Poor Clare Heart Ponderings

The Making of a Novice

2012-03-03T13:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the memorial of St. Agnes of Bohemia, a 13^th century PoorClare Nun who was also the contemporary and confidante of our Mother St.Clare. Although these great Saints nevermet, they carried on an affectionate correspondence over many years. The four extant letters of St. Clare to St. Agnes are a precious heritage to the Church andespecially to their Poor Clare descendents. To celebrate this day, I would like to share aletter of a modern Poor Clare, our new novice Sister Marie Elise, who was clothedin the habit of St. Clare on December 12 of last year. Whenever a novicereceives the habit, it is our custom that she write a letter sharing herreflections of the ceremony for the benefit of her Sisters. Sister Elise is a native of Vietnam who emigrated with her family to the

United States

when she was a teenager. She adds adistinctively Far Easten flavor to our community. Here are excerpts from her reflections:

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!

For His love enduresfor ever!

“Jesus said to His disciples, “Whoever wishes to come afterme, must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will loseit, but whoever loses his life for my sake, will find it.” (Mt. 16:24-25). Following the footsteps of Christ, I enteredinto the world of Poor Clares. A worldthat is filled with wonder, a world that emphasizes so much humility, andespecially the Holy Poverty. What isthis all about? What is the secret thatattracted many men and women from generations past until now to embrace thiskind of life? This life has producedmany saints for the Church. This made meponder and search for its secret. Isearched all the books that spoke about Franciscan humility and Holy Povertyand this was very interesting and delightful for me. But God had a different way to teach me whereI least expected it when I was open to embrace the way of the Poor Clarelife. He used His life as a lesson. Andfor my deeper understanding, and so that I might remember the lesson longer forhe knew so well that I am a forgetful student), He applied the lesson on myvery own life experience. But He failedto inform me He would do it this way. That is why I felt miserable in the midst of suffering and beingstripped of everything. This is not afun way to learn!

I was not experiencing so much the clothing things, but onthe stripping off. Stripping of all thatwas dear to me and of all that I am proud of. Our Mother Abbess is sweet and sensitive and she asked me about whetherI am nervous or excited about the investiture. She asked, “Will you cry on that day?” My answer was the same every time: No! She said that she is nervousand excited and will cry for me. The daybefore the investiture, Mother Abbess asked me the same questions and I feltsorry to give her the same answer and she told me that I am strange! I smiled at her and said to her in mythought, “Yes, I am strange, just asyou are strange to choose this kind of life, different from the norm of theworld—to be poor and unknown.”

On the other side, our Mother Vicaress, my Dear Mistress,seemed very calm with no emotion, but she does have them. She is American, but somehow to me she has atypical characteristic of Vietnamese mothers, who usually do not express theirfeelings and their boundless love for their children in words. But they express their love in the willingembrace of all the hardships of life for the sake of the happiness andwellbeing of their children. And somaybe it is not hard for me to recognize the unspoken messages of the lovingcare of my dear mistress which lay under her hardworking and numberlesssacrifices in providing all my physical and spiritual needs. It is also very interesting for me to observehow the community Sisters prepared for my investiture day a month ahead. Their love, care and joy made me feel sospecial. I felt like a bride in thevillage of the countryside of

Vietnam

. Her wedding brings joy and excitement to thewhole village.

The day has come! Everybody is excited including Mother Vicaress, except me. And I am not worried either because MotherVicaress told me not to. I know that sheis a well prepared person. Throughoutthe ceremony, I just follow what Mother Vicaress tells me what to do. My turning point came at the cutting of thehair.

It is embarrassingto have the hair cut in front of people. I saw every sister looking at me, andmy imagination gave me all the figures of what I might look like to them. I did not want to know what the sisters seeand what they are thinking about me, so I closed my eyes and shut down myimagination completely. Isurrendered. In the stillness of mindand heart, in the complete surrender, my spiritual senses started to open. I saw Mother Abbess represented God,disfiguring me and destroying my self image which I love and hold on to. Then I saw myself in the chaste, pure heartof Jesus. And as Mother put theheadcover on my head, I saw the door of Jesus’ heart slowly close before me. Itwas shut completely when the veil was put upon me. Then I heard the voice of Jesus say to me,“You are mine”. My heart filled withhappiness and the joy of interior freedom of being possessed by God. Then my tears started rushing through myclosed eyes. I cried! When Mother Abbess gave me the signal to risefor the pax, I rose up from the kneeling position as a new person, not so muchby appearance, but from within.

After the ceremony, I followed Mother Abbess and MotherVicaress to the parlor to greet my family. I gave them my hair, but they were reluctant to accept it. That was understandable because in myVietnamese culture, we only keep the hair of the deceased. But this was appropriate, for when I toldthem I would be entering the monastery they cried, for in their mind I wasdying. I did have a great visit with myfamily. With the high technology, I wasable to talk to all my family in different places, including

Vietnam

at the same time. It seemed like we had a family reunion at theparlor.

I am sorry that I do not remember what the program theSisters did for me was about. Perhapsthe reason I do not remember is that when I saw the Sisters dancing before me,all I could see was their love, which is imprinted very deeply in my heart. I knew that they had spent much time and effort to prepare the program despite theirbusyness. Personally, I would prefer theSisters to not spend that kind of time and energy on me, but I treasurewhatever they did because that is one of the ways they show their love andcare. In the same way, you have shownyour love and care by spending time and energy making cards for me. It isreally true that everything will pass with time, but only love remains.

The day ended with recreation, but I began a new life—a lifein Christ alone. Holy Poverty hasstripped me of self love and self interest, and has reduced me to such a stateof nakedness that I appear to myself to be truly nothing. It buries me in humility and humility istruth. Holy Poverty then raises me upabove all that is very dear to human nature, which tries to captivate me: honor, talents, knowledge, esteem, affection,the respect and love of men, so that I can belong exclusively to God. For I am made for God alone. Now I boast in nothing except Jesus ChristCrucified. May then God be praisedforever, Amen!

Rainbow Sign

2012-02-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

Rainbow over our Monastery

1^st Sunday of Lent Year B

Gen. 9:8-15

Mk. 1:12-15

Our Holy Mother St. Clare legislated in her Rule that theSisters should keep silence continually, but that they may always say what isnecessary in a low tone of voice. Thispoint in our Rule is very faithfully kept whenever a rainbow appears on Mt. St. Francis,the site of our monastery. Well, perhapsthe part about the low tone of voice is a bit neglected…but anyway, everySister considers this event a time when it is necessary to speak. For everyone must see the phenomenon,everyone must share the glorious experience of witnessing the sign of God’scovenant with creation. So the word goesaround the cloister and soon each Sister has stationed herself in what sheconsiders to be the best window or the best spot in the courtyard or gardens. Usually a rainbow appears in the afternoonafter a storm, when the setting sun is able to send a last, slanting raybeneath the hem of cloud cover to shine on the mist of evaporating rain in theeastern sky. We point, we exclaim and wegaze at the wonder until the last color fades and then we return to our prayeror work renewed in the beauty of God’s ways.

The rainbow is the sign of the covenant, formed when thelight shines in the darkness through the countless prisms of airborne waterdroplets. In today’s gospel, Jesus, the Light of the World, shines in thedarkness of Satan’s temptations. He isthe sign of the new covenant, the many colored bow bent by the Father’s hand tosend an arrow of love and praise from earth even to the heights of heaven. And in the storms of life, may we too, liftour tears of sorrow upon the breath of the Holy Spirit so that we may see therainbow formed by Christ’s light shining in our darkness.

Dramatic Descent

2012-02-19T16:19:00.002-08:00

7^th Sun. Ordinary Time

Mk 2:1-12

Sometimes I wish that I could make a movie based on theGospel of St. Mark. Just think howwonderfully dramatic the scenes would be: Jesus asleep in the apostles’ boat while the storm rages: Jesus expelsthe demons and the pigs go rushing down the hillside and are drowned; or thescene in today’s Gospel. I can see itall in my mind: there Jesus is inPeter’s house, preaching to a standing room only crowd. Four men carrying their paralyzed friend trydesperately to muscle their way through to Jesus and are defeated by the sheerpress and obstinacy of the people. Sothey hoist themselves on to the roof along with the invalid (a superhuman featin itself!), estimate where Jesus is below and then proceed to tear apart the tiles. As the debris falls down and the noisedisturbs the sermon, Peter looks up to see his house being destroyed. He jumps up shouting, “Hey, what are you guysdoing?” Jesus tells him to sit down, they can repair the roof later. Then comes down the paralytic on his mat in amost incredible descent, precariously held by ropes held by his faithfulfriends. Seeing their faith, Jesus works His wonders on both body and soul.

But even more dramatic than the physical event happening wasthe spiritual drama taking place. Ourmodern translators have done us a disservice here. They tell us that Jesus said, “Child, yoursins are forgiven” (past tense), but the Greek actually says, “your sins are being forgiven” (presenttense). The heroic, active faith of theparalytic’s friends have set in motion the mercy of God which at that moment isreaching out to heal first the paralysis of this man’s soul before attending tohis motionless limbs. Evidently, Jesussaw the movement of the man’s heart accepting the grace of forgiveness whichhis lips could not express. The Lordcould then perform the outward miracle which would be the sign of the man’s newinner freedom.

What a consoling story this is for us who know so manypeople paralyzed by sin, so many relationships frozen by animosity! In prayer we can lay them all at the feet ofJesus, who, seeing our faith willbegin the process of reconciliation for our loved ones who suffer and yet areunable to help themselves or go to Him on their own. By our love and faith we can bring them intothe radiance of Divine Mercy.

The Healing Touch

2012-02-14T08:42:00.001-08:00

6^th Sun. Ordinary Time Year B

Mk. 1:40-45

Healing is on my mind since Saturday's feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. The miraculous waters at her shrine have been the limpid source of healing graces for countless ailing bodies and suffering souls. In order for the Church to declare a purported miraculous cure to be authentic, it must take place immediately and completely. I remember hearing the story of a cynical physician observing the blessing of the sick at Lourdes . One woman obviously had a large tumor on her abdomen. When the Blessed Sacrament was carried in the monstrance to this woman, the sheet covering her seemed to deflate as the tumor shrank away. Needless to say, the doctor who came a cynic left Lourdes a believer!

Similarly, in Sunday's Gospel, Jesus stretches out His hand, touches a leper and immediately the leprosy disappears from the man’s body. But miracles are rare events. It is God’s more usual way to grant the healing of disease by means of medical remedies, and these often are far from being immediately effective. How frustratingly slow is the recovery from surgery or even the common cold! And it is worse when we consider emotional and psychological illnesses which can take years to become even manageable and sometimes are not completely healed until the next life. Why does Jesus not have pity on us as He did on the lepers and cripples of His day? Perhaps it is that these afflictions are meant to be the Divine Physician’s bitter medicine given to us for the healing of the deepest and most serious of our diseases: the spiritual wound in our heart left by original sin. This wound is the radical turning away from God, the compulsion to make ourselves a god. Our first parents chose their own pleasure contrary to God’s will and so died a spiritual death. Left to ourselves, we tend irresistibly to do the same. But when by God’s grace we accept suffering for love of Him, then begins the healing of that primordial wound. Or perhaps it is our suffering that brings us close to Jesus and keeps us near Him. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. Let us allow the Lord to lay His healing hand upon us for as long as He likes. His presence will turn all our sorrows into joy.

The Dangers of Success

2012-02-05T12:05:00.001-08:00

5^th Sun. Ordinary Time

1Cor. 9, 16-23

Mk. 1, 29-39

In today’s 2^nd reading, St. Paul boasts that hederives no profit from his preaching of the Gospel besides that of doing God’swill. In this he was simply followingthe advice of Jesus to His apostles, “Freely you have received, freelygive…” Jesus, Himself, gives us His ownexample of how to avoid the subtle temptation to make the proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven a personal ego trip. He rose early in the morning, went to a placeof solitude and prayed. At this point inSt. Mark’s Gospel, Jesus is experiencing tremendous success in Hismission. All day He is healing diseases,driving out demons, preaching to huge crowds who marvel at His words. But by night He prays. More than His body yearns for rest does Hisspirit yearn to rest in the bosom of His Father. Jesus does not want to appropriate to Himselfthe acclaim of the crowds, but desires to work only for the glory of the Onewho sent Him. Alone with His Father, Hegives all to Him. And when the disciplesfind Jesus, He tells them He must go to other villages rather than bask in theglory of the town that had already accepted Him.

