communitas et caritas

Voicing Our Dreams

2012-01-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

Giving Voice January 2012

Last weekend, eighteen young women religious from (I think) fifteen different congregations came together in Phoenix. We talked about our lives, our hopes and dreams, our sorrows, and just shared our stories with each other and with God. We have much in common, and yet we have very different lives. Part of the beauty of the group is the many ways we go about God's work. The many different charisms of our different religious orders share that one goal: seeking God's kingdom. I love that!

This was the prayer center we created. We each painted a votive holder.

Another sister who was there shared the details of the weekend on her blog, The Life of a New Sister, and so I'll send you to her to read that. She also posted the poem that we worked from all weekend, Edwina Gateley's "The Sharing" -- lovely!

Another joy of the weekend for me was the road trip! I was the only one of the 18 who was able to drive to the gathering, and it took me across southern California and Arizona. I made a loop, driving a little north on the way there, and then on the way back the Interstate took me along the border with Mexico. I really love road trips (though I was exhausted when I got home), because they give me time to think, ponder, pray, sing in the car, and listen to interesting things.

On the way there, I was feeling very small--a tiniest piece of the infinite God's wonderful created world. The mountains did it (and the wind farms, but that's another story). I love the mountains, and there are some gigantic ones along that road. They seem to come right up out of the flat desert floor. Some are beautiful and majestic, and others are really strange shapes, unexpected features in an alien landscape. Seeing them brought me memories of growing up in Montana, surrounded by mountains. Sometimes I forget how important they are, how they steady my soul and remind me that even the tiniest piece of creation is infinitely beloved by God.

Christmas season

2011-12-28T13:50:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post here for ages, but time just got away from me. December has been a whirlwind month for me. The last weeks of school are always crazy, and I moved (literally all the way across the country) on Christmas eve. Now I'm finally catching up on sleep and finishing my unpacking. Plus, I'm catching up on California sunshine!

Since yesterday was the feast of St. John the Evangelist, I've been thinking about the beginning of the Gospel of John:

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him,
and without him nothing came to be.
What came to be was life,
and this life was the light of the human race.
The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.

image from BC's Trinity Chapel, which used

to be part of a Sacred Heart college for women

All semester, my tenth-grade students were asking me HOW ... most especially, how can Jesus be both God and human? I avoided it to the best of my ability, mostly because I don't know how to explain to 15-year-old kids that some things are impossible to explain, especially when they're about God.

On one of the last days of class I decided to tackle the question. We looked at the infancy narratives, and then I asked them to open to the Gospel of John, to see that there's no sign of the baby!

I love the connection between the Word that was God from the very beginning, the word by which God created all that exists in Genesis, and the tiny infant which is the Word's love flowing out to become one with us in our humanity. If there's one thing I want my students to know, it's that God loves us so much that he allowed himself to be limited by our limitations.

We Wait!

2011-11-28T11:22:00.001-08:00

The great church season of Advent has arrived. It always makes me happy. I've prepared a meager little Advent "wreath" in my prayer corner with stuff I found around the house. I think I need to find a few more things, but the light is most important, and that has been established!

Advent is one of the most wonderful seasons in our church. The expectant waiting, hope, joy, preparations--all are pregnant with God's love for us, just as we celebrate Mary's pregnancy, bringing the Christ Child into the world.

I've been thinking about how I will teach Advent this week, to both eighth and tenth graders. Such fun! I found a book that reflects on Advent and Christmas music, and I think I will be using that. (It's called O Come Emmanuel: A Musical Tour of Daily Readings for Advent and Christmas by Gordon Giles.) It gives me a reason to listen to Advent music a bit today.

What I really want my students to begin to see is the mystery that God comes into our lives in ways we never foresee or truly understand. I want them to remember for a few minutes that preparing for Christmas is not about shopping, but about receiving and giving love--the love of God, and the love of the people who are part of our lives.

Happy Feast of St Philippine Duchesne!

2011-11-18T03:08:00.001-08:00

Happy Feast! I'm traveling today, so I don't have much time...but a blog post in pictures to celebrate one of my favorite saints!

Happy Halloween!!

2011-10-31T17:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it has been two months since I posted something here! But I have the perfect thing for Halloween...

A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Mecca of Halloween: Salem, Massachusetts! I wandered the city, took a tour of The House of the Seven Gables, and witnessed some very interesting things as I went...Enjoy the pictures...

To the left here is some pilgrim. I'm sure he's famous, but I can't tell you who he is! He faces the Salem Common, and the statue is literally in the middle of the intersection.

This is the House of the Seven Gables, of Nathaniel Hawthorne fame, above and to the side. It's a very interesting tour. And, you see the wedding party that had rented the back lawn area. It was a "goth" wedding--the bride is on the far left in the picture, in black with the hat.

Now the cemetery in Salem is rather fascinating also. It's very very old (at least by our American standards), as you will see by one of the gravestones pictured below. But it's also a tourist attraction, so the graveyard is pretty full of people wandering around and reading the tombstones, taking pictures.

This images below was the icing on the cake. Wedding pictures at a cemetery????

I have to say, I really enjoyed visiting Salem at the beginning of October. I can imagine that tonight it's probably INSANE there, but when I was there it was just starting to pick up some momentum.

Another Birthday!

2011-08-31T16:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I should start by saying that it's not literally my birthday (that's in February, in case you needed to know). But--yesterday was the anniversary of my entrance into the novitiate! I'm officially a second-year novice!

(The pics are what my novitiate community sent me--the Elmo card cracked me up!!)

So, our formation program includes two years of the novitiate (sometimes called the noviceship, which I tend to make jokes about...falling overboard...needing a "captain"...). The first year is bound by a number of rules, based on the law of the Catholic Church. Basically, it's a time when the novice focuses on her relationship with God. She does not do any sort of paid ministry (but she should do some voluntary ministry that does not carry too much responsibility, and that brings her in touch with God's people), and she spends more time in prayer than she otherwise has the freedom for. Other things are included, like study of the religious order, its history and spirituality, possibly some study of theology (from which I was exempted because of my previous studies), spiritual direction, and language study.

For me, that year was fantastic, and at the same time I was ready to be done with the introspection by the end! But what a gift--to have freedom from serious obligations in order to spend time with God alone. I can't tell you all the ways my relationship with God has been strengthened. I am grateful, and humbled.

So, a new year of the novitiate begins. I am now in active ministry, teaching middle and high school religion, until the end of December. Then, I return to my semi-contemplative state, and to study of the history and spirituality of the Society of the Sacred Heart. I emailed my community this morning that I feel like a new woman--and it's true! Much has changed in me, and all the change has brought me closer to God's beautiful desires for my life.

Amen! Alleluia!

Community and Care

2011-08-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

I finally saw the film Of Gods and Men this morning, and I think it will stick with me for a while. If you haven't seen it, you should! It is incredibly beautiful. (And with that warning, I'm going to reveal a bit of the ending--though it's something I was glad I knew before I watched it.)

The film tells the true story of a Trappist monastery in the 1990s in Algeria. The small group of French Trappists, who had been in this little village for over a century, was targeted by a group of terrorists during the civil war, and eventually killed. The story is not about their death, but about their life with God, their love, and their commitment to each other and the surrounding community.

Several touching scenes show how the monks respect and care for each other, though I don't really want to give away too many details here for those who haven't seen it. There is, however, a sense of the deep compassion they possess for one another, and the acknowledgement that each one's talents and needs, while different, are equally valued and respected.

Discernment in community becomes a central piece, as they decide whether to stay or flee the mounting violence. Near the beginning, the prior makes the mistake of deciding for the group--there is beauty in his ability to humbly acknowledge his mistake and to allow the monks to discern together. (Part of the Rule of Benedict asserts that the abbot is to bring serious matters to the whole community, weigh their advice, and then decide, for "the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.") Beautiful, too, is the transformation that occurs within each member of the community as they grapple with their fears and the life that lies before them.

I think the film presents a beautiful image of religious life at its best: a community that cares deeply for one another, respects each individual's needs and gifts, prays together, and serves God's people with commitment and tender mercy. And if I ever get to teach the Rule of Benedict again, I think I might have to use this film!

Hiatus Over!

2011-07-25T11:24:00.000-07:00

To all my faithful readers, a great apology is in order. I am so sorry to have left the blog behind!

But it was a necessary thing.

The last month and a half has been filled with good things. I had a three-week-long retreat, a service project, and a meeting with younger women religious. For now, I'd like to pass on a link to the Giving Voice blog, which chronicles my adventures of the past few days.

We had a weekend with 150 sisters ranging in age from 24 to 88, and guided in conversation in part by Sandra Schneiders, IHM.

So, take a look! The blog is here.

