen your bonds by expressing what you already have and grow from there. Then you, too, will have so much happiness that it will cause you to wonder.

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