September

Divine Mirror

I find it easier to see God’s reflection in others, but seeing God in myself can sometimes seem impossible. When I am feeling angry, ungrateful, ugly, fearful, anxious, lonely, unworthy, etc.,  I have found comfort in the words of Richard Rohr in Chapter 17 of “The Universal Christ”.  He provides some thoughts about The Divine Mirror that are helpful to me.  I am highlighting a few of Richard's meditations to share with you today.

God is a mirror big enough to receive everything,

            And every single part of you,

Just as it is, rejecting nothing , adjusting nothing.

 
God always sees and loves the God in you.  

 
All is received whether we believe it or not,

You do not have to see the sun to know that it is still shining. 

Everything finally belongs and you are a part of it.   

 
Let The Divine Mirror receive you, all of you.  

Just sit quietly and ponder some of these words.  Imagine God gazing at you and saying “I love you just the way you are, all is well” There is nothing you can do to change that.  It just is!

With loving thoughts,

Nancy Dowd

In today’s Gospel of Luke, we hear the story of Peter fishing all night yet unable to catch any fish. At Jesus’s prompting, he was asked to “put out his net in to deep water and lower your net for a catch.” Peter, an experienced fisherman, was reluctant to do as Jesus had asked but complied.  To Peter’s astonishment, he “caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing.” Jesus finished by saying, “Do not be afraid from now on you will be catching men.”

I have heard that Gospel countless times. In June of this year, I was blessed to attend a job-related retreat featuring Dr. Dianne Traflet called "From Exhaustion to Inspiration: How to Discover Oases of Graces in Trying Times." Dianne reframed the gospel readings of the miraculous fishing episodesto expand and elevate my Catholic faith to anticipate miracles. Dianne presented a step-by-step formula to answer the question, “Where is Jesus?”. The first step is to recognize that Jesus is there with us in our “boat” of messes and problems.  We need to get in that boat, push out a little further, and persevere. This next step is a lesson in patience, we have to stop, truly stop, then listen to the Word of God. That means spending more time with Him at mass, going to Eucharistic adoration, and praying more. The hardest step is to let go, cast out your “net” of the problem further and deeper. Finally, as Dianne says, “wait for the miracle.” I was impressed with this formula and began using these steps trying to anticipate a miracle not imagining a real one could take place. 

My 36-year-old niece was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer last year. My family was devastated by the news.  We placed her name on countless prayer lists.  Her prognosis was not promising yet an aggressive treatment plan was strongly recommended. My niece was fearless and did the medical treatment with all its negative side effects, physically and emotionally. The surgical plan was the last part. With a team of specialty surgeons, a ten-hour surgery would remove her tumor but drastically change her future and require extensive medical care. My niece “cast out her net further” and sought a second opinion. In delaying the surgery, my family and I were terrified that the cancer would spread more. In trusting her instincts, God gave us a miracle, the tumor was gone!! Gratitude was in abundance and our prayers answered. I proclaimed this episode as a miracle.

This miracle taught me so much. I am a prayerful person but I wasn’t truly embracing what our God of abundance can do. I now anticipate miracles, knowing God is present every day in our lives. By trusting and being open to His benevolent love, He will supply the graces we need to do as Peter was commanded “to put out his net into deep water and lower your net for a catch.”  I wait for more miracles and I hope you do too.

In Christ’s love,                

Anne Mendez

"Love does no evil to the neighbor, hence love is the fulfillment of the law."  Romans 13:10

The Christian concept of loving one another in Christ can often seem like a daunting task or one that seems somewhat perplexing to a nonbeliever.  How is it that you love someone in Christ?  However, what I ask you believer is this, “How is that you do not love someone?”

We are all called to love one another; it is the second of the two greatest commandments that Jesus himself spoke to his people. We are his people. 

We are created as loving beings.

We are created in love, for love and to love. 

God made us in his image and likeness in order to love and be loved.  Make no mistake about that. He created us in His goodness.  "God looked at everything he had made and found it very good”. Genesis 1:31

The mystery of the vastness of God, who God is and who he is to and for us seems incomprehensible to the human mind. Yet, each and every moment of our existence we are held inside this very vastness without ever touching it. Everything we do every moment of every day is a result of God loving us, God loving life into us.  

God loves us into being and it is the Almighty who keeps breathing that life into us -like the tiny grain of sand that finds its way into the oyster shell.   After years and years of being tossed about and washed in the enormity of the sea - that very sea who carries it and the shell who protects it- a beautiful pearl emerges. And the one who finds this precious pearl is thrilled at this treasure and recognizes the rarity of its’ find. 

It is with this same awareness and understanding of the heart that one can understand and enter into the profound mystery of Christ’s love.  Loving in Christ, standing for Christ - the pearl among the empty oyster shells. 

That is who we are as baptized Christians. That is who we are called to be each and every moment. 

And so it goes rare and precious pearl, I ask you again, “ How do you not love someone?”