Living in Community

2011-06-06T10:57:00.000-07:00

I've just been reading Ruth Burrows, The Essence of Prayer, and I've been thinking about this quote (p. 169):

"To expose ourselves generously to the demands of community life; to refuse to shirk them in any way is to expose ourselves to God, allowing Him to purify us through others, shatter our illusions with humbling self-knowledge, divest us of everything selfish and enable us to love others with a pure, mature, disinterested love. Surely this is true for whoever would follow Our Lord closely, whatever their form of life."

How true is that?!

I've been struggling with community living a bit lately--in part because I'm spending a lot more time at home, recovering (still!) from surgery. So I think I need to make this quote my mantra for a while.

Burrows writes in the context of a Carmelite monastery, where most enter expecting solitude, but where there is also structured and required community time. Time with others that cannot be missed.

One of the things I'm learning is that piece of "humbling self-knowledge." For me, that's usually about my reactions to other people. I know that when I'm particularly tired, or sad, or distracted, or any other number of things, that's when I'm most difficult to be around. To get out of that, sometimes it takes a very strong movement of my will..I just need to decide that I'm not going to act that way. It demands that I be in touch with how I feel and how others perceive my reactions. Not an easy thing, that self-knowledge, especially when the self I see is not being very nice (even if I might feel justified in my negativity, which I sometimes do!).

The other piece of that quote that strikes me is the ability "to love others with a pure, mature, disinterested love." To me, that's about doing something for someone else just because it's the right thing to do. It reminds me of my best friend and her newborn. She's permanently at his side right now--he needs her selfless attention. That is pure love.

Community certainly is an experience of growth in God. I would add to the quotation that part of that humbling experience is allowing ourselves to be loved and cared for by others. Being open to another's love is sometimes harder than loving. In doing so, we recognize our own loveable-ness. If we are paying attention, we also see that they love us even though they know our faults.

If my community can love me with all my faults and not-nice moments, how much more does God love me with all my spots!

Saying Goodbye

2011-06-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

I really don't like goodbyes. Really. I say them, and tears fly, and the world looks rather bleak for a while.

One thing I'm learning about religious life is that it's about availability to do whatever you are called to do in the interest of the Kingdom of God--and that this availability necessarily demands many hard goodbyes. It means being able to go wherever God calls you. At the same time, it means building relationships with those with whom you live and minister. So...build a relationship, and then say goodbye to the one you love.

What I still am working to grasp is that the one you love is still with you--in your heart, but also available through phone, skype, email, whatever! That the goodbye is not forever and not a complete separation. The bond of love in the Heart of Jesus is still strong.

Today we say goodbye to one of our community members who's been here on sabbatical from the Korean Province. She has been so much fun, so prayerful and loving, such a wonderful person to be around. Life here just won't be the same without her. I have learned from her about generosity and joy, about the Sacred Heart, and about our internationality. I am so grateful that she has been with us.

At Mardi Gras!

She will remain in our hearts! And maybe I'll get to visit her in Korea one day!

Love is Strong as Death

2011-05-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate the feast of our foundress--Saint Madeleine Sophie Barat! Happy Feast!

I'm stuck on the first rite of the mass (the introductory verse that we usually skip):

"Set me like a seal on your heart, like a seal on your arm, for love is strong as death." (Cant. 8:6)

Love is strong as death. Over the past several months, I've been pondering how love can conquer our fears, that my fears are eased when I remember the love of Jesus. What do I have to be afraid of when I am filled with God's love--a love that is far stronger than all else!

And yet, I do have fears. We all do. Fears of failure, of disappointment, of loss, and of death, to name a few. One of the most beautiful things about the Society of the Sacred Heart for me is the element of love. Sophie founded a community of women who are devoted to sharing God's love with all they meet. Women who help every person they encounter to know that they are loved. It sounds sort of lofty, that goal, but I think I entered the Society in part because I saw it in action: I felt loved by the sisters I met. I felt God's love in their love for me.

My fears are still there, but somehow the challenges of life seem less overwhelming when I know that I am not alone, that I am loved, that Jesus is with me through it all.

On another note, I share the picture above because I think it is so lovely! This is a window in the Sacred Heart School in Chicago (Sheridan Road) in honor of Sophie. Sophie grew up on her family's vineyards in Joigny, France. She loved to be with her father in the vineyards, and the image of the vine and branches became one of her favorites. In fact, the gospel for the feast is John 15:1-12:

"I am the vine and you are the branches. ... As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love. ... This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you."

May we grow ever more aware of God's love for us
and the presence of Jesus in our hearts.
May we be able to share more fully the love of Jesus
with those we meet, a love that casts out fear.

The Sacrament of the Sick

2011-05-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been challenging to say the least. About two weeks ago, I had to have emergency surgery to remove my appendix. Pretty common, I know, but still, surgery is scary! I'm never really sick, and I'd never been to surgery or even admitted to the hospital before.

I was scared, to say the least. But I was also in pain and sick, and so I could ignore the fear in order to just let the surgeon do his work.

Somehow the hospital didn't get a record that I was Roman Catholic, and so no chaplains visited me, until a few days later when they visited the other person in my room. Fr. Jim brought her communion, then asked me who I was and offered me the Sacrament of the Sick and Eucharist. He anointed me, said the words, and I burst into tears, my first since the surgery. I was so immediately relieved, and also suddenly aware of how frightened I had been for days. I felt God's presence with me, the warmth and love flooding over me with the prayer and the oil. Remembering that feeling still brings tears to my eyes.

Sickness makes us feel helpless, vulnerable, dependent on those around us and on God. Although I'm physically getting better, I know I need to think more about this experience, pray more with it and the lessons the vulnerability offers. One of my friends told me that God loves me even when I feel like I can't do anything--what humility it takes to accept that love when I feel I have nothing to offer in return.

Rain in the forecast

2011-02-25T20:59:00.000-08:00

It's supposed to rain tonight, and basically all weekend.

I love rain. I grew up in a place where rain was less common than snow, and when I lived in the Midwest and Texas I came to know torrential downpours for the first time. I loved it, the power of it, especially when I could watch from behind a windowpane. Now that I live in Southern California, basically in the desert, it's a special treat to me to have rain.

But there's a crimp in my pleasure now. I spend Friday afternoons with homeless women, hearing their stories. Rain is not something you love if you have nowhere to go.

I learn a lot from these women. They are beautiful, and most of them don't know it. Most of them have never been treated well, and some of them have been treated devastatingly poorly. Often, I hear stories in which they are treated like objects; and sometimes I hear stories of the great kindness of strangers.

Those who run the center tell me that they are glad I come because most of the women don't have anyone to talk to, and most of the volunteers and staff don't really have time. Time is all that I have for them. Time, and a smile or a hug, and some words of encouragement. Sometimes they are sick or tired, or sad, and sometimes they are glowing with good news--an engagement, or a new place to stay, or a necklace given. I will never forget the incredible joy of one woman who was going to get new shoes on Christmas Eve. Or the one who turned down the offer because she already had a pair. (How many pairs of shoes do I have?)

And today, they were thinking about the coming rainstorm and whether they would have a dry place to lay their heads.

I certainly think differently about the rain.

Adventures in prayer

2011-02-17T20:54:00.000-08:00

I spent most of today at the botanical gardens, praying, wandering, watching, delighting. Life has been rather hectic lately, and I needed to root myself once again in prayer, in Jesus. How lucky am I that I can spend a day with that as my primary task! The life of a novice, I guess! So, here I will share some pictures, and a few prayerful thoughts.

I was so taken by this tree. It's called a Dragon Tree, because the sap is red, and they believed that it was dragon blood. Weird. The sign also said that the sap was used in the varnish for Stradivarius violins, giving them their characteristically reddish tint.

As I got closer, I saw how it was growing with those trees around it. A tree in community!

Because we've been talking about community and studying how we as a congregation live in community, I found all sorts of meaning in these trees. I sat under them for almost an hour, noticing how they rely on each other for support (notice how crooked they are), how their lives are intertwined, how they're damaged yet healthy.

Desert beauty!

I am always struck by the proximity of the ocean--and then I'm struck by its enormity. I am so lucky, so blessed to be here. This is the view from the top of the hill at the garden.

It no doubt inspired the sculture..

Unnoticed remains of a Valentine's Day party?

Cork!

Now, who wouldn't find spiritual meaning in the next picture? Life out of what seems to be lifeless... the circle of creation...beauty in the desert...I was amazed that the buds on the tree were barely visible, yet here was this beautiful bloom. Even in southern California the trees know that this is winter turning to spring.

A last little friend. I stopped because of the shape of the cactus (why are there those little balls and then that snake-like thing??) and then I noticed the lizard. He (lizards are always "he" in my head) was about the size of a quarter.

It was a good day. I got some of my equilibrium back, some of my rootedness in God. I left reminded that I am with the I AM, Yahweh, always, along with all of God's creation.

Light of the World! Salt of the Earth!

2011-02-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

Today's gospel always make me think of the Godspell song....

Let your light shine!

