A quote from Catherine McAuley;
It is a special favor of God to be made the servants of His suffering poor, and teachers destined to train up little ones in His knowledge and love.
One of the most enjoyable and rewarding ministries I have done is to teach kindergarten. I love how the faces of these little ones are open to all you can give them. They soak in knowledge and love of God and they reflect it back in so many ways. Even their little misdeeds are sweet in their innocence because you know they are trying to use their own minds and seeing how they relate to the world. Though teaching kindergarten is a great deal of work physically, the rewards are so great. Now that I have been in other ministries, I know that those years will be memorable ones for me. I can use the reflections of those years in so many ways in what I do now.
We are called to minster to the suffering poor. Those poor might be the neighbor next door who struggles, the kid down the street with no friends, the person sitting next to you who just needs a smile to get through the day. The suffering poor are all around us; we need not look far. Today I will try to see the suffering in those around me and lend a hand, either literally or figuratively. How about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Monday, December 22, 2008
Flourishing in the Midst of the Cross
A quote from Catherine McAuley;
We go on, flourishing in the very midst of the cross.
When Catherine wrote this, there had been several deaths along with other pressures and stresses at her door. Yet, in the middle of all her turmoil she was able to see flourishing. Indeed, the fledgling community was flourishing. As someone died, there seemed to be two others to take her place. The stresses would be tempered with a bountiful gift in the form of good advice or some other event to put it in perspective.
What could we learn from that? Sometimes we are so much into the stress we forget there are also so many blessings going on at the same time. It's hard to see, if the baby is sick, the spouse laid off and the bills getting bigger and bigger. Sometimes just having to do finals and that big paper that has been put off, can seem insurmountable. Yet, if we could have a little distance, a little more perspective, we could see that we are indeed flourishing.
So goes for religious life. We hear all sorts of things, diminished numbers, aging and letting go. Yet the spirit is so alive, maybe even more today than at any other time. There is flourishing in the middle of all the other "stuff'" of our lives. Let us look for that part today as we go about the work and life we lead. I know I will.
www.sistersofmercy.org
We go on, flourishing in the very midst of the cross.
When Catherine wrote this, there had been several deaths along with other pressures and stresses at her door. Yet, in the middle of all her turmoil she was able to see flourishing. Indeed, the fledgling community was flourishing. As someone died, there seemed to be two others to take her place. The stresses would be tempered with a bountiful gift in the form of good advice or some other event to put it in perspective.
What could we learn from that? Sometimes we are so much into the stress we forget there are also so many blessings going on at the same time. It's hard to see, if the baby is sick, the spouse laid off and the bills getting bigger and bigger. Sometimes just having to do finals and that big paper that has been put off, can seem insurmountable. Yet, if we could have a little distance, a little more perspective, we could see that we are indeed flourishing.
So goes for religious life. We hear all sorts of things, diminished numbers, aging and letting go. Yet the spirit is so alive, maybe even more today than at any other time. There is flourishing in the middle of all the other "stuff'" of our lives. Let us look for that part today as we go about the work and life we lead. I know I will.
www.sistersofmercy.org
Friday, December 19, 2008
Preserve Union and Peace
A quote from Catherine McAuley;
Preserve union and peace.
Do this and your happiness will be so great as to cause you to wonder.
When we live in community, sometimes we can nitpick each others faults and failing or little idiosyncrasies causing a bit of discord and tension in the house. It is not as if we are looking to find big faults, but actually the little things are the things that get to people. The big stuff is often easier to handle. If we take Catherine's words seriously, we will not be the ones to find fault in others. By preserving union and peace we also live a harmonious life. It is amazing how that can happen. So today, I will not find fault in my sister or brother, in my housemate, classmate or neighbor. I will instead, look for the good in everyone and let the little stuff pass on by. I will not dwell there.
Will that be hard? Maybe. But I know I will be at peace at the end of the day. What about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Preserve union and peace.
Do this and your happiness will be so great as to cause you to wonder.
