November

Today, the church celebrates the Feast of All Saints, those “unofficial” saints who have dwelt among us ... perhaps famous, or perhaps only known to our circle of friends and family. As I reflected on this feast to prepare to write this reflection, I remembered my deep connection to the communion of saintsthat I experienced last year.

Whenever I am on retreat at the Jesuit Center in PA, I spend time each day in the garden by the cloister walk. In the center of the garden is a fountain. Most of the ground and paths in the garden are covered by tiny stones of various shapes and colors. Over the years, these garden stones have come to represent for me the communion of saints- each one unique, yet coming together and surrounding this fountain - this Font of Life bubbling up in their midst. 

Last summer, I felt deeply this “great cloud of witnesses” throughout my retreat. Some were people who had passed (my parents, along with my cousin who had recently died, were very present to me.) I felt the prayers and support of friends. My family was there, and I marveled at the connection I developed that week with my grandnephew who would be born later that year. I was even touched by a stranger who donated a book to the library and wrote an inscription in it, as well as signing her name (The book was appropriately called The Garden of the Prophetby Kahlil Gibran!)

One day while I was sitting in the garden, a tiny feather floated down in front of me. I caught it, and after a few moments blew it off my hand and watched it gently fall to the ground. What followed was a powerful sense of connection to the communion of saints that I was sitting in the midst of. I share with you a part of what I heard:

“... We are all feathers on the breath of God - those on the other side even more so ... We live on in your heart and in God’s heart. Even those of us still in earthly bodies or in bodies not yet born. We live in you. A piece of our heart is in yours, just as a piece of your heart is in ours. Let us love you. Let God’s breath continue to lift you and carry you ... God continues to write your story, and ... each one of us has been - is - and will be - a part of that story. Let us love you.”

May you feel, this day, and all days, 

the presence and guidance of the communion of saints. 

May you feel their love for you. 

May you especially feel God’s love for you!

In communion,

Mary Pollini

In this reading from Philippians St. Paul makes crystal clear how we must live by setting before us the life of Jesus Christ our precious Lord. As Catholics and Christians we know in the depth of our hearts what qualities are needed to be a great leader and how necessary those qualities are to make love, life and peace grow.  Qualities like humility, the courage to admit of themselves they are not enough we name that “poor in spirit.” Qualities like letting go of needing to be in control and dying to selfish desires in order to be open to the needs of God’s people.

I’m sure by now most have gathered information, listened and prayed and used their God given common sense to choose a candidate. And hopefully most people will avail themselves to the blessing of freedom, privilege and responsibility we have in the USA and will (or have) cast a vote for 2020.  We do our best and leave the rest to God.  Without making a judgment on their hearts when someone asks me “Who are you voting for” I answer" Well, it’s not easy but I can’t believe in this whole United States of America these are the best 2 we can come up with."  Martin Lither said it very well, “There is some good in the worst of us and some evil in the best of us. When we discover this, we are less prone to hate our enemies.”  Our hope is in the Lord and we believe that “God brings good out of all things…”  “Thank you Jesus,” as my mother always said. 

In good conscience I voted and laid hands on my ballot before I put it in the ballot box.  Then I wrapped my arms around the whole ballot box and blessed it.  As I turned and left I kept looking around thinking wouldn’t it be crazy if police cars came screeching around the corner thinking I was tampering with the ballots.  Oh Lord!

We the people have certainly been rocked this year in America by the pandemic and all the pain it brings as well an election for president of the United States where candidates implode on one another like nothing we have ever seen leaving many of us to wonder where are we going as a country if our leaders are scratching and clawing at one another.

Sounds like I am being negative?  No I’m not in fact it is a reality.  But the bigger and more important Reality is that we follow the True King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior the Source of all life and joy! Amen

How is that for a rally chant!

Philippians 2:5-11

   Brothers and sisters:
Have among yourselves the same attitude 
that is also yours in Christ Jesus,
Who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and, found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

 In Mercy,

Anna Graziano

What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?

Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?

 Loss and search are the themes for today… and for this month…and especially for this year.

Three years ago on this day I was searching through albums for particular family photos, searching for the most relevant scripture readings, and searching for hymns and prayer cards that resonated with special meaning as I prepared for the wake and funeral of my dear husband. My loss was (and still is!) great as I searched out the comforting presence of family and friends.