The last week has been so busy for me. My birthday was Tuesday (I'm 32!!) and my dad is here to visit. Unfortunately, my classes aren't just canceled because I have a guest, so I've had little down time. We've been having a good time--at the beach, at some of the sights around town, and with my community. Having family meet community for the first time always makes me a little nervous, but invariably it's a good experience for everyone.

Final Profession!

2011-01-29T23:22:00.000-08:00

My heart and thoughts are with a group of our sisters in Rome who will make their final profession tomorrow (Sunday)! They come from all over the world, and have been preparing for this day together for the last several months.

May their lives be filled with love and deep joy!

Some more information and pictures are found on the RSCJ international website, here.

When in doubt...

2011-01-26T18:01:00.000-08:00

I have the great fortune of living my novitiate within walking distance of the beach. And it's southern California, so it's nearly always nice enough to go for a walk, even in January.

My favorite part is that the beach always helps me get a little perspective on whatever might be bothering me. There's something about the waves, the power of the water, that reminds me that I'm not in control of any of this, and that God can handle all of the "whys" in my head. Plus, I can ask those whys out loud and no one but God (and maybe the gulls) will hear them!

(I took the picture in November, but it's my favorite right now!)

Feast of St. Francis de Sales

2011-01-24T07:14:00.000-08:00

A little quote to celebrate Francis de Sales' feast day...

"But which are the virtues of the spirit? There is faith which shows us the truths which are not accessible to the senses; hope which makes us strive for things invisible; charity which makes us love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves, not with a sensual, natural, selfish love but with a love that is pure, firm and changeless, being grounded in God."

Happy feast to my Salesian friends!

"Come after me"

2011-01-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

I just spent two weeks with our retired sisters, and one thing everyone wants to hear is how I came to religious life-- the story of my call. And then, lately, the Gospel readings have been accounts of the Apostles' call stories.

What's in a call? As I told mine several times recently, I realize that my sense of being called keeps me strong in this not-ordinary way of living. It's mystery to me how and why God called me to religious life, but knowing that I've been called gives me strength to keep moving forward along that path that I can't clearly or fully see.

God calls each one of us to something, and we have to listen to figure out how to follow that call.

What is Jesus calling you to do today?

LOVE again!

2010-12-16T10:46:00.000-08:00

I think LOVE might be my theme for this year..... Today's first reading from Isaiah 54 really touched me, especially the parts about God being the ONE God, and the ending:

Though the mountains leave their place
and the hills be shaken,
My love shall never leave you,
nor my covenant of peace be shaken,
says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

God has love bigger and more permanent than mountains and hills. All I can do to respond is love in my little way, like a pebble by comparison. God's love embraces me so completely, my little love is no longer small.

Faithfulness and Love

2010-12-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

"When Jesus talks about faith, he means first of all to trust unreservedly that you are loved by God." --Henri Nouwen

I am loved by God.

God wants for me to be most fully who God created me to be, and God will help me to find and fulfill that longing - that's love.

Ah. Humbling - joyful - immensely incomprehensible.

May each of us, like Mary, offer a faithful "YES" response to the love that God offers.

Happy Feast!

Advent!

2010-12-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

Advent is probably my favorite time of year. In part, I love the Christmas carols and anticipation of the coming of Christ.

Along with that, I love the readings from Isaiah, with their apocalyptic and hopeful expression of what Christians desire: not just the coming of Christ, but the transformation of the whole world into the Kingdom God desires, of peace and plenty, of joy and fullness.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the kid.....

There shall be no harm or ruin on all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be filled with knowledge of the LORD,
as water covers the sea. (Isaiah 11:6,9)

So, Advent is the time of waiting, but not just waiting. We wait for the Kingdom of God, but we wait with great longing and hope. Waiting implies that we sit passively by; longing gets to the heart of our patient waiting, the anticipation, hope, and desire that accompanies our awaiting the coming of Christ.

It is also a time of preparation and transformation. We long for God's reign, and our longing changes us. We pray that our hearts are ready to receive the King, that we are ready to be active participants in the life for which we long. We want to be better, holier ... to be ready for Jesus to take over our lives.

Advent, too, brings out our hopes for the future. Like Isaiah, we picture a world of peace and freedom, where truly we can be the people God created us to be. We imagine and desire the world to be freed of all that divides us from each other, all that limits our peace. We want to know all that we can know about God, to experience the light that God brings to the world when the Son enters human history on Christmas day.

Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the Lord has spoken. (Isaiah 40:5)

Stay tuned for further thoughts on Advent and the life of a novice...

Woundedness

2010-10-14T11:53:00.000-07:00

God's mercy and faithfulness

shine forth in a world

wounded by sin.

(Constitutions 2)

Our vocation arises from our wounds.

Do you ever have one of those weeks where one idea keeps coming to your attention, from a variety of sources?

This week, the idea of woundedness -- my woundedness, Jesus' woundedness, the wounds of our world -- finds its way into my daily life. I thought I could share some thoughts and quotes.

Part One:

On Monday, I had a class, taught by a psychologist, that discussed how our family of origin and our experiences in childhood influence our reactions and behaviors throughout our lives. This is in the context of religious life--how does what we learned as a child affect our interactions with our community members? He talked about how all families are imperfect, and the "wounds" are not necessarily huge things. But our experiences do shape our beings in very specific ways--they become part of our identity. We look to our past to heal those wounds (though leaving the scars) so that we can live freely in the present and look openly to the future.

Think too of Jesus: The wounds are part of his identity--it's how Thomas knows he is the risen Jesus. Plus, we are saved by his wounds. In his humanity he shared our sorrow and actual physical and emotional pain.

Our wounds bring us to our vocation, help us to offer compassion to others in their woundedness.

Part Two:

I'm also reading our Constitutions with my community. They begin with "The End and Mission" of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (The quote above comes from this section.)

One of the things I love about the Society of the Sacred Heart is the deep sense of the sorrow that exists in the world. It's not to dwell extensively in that sorrow, but to be aware of it, to know what's really happening, and to work toward something better and trust in God's presence and active love for all. Religious of the Sacred Heart strive to be the love of God on earth. To love everyone we meet, which means to share in their woundedness. That love and participation in the pain of another is a beautiful mystery.

Link and Note

2010-10-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

I just wanted to share a link today, to the Society of the Sacred Heart website, where they've posted a notice about the opening of my noviceship year, and a brief video of my community members. I hope you enjoy!

Society of the Sacred Heart

How Not To Start a Religious Order

2010-09-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

So, one of my tasks this year is to read a lot about the Society of the Sacred Heart and its history and spirituality. I've just started reading Madeleine Sophie Barat: A Life by Phil Kilroy, and I'm up to the point where she meets Philippine Duchesne.

(Click here to get it from Amazon.com)

I'm struck by the significant difficulties that the Society faced at the very beginning. First and foremost: the French Revolution forced much of their work underground. Even more than that, Sophie and Philippine both wanted to join religious orders that already existed (the Carmelites and the Visitandines) but could not because of the political climate.

Perhaps, if life in France in the late 18th century had not been so tumultuous, the Society of the Sacred Heart would never have formed!

Other problems plagued the "little Society" from the beginning: associations with priests and bishops who were under suspicion by the political and/or ecclesiastical authorities (one priest who was distantly connected to the fledgling community was found guilty of illicit sexual activity), leadership sometimes doubtful at best, and the general chaos of building something out of nothing with relatively little available expertise. It's a miracle that the Society survived at all--doubtless the work of the Holy Spirit on overdrive.

The story is really fascinating from the start, and Kilroy's account is full of details and fun to read (at least for a historian like me). I'll keep posting as I go through the book and the others that I will be reading as well.

The Society's beginnings are also a reminder to me that things worth doing are not necessarily easy. I'm asked sometimes whether it is difficult to be the only novice right now. The answer is yes, it is sometimes hard, but I'm also fully convinced that this is where I'm supposed to be, doing the work that God has called me to do. Sophie knew that too--while she did not feel she was a fit leader, she knew that it was the right thing to do, the will of God. My challenges are small compared to hers. I look to her for guidance.

Simplicity

2010-09-22T07:11:00.000-07:00

Today's first reading is from Proverbs 30:5-9:

Every word of God is tested;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
Add nothing to his words,
lest he reprove you, and you will be exposed as a deceiver.

Two things I ask of you,
deny them not to me before I die:
Put falsehood and lying far from me,
give me neither poverty nor riches;
provide me only with the food I need;
Lest, being full, I deny you,
saying, "Who is the LORD?"
Or, being in want, I steal,
and profane the name of my God.

I take this to be a reading about simple living, though other things come into it too. The wisdom here seems to say that if we live simply and have just what we need without extra, it will be easier to recognize the presence of God in our lives. Having just moved, I know my world is not as simple as I would like it to be--I have more things, more books, more food, more than I need. Americans in general live less simply than others, and I am undoubtedly American. Maybe I need to move every year or two in order to remind myself that I don't need so much stuff!