When we live in community, sometimes we can nitpick each others faults and failing or little idiosyncrasies causing a bit of discord and tension in the house. It is not as if we are looking to find big faults, but actually the little things are the things that get to people. The big stuff is often easier to handle. If we take Catherine's words seriously, we will not be the ones to find fault in others. By preserving union and peace we also live a harmonious life. It is amazing how that can happen. So today, I will not find fault in my sister or brother, in my housemate, classmate or neighbor. I will instead, look for the good in everyone and let the little stuff pass on by. I will not dwell there.
Will that be hard? Maybe. But I know I will be at peace at the end of the day. What about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Thursday, December 18, 2008
We are Called...to Do It.
A quote from one of our wisdom figures, Joan Buckham:
We are called not only to imagine what can be done,
but with prayer, discipline and perseverance, to do it.
If we are truly prophetic, then we need to listen to our call and open ourselves to imagination. That's not enough, though, we need to pray about it, look at how we can act and with the discipline and perseverance, do it.
I was reading The Artist's Way, a book about creativity by Julie Cameron, who has several books of creativity. One of the first tenets is to engage in creativity every day without fail. Some days may seem a waste of time, but no, in the long run it is not. We need to hone our imaginations, discipline ourselves to stick with it and have the perseverance to walk through the brain drain, the disparaging remarks from others, those who would sabotage our work and just do it. There is lot there to consider.
Today I am writing in my blogs and dialoging a prayer with the Lord ans I continue my goal of writing "2"- two of anything, just write. What could you do to hone your creativity?
www.sistersofmercy.org
We are called not only to imagine what can be done,
but with prayer, discipline and perseverance, to do it.
If we are truly prophetic, then we need to listen to our call and open ourselves to imagination. That's not enough, though, we need to pray about it, look at how we can act and with the discipline and perseverance, do it.
I was reading The Artist's Way, a book about creativity by Julie Cameron, who has several books of creativity. One of the first tenets is to engage in creativity every day without fail. Some days may seem a waste of time, but no, in the long run it is not. We need to hone our imaginations, discipline ourselves to stick with it and have the perseverance to walk through the brain drain, the disparaging remarks from others, those who would sabotage our work and just do it. There is lot there to consider.
Today I am writing in my blogs and dialoging a prayer with the Lord ans I continue my goal of writing "2"- two of anything, just write. What could you do to hone your creativity?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Submission to the Inevitable
A quote from one of our wisdom figures, Joanna Reagan, biographer of Catherine McAuley:
Submission to the inevitable is requisite for all who are willing to live in peace with mystery.
If we are willing to live with the mystery of what life hold for us, the only way to live it fully, walking into it, is to submit to the inevitable whether it be death, change or aging. These are big factors in my life right now.
One of our elders died last week and she has left a hole in our lives. She was a wisdom figure. Change is another that we must submit to. We cannot stop change. It all depends on whether we are pulled screaming into it or joyfully embracing it and walking with how the change could be. We have this choice. Aging is another factor. When I was much younger I could not wait to get older, to grow up. Today I want to say,"Slow down, aging!" you move too fast in my life. And yet we are only as old as our minds allow us to be. May I never reach my chronological age even if I live to be 100.
Today I am going to ponder, what else do I need to submit. Are there things in my life that I am resisting and cannot come to terms? Is there some area in my life I need to look into deeper?
Submission to the inevitable is requisite for all who are willing to live in peace with mystery.
If we are willing to live with the mystery of what life hold for us, the only way to live it fully, walking into it, is to submit to the inevitable whether it be death, change or aging. These are big factors in my life right now.
One of our elders died last week and she has left a hole in our lives. She was a wisdom figure. Change is another that we must submit to. We cannot stop change. It all depends on whether we are pulled screaming into it or joyfully embracing it and walking with how the change could be. We have this choice. Aging is another factor. When I was much younger I could not wait to get older, to grow up. Today I want to say,"Slow down, aging!" you move too fast in my life. And yet we are only as old as our minds allow us to be. May I never reach my chronological age even if I live to be 100.
Today I am going to ponder, what else do I need to submit. Are there things in my life that I am resisting and cannot come to terms? Is there some area in my life I need to look into deeper?