Today my search is for insight and guidance in these very challenging times.  Traditionally I’ve hosted my children and grandsons for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  What is the safe and prudent thing to do this year?  Whose advice do we follow?  Do we risk getting together when some of us are in the “vulnerable” groups, or do I disappoint especially the grandsons who have had to miss out on so much already this year?   Regardless of the decision, will I regret it later? When I searched for some peaceful reflection near “my” waterfall, I even found myself envying the families of geese who were able to be all together!

Many of us have shared our search over the last few months for ways to cope with all the losses we’ve experienced since this pandemic arrived. We’ve searched for ways to connect with one another when we can’t be physically present.  We’ve searched for ways to use our time in the best way possible for ourselves and others.  We search the scriptures and other spiritual and inspirational writings for insight, comfort, and strength.

And, of course, our scientists and researchers are continually searching for vaccines and treatments that our world so desperately needs and wants.

And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 

And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
‘Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost.’ 

May we all have reason very soon to call our family, friends and neighbors together to say “rejoice with me because what I have lost has been found!”

In search of peace and rejoicing,

Kathi Camporini

What Does My Soul Thirst For?

 Today’s Psalm refrain “My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord, My God” comes from Psalm 63 (see below) and is one of my favorites. I must confess that, until today, I prayed over this passage without asking myself, “what am I really thirsting for?”

The simple answer would be to mirror the psalm itself:

            “Thus I will bless you while I live;

            Lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.

            As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,

            And with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.”

I must dig deeper. Is this always true for me? Now I admit, that I am human and I do fall short of purity. I do not always put God first as the 10 Commandments ask of me. My soul does thirst for other things. 

The primary craving that comes to mind right now is coffee. 

I delve further. I think back to this morning. It hurt to get out of bed. My joints screamed and creaked with each step. In my head, I pleaded with God to help my body. “Please Lord, I’m only 33, why do I feel like I’m 93?” The hot water from the shower helped for an hour, but not long enough. This…this is my deepest thirst outside of loving God. My thirsts for good health.

Naming my desires and bringing them before God in prayer is the initial step to healing my soul. I want my deepest thirst and necessity to be for God. There will always be other wants and needs, that’s just human nature (gee…thanks Adam and Eve).  

As long as I am open and honest with God, and with myself – my soul can be whole and thirst for God in all matters, “and in the shadow of Your wings I will shout for joy”.

PSALM 63

 My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

O God, You are my God whom I seek;

For you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts

Like the earth, parched lifeless and without water. 

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary

To see your power and your glory,

For your kindness is a greater good than life;

My lips shall glorify you. 

Thus I will bless you while I live;

Lifting up my hand, I will call upon your name.

As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,

And with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. 

I will remember you upon my couch,

And through the night-watches I will meditate on you;

You are my help,

And in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy. 

 In Mercy,

Jennifer Paragano

"Pray as if everything depended upon God. Act as if everything depended upon you." 

This quotation, and close variations of it, have been attributed to Saint Augustine of Hippo (354- 430), Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491- 1556) and John Wesley (1703-1791).  Yet, this ancient piece of wisdom indeed speaks directly to our hearts today, in 2020.

It is speaking to me right now.  Throughout my first 42 years of life, I have very rarely prayed.  I was not really taught to pray.  One barrier to me praying has been the notion in my mind that I should not ask God to do what God has already given me the power to do.  For example, if I really focus on it, there might be steps I can take that would make achieving what I hope for more likely.

However, I now realize that I should pray.  This has been a fairly recent realization for me.  I do believe I, and all humans, have been given great ability when we are resolved, and when we act with faith.  Importantly, the key words here are "with faith".  Our actions are more meaningful when we have engaged in prayer and contemplation.   I now believe 1) It is good to be in communication with God, and prayer is a primary way to do this . 2) As much as I need to motivate myself to act (to change myself and change the world for the better), I must also surrender to God, to realize that there are some things beyond my power, and to speak to God about this.

For me, another barrier to praying has been that I have wanted to reserve prayer for only what is most important.  However, I now realize that every person's life is important, so if I pray for the peace of one person, I am praying in fact for a more peaceful world.  "Save a life, and you save the world", states the Talmud, an ancient Jewish text.