Simplicity is more than possessions, though. Life can be so complicated. Work schedules, play times, exercise routines, obligations that we take on ourselves: all these things add up to a lifestyle that requires me to move from one thing to the next without really taking time to consider who I am and why I'm doing all these things.

My life in the last three (or more) weeks has felt very complicated and hectic. Finally, this week, it's beginning to feel more regular and less like I have to run from one activity to the next.

I was told that the years of novitiate are about spending time with God, and that many of the things that have become an ordinary part of my daily life will be set aside for a time. That made me nervous. Now, I am grateful, and I hope that I can take full advantage of this year of prayer and discernment.

Official Opening of the Noviceship Year

2010-09-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, on the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, we celebrated the opening of my year of being a novice! All of the Religious of the Sacred Heart who live in this area, along with some from out of town, joined us for Mass, followed by supper. Our provincial, Paula, gave a reflection and presented me with a pin carrying the symbol of the Society.

It might seem strange to celebrate such a happy occasion on the feast dedicated to sorrow. But the Society's dedication to "being the heart of God in the world" forces us to see, feel, experience the sorrows of all people in our world, and even of our world itself. Just as the Mother of Jesus felt his pain and experienced sorrow out of her love for him, so we are called to feel the pain of those around us, of those we love. Right now, for me, it's a call to awareness of what is happening in our world and how I might help those who are suffering.

The celebration last night was accompanied by an outpouring of love for me from my religious sisters across the country. I cannot begin to express how humbled and grateful I am for this powerful love and support! I am being held up by the prayers of many, and by the generous grace of God. Thank you all, and know of my love and prayer for each of you!

This little post is hardly sufficient. Words cannot express the warmth that is in my heart.

I'm a Novice!

2010-09-08T07:29:00.000-07:00

My new neighbor and friend

It's official! I moved to the novitiate a week ago, and I am a novice!

Amid all the chaos of moving, packing, unpacking, finding my way around in a new city, it has taken a while to sink in (and I'm sure it will continue to sink in).

What does it mean to be a novice? Well, I'm still learning that part, but I know that it means I am given more time to spend with God in prayer, and with my community. It also means that I will be learning about religious life both at home (where we will talk about the Society of the Sacred Heart and how we live in it) and in a class with other novices.

In prayer today, I was reading the alternate first reading, from Paul's letter to the Romans:

Brothers and sisters: We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to God's purpose.

I know in my heart that I am called by God, and that helps me through the challenges of a new city and a new way of life.

Blessings to all!

The Faithfulness of God

2010-08-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

This phrase -- the faithfulness of God -- has been in my heart and head. We celebrated the 40th anniversary of final profession for three sisters yesterday afternoon, and this idea was part of the prayer and reflections.

My life has been filled lately with leavetaking. I'm preparing to move in a week, leaving behind a city that has been my home for most of the last 10 years, and a group of women, my religious sisters, whom I love deeply. My heart has been heavy, even though I know that what awaits me on the other end is good and beautiful -- another group of amazing women who are my sisters, and entrance into the novitiate.

The prayer reminded me yesterday that no matter how heavy this leavetaking feels, I am supported by and grounded in God's faithfulness. God will not abandon me, and remembering that brings me peace. My fears, doubts, sadness are so small when compared to the profound faithfulness of God. When I look over the last year, and even over the course of my lifetime, I can see that faithfulness at work in both big and small things in my life. I'm glad for the reminder to see what has been there all along.

So, how has God been faithful in your life?

And a song...

Being Transfigured

2010-08-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Taken in June, Albany, NY

While the Transfiguration was a few days ago now, it's still in my thoughts... I think my favorite reading is the second one of the day, 2 Peter 1:16-19:

Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

That second part is my favorite: the reliability of the message and the apostles' attentiveness to it.

"You will do well to be attentive to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts." The Transfiguration is about more than Jesus showing a piece of his true divine nature to his followers. It's also about our own transfiguration through beginning to see that mystery that Jesus lovingly shares with us--that we let the morning star rise in our hearts.

Transformation and change require us to be open to God working in our hearts. I've been thinking about the transfigurations that have happened in my own life, especially during the last year. Life has a way of changing us, altering our perceptions, giving new meaning to what might seem old. And at the same time, those changes do not alter the person who is at the core of our being. In other words, though I know I have been changed by God in the last year, I am still the Juliet that I was before. Perhaps I'm even more myself as I listen more closely to God in my heart and on my life's path.

How have you been transformed by the love of Jesus in the last year?

What If

2010-08-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

A little story.

About five years ago, I interviewed for a job. It was a good job, one that fit my skills, and I was well qualified (or they wouldn't have interviewed me, honestly). Another woman was also interviewed, and she was offered and took the position. I received a very kind rejection letter, explaining all the reasons why I was not chosen. It was actually a good letter--the reasons given were very real, and spoke only of my lack of fit for the position. In other words, I really felt that the decision was fair, and that the other candidate was clearly a better choice. The letter also let me know that I, too, would have done well in the position. It was really a positive affirmation.

Yesterday, I was talking with one of my former professors, who had been speaking with people from that same institution that interviewed me. He discovered that the woman who was hired has been let go, not because of anything she did wrong, but because they are changing their priorities as an institution and no longer need a full time employee in that role.

My first thought was: Wow. Lucky me. I would be out of a job right now.

And then I kept thinking about it. In a way, I am without a job now, though it's really by choice. I'm in formation with a religious order that I love and feel called to. Five years ago, I had not begun discerning religious life at all, and the job would have taken me to a place where the Society of the Sacred Heart has no presence. I might not have met the Society. I can't imagine that I would have avoided God's call to me personally, but I really have no idea how it would have worked out.

It is humbling to realize that things happen for a reason, even the disappointment of not getting a particular job. I am so grateful that I didn't get that job, that I was in St Louis when I met the Society, that I met the Society at all, and that God has called me and led me to this moment.

RevGalBlogPals' Friday Five: Love the One You're With

2010-07-30T13:46:00.000-07:00

In an attempt to keep up with this blog, I'm going to do the RGBP thing... From their website:

This Friday Five will post while I'm at the beach which for me is more than a vacation destination, it is a trip home. I have found it quite easy to wax nostalgic about the places I used to live (well, except for one) and have begun to wonder what it is I like about the place I'm living now? For instance I sure do love the beach, but this picture was taken about 30 minutes away from my house - not too shabby!

And so I ask you to please name five things you like about where you are living now... and as your bonus - 1 thing you don't like.

This is an interesting friday five for me...I have 31 days left in my current home, and then I'm moving to become a novice in southern California! So, with a bit of sadness at the coming move, I answer:

Five things I like about where I live now:

It is easy to get places. I'm in St Louis, Missouri--not exactly a huge airport, but I can get to the east coast in a couple of hours, or I can get to the west coast in a few more than a couple of hours. I think I notice this right now because moving to California means being a great deal farther away from my friends in the East. Perhaps that is a good thing, but right now that mental picture is a bit challenging.
St Louis is full of free things to do. There's the Saint Louis Art Museum (FREE!), the Saint Louis Zoo (FREE! And a great zoo!), plus all of Forest Park.
And there are other good places to visit too, at a slightly greater distance....Pere Marquette State Park across the river (the river=the Mississippi, of course!) in Illinois, the little town of St Charles across the Missouri River (with its park dedicated to Lewis and Clark, celebrating their exploration of points west).... I could go on and on. There are simply great fun things to do in St Louis.
The history of the Society of the Sacred Heart rests here as well. St Rose Philippine Duchesne first brought a group of nuns to St Charles in 1818 and started a boarding school and a free school for girls. As a historical theologian, I absolutely love that connection to the history of my religious order. Philippine's Shrine is in St Charles, and her presence is an inspiration and support in my own journey.
I think I like St Louis most because it has become my home over the last 10 years. I was not born here, did not grow up here, but I have been welcomed by this community and have come to be at home here.

All the more reason why it's hard to be leaving soon. But there is one negative thing I can say about this place: it's too far from both the ocean and the mountains. I guess that's one thing California can give me that Missouri cannot!

Thank you, RevGalBlogPals and Kathryn for bringing these thoughts to me!

The Potter and the Lump of Clay

2010-07-29T09:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Sister Susan has some great thoughts on lumps of clay over at her blog!

My reaction to the morning's reading was a little different from Susan's. I've never taken a pottery class, though I think it would be fun--even if it is hard to make anything less earthy than a lump of clay!

Jeremiah says:

I went down to the potter's house and there he was,
working at the wheel.
Whenever the object of clay which he was making
turned out badly in his hand,
he tried again,
making of the clay another object of whatever sort he pleased.

"He tried again." My life over the past few years has been so full of changes, both external and internal. I'm not a big fan of change, but I am very aware that the only way we become better people is by changing. That God tries again calls me to patience with myself and with the changing world that is within and around me.

God has a particular purpose for each of us, but we sometimes live without attending to that purpose. And so we are formed and reformed, allowed to grow in our unique and freely chosen ways. If we actively seek to follow God, we must sometimes go back to our lumpy, earthy beginnings and try to find that right path anew. The only way that I can become more the woman God wants me to be is through changing, through trying again.