What about you?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Serve with Your Whole Heart
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
It is Jesus you love and serve with your whole heart.
Catherine was very clear that women did not come to Mercy to follow her, though she was a dynamic person, but rather to serve Jesus through the ministry of serving people. Hers was a different spirituality, one of walking with Jesus in the poor who were served. Hers was a spirituality of being on your feet; prayer in action. That did not mean she neglected times of prayer, but that prayer was enhanced by the ministry. Ministry did not take away from prayer, so she did not have the tension of contemplation verses action. She uniquely combined the two.
Today, that spirituality can be also fostered, but it takes a very clear and specific formation and learning how to blend the two. Often we do one and neglect the other to some extent. With the stresses of today, we also can do violence to ourselves or others by saying I have to take care of self first or the total opposite; we take care of others to the detriment of taking care of ourselves.
The balance is a cutting edge at times. At other times is is a very clear path. Today I will ponder what it is I am doing. How do I balance both and still have a "running with Jesus" attitude that is healthy and life-giving to myself and to others.
How about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
It is Jesus you love and serve with your whole heart.
Catherine was very clear that women did not come to Mercy to follow her, though she was a dynamic person, but rather to serve Jesus through the ministry of serving people. Hers was a different spirituality, one of walking with Jesus in the poor who were served. Hers was a spirituality of being on your feet; prayer in action. That did not mean she neglected times of prayer, but that prayer was enhanced by the ministry. Ministry did not take away from prayer, so she did not have the tension of contemplation verses action. She uniquely combined the two.
Today, that spirituality can be also fostered, but it takes a very clear and specific formation and learning how to blend the two. Often we do one and neglect the other to some extent. With the stresses of today, we also can do violence to ourselves or others by saying I have to take care of self first or the total opposite; we take care of others to the detriment of taking care of ourselves.
The balance is a cutting edge at times. At other times is is a very clear path. Today I will ponder what it is I am doing. How do I balance both and still have a "running with Jesus" attitude that is healthy and life-giving to myself and to others.
How about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Monday, December 15, 2008
Inward Merciful Path
A quote from Patricia Ryan, one of our wisdom women of Mercy:
We are just beginning to discover the inward merciful path.
Mercy has been around for over 175 years, yet we are just beginning to tap what it means for this century. There is a renewal to really look at Catherine McAuley's legacy and her words of wisdom which seem even more appropriate for this century. It's as if we are beginning anew to discover mercy within us.
One of my favorite lines comes from, I believe our Institute president, though I am not sure she penned it. "Perhaps the best Sisters of Mercy has yet to enter!" What great hope that there is someone out there who can emulate Catherine's vision better than any of us today or in the past could ever have dreamed both individually and collectively. What hope that is for me.
Today I wish to ponder what that means as I meet and relate to so many women, both young and older. Is there in our midst the best Sister of Mercy yet to come.
Maybe as you read this, you may be drawn to say, I'd like to be her or I'd like to know her too. Let us look around and also look in our hearts.
http://www.sistersofmercy.org/
We are just beginning to discover the inward merciful path.
Mercy has been around for over 175 years, yet we are just beginning to tap what it means for this century. There is a renewal to really look at Catherine McAuley's legacy and her words of wisdom which seem even more appropriate for this century. It's as if we are beginning anew to discover mercy within us.
One of my favorite lines comes from, I believe our Institute president, though I am not sure she penned it. "Perhaps the best Sisters of Mercy has yet to enter!" What great hope that there is someone out there who can emulate Catherine's vision better than any of us today or in the past could ever have dreamed both individually and collectively. What hope that is for me.
Today I wish to ponder what that means as I meet and relate to so many women, both young and older. Is there in our midst the best Sister of Mercy yet to come.
Maybe as you read this, you may be drawn to say, I'd like to be her or I'd like to know her too. Let us look around and also look in our hearts.
http://www.sistersofmercy.org/
Friday, December 12, 2008
I Am Yours for Time and Eternity
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
My God I am yours for time and eternity.
Today we celebrate Foundation day. On this date in 1831 Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle and Elizabeth Harley professed their vows at the Presentation Convent on Georges Hill. They then returned to the House of Mercy on Baggott and commenced to begin the Sisters of Mercy.