In Mercy,

Joanne Carey

The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today the church celebrates the birthday of our Blessed Mother! This is one of the three birthdays in the Church Calendar: The Birth of Jesus (December 25), the Birth of John the Baptist (June 24) and the Birthday of Mary. Although Mary’s birth is not recorded in sacred scripture, the Church has celebrated her birthday from the earliest times according to an ancient document known as the Gospel of St. James (or the Proto-evangelium). 

In Matthew’s Gospel (Mt 1:1-16, 18-23), the genealogy of Jesus Christ acts as a bridge between the Old and New Testament.  Beginning with Abraham, the lineage progressesto the birth of Jesus, Emmanuel, “God is with us!” Like any family tree, these names are important so we understand whose we are, where we come from and where we are going.  St. John Paul II wrote about the special role the Blessed Virgin Mary and Joseph played in God’s plan for salvation:

“We see that at the beginning of the New Testament, as at the beginning of the Old, there is a married couple. But whereas Adam and Eve were the source of evil which was unleashed on the world, Joseph and Mary are the summit from which holiness spreads all over the earth. The Savior began the work of salvation by this virginal and holy union, wherein is manifested his all-powerful will to purify and sanctify the family, that sanctuary of love and cradle of life.” —Redemptoris Custo

At Calvary, Jesus publicly proclaimed Mary as our spiritual mother. And from that moment she has been interceding for her spiritual children across the centuries.Recently I read, Mary at the Crossroads of History,by Rev. Francis Hoffman, better known as Fr. Rocky to Relevant Radio listeners. His book details Mary’s intercession at pivotal moments throughout history in response to the prayer of Christians worldwide!

When we turn to Mary the model disciple, she teaches us to trust in God even when all hope seems gone, to surrender to His will and to love her son, the son of God. Mary helps us on our journey of faith and she leads us on the pathof devotion to Jesus. When we ask for Mary intercession she magnifies our love for God, as sung in her beautiful hymn of praise, the Magnificat! St.John Paul II encouraged praying the rosary,so we may contemplate the face of Christ through the eyes and heart of Mary. 

I’ve recognized Mary’s presence in my life, at pivotal and mundane moments. But it was twenty-eight years ago that I came to know this Feast day, on the day my father died. Knowing my father shares his anniversary with our Blessed Mother is a source of joy and consolation for me. Today we give thanks for Mary, and her willingness to serve God. With Mary’s humble “yes” we receive the great gift of salvation, a turning point in history! I cannot think of a better way to celebrate the Feast of the Nativity of Mary today then by spending time with our Blessed Mother!

“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

Joyful in His name,

Joanne Fezza

FINDING HOPE IN THE WAITING….

PSALM 40, VERSE 2-3…FROM PSALMS FOR PRAYING BY NAN MERRILL

“I WAITED PATIENTLY FOR THE BELOVED, WHO CAME TO ME AND HEARD MY CRY.  LOVE RAISED ME FROM THE PITS OF DESPAIR, OUT OF CONFUSION AND FEAR, AND SET MY FEET UPON A ROCK, MAKING MY STEPS SECURE.”

I once read in a book…”I felt like I was standing on the edge of a snow covered field, looking out and asking God, Where is the path? And God said, Walk across it and there will be one.”  I don’t remember the book or the author, but a few years later I saw myself standing on the edge of that field.  It was the day that I was sitting on a cushion on the floor beneath the tabernacle in the Mount Saint Mary House of Prayer Chapel.  I desperately needed a message from God.  I had just completed radiation and chemotherapy for breast cancer.  As I looked more closely at the tabernacle, there etched in stone on the tabernacle door was the word HOPE.

Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever had an experience of standing on the edge of a snow covered field not knowing where, or if, to step forward…needing a clear message from God?  So many of us have had feelings of despair, confusion and fear right now during this time of pandemic.  This liminal space has us waiting on the threshold, standing still on the edge, remembering and cherishing much of the past and not knowing what the future holds.  Have you, like me, been looking for God’s messages?  

As I write, my granddaughter is into her third day of Covid-19.   I find myself asking…Is this a path of waiting for her, Lord?  What am I called to be or to do as I wait with her from a distance?  I invite her to ask You to take away her fear and to give her peace and hope as she awaits the exit of this virus from her young body.  However we want Your response NOW!  We want a clear message of HOPE, Lord.   We are impatient in our waiting.

Waiting is hard for all of us.  And yet, I remember that Noah had to wait for the flood waters to recede; Daniel waited through the night in the den of lions; Sarah waited for a child; the Israelites waited in Egypt and 40 more years in the desert; Mary waited for the birth of her son, Jesus; and the father of the prodigal son waited for his return…so just as they waited, we too must wait.  May we see that waiting is not a bad place to be, but rather an invitation to begin to get a glimpse of a patient God…one that makes a home within us, shares in our experience and secures our steps.   Where are you FINDING HOPE IN YOUR WAITING?  