In our own day we have seen to our dismay what happens tothose who seek to profit from their proclamation of the Gospel. But before we judge them, let us examine ourown consciences. When we do good, do wedo it for God’s sake or so that we will have the esteem of others? How do we feel when our good works are notnoticed or taken for granted? The onlyway we can keep our hearts pure is by constantly turning them heavenward inprayer. Everything we have is a giftgiven us from above which is meant to be used for the benefit of others and theglory of God. The reward we are to seekis a greater conformity of our selves to the One we serve and a greater sharein His life. If we do this, we will be asource of blessing to all we meet and an open channel of grace for the world.

Truth has its Time

2012-01-29T11:32:00.001-08:00

4^th Sun. Ordinary Time Year B

Mk. 1:21-28

Our Lord comes to the synagogue and amazes the congregationbecause He speaks with authority and not like a scribe. We all know the difference between a preacherwho proclaims his homily with the power that emanates from the Holy Spirit andone who simply recites words derived from a superficial or merely academicstudy of the sacred text. The first hasa mysterious moral authority that moves the hearts of his listeners while thesecond puts his hearers to sleep. Evidently, no one was nodding when Jesus spoke that Sabbath in Capernaum!

But preaching with power has its dangers. It not only arouses the latent good but alsoprovokes the hidden evil. A man with anunclean spirit cries out in protest, “Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of God!” I have always found it intriguing that thedevil should witness here to the sanctity and divine origin of Christ and thatJesus should refuse such testimony. Wasnot each one acting against his own self interest? Why should the demon tell the truth and whyshould Truth Incarnate command silence? Because truth has its time and it was not the right time for this truthto be revealed. The people were notready to contemplate the Divinity of Jesus; they had to be prepared by Histeaching and His acting. So the devilspoke in order to take control and Jesus cut short that maneuver.

In the spiritual life it is the same way. Jesus reveals Himself very gradually andadapts Himself to our mode of being in a way that we can receive Him. Sometimes it is a frustratingly slow process,both in our own lives and in the lives of those we love. We may want to accelerate the revelation, butthis is a temptation and a deceit of the evil one. Jesus knows how to wait for the righttime. His greatest revelation is Hispatience on the Cross. Here He showswhat love really means and who God really is. This is His most captivating sermon. May it capture our hearts so that we too may have the power which comesfrom love to draw all people to Him.

Holy Father Reflects on World Youth Day

2012-01-26T13:01:00.000-08:00

Here is an excerpt from our Holy Father, Pope Benedict's address to the Roman Curia:

Not only faithful believers but also outside observers are noticing with concern that regular churchgoers are growing older all the time and that their number is constantly diminishing; that recruitment of priests is stagnating; that scepticism and unbelief are growing. What, then, are we to do? There are endless debates over what must be done in order to reverse the trend. There is no doubt that a variety of things need to be done. But action alone fails to resolve the matter. The essence of the crisis of the Church in Europe is the crisis of faith. If we find no answer to this, if faith does not take on new life, deep conviction and real strength from the encounter with Jesus Christ, then all other reforms will remain ineffective.
A further remedy against faith fatigue was the wonderful experience of World Youth Day in Madrid. This was new evangelization put into practice. Again and again at World Youth Days, a new, more youthful form of Christianity can be seen, something I would describe under five headings.
1. Firstly, there is a new experience of catholicity, of the Church’s universality. This is what struck the young people and all the participants quite directly: we come from every continent, but although we have never met one another, we know one another. We speak different languages, we have different ways of life and different cultural backgrounds, yet we are immediately united as one great family. Outward separation and difference is relativized. We are all moved by the one Lord Jesus Christ, in whom true humanity and at the same time the face of God himself is revealed to us. We pray in the same way. The same inner encounter with Jesus Christ has stamped us deep within with the same structure of intellect, will and heart. And finally, our common liturgy speaks to our hearts and unites us in a vast family. In this setting, to say that all humanity are brothers and sisters is not merely an idea: it becomes a real shared experience, generating joy. And so we have also understood quite concretely: despite all trials and times of darkness, it is a wonderful thing to belong to the worldwide Church, to the Catholic Church, that the Lord has given to us.
2. From this derives a new way of living our humanity, our Christianity. For me, one of the most important experiences of those days was the meeting with the World Youth Day volunteers: about 20,000 young people, all of whom devoted weeks or months of their lives to working on the technical, organizational and material preparations for World Youth Day, and thus made it possible for the whole event to run smoothly. Those who give their time always give a part of their lives. At the end of the day, these young people were visibly and tangibly filled with a great sense of happiness: the time that they gave up had meaning; in giving of their time and labour, they had found time, they had found life. And here something fundamental became clear to me: these young people had given a part of their lives in faith, not because it was asked of them, not in order to attain Heaven, nor in order to escape the danger of Hell. They did not do it in order to find fulfilment. They were not looking round for themselves. There came into my mind the image of Lot’s wife, who by looking round was turned into a pillar of salt. How often the life of Christians is determined by the fact that first and foremost they look out for themselves, they do good, so to speak, for themselves. And how great is the temptation of all people to be concerned primarily for themselves; to look round for themselves and in the process to become inwardly empty, to become “pillars of salt”. But here it was not a matter of seeking fulfilment or wanting to live one’s life for oneself. These young people did good, even at a cost, even if it demanded sacrifice, simply because it is a wonderful thing to do good, to be there for others. All it needs is the courage to make the leap. Prior to all of this is the encounter with Jesus Christ, inflaming us with love for God and for others, and freeing us from seeking our own ego. In the words of a prayer attributed to Saint Francis Xavier: I do good, not that I may come to Heaven thereby and not because otherwise you could cast me into Hell. I do it because of you, my King and my Lord. I came across this same attitude in Africa too, for example among the Sisters of Mother Teresa, who devote themselves to abandoned, sick, poor and suffering children, without asking anything for themselves, thus becoming inwardly rich and free. This is the genuinely Christian attitude. Equally unforgettable for me was the encounter with handicapped young people in the Saint Joseph Centre in Madrid, where I encountered the same readiness to put oneself at the disposal of others – a readiness to give oneself that is ultimately derived from encounter with Christ, who gave himself for us.
3. A third element, that has an increasingly natural and central place in World Youth Days and in the spirituality that arises from them, is adoration. I still look back to that unforgettable moment duringmy visit to the United Kingdom, when tens of thousands of predominantly young people in Hyde Park responded in eloquent silence to the Lord’s sacramental presence, in adoration. The same thing happened again on a smaller scale in Zagreb and then again in Madrid, after the thunderstorm which almost ruined the whole night vigil through the failure of the microphones. God is indeed ever-present. But again, the physical presence of the risen Christ is something different, something new. The risen Lord enters into our midst. And then we can do no other than say, with Saint Thomas: my Lord and my God! Adoration is primarily an act of faith – the act of faith as such. God is not just some possible or impossible hypothesis concerning the origin of all things. He is present. And if he is present, then I bow down before him. Then my intellect and will and heart open up towards him and from him. In the risen Christ, the incarnate God is present, who suffered for us because he loves us. We enter this certainty of God’s tangible love for us with love in our own hearts. This is adoration, and this then determines my life. Only thus can I celebrate the Eucharist correctly and receive the body of the Lord rightly.
4. A further important element of the World Youth Days is the sacrament of Confession, which is increasingly coming to be seen as an integral part of the experience. Here we recognize that we need forgiveness over and over again, and that forgiveness brings responsibility. Openness to love is present in man, implanted in him by the Creator, together with the capacity to respond to God in faith. But also present, in consequence of man’s sinful history (Church teaching speaks of original sin) is the tendency that is opposed to love – the tendency towards selfishness, towards becoming closed in on oneself, in fact towards evil. Again and again my soul is tarnished by this downward gravitational pull that is present within me. Therefore we need the humility that constantly asks God for forgiveness, that seeks purification and awakens in us the counterforce, the positive force of the Creator, to draw us upwards.
5. Finally, I would like to speak of one last feature, not to be overlooked, of the spirituality ofWorld Youth Days, namely joy. Where does it come from? How is it to be explained? Certainly, there are many factors at work here. But in my view, the crucial one is this certainty, based on faith: I am wanted; I have a task in history; I am accepted, I am loved. Josef Pieper, in his book on love, has shown that man can only accept himself if he is accepted by another. He needs the other’s presence, saying to him, with more than words: it is good that you exist. Only from the You can the I come into itself. Only if it is accepted, can it accept itself. Those who are unloved cannot even love themselves. This sense of being accepted comes in the first instance from other human beings. But all human acceptance is fragile. Ultimately we need a sense of being accepted unconditionally. Only if God accepts me, and I become convinced of this, do I know definitively: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being. If ever man’s sense of being accepted and loved by God is lost, then there is no longer any answer to the question whether to be a human being is good at all. Doubt concerning human existence becomes more and more insurmountable. Where doubt over God becomes prevalent, then doubt over humanity follows inevitably. We see today how widely this doubt is spreading. We see it in the joylessness, in the inner sadness, that can be read on so many human faces today. Only faith gives me the conviction: it is good that I exist. It is good to be a human being, even in hard times. Faith makes one happy from deep within. That is one of the wonderful experiences of World Youth Days.

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/speeches/2011/december/documents/hf_ben-xvi_spe_20111222_auguri-curia_en.html

Come follow Me

2012-01-22T12:30:00.000-08:00

3^rd Sunday Year B

Mk 1:14-20

Jesus walks by the sea of Galilee and calls to Simon and his brother Andrew as they cast their nets. Immediately they abandon the nets and follow Him. Next Jesus finds James and John peacefully putting their nets in order with their father. They hear the call, abandon nets and father and follow after the Master. Along how many shores of peoples’ lives does Jesus walk today, calling those who will listen to a greater intimacy with Himself! Not only does He summon us at that great moment when He reveals His plan for our future work in the kingdom, but at every moment He beckons us. Here at Bethlehem Monastery we adhere to the ancient monastic custom of ringing a bell when the time comes for prayer. When the bell rings, each Sister is expected to abandon whatever task she has at hand and immediately answer the call of the Lord to participate in the “Opus Dei” the “work of God” which is the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church. Monastic life is often portrayed in very romantic terms, but those who live it know that it is extremely pragmatic. Our human nature remains the same after entering the cloister. We, as well as those on the outside, can get caught up in our work, making it the center of our lives, deriving self satisfaction from it rather than offering it as a gift of love to the Lord and service to our community. And so, it can be surprisingly difficult to abandon our tasks when the bell rings for prayer! But this is the value of the custom. If we are faithful to responding immediately to the bell, we gradually purify our hearts of self seeking. And we become more adept at hearing the voice of Jesus as He calls to us in the depths of our hearts. Those who are faithful in small things will be faithful in greater. As we strive to follow Jesus’ loving call, we pray for those others He is calling and who cannot yet respond. May they have the faith to hear and the urgency of love to abandon all for His sake!

Behold the Lamb of God

2012-01-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

2^nd Sun. Ordinary Time Year B

Jn 1:35-42

Happy New Year to everyone! I hope that you all had a most joyous Christmas celebration and are already experiencing the blessings of 2012. Although we are in the liturgical season of “Ordinary Time”, the Gospels for these weeks that follow the Christmas Season definitely follow the theme of “Epiphany” the manifestation of God’s glory among us in His incarnate Son. Today Jesus begins to gather His first disciples. John the Baptist points Him out, “Behold the Lamb of God!”. The purity of St. John always impresses me. Never does he claim glory for himself, but always he gives it to Christ. And what is the result? His disciples leave him to follow after the true Lamb of God. Soon John’s other disciples will complain that everyone is going over to Jesus. But John will answer that Jesus must increase and John himself must decrease. Those of us who have authority would do well to take John the Baptist for our model. All of our teaching and mentoring must lead others not to ourselves but to Jesus otherwise it is for naught. We must rejoice when our children grow up, our students graduate, our subordinates advance. It should be our joy that we are instruments of God’s grace for the people entrusted to our care. The Gospel says that John looked at Jesus walking by. Let us too keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. He is our reward for any good we do. As long as we have Him, we need nothing else.