Catherine's' Suscipe (prayer of commitment) which begins with the lines quoted above were very much on my mind today as we Sisters living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa renewed our vows. As Sisters of Mercy we take 4 vows, Poverty,Chastity, Obedience and Service to the Poor, Sick and Uneducated.
Our first Love is the Lord. Our second is service to the poor, the sick and the uneducated which we work out through the other three vows. Today I shall reflect on the history of the Sisters of Mercy, our American founder, Francis X.Warde, the Cedar Rapids founders Mothers Agatha and Gertrude , our leadership in Omaha and our Institute leaders in Silver Spring , MD.
I am also very much aware of the sisters serving in hardship places all over the world, on 6 continents and pray that our work will continue as women are called to join Mercy and be of service in the same way far into the future.
And what about you? How will you promote Mercy today?
www.sistersofmercy.org
My God I am yours for time and eternity.
Today we celebrate Foundation day. On this date in 1831 Catherine McAuley, Mary Ann Doyle and Elizabeth Harley professed their vows at the Presentation Convent on Georges Hill. They then returned to the House of Mercy on Baggott and commenced to begin the Sisters of Mercy.
Catherine's' Suscipe (prayer of commitment) which begins with the lines quoted above were very much on my mind today as we Sisters living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa renewed our vows. As Sisters of Mercy we take 4 vows, Poverty,Chastity, Obedience and Service to the Poor, Sick and Uneducated.
Our first Love is the Lord. Our second is service to the poor, the sick and the uneducated which we work out through the other three vows. Today I shall reflect on the history of the Sisters of Mercy, our American founder, Francis X.Warde, the Cedar Rapids founders Mothers Agatha and Gertrude , our leadership in Omaha and our Institute leaders in Silver Spring , MD.
I am also very much aware of the sisters serving in hardship places all over the world, on 6 continents and pray that our work will continue as women are called to join Mercy and be of service in the same way far into the future.
And what about you? How will you promote Mercy today?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Faithful Provider
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
The Lord and master of our house is a faithful provider.
Sometimes we do not give our Lord enough credit for providing for us. We think of him as trying to keep us austere instead of lush and richly blessed. That is why the Advent readings are so important to us now. They consistently tell of our desert, our parchness and how the lord wants to smooth the way, take down the mountains and bring our deserts into bloom. Today I plan to reflect upon the desert areas in my life and the things of which I make into mountains and let the Lord smooth them out-in his time, not mine.
What deserts and mountains do you have in your life?
www.sistersofmercy.org
The Lord and master of our house is a faithful provider.
Sometimes we do not give our Lord enough credit for providing for us. We think of him as trying to keep us austere instead of lush and richly blessed. That is why the Advent readings are so important to us now. They consistently tell of our desert, our parchness and how the lord wants to smooth the way, take down the mountains and bring our deserts into bloom. Today I plan to reflect upon the desert areas in my life and the things of which I make into mountains and let the Lord smooth them out-in his time, not mine.
What deserts and mountains do you have in your life?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Our Most Important Actions
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
Our most important actions are those which relate to God.
Catherine is again so practical and obvious. If our lives are centred in God, then our most important actions are those which relate to God. Now if we are centered in God all of our actions will relate to God. Is that not our goal in life, to be centered in God?
How do we relate to God? Is God friend, lover and companion? Is God judge? Is God something "out there" rather than in here (heart)? Is God a concept or a relationship?
Perhaps our most important action right now is to look at our relationship with God and determine if we need to strengthen it with prayer. Perhaps we need to ask God to come into our life and help us to live our actions in God's name. I think I will take a little time tonight before sleep to have a talk with God and ask for his help to love him more deeply, more completely that I may live his love tomorrow. What about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Our most important actions are those which relate to God.
Catherine is again so practical and obvious. If our lives are centred in God, then our most important actions are those which relate to God. Now if we are centered in God all of our actions will relate to God. Is that not our goal in life, to be centered in God?