The image has its limits: I don't think most of us every "turn out badly" and need to start completely from scratch. Yet, it shows that God is persistent, working in and through our mistakes and foibles to create the human person God desires.

There's another reading of the text that I've been thinking about as well. In just about a month, I become a novice in the Society of the Sacred Heart. I've been living the life for a year now, and the noviceship is the next step. One of my wisdom figures said to me that being a novice is about discernment, asking the question "What am I supposed to do with my life?" When I read about the potter forming and reforming the clay, it reminds me that this question, which I've obviously asked and answered several times already in my 31 years, is the question that I will be asking myself again and again for decades to come. No doubt as a novice this is a very serious thing. It's not just about what I want to do with my life, but what God wants me to do, and how willing I am to make a life-long commitment to this life.

I'm glad I don't have to think too hard about that for at least another month!

Time to jump back in

2010-07-29T05:34:00.000-07:00

The summer has been a whirlwind, and so my blog has suffered...but I'm going to make the attempt once again to keep going! I will be posting a reflection later today, on the potter and the clay, from today's first reading. I hope someone is still out there who might want to read it! Check back later!

A little story

2010-06-01T12:25:00.000-07:00

(Image from animal.discovery.com)

I'm doing some work on medieval saints, and I came across this story recounted the Golden Legend by Jacques de Voraigne, about St. John the Evangelist and Apostle (medieval types were a little confused about this):

Someone gave a live partridge to the blessed John (as Cassian tells us in his Conferences), and he gently held and stroked the bird. Seeing this, a boy laughed and called to his companions: "Come and watch this old man playing with a little bird like a child!" The saint, knowing by the spirit what was going on, called him and asked what it was the youngster held in his hand. The boy said that it was a bow, and John asked what he did with it. The answer was: "We shoot birds and animals!" Then the lad stretched his bow and held it taut in his hand, but when the apostle said nothing, he loosened it. John asked him why he loosened the bowstring, and he replied: "Because if you keep it stretched too long, it gets too weak to shoot the arrows." So John told him: "That's how it is with human fragility: we would have less strength for contemplation if we never relaxed and refused to give in now and then to our own weakness. So too the eagle, which flies higher than any other bird and looks straight into the sun, yet by its nature must come down again; and the human spirit, after it rests awhile from contemplation, is refreshed and returns more ardently to heavenly thoughts."

(From the translation by William Granger Ryan, volume 1, p. 54.)

I'm looking forward to sort of the opposite--my retreat is next week!

Happy Feast of Saint Madeleine Sophie!

2010-05-25T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today is the feast of St Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus! She was born in 1779 in France, and she founded this "little Society" in 1800. I keep learning more and more about her, but I'm sure there are better biographies online than what I could provide.

What I love about Sophie is her generous heart and her recognition of the Christ in each individual. Her letters show how she knew the needs and hearts of each individual to whom she wrote--and she addressed them with loving care, seeking to comfort those who needed comfort and gently challenge those who were too comfortable.

The readings for her feast day include Colossians 3:12-17, which seems to sum up her ideals very well:

Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Happy Feast! Pray for us, Saint Madeleine Sophie!

Truth

2010-05-19T06:50:00.000-07:00

From today's Gospel (John 17:11b-19): "Consecrate them in the truth."

Jesus is speaking to the Father about his followers. I've been thinking about that phrase this morning, and I don't really know what it means to be consecrated in the truth. Yet, "truth" has been on my mind a lot lately--finding my truth, my true self, and really speaking my truth.

The last year or so, at least since entering the Society of the Sacred Heart, has been a time for me to discover who I am and what I value. I don't think my values have really changed, though my eyes have been opened to new things in new ways--things like human trafficking and the concerns about the environment. At the same time, I've been trying to really speak up for what I think, feel, believe. That's not so easy for me, but the encouragement and respect of my sisters has helped me with that.

And I still have questions about truth, too. There are some truths that are better kept in my heart than spoken out loud, sometimes because those things are private, and at other times because they would be hurtful to someone else. How do you balance being truthful and caring for the feelings of the ones you love? It seems to me like that's sometimes a very fine line.

The Gospel reading continues:

Your word is truth.
As you sent me into the world,
so I sent them into the world.
And I consecrate myself for them,
so that they also may be consecrated in truth.

So, being consecrated in truth means being consecrated in the word of God, which means being set aside for God's special purpose, in and for Jesus. Isn't that a powerful way to think about living as a Christian?

Commitment

2010-04-27T06:48:00.000-07:00

I've been asked to reflect a bit about commitment, and so I share some of my thoughts here.

The following quotation from Pedro Arrupe, S.J. has been finding me lately:

"Nothing is more practical than finding God,
that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.

What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.

It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything."

How does that relate to commitment? Well, I've fallen in love, and my world changed. I get out of bed in the morning to pray and go to mass before work. I spend my evenings and weekends with community (though I also spend time with friends). My Sister introduced me to my new favorite novelist (P.D. James!). I know so many more people, and I am often amazed at the sorrows and blessings that people ask me to pray for.

Quote from Dorothy Day

2010-04-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

This is, admittedly, a very random post, but one of my students did a presentation on Dorothy Day today, and she cited this quotation:

Knitting is very conducive to thought. It is nice to knit a while, put down the needles, write a while, then take up the sock again.

Amen to that! She was an amazing woman -- I didn't know she knitted too!

Mystery

2010-04-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

Ford Madox Brown. Jesus Washing Peter's Feet. 1852-56.

"What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later."

Poor Peter--always lacking in understanding. Who can blame him? His teacher has just said he wants to wash his feet, which is not such a pleasant task in a world of dust and sandals.

The sentence above is what sticks with me today. I feel surrounded by mystery lately--the mystery of living in community, the mystery of Jesus' great love for me, and the mystery of God's calling me to a new way of living. I don't know how to find the words to express the depth to which I feel that mystery in my life on a daily basis. (That's part of the reason for silence on this blog.)

What I do know is that it's okay that I don't understand. Theology is like that--studying God because you can always know more. You can never fully understand God because God is so much bigger / greater / more than our human minds can comprehend.

My thoughts have turned recently to the mystery of community. I live with (and the whole Society of the Sacred Heart includes) such a variety of personalities, so many differences of opinion, of taste, of age, and yet we are drawn together in community in such a strong way. We differ on so much, but we share a greater desire to make a difference in the world, to help those around us know that God loves them. We are to be the love of God in our broken and suffering world. That also means taking on suffering ourselves, not unlike Christ's suffering on the cross for Love.

I can feel that unity among us, all of us around the world, and it is a complete mystery to me. I know that it can only come from God, who is Mystery.

So, how to respond to mystery? Sit and rest with it. Like Peter, I do not need to understand yet.

Feast of the Annunciation

2010-03-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Photo was taken at the Shrine of Our Lady of Snows in Belleville, IL.

So, it seems that this blog is now a monthly event for me... for right now, that's just how it is.

Today is the feast of the Annunciation. I'm planning the prayer for the evening, so I thought I would share the reading that I've chosen, from Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, on the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

    Serving God gratis means with no conditions at all, here or there, in this or that employment, in health or sickness, consolation, uncertainty, repugnances, [in] God’s will and God’s service. I, His little servant, need nothing else. That is Our Lady’s spirit, and the word that came out of the depths of her Immaculate Heart at the great moment of her life was, “ecce ancilla Domini.”
    If she were now in our midst, what would she be like and what would be her “gratis service?” Willing service of God and of others, untiring, constant and devoted. What entire absence of any claim for herself of praise, recognition, consideration. How she would be at the service of any one without choice. She would be happiest in the most hidden and subject work, but she would not let the love of silence and the hidden life interfere with the calls of service of others, or with personal devotedness or the real gift of self.
    “Take and receive O Lord,” means a complete gift, and Our Lord takes and receives through the hands of others, our Mothers and Sisters, and the children.
    Our Lady would say to us today: “freely you have received, freely give.”

Janet Erskine Stuart

2010-02-13T06:54:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry to have neglected the blog! Life gets crazy sometimes, and you could say that about the last month.

Today, my community is doing a day of formation centered on the life and teachings of Mother Janet Erskine Stuart, the fifth Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart. She's most known for her ideas about education, and in fact, you can find her work The Education of Young Girls in its entirety online here. (Another work, The Life and Letters of Janet Erskine Stuart, by Maud Monahan is also available as an ebook.)