Decorating Day

2011-12-22T12:47:00.001-08:00

Yesterday in Bethlehem Monastery was D-Day—Decorating Day. And now the monastic halls are literally decked with wild holly from our woods along with evergreen boughs and sprigs surrounding candles waiting to be lit. Our cribs are empty, awaiting the coming of the Christ Child who will fill not only them but our yearning hearts with His longed for presence. Yesterday was also the winter solstice: the shortest day and longest night of the year. Even the day was dark for it was cloudy and raining. But today begins the gradual increasing of the light that will soon bring us the new growth of leaf and flower. The Church gives us the Christmas Season, just at this transitional time of the year to impress upon us the absolute dreariness of our natural human condition without God. But our hope lies in the joyful realization that the Son of God has come into the very depths of our self-made darkness to bring us His healing light. Our Matins Advent hymn expresses the mystery well: “Already now your crib is bright and night, in wonder breathes new light, which darkness cannot dim or break as lasting light is wed to faith.”

I will not be posting during the coming Christmas Season, so I will take this opportunity to wish everyone a most blessed Christmas celebration of the Incarnation of the Lord. And may He grant one and all a joyful New Year, rich in grace and peace.

A New Novice

2011-12-18T12:28:00.001-08:00

4^th Sunday of Advent

In today’ Gospel, we hear the familiar story of the Annuntiation. Mary hears the summons of the angel Gabriel to become the mother of the Son of God and she whole-heartedly responds with her unconditional “fiat”: Let it be done to me according to your word. We cannot help think of our new little novice who last Monday entered more deeply into her own “fiat” to the Lord.

Yes, we have a new novice! After Holy Mass in the monastic Chapter Room, a place for solemn gatherings of the Sisters, Postulant Kimberly became Sister Marie Elíse of Jesus Crucified. This particular ceremony was historic in our community for it was the first to happen in our recently built monastery and the first to be performed by our new Abbess, Mother Mary Therese. Since I am novice mistress, I also had the privilege of assisting in the transformation. The day before the great event, I could be found in the Chapter Room diligently practicing my part as mistress of ceremonies beside my little table on which were laid the garments, and other needed items, all laid out in order like a surgeon’s instruments.

Prominently displayed on the table were a pair of shiny scissors for the cutting of hair, for we treasure the ancient custom of the “tonsure”, the cutting of a woman’s crowning glory to signify her consecration to God. Women are poetic by nature. Our clothes and our adornments not only cover and beautify us, but they also symbolize who we are. And so by the cutting away of the hair, that lovely product of our body, we signify the holocaust of our very selves: the joys of marriage to an earthly husband, the fulfillment of physical motherhood, even our very identity. But we are not left stripped of all these good things. We receive the enfolding veil of divine love and a new identity as bride of Christ, spiritual mother of countless souls, sister to the whole world. Like Mary, we are blessed among women, for we are favored by the Lord.

Gaudete Sunday

2011-12-11T16:31:00.001-08:00

Gaudete Sunday Year B

Isa 61,10

Blessed Gaudete (rejoice) Sunday to one and all! We are rejoicing with extra joy this year as we anticipate the clothing ceremony of our Postulant Kimberly who will be transformed into a Poor Clare novice tomorrow, the beautiful feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It was wonderful to hear in our first reading from the book of the prophet Isaiah of the Church’s joy in being “clothed in the robe of salvation and wrapped in a mantle of justice”. We also listened to these words at the liturgy of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, where they were attributed to Our Lady. Mary was prepared for her unique mission in salvation history by being “pre-redeemed”, sinless from the first moment of her conception. Sin is what limits love, for it is directly opposed to all love. But Mary, being without the least stain of sin, was able to receive the fullness of God incarnated in her own body and to respond to Him with the complete fullness of love. We, on the other hand, daily experience our inability to love as we would. For us who were not immaculately conceived, the only way we can become able to give ourselves fully to the love of God is by way of repentance. When a young woman takes on our Holy Habit, it signifies that she is “putting on Christ”, taking up her Cross and following in His footsteps in a life of joyful penance. Yes, joyful penance! We deny ourselves, not out of hatred for our selves, but so that we can give our entire selves in love to the Divine Bridegroom who beckons us. Sin and selfishness are in the way of our union with Him, so they must go. It is that devastatingly simple.

Along with her new habit our new novice will also receive a new name. We believe that God reveals this new name to Mother Abbess who does not divulge this divine secret until the very end of the ceremony of investiture. Be sure that we will let you know by what name Kimberly will henceforth be called. Share the joyful suspense with us!

2nd Sunday of Advent

2011-12-05T16:10:00.000-08:00

2^nd Sunday of Advent Year B

Entrance Chant “Populus Sion”

“People of Sion, behold the Lord will come to save the nations: and the Lord will make the glory of His voice heard in the joy of your heart”.

I wish you could hear this beautiful Gregorian Chant melody which perfectly expresses the words of the sacred text. You would see in your mind’s eye a herald climbing to the top of a high mountain and calling out to a people who are discouraged, depressed and anxious: BEHOLD! The Lord will come…But then there is a surprising twist: The Lord will also make the glory of His voice heard. How does one hear glory? I can only speak for myself, but I usually think of seeing glory rather than hearing it. What does glory sound like? Mystical writers tell us that we have spiritual senses but they work much more fluidly than our physical ones. So here we must simply “go with the flow”. Yes, we will hear the glory of God’s voice. Where? In the joy of our hearts! Especially we will hear it when there seems to be no reason for joy in our lives, when all is dark and dreary, like a cold December day after the bright colors of autumn have long faded but no snow yet whitens the muddy earth. On a day like that, all of a sudden there is a spark of joy, a trill of laughter that wells up from the depths of the heart. We know it does not come from ourselves. It is the voice of God assuring us that all will be well. He loves us, knows our pain and our trouble and is already working it for our good. As we walk through this valley of tears, let us raise our heads to see and to hear the herald of glad tidings who calls out: Behold the Lord will come to save us!

First Sunday of Advent

2011-11-28T16:21:00.000-08:00

First Sunday of Advent

Entrance Chant Ps 24(25) 1-3

Happy Liturgical New Year! It is always invigorating to begin anew, and we have so many new beginnings this week. A new year, a new season and a new translation of the Roman Missal. Like all good Catholics across the country, we were ready at Holy Mass with our Mass cards and new responses printed in bold. I was very impressed with our chapel congregation on Sunday that nearly blew us away with their enthusiastic, “And with your Spirit!”

It was a new Sunday, but we sang some very old Gregorian Chant. The Latin words of the Introit (Entrance Chant) are beautiful. My own translation follows here:

To you, my God, I lift up my soul: in you I trust, let me not be put to shame: neither let my enemies laugh at me: indeed, all who wait for you will not be confounded.

One of our cherished Poor Clare customs is to gather around our Advent wreathe to light the candles before each meal. In the evening, the Sisters take turns offering a prayer. This is my own, inspired by the Entrance Chant of Sunday:

To you, we lift up our soul, O Lord our God! We trust in you, we believe in you, we confide all our hope in you! But we see that the winter nights are long and the days will be growing cold, unwarmed by the sun’s weakening rays. We fear the strange sounds in the darkness and the footsteps that are not your own. The enemy of our soul would snare us in our weakness and laugh at our downfall. Our love, not yet perfect, has little power to cast out our fear. So you give us words to express our anguish: “Let me not be put to shame!” “My soul yearns for you in the night, yes my spirit keeps vigil for you”. You listen to our cry, and you come to save us! You are our light and our help. Whom shall we fear? You have already come and you will come, you are with us in our darkest night and our deepest sorrow. We wait for you, watching and waking. We listen for that longed for knock on the door of our hearts so that we can open to you without delay. We remember those who have waited for you and were not confounded—our Holy Father Francis, our Holy Mother Clare and all the saints who have gone before us. With them we lift up our souls. We are filled as with a banquet and our mouths will praise you with joy. We cling to you and your right hand holds us fast. Your love is better than this passing life. Come, Lord Jesus!

Christ the King

2011-11-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

Solemnity of Christ, King of the Universe Year A

Mt 25, 31-46

I have a fascination for words and for the way different languages express reality. Our English language is generally very precise and specific, but one interesting exception to this rule is the word “Love”. While other languages have a diverse vocabulary to identify the different warm, positive feelings we have for a sunset, a chocolate bar, a favorite dog, a friend, a son, a brother, a spouse, or our God, English has only one. Greek, however, has no less than four different words to describe the various forms of “Love”. One of these is “Philia”, which is the deep affectionate love between brethren or close friends. It is said that the person who feels this kind of love identifies himself with the one he loves. So, if my brother or friend is happy, I am happy, if he is sad, I am sad, if someone hurts him, then I am hurt, if he is honored, I feel honored. My brother or friend is my “other self”.

Jesus says in today’s Gospel that He has this kind of love for us. Whatever is done to the least of His brethren is done to Him. He so identifies Himself with us that our happiness is His own. In another place in Sacred Scripture, St. Paul tells us that we are part of Christ’s Mystical Body, so we should all sympathize with one another as the members of the same body sympathize with one another. I will never forget when I dropped something heavy on my foot and fractured one of my toes. Believe me, the whole rest of my body was in deep sympathy with that little toe! There was no indifference over the fate and welfare of this little member. This is what it means to be part of the Kingdom of God: to be in a close union of love with Jesus and with all our brothers and sisters. We must allow His love to flow between us and among us, not only in good feelings but in acts of mercy and kindness. Jesus told us at the last supper, “Love one another as I have loved you”. He has laid down His life for us. Let us also lay down our lives for each other. Blessed Solemnity to one and all! May the fullness of Christ’s kingdom come soon!

Thief in the Night

2011-11-13T11:54:00.001-08:00

33^rd Sun. Year A

1Thes 5, 1-6

In today’s 2^nd reading at Holy Mass, St. Paul describes the coming of the Lord as being like a thief at night. Anyone who has experienced a nocturnal prowler in one’s own home cannot be unmoved by this image! About 30 years ago I was sleeping in my monastic cell and I heard a strange noise in the hall. Sleepily I wondered what it was and also why my door was swung wide open. The noises gradually solidified in my mind as those made when someone is franticly opening and closing cupboard doors. My heart began to pound and my limbs seemed glued to my bed. Then a Sister yelled and a leapt to my doorway just in time to see a male figure speeding past. The Sister yelled again, this time with articulate speech: “There’s a man in the house!” I shouted back: “I saw him!” At this point, Mother Abbess poked her head out of her door and we both shouted at her, “Man in the house!” She immediately grabbed the large hand bell used for waking us up and began to ring it while walking quickly down the hall. We followed her, setting up a hue and cry which included, “Call the police!” Soon all the Sisters were aroused and gathered at the foot of the stairs on the first floor. Many had heard multiple footsteps running down the halls, so it was surmised there were several thieves. Some of the Sisters had secured makeshift weapons. I will never forget the bemused expression on the face of a 6 foot 6, broad shouldered policeman as he fixed his gaze on our tough, little Brooklyn-born sister while she brandished a curtain rod as if it were a sword and said, “Just let him touch one of my Sisters!” We told him of what we had seen, our hue and cry and the running footsteps. He glanced down at the curtain rod and said, “If I saw you all coming after me I’d run too!” Upon inspection, it appeared that one of the windows on the first floor had not been closed properly and had given easy access to our unwelcome visitors.