How do we relate to God? Is God friend, lover and companion? Is God judge? Is God something "out there" rather than in here (heart)? Is God a concept or a relationship?
Perhaps our most important action right now is to look at our relationship with God and determine if we need to strengthen it with prayer. Perhaps we need to ask God to come into our life and help us to live our actions in God's name. I think I will take a little time tonight before sleep to have a talk with God and ask for his help to love him more deeply, more completely that I may live his love tomorrow. What about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Conversation Tips
A quote from Catherine McAuley;
Your conversations should be simple, pleasant and useful.
Once again Catherine is so practical. Our conversation should be that which edifies, encourages and is not confusing. We need to be aware to whom we are speaking and be sure we are being understood, whether it means to simplify our vocabulary, to encourage someone and that is is not a put-down, snub,or cynical.
I was talking to a young man the other day who had some very personal and honest things to say to me. As I listened,I was struck by how honest he was and how humbling it was for him, to even speak those words to me. It caused me to reflect on how I speak to others. Am I directly honest (Even if it is painful to me?) and able to speak so that I am understood not only in word but intention? It was a humbling moment for me. Those words became sacred words.
Today look at how you are speaking to people. Do you need to consider Catherine's advice?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Your conversations should be simple, pleasant and useful.
Once again Catherine is so practical. Our conversation should be that which edifies, encourages and is not confusing. We need to be aware to whom we are speaking and be sure we are being understood, whether it means to simplify our vocabulary, to encourage someone and that is is not a put-down, snub,or cynical.
I was talking to a young man the other day who had some very personal and honest things to say to me. As I listened,I was struck by how honest he was and how humbling it was for him, to even speak those words to me. It caused me to reflect on how I speak to others. Am I directly honest (Even if it is painful to me?) and able to speak so that I am understood not only in word but intention? It was a humbling moment for me. Those words became sacred words.
Today look at how you are speaking to people. Do you need to consider Catherine's advice?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Humility Must Be Practical
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
Humility does not consist in words, but in acts; to be real it must be practical.
Humility, a word about which we do not hear too much today. I think that it is a virtue that is as important as patience, maybe even more because true humility remembers the Source of All and gives acknowledgement and glory to our very Source of being-God. Humility may even be more important because as we become more humble and not placing our wants and desires ahead of others and by honoring the God within the other we will become more patient. Humility is in our actions. words are important, but our actions belie our soul and our interior being. To act with humility is hard to do if you don't already have it.
Now just what is humility? It is not humiliation. It is being humble in the face of our God. It is knowing where our gifts and talents come from and giving glory to the One who created us. "It is not I, but you, O Lord who are doing all things within me." That is what humility is for me. And for you?...
www.sistersofmercy.org
Humility does not consist in words, but in acts; to be real it must be practical.
Humility, a word about which we do not hear too much today. I think that it is a virtue that is as important as patience, maybe even more because true humility remembers the Source of All and gives acknowledgement and glory to our very Source of being-God. Humility may even be more important because as we become more humble and not placing our wants and desires ahead of others and by honoring the God within the other we will become more patient. Humility is in our actions. words are important, but our actions belie our soul and our interior being. To act with humility is hard to do if you don't already have it.
Now just what is humility? It is not humiliation. It is being humble in the face of our God. It is knowing where our gifts and talents come from and giving glory to the One who created us. "It is not I, but you, O Lord who are doing all things within me." That is what humility is for me. And for you?...
www.sistersofmercy.org
Friday, November 28, 2008
Journey Connections
This is the first of new series of reflections that I hope to share with you. Many of these will be in the form of poetry. Enjoy...
We come to this earth
connected to our souls
in touch with the eternal
until the moment of our birth.
Journey quest,
remove the barriers.
Where is my soul?
Stumble through the day,
part of the mystery.
What does the soul say?
Learning to love fully,
lavishing soulness,
erasing the blocks,
moving us to a new journey,
cycles and seasons,
ride out the storms
trust in the soul's movement.
Overcoming challenges
fears, angers,
the great disappointments
or the anguish of deep grief
where the journey may flow,
to bring us again to the dance
of the universe where
there is abundance.