In Mercy,

Paulette Cicero

“Then Peter went up to him and said, “Lord. How often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me?  As often as seven times?”  Jesus answered, “Not seven, I tell you but seven times seventy seven times.”

Matthew 18:21-35

At that point I saw Peter slap himself in the head saying to himself, “Oy vey.  He must be kidding.  Seventy times seven!”  

Forgiveness can often be a difficult task for us because of the emotional pain attached to the events and the many misunderstandings and blocks to forgiving others. For example believing that forgiveness is a weakness or I just can’t – it doesn’t make sense.   C.S. Lewis said “To love at all is to be vulnerable.  The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from all dangers and perturbations of love is hell.”

As a spiritual director I hear so often “he was wrong and should apologize first.”   Or “she will think I am saying she was right when that’s not what I mean.”    And if there are others involved in the event and you choose to forgive unlike the “group” the fear is that you will be left out from that moment on or often times in a family situation the fear of being ostracized is just too painful to bear.   So you go along against your heart that says, “love, forgive.”  I’m sure you get the picture.

Matt and Denis Lynn and Sheila Fabricant Lynn say in their book Don’t Forgive Too Soon “Forgiveness means we renounce vengeance and retaliation, but it does not mean passive acquiescence to abuse.  Forgiveness is offering our oppressor our wish for their highest good… But does not mean there must be a relationship again.  Sometimes the only way to remain loving is to end the relationship."

And Fr Martin Padavoni, DWM writes in his book Healing Wounded Emotions that “Forgiveness is a decision made in the intellect, worked out in the emotions and confirmed in the Spirit.”

So often we hurt one another unintentionally. What you say!  I never did!  Well, no one is perfect, true?

Here is a story:  A man goes to the doctor with headaches every night.  The doctor asks him, “Do you smoke?”  The man answers angrily, “No!  Those people that smoke stink up the world.”  Doctor asks him, “Do you drink?”  The man insulted shouts, “No way.  Awful people that get drunk.”  Doctor asks, “Do you cheat on your wife.”  The man gets up indignantly and shouts. “NO!  Horrible cheaters.  The doctor says, “ I know what your problem is.  You have your halo on too tight!”

       “The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart  

       of every human being.”      Aleksandr Solzhenitzyn

Prayer is important in the forgiveness process, so is gathering helpful information and good to even seek professional help. Certainly a spiritual director to help you to listen to the voice of the Spirit calling you to freedom and peace.

Jesus came that we might have a full life, free life and a life open to receive love from others open to the tremendous healing love from our God, the Source of all life.

“Forgiveness is the answer to a child’s dream of a miracle by which what is broken is made whole again, what is soiled is again made clean. The dream explains why we need to be forgiven, and why we must forgive.  In the presence of God nothing stands between Him and us-we are forgiven.  But we cannot feel the presence if anything is allowed to stand between ourselves and others.”         Dag Hammarskjold, Markings

In Mercy,

Anna Graziano

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.  

Recently, so many people have known the sorrow Mary experienced as she watched her precious child die.  I think especially of those who have been witness to, or have seen the videos of, their loved one murdered in the streets.  So much violence and hate has caused immense grief and pain all over our country and our world.  Mary watched as Jesus was tortured and executed by the civil authorities of His time in their form of capital punishment.  During this year capital punishment has returned to jurisdictions in our country, and family members are experiencing that same loss.  Refugees and immigrants fleeing violence or poverty in their countries and hoping for a better life for their children are watching those children be taken from them, be sent back to almost certain death, or die along the way, trying to avoid the obstacles created to exclude them.  And, of course, Covid 19 has claimed the lives of so many who have left behind those who mourn them. “How many deaths will it take ‘til we know that too many people have died?” (Bob Dylan:  "Blowing in the Wind")

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.” (John 19:25)

In this beautiful print by Sr. Helen Brancato we see “the women who stayed.”  Mary had the support of her friends to comfort her, to grieve with her, and to lend her their support.  I’m sure they hugged and embraced her—something so cruelly denied to so many this year for fear of spreading infection.  And so that love, concern, and compassion had to find other ways to be expressed.  The “Wall of Moms” that began in Portland Oregon has since spread to many other cities where peaceful BLM protestors have themselves become targets.  This grassroots movement began with one woman who wanted to express her solidarity with others whom she didn’t even know personally.  Likewise, the Moms Demand Action group was started as an empathetic response to Sandy Hook to work for an end to gun violence in our country—and they continue to spread this important message now as well.

As the first reading today tells us, we are all one body.  We may each have different gifts, but in Christ we are one with everyone and none of our gifts is superior to any other.  We are called to discern what those gifts are and strive to use them for the greater good of all—no one else should determine what role we must play. Do we truly believe that “In one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body--Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it?”  If so, do we see ourselves in others and act in solidarity with compassion for those who are hurting? Will we stand with Our Lady of Sorrows at the foot of today’s crosses?

“We are God’s hands, we are God’s eyes, we are God’s mind, we are God’s heart”(from “Hands” by Jewel).

In Mercy,

Kathi Camporini