Not only St. Paul, but Jesus even calls Himself a “thief in the night”. So unexpectedly does He come! But does He need to come so unwanted as a thief is unwanted? St. Augustine wonders why we fear the Lord’s coming so much since we say that we love Him. Do we really love Him or do we love our sins more? Or is it perhaps that we just feel so helpless, so out of control of the situation when He suddenly comes upon us? And He does come suddenly, like a thief in the night, not only at the end of time, not only at the end of our own time at death, but even in the unexpected challenges of life. You just never know when He will come, nor how, nor under what guise. But what does He want to steal anyway? Is it not ourselves? He wants us to be His, but we are always on the defense. So He waits to catch us when our guard is down. Why don’t we instead make the job easy for Him and leave the windows open and the doors unbarred. For He only comes to take us to His Father’s house where we truly want to be.

The Wise and the Foolish

2011-11-07T15:06:00.001-08:00

32^nd Sun. Year A

Mt 25,1-13

On Sunday, Jesus tells us the familiar parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. Five are prudent, bringing oil for their lamps and five are foolish, neglecting to bring the essential fuel for their own lamps. When the bridegroom finally arrives after a long delay, the foolish ladies ask the prudent ones for some oil, but are told there will not be enough to go around so they had better buy some for themselves. Of course, oil is hard to come by at midnight, so by the time the foolish get back the door to the feast is barred and they are on the wrong side. Our Lord’s parables always have surprising elements in them which are designed to make us wonder. I would like to focus on the attitude of the prudent bridesmaids. At first glance, it seemed to me that although they might be prudent, they certainly were not very nice. Why didn’t they share their oil so that the others could at least get into the wedding feast? The answer is that no matter how nice we are, how much we may love, how ardently we want our loved ones to come close to God, to live a virtuous life, to indeed be ready to enter the Kingdom of Heaven when the Lord comes, we just cannot do that for them. Everyone must take ultimate responsibility for their own lives. This is the dignity of the human person and the terrible choice for each one’s free will. We can teach, we can give good example, we can encourage, but we cannot give our own relationship with God to another. Every good parent of a wayward child knows this sad truth. Oil often symbolizes the Holy Spirit in Sacred Scripture. Each one of us must choose to allow the lamp of the heart to be filled with this Blessed Oil so that it may be enkindled with the fire of His love. If the Bridegroom delays, it is so that we have more time to get ready for His feast. Let us be wise and choose well. And let us pray for those who neglect their opportunity.

The Weaned Child

2011-10-30T16:15:00.000-07:00

31^st Sun. Ordinary Time Year A

Ps 131

Today’s responsorial psalm, Ps. 131, has always fascinated and challenged me. Since it is short I will quote it here in full:

O Lord, my heart is not proud,

nor are my eyes haughty;

I busy not myself with great things,

nor with things too sublime for me.

Nay rather, I have stilled and quieted

my soul like a weaned child.

Like a weaned child on its mother’s lap,

so is my soul within me.

O Israel, hope in the Lord,

both now and forever.

First of all, I really cannot say with the unqualified assurance of the psalmist that my heart is not proud, nor are my eyes haughty, but I can say that I am moving toward this blessed state as I seek to repent of any and all attitudes of pride I find within me. The next lines, however, gave me even more pause and greater puzzlement. How can I possibly say declare that I do not busy myself with great and sublime things when I spend most of my day occupied with the greatest and most sublime Thing, God Himself, the Supreme Being? Perhaps the answer lies in contrasting the “busyness” of these lines with the stillness and quiet of the following verse. We can be busy with God in the same way that a scientist is with the universe. An astronomer can observe the stars and planets and galaxies with his instruments, measuring, calculating, exploring. All this is good. But he does well if at times he allows himself to be overwhelmed with the awesome immensity and beauty of what he studies. Otherwise, he risks losing an important perspective. In the same way, the theologian, both professional and amateur, can study God, making Him an object of observation, a thing to be understood and therefore controlled. But when we truly and honestly deal with God, we cannot help but be overcome by the shear infinitude of His being and the magnitude of His love. If we do not find this to be so, then I dare say we are not in the presence of the Almighty Creator, the Crucified and Risen Redeemer, the Celestial Lover, but rather we are manipulating some little tin god of our own making. When we are in a true relationship with God we must humble ourselves, yet we are not humiliated. Like a weaned child that no longer grasps for its mother’s breast we become completely still and lifted in the arms of Love. We find in God a deeply affirming peace that quiets all our restless seeking for self satisfaction. Here then is fulfilled the saying at the end of today’s Gospel: whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

The Law of Love

2011-10-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

30^th Sun. Year A

Mt 22, 34-40

Once again Jesus is confronted with His adversaries who attempt to catch Him in His speech. The scholars of the Law ask Him to give His opinion on what was for them a controversial subject: which was the greatest commandment? Jesus gives them an answer full of divine wisdom: love God with everything you have within you. Then He goes on: love your neighbor as yourself. Who is this neighbor? In another gospel text, Jesus answers this question with the parable of the Good Samaritan. I do not know what word Jesus used in Aramaic which has been translated “neighbor”, but in the Latin, the word is “proximum”, from which we get our English word “proximate”. In other words, my neighbor is the one who is proximate to me, next to me, in front of me. Oh, yes, it is easy to love the poor people in China or Libya, and we ought to do that, but to love the one who is here and whose needs demand my attention, is sometimes much more difficult. Being faithful to this law from the Old Testament prepares us for receiving the New Law of Love which Jesus will give us on the night He was betrayed and who will exemplify it by His death on the Cross the next day: love one another as I (Jesus) have loved you. Transcend yourself; love another to the point of sacrifice; lay down your life for the sake of the other.

While the two laws of love from the Old Testament are hard enough, the new law is absolutely impossible to keep without the light and strength of the Holy Spirit that only comes to us from our being incorporated into the Paschal Mystery. Sometimes God is good enough to show us this through personal experience. A few years ago, our eldest Sister fell during the night and I accompanied her to the emergency room. It was finally revealed that she had cracked her pelvis and needed to be admitted to the hospital for treatment. By the time we had finally settled her in her room, it was about 4 o’clock in the morning, and I was very glad to lie down on the couch prepared for me. But as soon as I got comfortable, Sister cried out, “Help me!”. I got up. What did she want? A drink of water. Then again, “Help me!” Fix her blanket. Each time I lay down she called. After about the fifth time my patience had run out. My body was screaming for sleep. Could she not do these little things for herself and leave me alone? I knew the answer, but I was angry and wanted to tell or at least show her how she was imposing on me. I knew it was wrong and I grabbed the bars of her bed to try to resist the temptation. As I looked down at her, I tried to remember how much she was suffering, and to my horror I realized I did not care. I had come to the end of my own human love in the face of my own human need. Turning to the Lord in a wordless cry for help, I was given the grace to love with His love and to be patient one more time…one more time. The power to love manifestly did not come from me but from the Crucified and Risen Christ.

Render unto Caesar

2011-10-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

29^th Sun. Year A

Mt 22,15-21

I have always admired the cleverness of the Lord, especially in his repartee with His enemies in today’s Gospel. The Herodians and Pharisees, two parties at the opposite ends of the political spectrum, have put aside their differences in order to unite in common hatred of the upstart rabbi from Nazareth who threatens the established order and their own various spheres of influence. After hypocritically complementing Him on His sincerity (and divine intelligence is not needed to see through that one!), they ask Him if it is right to pay taxes to Caesar. If He said “no”, then the Herodians, who were sympathetic to the Roman occupation, would report Him to the authorities. But if He said “yes”, then the Pharisees would denounce Him as a collaborator and erode His popularity with the crowds. And we know how well He sidestepped this trick, saying that they should “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s”. But I imagine that as Jesus looked after His departing, vanquished foes, His heart must have been grieved. How He longed to give them that Wisdom which leads to eternal life, and there they were just seeking to preserve their own narrow vision of reality as well as their selfish interests. But it is also easy for us to paddle about in the same shallow waters. Let us rather determine to follow Bl. John Paul’s exhortation to “go out into the deep” by setting aside petty projects of self-promotion and focusing our attention on the greatness of God’s love and the glorious joy that lies before us.

Feast of St. Francis

2011-10-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Feast of St. Francis

Gal 6, 14-18

Today, the feast of St. Francis is a very great Solemnity for the Poor Clares, for they count him as their spiritual Father and Founder. For nine days the Sisters have prayed a novena in his honor and now they celebrate his holy life for two days. Franciscans are very good at celebrating and they just cannot fit all their joy into just one day! The 2^nd reading at Holy Mass for this feast is taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, where he says “God forbid that I should glory, except in the cross of my Lord Jesus Christ through which I am crucified to the world and the world to me”. In other words, for St. Paul as for St. Francis, contemplating the poor, crucified Christ destroyed in them all desire for wealth and prestige. In another place Paul states that all he wants is to know Christ and to know how to share in His sufferings, to be conformed to the pattern of His death. Toward the end of his life, St. Francis actually bore the wounds of Christ visibly on His hands, feet and side. But these marks were only the outward signs of a heart already pierced by the love of Jesus who had suffered and died for him. Some Poor Clare saints, like St. Veronica, also bore the visible “stigmata” of Christ. All Poor Clares, however, pray to be ever more imbued with a deep love of Jesus Crucified, that they may be united with Him in His death and come to share His resurrection. This new risen life is not for themselves alone, but bears fruit for the whole Church, indeed, for the whole world.

No Anxiety

2011-10-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

Sun. 27^th Week Year A

Phil 4,6-9

St. Paul tells us that we should “have no anxiety about anything”! Wait a minute, St. Paul! You do not seem to have been so good about following your own advice. Were you not anxious about those wayward Corinthians? What about the “stupid” Galatians? Were you so calm when you “fought those beasts at Ephesus”? Did you not even admit that anxiety over the churches you had formed daily pressed upon you? But let us read further: “…in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” In the verse just preceding this one, Paul gives us the real reason we need not be anxious: “The Lord is near”. Yes, the Lord is near! No matter our trouble, no matter our problem, no matter how bad things seem to be, He can handle it and He will handle it if we ask Him. But He will do it in His own way (which is most often not our way!) and in His own time (which is often not as soon as we would like). If we can trust Him so much that we already thank Him before He actually answers our prayer for help, then truly our hearts and minds will be in a peace which surpasses all understanding. Until we are saints, (and maybe even afterwards! Cf. St. Paul above) we will always be subject to a certain agitation on the surface of our being, but it will not touch the very center of our selves where God Almighty secretly dwells in all His hidden splendor.

The Deeper Yes

2011-09-26T13:04:00.000-07:00

Sun. 26^th Week Year A

Mt. 21, 28-32

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus gives us a glimpse into the complexities of our spiritual lives. God asks one person to do something for Him and that one says no, but then thinks better of his response and goes and does what was asked. What is happening here? I would like to propose that deep within our hearts we have an ardent desire to say yes to God, for to do His will is the fulfillment of our being, the satisfaction of our every longing. But on the surface of our selves we are deceived by other desires and enticed by other ephemeral goods. We rebel, do our own will, receive some fleeting pleasure and then are left holding an empty bag. But our Heavenly Father is merciful and patient. He waits for us to give the yes that will make us truly happy. The sooner we do it the better! Better for us, better for those around us, better for the world! Here is a little poem that expresses this same thought:

The First Son

When you ask I say no

But then I go.

Why am I slow?

I do not know.

Ignoring my no,

Your trust you bestow,

Seeing below

My shameful show

That I want to go.

Jealousy

2011-09-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

Sun. 25^th Week Year A

Mt 20, 1-16

Today Jesus tells us the parable of the landowner who hired laborers to work in his vineyard at all times of the day yet gave each one the same amount of pay. Those who worked longest very naturally were jealous of the ones who worked least, and so they complained. Yet, as the employer pointed out, he had a right to do what he pleased with his money as long as he gave the agreed pay to those who had bargained for it.