It is not in doing,
but in being,
embracing life
with openness
to all that is,
the adventure of the soul
a journey of the heart.
Listen! trust!
We come to this earth
connected to our souls
in touch with the eternal
until the moment of our birth.
Journey quest,
remove the barriers.
Where is my soul?
Stumble through the day,
part of the mystery.
What does the soul say?
Learning to love fully,
lavishing soulness,
erasing the blocks,
moving us to a new journey,
cycles and seasons,
ride out the storms
trust in the soul's movement.
Overcoming challenges
fears, angers,
the great disappointments
or the anguish of deep grief
where the journey may flow,
to bring us again to the dance
of the universe where
there is abundance.
It is not in doing,
but in being,
embracing life
with openness
to all that is,
the adventure of the soul
a journey of the heart.
Listen! trust!
Spiritual Advancement
A quote from Catherine McAuley;
Perhaps silence is wearying to us,
and yet our spiritual advancement is generally most promoted in the hours of silence.
Here it is a desert day, one the days we have each week on this sabbatical. It's a day of not talking, food set out for breakfast, lunch and snacks if we want. No one needs to talk, to be anywhere, or do anything. Just to be is a great blessing. This silence is not wearying. It is in fact, welcomed. We have had so many different speakers and schedules to which we must attend,it is so freeing to just take a long hour or two in prayer and reflection, take a walk or just do laundry.
Today I worked on a poetry book I am creating. It was very reflective, connected to God and to my creative side. Our desert day ends with liturgy which is a quiet liturgy, no music, no homily, just moments of silence so that we can close our day in deeper prayer. Dinner, then is a festive time as is the time afterwards.
I hope that you can have some experience of silence which is not wearying. It's the best way for God to connect to you and you to God, and it is not all that much of a task. Try it sometime. Set aside a half day of not doing anything but resting in the silence. It's great.
www.sistersofmercy.org
Perhaps silence is wearying to us,
and yet our spiritual advancement is generally most promoted in the hours of silence.
Here it is a desert day, one the days we have each week on this sabbatical. It's a day of not talking, food set out for breakfast, lunch and snacks if we want. No one needs to talk, to be anywhere, or do anything. Just to be is a great blessing. This silence is not wearying. It is in fact, welcomed. We have had so many different speakers and schedules to which we must attend,it is so freeing to just take a long hour or two in prayer and reflection, take a walk or just do laundry.
Today I worked on a poetry book I am creating. It was very reflective, connected to God and to my creative side. Our desert day ends with liturgy which is a quiet liturgy, no music, no homily, just moments of silence so that we can close our day in deeper prayer. Dinner, then is a festive time as is the time afterwards.
I hope that you can have some experience of silence which is not wearying. It's the best way for God to connect to you and you to God, and it is not all that much of a task. Try it sometime. Set aside a half day of not doing anything but resting in the silence. It's great.
www.sistersofmercy.org
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Gratitude
Today I am not reflecting upon a quote from Catherine McAuley; rather since it is Thanksgiving day, here are a few nuggets of thought.
Gratitude is an attitude... I think this is one of the most important pieces of ideals to live by because it reminds us that all of life is a gift, starting with life itself. as someone once said, 'Consider the alternative." We have life, not matter how good or how bad it is. There are people in this world who have it worse than we do. Sometimes that is hard to imagine if one has gone through a loss,or live in pain or depression. our pain is real, and yet we can rise above it with an attitude of gratitude.
"If the only prayer you say is 'Thank you', that is enough." (Meister Ekhart)... We have said our prayers for years. we have asked for many things, praised God and even now and then said we were sorry. but the prayer of gratitude brings us to the realization that we have everything as gift and that God is the ultimate giver, the source of all that we have and all that we are. what a wonderful way to simply acknowledge it-thank you!.
And what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I started a list which we presented at out liturgy this morning filling the cornucopia with list of thanks...family, friends, community, God, health,,skills and talents, and many other things. Today make a list of 20 thing for which you you are thankful.
www.sistersofmercy.org
Gratitude is an attitude... I think this is one of the most important pieces of ideals to live by because it reminds us that all of life is a gift, starting with life itself. as someone once said, 'Consider the alternative." We have life, not matter how good or how bad it is. There are people in this world who have it worse than we do. Sometimes that is hard to imagine if one has gone through a loss,or live in pain or depression. our pain is real, and yet we can rise above it with an attitude of gratitude.