One quotation to share, which I find fits with my understanding of a teacher's role:

"What do we want to bring up? Not good nonentities, who are only good because they are not bad. There are too many of them already, no trouble to anyone, only disappointing, so good that they ought to be so much better, if only they would. But who can make them be more?… Those who have to educate them to something higher must themselves have an idea of what they want; they must believe in the possibility of every mind and character to be lifted up to something better than it has already attained; they must themselves be striving for some higher excellence, and must believe and care deeply for the things they teach. For no one can be educated by maxim and precept; it is the life lived, and the things loved and the ideals believed in, by which we tell, one upon another.... If we want integrity of character, steadiness, reliability, courage, thoroughness, all the harder qualities that serve as backbone, we, at least, make others want them by the power of example that is not set as deliberate good example, for that is as tame as precept; but the example of the life that is lived, and the truths that are honestly believed in."

2010-01-14T06:56:00.000-08:00

Visit the Giving Voice website!

Well, spring semester has officially begun. Life here is pretty busy--first week of classes is always exhausting, even if I'm well prepared. I have a total of 75 students in three classes, and I think it will be a good semester. I'm thankful that the three classes are the same, and that I have a good head start on the preparations, since I've taught it before (though I will still update the class a bit).

Life otherwise is good, and also busy. I leave this weekend to have some fun with other young nuns! I'm excited to see everyone, and to have some relaxing times in a warmer climate! Thank you, Giving Voice!

Love and Fear

2010-01-06T09:20:00.000-08:00

From today's first reading, 1 John 4:18:

There is no fear in love,
but perfect love drives out fear
because fear has to do with punishment,
and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love.

My mind was already on the relationship between fear and love this morning, when the priest began to ask about it. He posed some questions, most of which I've forgotten. One was, Do you think that you can be in love and still be fearful? Do you think that fear and love are mutually exclusive?

He answered that he didn't think so, and I think he's right. But on the other hand, both fear and love affect each other. Fear is diminished when we love and when we know that we are loved. How much easier is it to deal with challenging circumstances when we know that our loved ones are with us?

And also, it takes courage to love freely, to offer yourself to another without knowing what you will receive in return. It's so easy to get to know another person only on a surface level, afraid that revealing too much of yourself might drive the other away, or that they might not reciprocate. In fear, we hold ourselves back, trying not to open ourselves to being vulnerable, to being hurt when the relationship changes. Relationships are changing all the time as things in our lives change--new jobs, moving to new places, getting married, commiting to religious life, having children...all these things change the way we relate to our friends, and sometimes the result is painful loss.

"To love is to suffer" says St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, for loving another means we are vulnerable to the pain of loss, and vulnerable to experiencing the pain that our loved one feels. And yet, Sophie continues: "To love is to suffer, but not to love is to die." Our lives, our world, everything is given meaning through love. Without love, without suffering, we do not really live.

I pray that all people in our world can find a way to live and act out of love, not out of fear.

Dinner for Fifteen

2009-12-30T07:04:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely evening last night, with many visitors, both Sisters and "extended family." Two crockpots, one full of chili and one of stew, bread, cornbread, salad, wine, and brownies! I was the cook, and I have to admit I was anxious about cooking for so many. But all was lovely, and the food was good and filling. The evening was a beautiful continuation of the Christmas celebration, plus a little New Years mixed in.

And this morning: Snow, in big fluffy flakes. Best of all, it's supposed to stop soon, which means the roads won't be too horrible!

Blessings! And drive carefully!

A Vulnerable God

2009-12-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, All!

I heard a wise woman speak last week about the Incarnation and the idea of vulnerability. On Christmas, we celebrate the fact that God became a tiny baby. God, out of love for all of us, became human. Think of how vulnerable an infant is -- totally dependent on parents for food, shelter, safety, love... and yet our God chose to become that incredibly vulnerable, just for us.

The speaker went on to talk of our divinization. God became human that we might become godly. And we become more like God by opening our hearts and being vulnerable. Love makes us vulnerable, because when we love another, we suffer with and for them, feel what they feel, and risk the pain of loss ourselves. Our love, our vulnerability, is necessary if we are to follow Christ.

I've been thinking a lot about that idea, and also about the connection to the cross. Really, the vulnerability of the God-human is shown in its extreme in the events we celebrate during Holy Week. But that's what the Incarnation is about--our salvation, which comes through the resurrection of Christ, happens only because he was vulnerable enough to suffer and die on the cross.

Advent Beauty

2009-12-16T06:54:00.000-08:00

PEACE

LIGHT

JUSTICE

SAFETY

TRUTH

SALVATION

Once again, the readings today are full of hopefulness and beauty. Isaiah reminds us of creation, of God's role in setting the world aright, designing it with beauty and for our benefit.

I am the LORD, there is no other.

John asks the question: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look to another?" and Jesus answers by curing illnesses, making the blind see, and healing all sorts of sufferings. (Isaiah answers, too, with "I am the LORD, and there is no other!")

Let us seek healing from God, for all that ails ourselves and the world we live in--injustice, lack of peace, depression, poverty, illness, grief, any of those things that wound us. Our needs will be met by the Creator God who sets the world back on track for us.

Turn to me and be safe,
all you ends of the earth,
for I am God; there is no other!

Receiving Love

2009-12-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

Do you ever have those days when you think God is trying to send you a message? When ideas keep returning to you, from all different sources?

My "message" this week is something that I mentioned in the last post--being open to receive the love that is offered to us. I've been pondering this, and then it returned in the meditation I read yesterday, with a slight twist. The meditation says this:

"Scripture is very clear that God knows everything about you. Do you believe it? That can be a scary thought, because we all have 'stuff' lurking in the shadowy corners of our hearts. But God loves you unconditionally, regardless of what you have done or failed to do. God loves you in spite of your judgments and biases. God loves you through your weaknesses and infirmities."

So the variation is that the love spoken of here is God's love, not human love, but the idea is the same--being open to receiving the love offered, having an open heart.

It seems so hard sometimes, and so important. I do have stuff "lurking" in the shadows, just like everyone else. I know God is with me in that stuff too (maybe even most especially in that stuff), but sometimes I feel unworthy of the incredible blessings that God gives. I know that's not true, but I don't always feel it.

I am reminded, too, of St. Paul, who recognized his failings, and "boasts" of his weakness, for God tells him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor 12.9)

When I do allow myself to feel the love of God, and the love of those around me, I am so humbled by it, so grateful... and I know that by allowing myself to receive it, I am better able to give love as well.

May God grace our weaknesses with strength and power.

Gaudete!!

2009-12-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

image from: http://www.clynnponderings.com

It's been a busy weekend, full of Advent celebrations. My community met yesterday for a morning of reflection, prayer, and calendar coordinating, and then in the afternoon we put up and decorated our Christmas tree! Baby Jesus made a brief debut in the creche (oops!) before being put back in the incubator (i.e. drawer) until Christmas. The house is lovely and festive.

Today is Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. I love this feast -- the sense of anticipation and joy at the coming of the Christ Child. Many of my Sisters went to mass together this morning (we often go our own ways), and we had nearly two pews full! I truly love that communal experience of liturgy and prayer together.

I was privileged to hear a talk this morning by Paul Coutinho, S.J., about Advent and darkness. His spirituality is such an interesting blend of Catholic Christianity and Eastern traditions. There are many things that resonated with me from his talk, but I think the most important is the assertion that we need to be more attentive to the love others show for us. He says that we are quite good at loving those around us (though, with some exceptions, I'm sure). But that it is often harder for us to accept the love offered to us. For whatever reason -- maybe we feel unworthy of it, unloveable -- receiving the love of others is challenging. He gave the example of a small child recognizing the sadness of her mother. The mother's first thought is that the child shouldn't worry about her, but that she must always be caring for the child. It may be hard, but rather than denying her own sadness, she should accept the comfort offered by the child.

Gracious God, on this day of rejoicing in anticipation of the coming of Christ, help us to receive the love you offer with open hearts. May we recognize our own worthiness of love. Allow your love to flow through us, that we might share it with all we meet. Amen.

Learning the Right Path

2009-12-11T14:50:00.000-08:00

I suppose being a teacher (and also always a learner), my ears perk up when I hear readings about teaching. Today's first reading, from Isaiah, speaks of Yahweh as a teacher:

Thus says the LORD, your redeemer,
the Holy One of Israel:
I, the LORD, your God,
teach you what is for your good,
and lead you on the way you should go.

God wants our happiness, our good, and so God leads us in that direction. And if we listen (learn!), God will give us great things.

If you would hearken to my commandments,
your prosperity would be like a river,
and your vindication like the waves of the sea;
Your descendants would be like the sand,
and those born of your stock like its grains,
Their name never cut off
or blotted out from my presence.

I'm enjoying the readings lately speak about the end of time, about the final coming of Christ. But they speak to us today too, that we must listen to the goodness God teaches us, and then we've got to follow it! My attention lately has been turned toward the coming of Christ in our hearts, that particular "advent" for which we constantly prepare, and yet which is already with us.

We are called to be Christ for each other, to share love with one another as Jesus loves each of us. And the great reward: both we and our loved ones will enjoy the presence of God.

Ah, Isaiah. Thank you for your prophetic voice in our world.