Jealousy is an emotion we all experience, though few of us are comfortable with it. In and of itself, like all emotions, jealousy is a moral neutral we share with the animals. Ask any dog owner of more than one dog! St. Thomas defines jealousy as a sadness we feel when someone has a good we think we should have. And so, jealousy is appropriate when the good we see is exclusively ours. I am jealous of my arm, my good name, my spouse, for they are truly mine and no one should take them from me. But if I am jealous of attention, honor, praise, or good fortune, there is a problem since other people have a right to these things as well as myself. It is part of the maturing process that we learn to recognize the difference and to act accordingly.

In the Old Testament, God is frequently depicted as the jealous lover of an unfaithful bride. And He is no less jealous of our love. He made us for Himself alone, and so He will tolerate no rival. Absolutely anything that comes between us and Him incurs His fiery wrath. His anger is not directed towards us as much as toward our turning from Him. But when the lazer beam strikes and we are suddenly cut off from the object of our affections, we feel it as punishment, as a painful wounding. If we could only understand that this fire is a cauterizing flame. It heals even as it burns.

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross

2011-09-14T12:40:00.001-07:00

Feast of the Triumph of the Cross

Phil 2,6-11

This beautiful feast is precious to all Franciscans whosespecial joy is to contemplate Jesus Crucified. St. Clare exhorted her friend, St. Agnes of Prague, to meditate always on the mysteriesof Christ’s holy Passion. It was herethat Jesus completed the self- emptying that He began in His Incarnation when, althoughHe was God, He took the form of a servant. In His Passion, He became obedient unto death, even death on across. St. Paul tells us that Jesus “emptied Himself”. Only He, in the strength of His DivinePerson, could completely empty Himself. For the rest of us, we do our best by asceticism, prayer, penance, and faithfulnessto our duty to become an empty vessel for God to fill with His love. But no matter how hard we try, by our ownefforts we can only go so far. Even ourefforts aided by grace are not enough. At the end of the day, we always find at least a bit of ego left at thebottom of our hearts that infects with selfishness even our best actions. But in His gracious Providence, the Father takes pity on ourweakness and sends us the Cross. Sometrying circumstance, some unforeseen sorrow, some incredible pain is suddenlythrust upon us, pierces our hearts, and we find our life draining away. We have the choice to let it go in faith orto try to stop up the hole with resentment and compensation. Here is fulfilled the scripture which says, “Ifyou save your life you will lose it, but if you lose it for My sake, you willfind it”. Being truly emptied of self byGod’s action, makes us ready to receive our new life in His love. So, let us, like Jesus, endure the Cross,heedless of its shame, for the sake of the joy that lies before us. The Cross will always be painful, but it isat least possible to bear it and to be crucified on it when we have this hopeof glory to sustain us. We do not haveto wait for heaven to receive this glory, for it is already ours when we submitourselves to the loving will of God.

Jesu Tibi Vivo

2011-09-11T17:29:00.001-07:00

Sun.24^th Week Year A

Rm 14, 7-11

“Whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” The Poor Clareshave a little song they sing which takes its inspiration from this passage fromSt. Paul’sletter to the Romans. The song, in Latinwith its translation, goes like this:

Jesu tibivivo, Jesus, Ilive for You,

Jesu tibimorior, Jesus, I diefor You,

Jesu sivevivo, Jesus,whether I live,

sivemorior, orwhether I die,

tuus suum. I am yours.

Now translating this song into our ordinary lives, it meansthat whatever happens, whether it seems positive or negative, whether it feelslike it gives us more life or takes away our life, whether it is joyful orpainful, whether it increases us or diminishes us, none of it really matters inthe end because we belong to Jesus. Heis the great positive, the life, the joy, the fullness we desire. He is ours and we are His.

The Good Tree

2011-09-10T13:01:00.001-07:00

Sat. 23^rd Week Year 1

Lk 6, 43-49

Jesus says that a good tree bears good fruit and a bad treebears bad fruit. None of us arethoroughly good trees, for only God is completely good. And none of us (thank God!) are thoroughly badtrees. Each of us is somewhere inbetween, in process of becoming good or bad. And sometimes that process can be reversed several times in a singleday! To be a human being this side ofthe grave is to be a being that is in flux. Unfortunately, it takes little effort to become bad; all we have to dois follow the line of least resistance. For the way that leads to perdition is broad and many choose to go that route. In contrast, the way to blessedness is narrowand few find it. But we have aSavior! He, Himself, is that good Treewho alone can bear the truly good fruit and it is only in our being united withHim that we too are good. Without Him wecan do nothing, but with Him everything is possible. He is the Rock upon which we must build ourlives so that when the rains come we will not be swept away.

The Sisters will have their community elections on Tuesday,September 13. Their Religious Assistantto their Poor Clare Federation, Father Robert McCreary, will be presiding. He arrives tomorrow to help themprepare. The time immediately precedingan election are intense, so if I do not post during the next few days, you willknow why!

The Freedom of Excellence

2011-09-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Sat. 22^nd Week Year 1

Gospel Lk 6,1-5

The disciples of Jesus are in trouble again. Don’t they know that the law forbids the faithful from harvesting wheat on the Sabbath? Surely the upstart rabbi from Nazareth knows, doesn’t he? Yes, He knows the law and He can also see the difference between reaping a field of grain on the Sabbath and taking a few ears of grain to satisfy an immediate need. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, not only because He is the God who is the author of the Law, but because as Man He had the wisdom and love to know when to bend the prescriptions of the law in favor of the law of charity. As He would say at another time, we feed our animals on the Sabbath, can we not do good to a human being? And were His opponents so really concerned about the honor of God or about using God’s law to their own advantage? “Love and do what you please.” Says St. Augustine. But he was not talking about that self-serving urge for satisfaction that our culture calls “love”. Rather, he was speaking about the love that lives for the good of the other, that sacrifices self interest in order to give to the beloved. When one’s whole being is oriented in this way, then one has that “freedom of excellence” that gives wisdom to make the best decisions in relationships. Those who are busy straining out the gnats will not understand. And in their anger they will continue to miss the camel.

Feast of the Birth of Mary

2011-09-09T16:18:00.002-07:00

Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mt 1, 18-23

Whenever we celebrate someone’s birthday we are actually celebrating the person. We rejoice that God thought to create this wonderful human being. Only the one who looks with love can truly be happy over the existence of another, for only love looks beneath the surface to see the goodness of God’s creation. The Gospel today presents us with a man whose love was profoundly tested. Joseph was betrothed to Mary who had been found to be with child and that child was not his own. Had she betrayed him? That was what everyone was saying. But when he looked into her eyes, he saw, not guilt, but that pure innocence which had enamored him from the beginning. Was God working a mystery in her? And was he worthy to be part of that mystery? Or was it a mystery of iniquity? And was it right for him to receive her as his own? Already in the dawn of the new covenant, his heart was moved to mercy and he did not want to hand her over to the death penalty. If she had betrayed him, he still did not want to betray her. Yet, if he accepted her, he was also taking on her mystery and her scandal. Agonizing over this heartrending dilemma, he reluctantly came to a decision which could only seem like a compromise, but he did not know what else to do; he would attempt to divorce her quietly. Then, having exhausted all his human resources, he fell asleep. We know what happened; an angel came to his rescue, assuring him that it was the will of God he should receive Mary as his wife and take responsibility for her Divine Child. And when he awoke he wasted no time, but did as the angel had directed him. Once his way was clear, his love gave him wings. He dedicated his life to Jesus and Mary despite the hardships and the ridicule that he knew would follow his decision. We give gifts on birthdays. Joseph gave the gift that makes all other gifts meaningful. He gave himself.

Planks and Specks

2011-09-09T16:18:00.001-07:00

Fri. 23^rd Week Year 1

Lk 6, 39-42

A number of years ago when I was novice mistress, I waspeacefully writing at my desk one day when a novice burst into my officeexclaiming, “I can’t stand it! I can’tSTAND it! I CAN’T STAND IT!” “What’s the matter?” I then listened in open-mouthed wonder to along diatribe against a fellow novice which accurately described in remarkabledetail the outstanding faults of the very novice who stood before me. Why is it that we get so upset over thefaults of other people? Sometimesbecause they are a wonderful distraction from our own. We especially like to denounce our own faultsthat we find in our fellow human beings. It is so painful to admit our shortcomings and so difficult to dislodgethem. What a relief it is to be able toabhor them in someone else and to generously offer assistance in correctingthem. Yet, we have no power to correctanyone’s faults but our own. And we haveno qualification for trying to give anyone advice that we have not tested onour own selves! As our Lord put it, letus remove the plank from our eye first and then we can see clearly to help ourbrothers or sisters remove the specks from their eyes. But an interesting thing happens in theprocess. When we work hard to correctourselves and we discover how hard it is, we become more patient and forbearingwith the faults of our neighbors. We areall sinners together. And we begin tosuspect that perhaps some of the things we get so upset about really are notall that important after all.

Feast of the Birth of Mary

2011-09-08T13:07:00.003-07:00

Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Mt 1, 18-23

The Already and the Not Yet

2011-09-07T12:58:00.001-07:00

Wed. 23^rd Week Year 1

Col 3, 1-11

Lk 6, 20-26

We have died with Christ in Baptism and so now we are raised with Him. The spiritual writers say that we live now in a condition of “the already and the not yet”. By faith we know that we already share the risen life of Jesus, that in fact we are ascended with Him in heaven! But not yet do we feel the full effects of this exalted condition as we fumble through our existence in time. Our true life is “hidden with Christ in God”. It is part of our maturing process that more and more we orient ourselves toward heaven. As the life of the spirit becomes more real and more important to us, our desire for the heavenly realities becomes stronger while the urgency of earthly concerns becomes correspondingly less. Some of us reach that blessed state where we are truly poor, having no interest making material things our idols because we possess a heavenly kingdom; where the yearning for the consummation of our union with Christ is better than any worldly pleasure. Of course, such people are free and dangerous in this world for they cannot be controlled and manipulated since they have no handles by which the powers of evil can coerce them. And so, they are feared, hated, persecuted, ostracized and insulted because of Christ. Let us pray for all such who suffer in this way, that they may not lose sight of their blessedness, nor the great reward that awaits them. And let us also pray for those who enjoy their ill-gotten riches, who feed off the pain of others and who laugh at the afflictions they cause the just. May grace soften their hardened hearts before they face the day of the Lord.

The Fullness of God

2011-09-06T13:27:00.001-07:00

Tues. 23^rd Week Year 1

Col 2, 6-15

St. Paul exhorts us to live in Christ; walk with Him, be rooted in Him, built upon Him. How many more ways could he say that Christ Jesus is our all? In Him is the fullness of God and we ourselves enjoy this very fullness if we are one with Jesus, drawing our life from Him, having our every movement inspired by Him. So why are we not always abounding in gratitude? Why are we so often agitated and anxious? Because we still seek to fill our God given empty space with something other than God. Nothing and no one in this world can satisfy us since our hearts were made to hold the divinity. But since the fall, we are radically turned from Him and seek to fill ourselves with the lovely things He has made that are meant to be simply signs of His love and foretastes of His joy. When we do not find the perfect satisfaction we crave we complain or we franticly look for more. Consecrated religious renounce this vicious cycle by their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. These vows proclaim that neither possessions, people nor power can fulfill them but only God. Once they have the fullness of God in Jesus, these happy souls overflow with gratitude and then can turn to love nature, humanity and even themselves with a generous and free love. They have the peace which the world cannot give and no one can take away.

Labor Day

2011-09-05T14:53:00.001-07:00

Labor Day

Gospel Mt 6, 31-34

Jesus tells us that we should not be worried or anxious about our life. How can He possibly say that to a father of a family who has been out of work for 2 years and faces foreclosure on his house and personal bankruptcy? In the Latin text of the Scriptures, the word we translate as “worry” or “anxious” is sollicito which means “violently moved or shaken”. In other words, an earthquake! Now having just experienced an earthquake for the first time in my life, this word speaks to me. I remember last week when the house was shaking and sounding like a moving train, I myself was shaken into a kind of paralysis. I was so focused on the event that my mind could not make a rational decision nor was my will able to act. If we allow the troubles of our life to shake us so deeply that we cannot work to address them, then there is not much hope for us. We are obliged to be concerned for our welfare and the good of those in our care. This is part of “seeking the kingdom of God and its justice”. Yet we must do so with an attitude of faith in God’s help. Jesus says in another place, “Fear is useless, what is needed is trust”. This trust does not inspire us to sit back and let God or the welfare agency to take care of everything for us. But it frees us from that paralysis which prevents our minds from being open to creativity and inhibits our wills from acting courageously to solve our problems and achieve our goals. “Sufficient for the day is its own evil” So let us get to work on today’s evil. Don’t worry, there will be more tomorrow.