"If the only prayer you say is 'Thank you', that is enough." (Meister Ekhart)... We have said our prayers for years. we have asked for many things, praised God and even now and then said we were sorry. but the prayer of gratitude brings us to the realization that we have everything as gift and that God is the ultimate giver, the source of all that we have and all that we are. what a wonderful way to simply acknowledge it-thank you!.
And what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving? I started a list which we presented at out liturgy this morning filling the cornucopia with list of thanks...family, friends, community, God, health,,skills and talents, and many other things. Today make a list of 20 thing for which you you are thankful.
www.sistersofmercy.org
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Speak of God
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
Speak of God, for God and with God.
Catherine, in her practical sensibility, again says the obvious and the challenging. Speak of God; be a witness to God in your life. Speak for God; be aware of God in your life and make it known by the way you live. Speak with God; take time each day to speak with God in prayer.
To do this one has to have a relationship with God. That can only come when you have taken the time to listen, to speak and to be silent before God. You cannot speak of God if you do not know God. you cannot be a witness to God if you have not had a "God experience", something that has changed your life.
Today I will take stock of how I speak for God and of God since I already speak to God each day. I still have a long way to go to be that witness by my very words and actions. And how about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Speak of God, for God and with God.
Catherine, in her practical sensibility, again says the obvious and the challenging. Speak of God; be a witness to God in your life. Speak for God; be aware of God in your life and make it known by the way you live. Speak with God; take time each day to speak with God in prayer.
To do this one has to have a relationship with God. That can only come when you have taken the time to listen, to speak and to be silent before God. You cannot speak of God if you do not know God. you cannot be a witness to God if you have not had a "God experience", something that has changed your life.
Today I will take stock of how I speak for God and of God since I already speak to God each day. I still have a long way to go to be that witness by my very words and actions. And how about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Are You Carrying or Pushing the Cross?
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
The promise:"My yoke is sweet and My burden light." is a conditional one; it is not made to those who drag the Cross after them, who almost push it from them.
Sometimes we do not like talking about the crosses we are burdened with and we certainly do not like carrying them! Yet, because we are human, we do have crosses to carry. The question is, are we dragging or pushing it instead of carrying it? If we think about this for a moment, there are some subtle differences.
If we drag it, it becomes our ball and chain or drudge, one we hold onto and do not lift high. If we push it, we are trying to escape it, keep it away from us as much as possible. Sometimes in pushing it we push it into the far recesses of our consciousness where it will emerge some day. If we carry it, we accept it, know it is there, lift it high in prayer and know that the Lord is taking the other end of it. The burden is so much lighter!
So today, I am going to look at the crosses in my life. Just to name them, gives me hold over them and then I will ask the Lord to carry part of then with me. Together I know we can go on, for He promised that the burden would be lighter.
What about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
The promise:"My yoke is sweet and My burden light." is a conditional one; it is not made to those who drag the Cross after them, who almost push it from them.
Sometimes we do not like talking about the crosses we are burdened with and we certainly do not like carrying them! Yet, because we are human, we do have crosses to carry. The question is, are we dragging or pushing it instead of carrying it? If we think about this for a moment, there are some subtle differences.
If we drag it, it becomes our ball and chain or drudge, one we hold onto and do not lift high. If we push it, we are trying to escape it, keep it away from us as much as possible. Sometimes in pushing it we push it into the far recesses of our consciousness where it will emerge some day. If we carry it, we accept it, know it is there, lift it high in prayer and know that the Lord is taking the other end of it. The burden is so much lighter!
So today, I am going to look at the crosses in my life. Just to name them, gives me hold over them and then I will ask the Lord to carry part of then with me. Together I know we can go on, for He promised that the burden would be lighter.
What about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Receiving the Ungrateful
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
Mercy receives the ungrateful again and again, and is never weary in pardoning them.