Prayer of Silence

2009-12-10T07:50:00.000-08:00

I had a little talk with one of my classes last week about spirituality, and about the importance of silence in the growth of relationship with God.

It's fascinating to me to hear some of the responses. Some of my students are simply afraid of silence. I'm not entirely sure where that comes from, but I think it's partly that noise allows them to avoid thinking about difficult things. And they have plenty of noise--television, ipods, phones, etc etc etc. Plus most of them live in dorms--I'm sure it's hard to find quiet at all in the dorms.

Advent seems like a good time to spend silence with Jesus. To just be. Not to think about what's happening today, or who needs prayers, or anything at all. Just to be with Jesus.

We might even hear something we like. At the very least, I think silence gives me a better sense of who I am, a reminder of what's deepest in my heart. It's hard to be silent--my mind wanders into words, and I have to consciously grasp at silence once again. And over and over again, but eventually the silence sinks in, and I can enjoy it. Then, I just am, with Jesus, who just is with me. I know that I am loved, and that me being me is what Jesus wants.

Mysterious Feast

2009-12-08T05:05:00.000-08:00

I grew up in a household that was not particularly devoted to Mary. In fact, I don't remember ever saying the rosary, except one week at Catholic summer camp, and then I really learned how to say it in college. It's still not a big part of my prayer life.

So, Marian beliefs were a mystery to me for a long time. The Immaculate Conception is perhaps still a mystery to a lot of people (particularly those who mistakenly think it refers to the conception of Jesus... no, it's about the conception of Mary herself, in her mother Anne's womb).

There are two lines from today's readings that stick with me:

"Nothing will be impossible for God."

and

"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”

I know, that second one is just not so favored lately. But it speaks to me: that I am striving to be attentive to the will of God, and that I hope to be pliable so that God's will might be done through me. It seems this sort of phrase is sometimes used to justify that women should be submissive in general--but that's not what it says to me. It says that I need to be obedient to God. Sometimes that means obedience to other human beings, but sometimes it also means standing up to authority figures to defend the truth.

A book that helps me see the humanity of Mary in such a way that I relate to her better is Elizabeth Johnson's Truly Our Sister: A Theology of Mary in the Communion of Saints. Johnson beautifully establishes Mary in her ancient Middle Eastern context. I can see her as a little, strong, dark-skinned woman, one who works her fingers to the bone to take care of her family. It helps to get away from the blond beauty who holds a book in Renaissance paintings. Johnson speaks of the trials that her life probably entailed, being Jewish in the Roman Empire, living in a tiny town where all had to work together in order to survive.

It's helpful to me to recognize that the Mother of God faced the same struggles of everyday life that we all face, with only the exception of sin. Being free of sin did not free her from worry, from hard work, from sorrow and loss, from sickness... Mary is truly our companion in that she can relate to our struggles.

And, don't forget, Nothing will be impossible for God.

Through the ceiling

2009-12-07T18:50:00.000-08:00

Today's gospel reading is one of my favorites -- the paralytic's friends can't get him in to see Jesus, so they climb up on the roof and lower him down. Can you imagine how important it was for them to see Jesus, that they would do such a thing?

The thought brings up community as well--the paralytic couldn't do this by himself, but he depended on his friends to help out. And they did, probably to their own discomfort and trouble.

Today was our last day of classes, and on we move to exams and the Christmas break. I'm looking forward to the time off school, time to do other things!

Blessings of Community

2009-12-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

image from: emailajoke.com (and picture links to more Christmas cartoons...)

Today has been one of those days... It started off great, and then life got confusing and hectic. It was slated to be a busy day anyhow--with finals approaching, there's really no way to avoid it. But then: my car got a flat.

But here's the sweetness of living in community. One of my sisters noticed the flat before I drove off on it. Another loaned me "her" car to get to mass. A third called AAA and got the tire changed while I was at mass. And all (including fourth and fifth members of my community) have been helpful in getting me to and from the tire place and the meetings that we all had today.

I'm stressed out and busy, but I'm so fortunate to have others to help me take care of these disruptive things that happen to everyone. If I didn't live in community, I probably would have missed mass, I would have had to change the tire myself (I've never had AAA), and I wouldn't have had the kindness and support (and caritas!) of community. And I would have needed to wait at the tire place, and so missed the afternoon's meetings.

So, thank you, my lovely sisters!

Confusing readings

2009-12-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about this line, from the end of the first reading today (Is 30:26):

On the day the LORD binds up the wounds of his people,
he will heal the bruises left by his blows.

I love the image of God binding up our wounds and healing our bruises. We all have those emotional wounds and bruised psyches that need healing, and God can be trusted to bring peace to those places. But what does it mean that they are "left by his blows"?

I think I have to pair it with another phrase from the same passage to make sense of it:

No longer will your Teacher hide himself,
but with your own eyes you shall see your Teacher.

Does God hide from us? I don't think so, but we sometimes hide from God. I've been reading Paul Coutinho's How Big Is Your God, and he speaks of God's non-interference. God will not force us to see the work God does in our lives--we can choose to ignore it if we wish. I have a hard time believing that God would hide from us, but I have no doubt that I hide from God sometimes, even sometimes when I know I'm better off not to do so.

Miracles

2009-12-04T08:20:00.000-08:00

image from sundayschoollessons.com

One of my students this morning asked a question that fits appropriately with the gospel reading from today. She asked why the Church doesn't talk more about miraculous happenings, like statues weeping or the apparitions of Mary.

The gospel today was the healing of the blind men, Matthew 9:27-31:

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,
“Son of David, have pity on us!”
When he entered the house,
the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,
“Do you believe that I can do this?”
“Yes, Lord,” they said to him.
Then he touched their eyes and said,
“Let it be done for you according to your faith.”
And their eyes were opened.
Jesus warned them sternly,
“See that no one knows about this.”
But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

Jesus, like the church today, wants his followers to focus on FAITH, not on miraculous actions or events. The blind men are healed by their faith, healed because they believe Jesus has the power to heal them. Jesus then tells them not to talk about what happened, not to pass on word of his miracles. Of course they do, but that's beside the point.

Another one of my astute students said that if she was presented with the miracles but had no faith she would probably think that Christians were a little crazy, that the events were more like special effects from a sci-fi movie than actually reality.

What do you think? Are miracles, such as weeping or bleeding statues, helpful, or a hindrance to faith? Would they convince someone who is unfamiliar with Christianity, or would they just roll their eyes in annoyance? What about miraculous healings? Could an experience of healing make an unbeliever turn to faith?

Sanctuary

2009-12-03T12:41:00.000-08:00

A little quote from St. Madeleine Sophie Barat, foundress of the Society of the Sacred Heart:

"We should meditate often in the sanctuary of our hearts on the wonderful intimacy which our Lord desires to have with us and which he allows us to have with him."

Many spiritual writers speak of entering that little room where we are alone with God, but the image of the "santuary of our hearts" tops them all. There, alone with God, nothing else matters but that relationship, that love that flows between God's heart and our human heart. What a beautiful image.

Human Compassion

2009-12-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

(image from www.slu.edu)

Last night, I was privileged to hear Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace laureate, speak. He was fantastic. He had the audience captivated by his gentleness and his stories of human life.

The part of Wiesel's message that spoke most clearly to me was his sense of human ethics: we are all part of the same human family, and we are, not one of us, alone. Only God is alone, he says. We know who we are by seeing through the eyes of another looking at us, and thus as we are looking at them. We must value and care for others because they are human, and in their humanity they are just like us.

For one who lived through the profoundly horrific experience of the Holocaust, his message is remarkably life-giving and beautiful. Perhaps it's because of his suffering that he has such wisdom to share with the world.

I've been thinking about suffering a lot lately, too. If given the option of an easy life instead of any sort of suffering, I think most would desire the easy life. But, in a life without trials, would we really grow as human beings? Would we be able to become deep-thinking people, compassionate people without some suffering?

On the other side of those questions is the reality that each of us experiences suffering, and we seek to find meaning in that experience of hardship. How have my trials, little as they are compared to those of others, shaped my own life, my own ability to be compassionate toward those around me?

Many Blessings

2009-12-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

There are days when I simply realize how blessed I am--to have all the basic necessities of life (food, shelter), to have a job that I love, a family and friends who love me, and an amazing community of sisters. Most of all, I'm humbled and thankful to be called by God -- to be a Christian, to be a Catholic, to be a teacher and a theologian, and to be a sister.

from today's Gospel (Luke 10:21-24):

“Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I say to you,
many prophets and kings desired to see what you see,
but did not see it,
and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”

I know that the world is full of people who think that living as a religious is abnormal or unnatural, or just plain weird, but it has already (in 4 short months!) brought me more blessings than I dreamed. That's not to say that all is easy, but I have the love of Jesus and of my community to support me through the harder things. It's so different from living alone and believing that I could (and should) do everything without anyone's help.