Gathered in the Name of Jesus

2011-09-04T11:35:00.001-07:00

Sun. 23^rd Week Year A

Gospel Mt 18, 15-20

Jesus says that wherever two or three are gathered in His Name, there He is in the midst of them. Moreover, He says that if we all pray together we will receive what we ask for. But gathering together in the Name of Jesus means more than simply being in the same room or church and saying the same prayers. We must be, like the Church in the Acts of the Apostles, of “one heart and one mind”, so that in the Holy Spirit of love we may truly be with Jesus and feel together (con-sensus) with Him. Our hearts must be like His, moved with pity for the needs of all. And we must have the mind of Him who, “emptied Himself, even to death on the Cross. Yes, when such people gather to pray, then Jesus prays in them and with them. The Father cannot but hear and answer such a prayer!

Today the Poor Clare Sisters begin their novena of prayer to the Holy Spirit in preparation for their community elections. Next week they will gather together in the Name of Jesus as they do every three years, to elect their Mother Abbess and her Council. Please join them in prayer that they may truly feel together the will of God.

The Freedom of Excellence

2011-09-03T12:31:00.003-07:00

Sat. 22^nd Week Year 1

Gospel Lk 6,1-5

New Wine

2011-09-02T16:04:00.001-07:00

Fri. 22^nd Week Year 1

Col 1, 15-20

Lk 5, 33-39

St. Paul tells that in Jesus is the fullness of all that is. In Him is found all good for He is the source of all good. He is that new wine of which the Gospel for today speaks. He is alive and dynamic. For our hearts to receive Him they have to be made new. Old, stony hard hearts can not stretch to contain Him for they cannot move with His life. How are our hearts made new? By suffering the trials that He permits. The Psalms tell us that by anguish we are expanded. When the Divine Bridegroom is taken away we fast. The Poor Clares who observe the Lenten fast all year will tell you that fasting is the best appetizer! When Jesus returns to us the feast is better for having fasted. He is our new wine, our bread of life and it is from Him we receive our vitality. Since all things work to the good for all who love Him, we trust that the sufferings we must endure will prepare us, expand our hearts and make them able to stretch to receive all the joy and love He wants to give us.

Expect the Unexpected

2011-09-01T12:34:00.001-07:00

Thurs. 22^nd Week Year 1

Gospel (Lk 5, 1-11)

Expect the Unexpected

Life with Jesus is full of surprises. He rarely fulfills preconceived expectationsand always asks and delivers the unexpected! Peter and his companions have had a hard night fishing without anyresults. They just get finished cleaningtheir nets when Jesus, the non-fisherman itinerant preacher asks them to go outinto the deep for a catch. It was thewrong time. It was the wrong way. He had the wrong men. Or so they thought. But they go out anyway and we know whathappened: they caught so many fish thatthe boats were sinking. Then He tellsthem they will be catching men from now on, so they leave all the fish (I guessthe crowds on the shore had a good dinner!) and follow Him. I must confess that is about all I have byway of inspiration. My nets cast intothe sea of the Gospel came up with just these few, small fish today. Maybe the fact that we are on day 5 of ourpower and phone outage and all that means by way of improvisiation; a Sisterhas strep throat and needs a stronger anti-biotic; a workman is here finishingup work in the kitchen and looking at possible damage from the earthquake thatcaused the roof over the sanctuary to leak; the chaplain’s generator is notworking; an applicant had to reschedule her visit because of the hurricane;another girl confirmed that she is coming tomorrow; and having to prepare aclass for our Indian and Vietnamese Sisters, has something to do with thereason my nets are a bit tangled today. But I have been around long enough to know that there are seasons of thesoul just as there are seasons of the year. The winter prepares for the spring. And the dark night of fruitless fishing makes the large morning catchall the more dramatic and joyful. Somaybe there will be better fishing tomorrow, or the next day. I will just go with the flow, for I go withJesus. He will decide.

The Danger of Success

2011-08-31T17:27:00.001-07:00

Wed. 22nd Week Year I

Gospel (Lk 4, 38-44)

This week we leave the Gospel of Matthew to begin our liturgical sojourn through the Gospel according to Luke. And so we jump back to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry when he is enjoying tremendous popularity as an eloquent preacher and a rising reputation as a worker of wonders. After a particularly successful day, He escapes into the wilderness in order to renew Himself in prayer to His Heavenly Father, the Source of His energy and love. The crowds find Him and try to keep Him from departing. Who can blame them? But Jesus refuses to bask in the glory of their adulation, just as He had not allowed the demons to acclaim Him as the Messiah. Jesus knew the danger of premature success and that His true glory lay in doing His Father’s will. He would admit of no delay! He must go forth to walk the sacrificial way of service, suffering and self oblation—even to death, death on a Cross.

Children of the Light

2011-08-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

Tues. 22th Week Year 1

First Reading 1Thes. 5,1-6, 9-11

“You are not in the dark, brothers, so that the day might catch you off guard, like a thief. No, all of you are children of light and of the day”. There was a smile in the voice of the reader as she proclaimed these words of St. Paul during the pre-dawn hour of Lauds (Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours). And there was an answering smile in the heart of the Poor Clare Sisters as they sat listening with their array of flashlights and other makeshift lighting arrangements in the dim monastic choir. As God would have it, we would hear the same reading at Mass, this time in the half light of the dawning day. One thing is certain, in these days after Hurricane Irene, when our artificial light has been cut down to about 40% capacity due to the limitations of our generator; and that light gives us a wavering effect not unlike a disco and very unlike a monastery, the coming of the day does not in any way catch us off guard! We are alert and expectant and eager for the sun to rise! We are truly children of the light and of the day. And so should we be expecting the coming of the Rising Sun of Justice, the Divine Thief who will surprise those who are sleeping but not us who are awaiting Him. Let us open the window of our mind and unlock the door of our heart so that He may enter swiftly and easily, not only at the end of time, not only at the end of our life, but at each moment of every day.

Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

2011-08-29T12:34:00.001-07:00

Aug. 29 Feast of the Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist

Gospel Mk 6, 17-29

I must confess that Herod fascinates me. Here is a man who is thoroughly worldly, completely given over to his pleasures, who values a man’s life less than a woman’s dance. Yet, he is also someone is enticed by holiness and tempted by truth. He imprisons John in the darkness of a dungeon, yet the brilliant light of the Baptist shines, attracts and disturbs. But alas! Herod is too committed to the worship of the god of this world and he resists the allure of divine goodness. How many are there who are like him! How I wish that those of us who have given our allegiance to Christ would sing a siren song drawing all the weary and jaded followers of evil away to Him! It is He alone who gives a happiness that lasts, a life that is really worth living. Of course, it is dangerous, for the worldly are half asleep and do not like being awakened. But there is no adventure if there is no risk. Perhaps someone will listen after all.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-28T16:04:00.001-07:00

August 28, 2011

Hurricane Irene

Since the Poor Clares built their monastery in Barhamsville, they have had trouble with water leaks. Over the past 7 years, much time, consultation, labor and expense has been spent in attempting to make walls, roof and windows impervious to the outside elements. And so now the Sisters no longer fear every rainstorm that happens by. Even tropical storms cause little concern. But hurricane Irene proved yesterday that the sealed, patched, caulked monastery could yet leak under the duress of torrential rain being driven by 75mph winds. It is disappointing, but not altogether unexpected. Just as a hurricane will reveal the inevitable structural weaknesses of a building, so do the severe trials of life unveil the hidden weaknesses of our character. No matter how hard we try to examine our consciences, resolve our issues, deal with our problems, repent of our sins, get our lives together, or whatever else you want to call our attempts at self improvement, we always will come up somewhat short. And it is precisely here that we meet God. I once heard Scott Hann say that God gives us our strengths and gifts to be used for the benefit of other people and that He allows us to have our weaknesses and faults for our own sake. No matter how good or bad we are at self-improvement, we are all desperately in need of the mercy of God. Tax collectors and prostitutes enter the kingdom of God first because they know this truth very well since their faults are more obvious. The hurricanes of life prove to us that we are not God, we need Him as our Savior. Suffering and weakness are not the worst evil but rather sin is. And suffering, borne with love heals us of our sins. Our weaknesses which can be our greatest sufferings can actually be our greatest blessings. How paradoxical! It is the paradox of the Cross.

The One Talent

2011-08-28T16:03:00.001-07:00

Sat. 21st Week Year I

Gospel (Mt. 25,14-30)

Jesus tells us another parable about the kingdom of God. A man gives money to his servants to invest while he goes on a journey. Two of the servants double their investment while the third buries his money in the ground and just gives it back to his master unchanged. The first two are rightly commended and the last is justly chastised. I am reminded of another saying of Jesus: “ He who saves his life will lose it and he who gives his life for my sake will find it”. We may feel like we have very little to give to the Lord by way of great talents or gifts. But no matter how poor or limited we are, each of us does have one gift, the only thing He really wants from any of us. All of our so called “talents” or “gifts” are simply means of giving that one thing. In fact, St. Paul says that if we give everything we have except that one thing then it means nothing to God. What is that one thing? It is our own self, our own heart, our very life. It seems that the faithless servant in the Gospel did not trust himself, nor did he trust the bankers who could have helped him, and certainly he did not trust the master. And so he just kept what he had been given, did nothing with it, and finally lost it. If we refuse to give ourselves away, then we will lose the ability to do so. We condemn ourselves to an eternal frustration of our very being that is made in the image and likeness of God who is self-giving love. Another name for this self imposed exile is hell. In this life, the misery of this condition is actually a mercy for it will sometimes impel the sufferer to repentance. But once we cross to the other side, God will ratify our decision to be with Him or apart from Him. May we all choose to “enter into the joy” of our Lord by living now for Him.

The Foolish and the Wise

2011-08-28T16:02:00.001-07:00

Fri. 21st Week Year I

Gospel (Mt. 25,1-13)

Last night, after a great deal of meteorological fanfare, we just received a bit of a thunder storm. I thought Irene had snubbed us and was heading toward Manhattan! She may still end up there, but it turns out that our rain and wind was simply a preview of coming attractions. We still have time to prepare! In today’s Gospel parable of the 5 foolish and the 5 wise virgins all the bridesmaids fall asleep waiting for the delayed bridegroom. Those who were wise could afford to take a nap, for they were well prepared. Too bad the 5 foolish ones did not use the delay to get their oil. St. Peter says that the Lord delays His coming because He is merciful and wants to give us more time. But we have to realize that sooner or later our time is going to run out. Why could not the foolish virgins borrow oil from the wise ones? We can see the oil as the symbol of love, that which lights and warms our lives for God and for others. Each of us freely decides whether or not to love and no one can do it for us. We can “fool” other people into doing our work for us or giving us their money, but we cannot make them love for us. And it is the height of foolishness to think that we can fool God! What a terrible thing it will be for some to hear those awful words from Him, “I do not know you”. How can the all knowing God not know everyone? Because He allows each person that freedom to consent to be in a knowing, loving relationship with Him or to reject such a relationship. St. John of the Cross says that in the end, we will all be judged on love. Let us echo the words of St. Francis that he spoke on his deathbed, “Up to now we have done nothing. Now let us begin.”