I've been a teacher for a good number of years and I know that many times I have ungrateful students in my classes. Some do not care to receive correction, others do not seem to respond to kind words, others do not see the hard work put into creating a warm and caring classroom, neat and decorative. They just assume it will be there. In some ways the assuming is a good thing be cause it is a place of safety. But sometimes I have wondered if it is worth all the effort.
There are spats, words said that have been not necessarily rude, but bordering on them and yet we continue to minister to the children. As I share my philosophy, "Each day is a new day", it helps those who need a new start to have it.
I wonder, though how it is in my personal life. Do I do the same for the Sisters with whom I live? Do I do the same for my peers or co-workers or the annoying person in my life? This gives me something to ponder today as I go about the day. and what about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Mercy receives the ungrateful again and again, and is never weary in pardoning them.
I've been a teacher for a good number of years and I know that many times I have ungrateful students in my classes. Some do not care to receive correction, others do not seem to respond to kind words, others do not see the hard work put into creating a warm and caring classroom, neat and decorative. They just assume it will be there. In some ways the assuming is a good thing be cause it is a place of safety. But sometimes I have wondered if it is worth all the effort.
There are spats, words said that have been not necessarily rude, but bordering on them and yet we continue to minister to the children. As I share my philosophy, "Each day is a new day", it helps those who need a new start to have it.
I wonder, though how it is in my personal life. Do I do the same for the Sisters with whom I live? Do I do the same for my peers or co-workers or the annoying person in my life? This gives me something to ponder today as I go about the day. and what about you?
www.sistersofmercy.org
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Unseen Mortifications
A quote from Catherine McAuley:
Little unseen mortifications practiced habitually, being unknown save to God, have a great advantage over those which excite vanity by their very arduousness.
This is a quote that seems to resonate with me very easily. I am of the mind that perfection is not found in doing everything so perfectly-all the virtues- and then some, but rather in doing what you can with great love. Let God perfect it!
By doing little things, little mortifications we begin to detach ourselves from all sorts of things that can get in the way of growing in relationship with God. I don't think God is really concerned about how many time you have been impatient. I think God is more interested in how you have been patient and how you are growing in love for the other through patience. It's just a bit of a different mindset, but one with which we can connect, without guilt.
Catherine was way ahead of her time. She saw that doing the little thing was of greater benefit than the larger showy thing. Of course the showier it is, the more people notice. That in itself is a red flag that there are other motivations involved.
So today I will look at how I just do the little deprivations for a greater love-like using lukewarm water to wash my face instead of letting the water run until it is perfectly hot, or drinking the water from the tap even it if is not ice cold. There are numerous ways you could act on this if you are creative.
What can you do today to practice small mortification without being noticed? Beware, though of trying to practice them to escape people's notice only to chalk them up in some sort of competition. There is no competition, only love's higher motive.
www.sistersofmercy.org
Little unseen mortifications practiced habitually, being unknown save to God, have a great advantage over those which excite vanity by their very arduousness.
This is a quote that seems to resonate with me very easily. I am of the mind that perfection is not found in doing everything so perfectly-all the virtues- and then some, but rather in doing what you can with great love. Let God perfect it!
By doing little things, little mortifications we begin to detach ourselves from all sorts of things that can get in the way of growing in relationship with God. I don't think God is really concerned about how many time you have been impatient. I think God is more interested in how you have been patient and how you are growing in love for the other through patience. It's just a bit of a different mindset, but one with which we can connect, without guilt.
Catherine was way ahead of her time. She saw that doing the little thing was of greater benefit than the larger showy thing. Of course the showier it is, the more people notice. That in itself is a red flag that there are other motivations involved.
So today I will look at how I just do the little deprivations for a greater love-like using lukewarm water to wash my face instead of letting the water run until it is perfectly hot, or drinking the water from the tap even it if is not ice cold. There are numerous ways you could act on this if you are creative.
What can you do today to practice small mortification without being noticed? Beware, though of trying to practice them to escape people's notice only to chalk them up in some sort of competition. There is no competition, only love's higher motive.
www.sistersofmercy.org
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