Drop everything to follow Jesus

2009-11-30T06:14:00.000-08:00

As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers,
Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew,
casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen.
He said to them,
“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of people.”
At once they left their nets and followed him.
He walked along from there and saw two other brothers,
James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John.
They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets.
He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father
and followed him.

--Matthew 4:18-22

Today's gospel always blows me away. Not only do Andrew, Peter, James and John immediately recognize Jesus as a worthy guide for their lives, but without any hesitation they drop what they are doing and follow him.

Are you listening well enough to hear Jesus call to you, inviting you to follow him?

I wonder how many times I missed his voice among the cacophony in my head, before I started to pay attention. I pray that I can listen more carefully, especially in this season of Advent.

Advent and the Joy of Jesus' Coming

2009-11-29T05:41:00.000-08:00

Advent is one of my favorite seasons. It might just be that we've been in "Ordinary Time" for so long that I'm ready for a change from green vestments to purple. But it's also a time of anticipation and preparation.

Preparation...a little like formation to become a religious sister, really. I'm being "formed" or prepared to (eventually) take vows, to devote my entire being to Jesus Christ and God's work. Quite a big task.

But back to Advent. We all know that it's about getting ready for Jesus, but it's more than that. Traditionally, and we see this in the readings, Advent is also about preparing for the final judgment and the coming of Christ at the end of all time. There's a third element to the preparation: opening our hearts to receive Jesus each and every day.

This is another of those great Christian paradoxes--that we are preparing to receive Jesus, and yet we know that Jesus is already with us. So what is the preparation about?

For me, it's about remembering. Recalling how much God loves us, that God would become human, to be with us, to know what it really means to be human. To experience our own humanity and all the challenges, sorrows, and joys that come with being human.

God loves us beyond our capacity to understand. That alone is good enough reason to spend time in preparation to receive Jesus.

Image: http://www.liturgies.net/saints/mary/annunciation/annunciation.htm

Three Month Anniversary

2009-11-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

So, officially today, I've been in the Society of the Sacred Heart for three months!

It has been beautiful, challenging, amazing...a great time of growth. I'm adjusting still to the new environment--both the new city and the life in community.

Many things have been great graces:

Living with other people! Sharing meals, lives, hopes, sorrows...
Communal prayer.
God is good to me--and I am spending more time in personal prayer, too.
My students are (mostly) fun and generally well-behaved. They at least feign interest in theology.
And I love teaching--it's good to be in the classroom.

More than anything else, my sisters are amazing, so welcoming, loving and compassionate. I am grateful for their support, and for their companionship on this strange journey. I have been welcomed into their lives in ways that I never expected.

There are challenges, too. Moving is always a challenge, and this move was big--a move to a "new" city (I have lived here before, but things have changed in my absence), a new job, and a completely new way of living. I'm glad to report that I rarely get lost, I can find the grocery store and the gas station without difficulty, the mysteries of the kitchen and where it keeps things are being revealed, and I'm getting used to the commute.

Perhaps this is the beginning of what Jesus tells us in today's gospel, that "everyone of you who does not renounce all his possessions cannot be my disciple." Many of my material possessions are gone, but I have gained a whole beautiful world.

Sharing our burdens

2009-11-03T18:55:00.000-08:00

In my mind all day has been one line from the end of today's first reading, Romans 12: "Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep."

Paul is talking to all of us here, giving us advice about what it means to be Christian. From the beginning, the passage tells us about the Body of Christ--our connection to each other. We are so united to each other, that each of us suffers when one person is suffering, and all of us rejoice together in the triumphs of one.

The more people I deal with on a daily basis, the more deeply I understand how intimately connected we are. Most of us grow up thinking that we can become completely independent of each other, but what kind of life would that be? I would much rather know that others need me as much as I need them.

So, let's choose to listen to St. Paul:
"Let love be sincere ... love one another with mutual affection ... Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer."

AMEN!

The Faithful Comfort of God's Love

2009-10-29T06:19:00.000-07:00

[I]n all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(From today's first reading, Romans 8.37-39)

The last few weeks have been filled with sad stories -- students with tragic experiences, friends who are sick (some very sick), and friends who've lost close friends or family.

I'm saddened by all these things, especially this week, but the reading this morning gives me great hope, and comfort that God's love is always with each one of us. None of these sorrowful events can separate us from the love of Jesus. I hold onto that knowledge in my own sorrow. I hope that all who are touched by sadness can know and be comforted by Christ's love for each of them.

Community!

2009-09-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

We just had a lovely evening of community -- all 7 of us together for prayer, then a leisurely dinner, and then games! We celebrated a birthday, and it was so lovely to spend time together without having to rush off to other responsibilities.

I'm very grateful for this time in community. I loved living alone, but it's wonderful to come home to people, generous people who care about how my day was and what's on my mind. And I care about them, too!

On another note, one of my students asked me today, out of the blue, "So, can you ever leave the convent and get married?" I could help laughing (it was really random), but then it sparked a brief discussion about what this life is about, and what this commitment means. I think it's easiest to compare to a marriage: I am committed to it, but sometimes people do walk away. (As one of my friends responded, it's not like the pope has a gun to my back demanding that I stay!) And then I also was able to explain that I'm in the "engagement" stage--that I haven't yet made those vows, but that I am committed to the relationship nonetheless.

If only I had thought to mention that I'm marrying Jesus.....I wonder how that non-Catholic student would have reacted....

Good Night to all!

Comments activated!

2009-09-17T05:05:00.001-07:00

I finally figured out what was wrong with the comment function....so I think it works now!

Life's meaning in music

2009-09-13T20:09:00.000-07:00

This morning at mass, I found myself relating a little too much to the music--it felt as if it was picked just for me! Such a strange experience....

First:
"Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don't know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown?
Will you let my name be known?
Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?"

Yikes. I love this song, and it really expresses for me a lot about the call to religious life--that I am trying to follow Jesus as he calls my name, but that I don't have a clue what is in store. I do know that my life will never be the same. And that's good--I've grown and learned so much, even at this early stage.

And the recessional:
"I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back, no turning back."
"Though no one join me, still I will follow, No turning back, no turning back."
"The world behind me, the cross before me, No turning back, no turning back."

Yep. That says it all. The second line is really speaking to me--knowing that so few understand what religious life is about, and yet some of us are called to it anyway. I can't imagine not following this call at this point.

I'm too tired for any more. Blessings to all this week!

A New Look

2009-09-13T19:59:00.001-07:00

I love the previous template for this blog, but comments were not functioning...so we'll try this for a bit, and then I might try a nicer one later! I hope it works!

Mercy Shines

2009-08-30T15:29:00.000-07:00

"God's mercy and faithfulness
shine forth in a world
wounded by sin."

These words have been in my mind and heart this week. They come from the beginning of our Constitutions, and they seem to provide us with a real reason for living.

Our world is wounded by sin--we need only to look at the paper or watch the evening news to see the sinfulness of the world and the harm that it causes.

Yet, the story doesn't end there. I always wish that the news media would tell us more of the goodness, the stories that show the mercy and compassion of human beings toward each other.

The Constitutions go on to talk of God's great Gift of Love to us--the gift of the Son. Our world is wounded, yes, but God is still here with us, loving us, showing us kindness and mercy. I have to hold on to that mercy, or I can easily be swept away in the woundedness of our world.

I love that it uses the word "shine forth." What a beautiful image! In my mind, I can see the darkness of the world being lit upon by God's shining mercy! It's like the brilliant hope of a new dawn, full of grace and peace!

Blessings on the week ahead!

Settling in!

2009-08-27T04:39:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been far too long since I first posted here. Sorry for the delay!

My whole world has changed in the last two months, so I'll try to summarize a few things here.

At the end of June, I gave away / sold / threw out nearly all of my possessions, keeping only what fit in the car. Now, I filled every nook and cranny in the car, but still, it's a lot less than what there was.

So I left behind my own apartment, and moved into a community of nuns 600 miles away.

But that's not the end of my summer adventures. I moved my stuff into my new room, and then took off on a road trip to the east coast, ultimately to visit my brother and leave the car with him. My road trip took me through 13 states! It was great fun, and I was very ready to arrive "home" again with my new community.

We then had a nun meeting at the end of July, with all of the sisters in the United States who could come gathering in Chicago. It was an amazing experience, if a little overwhelming to meet so many new faces all at once (there were about 240 present). We discussed direction for the coming years, and committed ourselves anew to ministry with youth (an integral part of our charism) and issues of justice and creation (which are all bound up together).

And here we are. Another school year has begun, and it is good to be in the classroom again. I'm teaching college freshman and sophomores, mostly, and having a great time!

Blessings to all who come upon this page!

Community living and Paul

2009-07-26T06:49:00.000-07:00

From today's lectionary:

Ephesians 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

What a great way to begin living in community. As I prayed over this text, I drew out all the characteristics that Paul asserts:

Humility
Gentleness
Patience
Love
Unity
Peace
Hope
Faith

I pray that these will be my guides throughout the next year, and indeed, throughout the rest of my life.