The Coming of the Lord

2011-08-28T16:00:00.001-07:00

Thurs. 21st Week Year I

Gospel (Mt. 24, 42-51)

Our Lord tells us today to stay awake, for we do not know the day nor the hour that He is coming. We must be prepared. Right now, everyone on the east coast is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene. She is courteously sending out heralds of her coming in dark, lumbering clouds and fits of gusting winds. And all the weather people are diligently keeping vigil for us from their technological watch towers. Although we do not actually know the day or the hour of her coming, Irene is very well documented. I cannot help but compare the relative predictability of a hurricane to Tuesday’s sudden earthquake phenomenon. Then there was no herald, no warning. Immediately it was upon you. It overtook you wherever you were, and invaded you while you were doing whatever you were doing. I imagine the coming of Christ at the end of time will be like that. In fact, each day He comes to us just as suddenly in the unexpected person who needs our help, the untoward circumstance that tries our patience, the surprising loveliness that crosses our path. If we are preoccupied with advancing our personal agendas over other people or indulging our selfish desires like the unfaithful servant in the Gospel story, then we will not be ready to respond to the challenge of the Lord’s coming, today or on the last day. But if we are constantly seeking His face and doing His will, then when He arrives unannounced, we will tremble, not with fear, but with joy to finally see Him whom our soul loves. May it be soon. Come, Lord Jesus!

Jesus Takes the Initiative

2011-08-28T15:59:00.001-07:00

Aug. 24 Feast of St. Bartholomew

Gospel Jn. 1, 45-51

Jesus always takes the initiative in our relationship with Him. We see this clearly in today’s Gospel on the feast of St. Bartholomew. Jesus found and called Phillip to follow him. Then Phillip in turn finds Nathanael (whom some think is another name for Bartholomew) and tells him about Jesus. After some hesitation and a cynical remark, Nathanael comes to see for himself. He is shocked to find that Jesus already knows him and has seen him “under the fig tree”, a phrase used to describe someone who was praying and meditating. Nathanael, the former cynic is overwhelmed and exclaims, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the king of Israel!” Jesus must have laughed as He said, “Do you believe just because I said I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than that!” But we should not be too surprised at Nathanael’s seeming overreaction. There really is nothing more wonderful than to be known and loved by Jesus. Sometimes we think that He is far from us and that we are the ones who are in search of Him. But St. Peter tells us that it is God who inspires in us any measure of desire for Him. So He is there watching and waiting while we are under our own fig tree, praying and seeking. Then He sends us our own Phillip when he sees we are ready for Him to call us to Himself. Even when we hesitate or perhaps just respond because of curiosity, He takes us as we are. Now that we are with Him, let it be our joyful task to open ourselves more and more to Him and His love until every part of us is touched by Him. Let us be able to sing with the psalmist: O God, you search me and you know me, You know my resting and my rising, You discern my purpose from afar. Behind and before you besiege me, your hand ever laid upon me. Too wonderful for me this knowledge, too high beyond my reach!

Earthquake Wake Up Call

2011-08-28T12:31:00.000-07:00

August 23, 2011

Like everyone else from New York to North Carolina the Poor Clares had some excitement this afternoon. Mother Abbess reports: We were all doing the dishes when everything began to move underfoot. I wondered if something was exploding in the basement or there was some construction nearby. Postulant Kimberly from California said, "This is nothing", and Postulant Joscelyn said, "This is soo cool!" That's youth for you! I said, "We just built this monastery and I don't want it coming down nor anyone dying either!" That's middle age responsibility. We thank God there was no damage to us or anyone else that we know of. A good priest friend called to see how we were doing in the earthquake. I was grateful for his concern and also for the news. It seems we are quite near the epicenter. He said we should take all these kind of events as a communication: shake up, wake up! In the Gospel today, Jesus calls to task the Pharisees who are good at keeping all the little rules they have made up so as to avoid having to do the great commandments of the law. They have made their religion into a way of controlling their lives and an attempt to manipulate God. We "good Catholics" are always in danger of doing the same. But an earthquake is a very visceral reminder that we are not in control. So let us put aside all our pettiness and get down to the business of really serving God with everything we have and loving one another as He has loved us. Let's do it before the next earthquake strikes! You never know.

Feast of the Queenship of Mary

2011-08-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

Aug. 22 Queenship of Mary

Gospel Lk 1, 26-38

Eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption of our Lady, we celebrate the feast of her Queenship. Today’s Gospel is that of the Annunciation. I love to contemplate Mary at the moment of Gabriel’s greeting for she is so very human. Although she was immaculate, not having any pathological insecurity or afflicted with false humility, she is deeply disturbed by the sight of the great Archangel and even more by what he says. Every true encounter with the supernatural has a certain terror in it. We often like to treat God as a kind of commodity, or like some celestial vending machine. We say some prayers and expect to get some blessing in return. But once we really understand Him as the Supreme Being who nevertheless deigns to draw us into an incredible intimacy with Himself, then we can never regard Him in a casual way again. Yet this terror does not terrorize. Rather it fascinates and draws the human being to its Source. Although Mary was afraid and had to be reassured by Gabriel, she did not lose her composure. She was a queen even here, a royal mistress of herself because she was utterly submissive to her Lord. She had a question and she was able to ask it. And although the answer was even more mysterious than the original statement, she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done unto me according to your word”.

A New Name

2011-08-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

Sun. 21th Week Year A

Gospel (Mt. 16, 13-20)

Jesus asks His disciples who they say He is and Simon responds for them all by saying, “You are Christ, the Son of the Living God”. Jesus tells Simon that he is blessed because the Heavenly Father has revealed this to him. Then Simon receives a new name and a new mission. He now is called “Peter” and holds the keys of the Kingdom. A beautiful dynamic is taking place here. God the Father reveals to Simon Peter that Jesus is His Divine Son and the One Anointed by the Spirit. Then in Peter’s dialogue with Jesus, Peter’s own identity is revealed to himself. As we come closer to Jesus, the Father gradually reveals His mystery to us. This is to be expected. But it is a shock to realize that Jesus is actually a mirror who reveals our own mystery to ourselves. He speaks our name; not the name that our parents gave us but a new name that only He knows and only He can say. It is the creative name that He continues to utter at every moment of our existence. And it is the name by which the Good Shepherd us to follow Him. When a Poor Clare postulant becomes a novice, the abbess gives her a new name that she has received in prayer from God. This name symbolizes the new novice’s special call and new mission in the Church. The girls who came to the Come and See Day at the Poor Clares were blessed to have this Gospel preached to them this day. Pray for them now as they continue to discern their call.

Service of Authority

2011-08-27T08:31:00.001-07:00

Saturday, August 20, 2011

20^th Week Year I

Matthew 23:9-10

Jesus tells his followers that they should not want to be called “Rabbi” or “Father” or “Teacher”. He is using a bit of rhetorical hyperbole here, using an exaggerated statement in order to make a point. Just as we do not feel obliged to take Him literally when He says we ought to tear out our eye if it gives us trouble, so we do not have to feel guilty for calling our priests or our Dads “Father”. The point that Jesus wants us to get is that we should not be concerned about titles of honor, marks of respect, or what advantage to our egos we can obtain by being experts in Catholic theology or observance. Pope Benedict said at his inauguration Mass that his being Pope was not about honor, but about service. St. Francis saw the position of authority as one of serving the brethren and wanted the “superiors” of his order to be called “ministers” or “guardians”. St. Clare exhorts the abbess in her rule to lead the sisters by holiness of life rather than by her office. She herself thought it a privilege to perform all the lowliest tasks of the monastery. Jesus, the Son of God Most High emptied Himself for love of us to become our servant so that we could join Him for all eternity in the happiness of the heavenly kingdom. He has given us the Eucharist and the indwelling Holy Spirit so that we can follow His example. Let us do so.

Two Commandments of Love

2011-08-27T08:30:00.003-07:00

Friday, August 19, 2011
20^th Week Year I

Mt. 22:34-40 (Two Commandments of Love)

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the 2 great commandments of love on which we are to base our lives: love God with everything you have within you (heart, soul, mind), and love your neighbor as yourself. But where do we, sinful and selfish as we are, get the power to love like this? For this answer we must turn to the Beloved Disciple John. He tells us that God Himself is love. “God’s love was revealed in our midst in this way: He sent His only Son to the world that we might have life through Him. Love, then, consists in this: not that we have loved God, but that He has loved us and has sent His Son as an offering for our sins. Beloved, if God has loved us so, we must have the same love for one another.” Love always begins with God for He is the origin and source of all love. We have to first receive His love before we can love Him or anyone else. We cannot believe in our own goodness and so love ourselves as we ought, until we experience that we are loved. But since we live in a sinful world, we have all been wounded by sin, our own and that of others. Those of us who have been blessed with good and loving families find they are able to love easily. But they must remember that “to whom more has been given, more will be required”. They are called upon to sacrifice themselves with a heroic love like Christ did on the Cross. And those of us who have grown up in unloving and even abusive families must not despair. Christ has suffered their abuse with them. He has said that whatever is done to the least is done to Him. He loves the abused with a special and tender love, but they must open themselves to Him and allow Him to love them where they hurt the most. Surrendering every part of our being to Jesus is the way He wants us to love Him. Once we do that and really believe in our own God-given goodness, then we can turn in love towards our neighbors with a true and Godlike love. We will be able to fulfill the new commandment of love given by Jesus at the Last Supper: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

The Wedding Garment of Love

2011-08-27T08:30:00.001-07:00

Thursday, August 18, 2011
Matthew 22:114 (The Wedding Garment of Love)

When a Poor Clare Sister wakes up in the morning, she prays a morning offering and then dresses while reciting what are called “dressing prayers”. Each garment has its own prayer. When she takes off her night habit she prays, “Strip me now of the old man” and as she puts on her daily habit she prays, “Clothe me with Your virtues, enrich me with Your graces and give me the wedding garment of Your love”. In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable of a king giving a wedding feast for his son. A man is found in the banquet hall not wearing a wedding garment. When asked by the king why he is not properly dressed, he makes no reply and so is thrown out. The man made no reply because he had no excuse; the wedding garment was provided by the host at the door. Jesus calls us each day to the wedding feast, but we must be willing to put on “the wedding garment of His love”. All love requires a certain surrender of autonomy, a loss of our personal independence. Divine love is especially all-engaging. But we resist, fearful lest we sacrifice too much of ourselves. How foolish can we be! Sometimes we are like the first guests of the parable who could not be bothered with the feast because they were too interested in their own affairs. They did not care because they did not love. In the end, each will get what he or she chooses: self-centered loneliness or self-giving unity with Love Himself. Let us choose wisely.

Laborers in the Vineyard

2011-08-27T08:29:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Matthew 20:1-16 (Laborers in the Vineyard)

A man goes out to hire laborers in the morning, mid-morning, midday, afternoon and late afternoon. At the end of the day he calls all the laborers and gives them all the same wage! Report this man to the Better Business Bureau! He has violated the principle of “equal work, equal pay”, or at least its logical corollary, “unequal work, unequal pay”. But Jesus is not talking about economics here, but about the kingdom of God. How do we feel when we hear about some notorious sinner who has lived a life of debauchery and then at the last minute is given the grace of repentance on his deathbed and is saved? Hopefully we rejoice and thank God for His great mercy. But is there also a little petulant voice inside us that cries out, “Unfair! Here I am, a good Catholic all my life, doing everything I am supposed to do and avoiding all the things I am not supposed to do and this guy gets off easy! He has a good time doing just exactly what he wants all his life and then gets heaven besides!” But let’s look at this a little more closely. Are we in a business relationship with God or in a love relationship? What woman, happily married to a man who deeply loves and respects her, ever looks with envy at her unmarried counterparts who are flitting from one unhappy liaison to another, vainly seeking the joy she herself daily experiences? Oh, she may do so briefly on a bad day when the kids are crying and the wash is piled too high. But she will soon come to her senses. Are we serving the Lord for pay? Or do we find our joy in being in love with Him and doing what He wills and loving those He loves? And what about those people outside the Christian fold. Are they having such a good time? They do not look like it to me. In fact, they look bored, like laborers hanging around all day waiting to be hired. They are looking for joy in all the wrong places. They just find brief pleasure that disappears and leaves a gaping hunger that can never be satisfied except with the infinite love of God. So let us who have the privilege of working in the Lord’s vineyard renew our commitment to Him in love. And let us pray that He may soon find those who will only be happy once they join us in His service.

