communitas et caritas

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.  I...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.

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 .

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!)