When I met with the Rabbi of my temple a couple of years ago, I explained to him my hesitation to pray, that I have been grappling with.  He listened. Then he gently suggested that one of my prayers could be: 'God, help me to realize, heed and to use most prudently the strength, ability, and gifts You have already placed in me, and have already entrusted me with'.

I feel I truly stand at the beginning of finally praying and meditating.  I also stand on the verge of expanding the compassionate, loving actions I take.  I do not need to be afraid to pray.  It is okay, in fact good, to pray.  As I once was afraid to make friends and be in the presence of people, I have likewise been shy about approaching God.  But there are many fruits that result from doing so.  In fact, life, and these times, call us to seek the presence of God, and to spend time tarrying with God and God's peace.

When I pray, I need to make sure I absorb my prayer.  I want to let what I pray gradually seep into my soul.  I need to do my part in focusing on my consciousness, and let God do God's part.   I must realize that each human can only do so much.  Yet, still our little role can be, just that: "so much", when we are partners with God.  I don't ask for God to hand the answers to all of my prayers immediately over to me on a silver platter.  I realize I need to concentrate, to be still, and then to act, as a partner with God.  I feel we are all called to be "an instrument of God's peace", in the way of the Prayer of Saint Francis.

Christian recording artist Matthew West's 2012 song "Do Something" touches upon the human action portion, of the prayer and human action connection.  The lyrics include:  "I woke up this morning, saw a world full of trouble now, I thought: how did we ever get so far down?, and how's it ever gonna turn around?... so I shook my fist at heaven, and said 'God, why don't You do something?' He said, 'I did, I created you'", West writes.

May we all find the sacred strength to both pray, and act, linking together for healing in this world.

"Pray as if everything depended upon God.  Act as if everything depended upon you."  How does this speak to you?

 In humility and peace,
 Michael Loberfeld
 michaelswritingNJ@aol.com
 

We live in a time of turmoil and destruction, whether it be from the pandemic, racial unrest, deep political division, extreme weather, devastating forest fires, restrictions regarding gathering with friends and families, attending mass with masks on, and not being able to hug or touch those whom we love. All of this can at times, cause me to slip into despair.  

When I reflect on the difficulties of 2020, I am reminded of the life of Julian of Norwich, a woman who was born in England in 1343.  She lived through the Black Death Plague and also survived the deadly Peasants Revolt both of which took the lives of many citizens of the day.  Julian became seriously ill at the age of 30.  While she lay on her deathbed she had visions of the Passion of Christ.  She writes about these visions in her book, “Revelations of Love”. Julian’s central belief was no matter what sufferings we may undergo in this life, God will make all things well. “All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well” 

My husband Marty and I endured a number of difficult years when he was diagnosed with severe dementia. For the most part we lived each day as best we could, knowing that our faith in God was the only anchor on which we could truly rely.  However, when the illness began to rapidly take its toll, I began feeling more overwhelmed as the primary caregiver and I felt frightened and unprepared for what was to come.  

Marty loved music, so I often recorded musical programs from TV shows to play for him.  Around Christmas time I recorded a PBS special that featured a Christmas concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.  A story about the Spafford family was acted out with music. The Spaffords were a prominent family that lived in the 1800’s but their lives changed profoundly when their only son died of scarlet fever at the age of four.  A year later they lost their house and all of their belongings in a horrendous fire. Horatio decided to take his wife and three remaining daughters on a holiday to England to get away from their troubles.  A business development kept Horatio from joining his family on their ocean liner headed to France but his plan was to follow them as soon as possible.  A deadly collision ships took the lives of their three remaining daughters, leaving only his wife Anna alive.  When Horatio was reunited with his wife, they were overcome with grief. It was then that he wrote a beautiful hymn, IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL.  

When I played the Christmas program that I had recorded, Marty was unresponsive, but I was overwhelmed by the strong faith of this grieving couple that had lost everything.  Their faith in spite of their own losses inspired me in the midst of my own despair.  I played the music many times over and it reminded me that God is ever at my side and all shall be well.  Click to listen:  https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg5O2y1UXw4&feature=share

Nothing therefore can come between us and the love of God   Romans 8 

All Shall Be Well,

Nancy Dowd