Gideon's Call

2011-08-27T08:28:00.003-07:00

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Judges 6:11-24a (Gideon's Call)

In today’s first reading at Holy Mass we meet Gideon, a man called by God to rescue His people from the power of their enemies. An angel appeared to Gideon, using words that remind us of Gabriel’s salutation to our Lady, “The Lord is with you, O Champion!”. (Actually, it is better in the Latin, “The Lord is with you, O strongest of men!”) But Gideon argues, “My lord, if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?” And then he mournfully lists all the troubles of the Israelites. The angel replies, “Go with the strength you have, and save

Israel

from the power of Midian. It is I who send you.” Gideon continues to argue, “How can I save Israel? My family is the meanest in Manasseh, and I am the most insignificant in my father’s house.” And the angel (who is really the Lord Himself), insists, “I shall be with you”. And that really should end all argument. So often, when we are called by God to do something great for Him, we look at our own weaknesses and tell Him he has the wrong person. We are no one special, we are not important, we don’t have what it takes, so get someone else. But we have to remember that God actually delights in using just such people as we are. St. Paul said, “He chooses the weak and makes them strong”. He also says that God uses those who are nothing to put to shame those who are something. So let’s stop making excuses and get going. If God is with us, who can be against us? Even if it is the whole world, He can handle it. I heard a priest say it well in a homily many years ago, “Do your best, and Jesus Christ will do the rest”.

Feast of the Assumption

2011-08-27T08:28:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 15, 2011
Feast of the Assumption

All my life I have been fascinated with clouds. During my school days, I eagerly studied the different cloud formations, diligently memorizing their names. Almost every day since then I have delighted in looking at the sky to see what new cloud design God was creating there. So last night, just after sunset, I was intrigued by a large cloud bank, looming dark on the southern horizon like a just formed mountain range. I marveled anew at how hard the cloud looked, silhouetted against the dying light of day, and wondered again at what celestial substance held together the mist whipped by wind in the mixing bowl of sky. Musing thus I was surprised to see what I had never before seen up close—heat lightning! From the heart of the cloud came flashes, now here, now there, but no thunder. I opened my window to be sure of the silence. No thunder, did I hear, but neither was there silence. Instead I heard the music of serenading crickets. As I listened, there was another flash of light, this one, not up in the sky but near the ground. A lonely firefly made its presence known, now here, now there, almost as if it were imitating the fantastic display above. I remembered the firefly’s other name of “lightning bug” and fancied that perhaps this one might fly up into the mountainous cloud, attracted irresistibly by the heavenly flashing light which in some way resembled its own.

Infinitely great is the distance between God and us, yet we are made in His image and likeness. We yearn to be united to Him we resemble, however remotely. But there was one among us who was overshadowed by the bright could of the Holy Spirit and God became incarnate in her flesh. On this feast of the Assumption, we celebrate the mystery that the one who brought God to us has now been drawn up into heaven. She is clothed with the sun and the flashing clouds surround her. We too, little fireflies that we are, flashing our brief sparks of divine life amidst the darkness of the world, will someday follow her into the eternal light. Let us rejoice and be glad in this hope.

Of Wounds

2011-08-27T08:27:00.002-07:00

Sunday, August 14, 2011 10:32 AM
Matthew 15:21-28 (Of wounds)

A good Franciscan Capuchin Friar was visiting the Sisters for the feast of St. Clare. In the course of his inspiring talks to them he said this lovely word, “No one can hurt you more deeply than Christ has wounded you.” Surely Christ wounded the good Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel who pleaded with Him for the healing of her possessed daughter when He seemed to ignore and rebuff her. But His wounding was like that of a surgeon whose laser light cuts not for harm but for wholeness. Jesus knew the quality of the woman kneeling before Him and that His cutting remarks would serve to increase her faith until He could call it great. And they would pierce her heart, making it more tender with love. The wounds we receive in this life are meant for the same ends. Of course, every wound is painful. We cry out in sorrow for the pain and in anger for the injustice of it all. We attempt to scar over our wounds with hard layers of resentment and pick at the scabs with endless remembering. But some wounds are never meant to close. Rather, they are to remain open like the wounds of Christ, and to be pressed against His so that His life and ours can flow together. As the life and love of Jesus flows into our opened heart, it becomes tender with love for our suffering brothers and sisters. Here then is the fulfillment of that mysterious saying of Scripture, “All things work together for the good of those who love God.”

Let the Little Children Come to Me

2011-08-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Saturday, August 13, 2011
Matthew 19:13-15 (Let the Little Children Come to Me)

There is a young woman visiting the Poor Clares this weekend. Pray for her and Mother Abbess as they discern God’s will. And 16 girls have signed up for the Sisters Vocation Day on August 20-21. There is still room for anyone else who wants to come! A mother of 3 girls contacted Mother Abbess to inquire if her children could come. She thought they might be a little young…How young? 4, 6 and 7! Although Mother Abbess is an experienced and versatile speaker, she thought that it might be beyond her capabilities to address such a diverse audience and attend adequately to all their needs, so she suggested that the youngsters come at a different time. “Let the little children come to me” said Jesus in today’s Gospel, “for to such belong the kingdom of heaven”. Little children are so open to God and the things of God. Mother Abbess always delights in speaking with them, for they respond instinctively to the beauty of a life given over to divine Love. So pray for these little ones who are excited about having their own “Come and See Day” with the Poor Clares.

2nd Day of Celebrating St. Clare

2011-08-27T08:26:00.001-07:00

Friday, August 12, 2011

2^ndDay of Celebration

Today is the 2nd day for the Poor Clares to celebrate their foundress, St. Clare. Franciscans are famous for celebrating! One day is not enough for this celebration. I would like to share another part of St. Clare’s beautiful novena that the Sisters prayed before her feast day.

Seraphic St. Clare, whose virginal heart was great enough to love the whole world, take our petitions into your pure hands and present them to God. Pray for us that we may one day enter in joyously before the throne of God. Let the light of your perfect purity consume the shadows of sin and corruption that darken the world. Intercede by your innocence for our youth. Safeguard the peace of our homes and the unity of our families. Plead with your chaste love for all in peril.

Feast of St. Clare

2011-08-27T08:25:00.003-07:00

Thursday, August 11, 2011 at

Feast of St. Clare

Blessed Feast of St. Clare to one and all! Retired Bishop of Richmond, Bishop Sullivan presided at the morning Mass for the Sisters and outdid himself with uncharacteristic solemnity. Those who know him will be amazed that he actually used incense, intoned the Credo and sang the Eucharistic Preface! Many friends joined the Sisters in the celebration of their patronal feast, including a group of young people from Virginia Beach. Mother Abbess was able to speak to them for a few minutes about vocation and answering the call of the Lord in their own lives. Here are Mother Abbess’ petitions at the Prayer of the Faithful during Holy Mass:

That the many young people being led by the Lord to Madrid for World Youth Day, may hear Him speaking to their hearts, calling them to a deeper relationship of love with Him.
That those who exercise authority may be careful to set their hearts on eternal values that their efforts on behalf of their people may bear fruit that will last.
That our Mother St. Clare may bring the light of Christ’s peace to all those places in the world that are dark with despair and violence.
That like St. Clare, we may ever abide in Jesus, finding in Him our supreme joy which transforms every affliction into an occasion of sacrificial love and the preparation for eternal glory.
That our Mother St. Clare may obtain every grace and blessing for all our friends who have sought her intercession during her novena.

Novena to St. Clare

2011-08-27T08:25:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Novena to St. Clare

Today is the vigil of the Solemnity of St. Clare. The Sisters have been praying a very beautiful novena to their Mother St. Clare during these days. I would like to share with you the final prayer of this novena so that you can join with the Sisters as they prepare to celebrate their mother and foundress tomorrow.

Loving Father, You have shared with us every good thing, but Your love is made especially manifest in the gift of Your Beloved Son. May we respond to this wonderful gift of love by accepting to live in intimate union with Him. Grant to each of us the grace to offer our whole being in a sacrifice of love to You and, like St. Clare, to become “passionate lovers of the poor, crucified Christ”, who lives and reigns with You, for ever and ever. Amen.

Strength, Steadfastness and Humility

2011-08-27T08:24:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Deuteronomy 31:1-8, Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 (Strength, Steadfastness and Humility)

Today I am intrigued by the contrast between the first and second reading at Holy Mass. The first is from the Book of Deuteronomy, where Moses commissions Joshua to lead the children of Israel into the Promised Land. He exhorts him to be “strong and steadfast”. The Gospel has Jesus answering the question of the disciples about who was the greatest in the kingdom of God by placing a child in their midst. “Whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest”. How should we reconcile the injunction to be strong and steadfast with the quality of a child? The key is humility. Without this essential virtue, strength becomes arrogance and steadfastness degenerates into stubborn willfulness. Humility does not mean being a doormat, but is about being comfortable with the truth of who we are and who God is. St. Paul says that with God we can do all things. And Jesus says that without Him we can do nothing. Back to St. Paul, “If God is with us, who can be against us?” So let us receive all our strength from our love-relationship with the Lord and so be able to face every adversity with courage and faith

Salt and Light

2011-08-27T08:23:00.003-07:00

Monday, August 08, 2011
Matthew 5:13-16( Salt and Light)

Happy feast of St. Dominic, especially to his followers the Dominican Friars Preachers and Sisters! St. Francis was a contemporary of St. Dominic, and legend has it that they met in Rome at the Fourth Lateran Council. It is said they considered joining their two orders but decided against it. That was a very wise decision, for Dominicans and Franciscans are very different! We glory in our differences for they are complementary and round out our services to the Church. For today’s feast, we have special readings. The Gospel is from the Sermon on the Mount and gives the famous images of the Christian being “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world”. The cloistered Poor Clares are often criticized for “hiding their light under a bushel basket”. They respond by saying that their lamp is on the lampstand! When you put a lamp up high, no one looks at it. It is there only to shine on “all that is in the house”. And then there is the salt. It disappears into the food, not calling attention to itself but enhancing the flavor of the meal. The cloistered nun is not seen, but grace flows from her life of love to give brilliance and savor to the whole Church.

Praying on the Mountain

2011-08-27T08:23:00.001-07:00

Sunday, August 07, 2011
Matthew 14:23-33 (Praying on the Mountain)

After Jesus had multiplied the bread in the wilderness and fed the crowd of five thousand, He made His disciples get into the boat while He went up the mountain to pray. There He saw them struggling against the wind and waves. When, like Jesus, the contemplative prays alone on the mountain, she is never less alone, for to pray is to be in a loving communion. Just as a woman gives herself to her husband and conceives new life, so the contemplative becomes a spiritual mother in her surrender to God. Her children are borne in her heart, their needs, sorrows and sufferings flood her mind and she holds them in her arms before the face of the Father even as she is in the embrace of Divine Love. Jesus rescues her children, by walking on the chaotic waters and speaking words of encouragement and peace. Let us all pray for those who are sailing on stormy seas, and especially for those called out of the boat to walk on water, that their faith may not fail until Jesus brings them safely home.

Feast of the Transfiguration

2011-08-27T08:22:00.001-07:00

Saturday, August 06, 2011
Matthew 17:1-9 (Feast of the Transfiguration)

Happy feast of the Transfiguration! When Peter saw the Lord resplendent with glory, His face shining like the sun and his clothes white as snow, he cried out, “Lord it is good for us to be here!” Yes, Peter found it good to be with Jesus on Mt. Thabor. But he did not find it so good to be with Him in Gethsemane, and he found it even less good to be with him in the courtyard of Caiphas. And where was St. Peter that Good Friday afternoon? Not on Calvary! It takes courage and faith to find it good to be with Jesus when He is suffering and especially when we are hanging on the cross beside Him. If, like St. Peter, we fail, Jesus will not abandon us. He will search for us until He finds us and offer us His peace. And we will learn to rely on His strength and not on our own, to draw on that power which comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. Let us take courage from Him and from those faithful people who really do stay with Jesus until the end, no matter the cost. If they can do it, we can do it too!

The New Heavens and the New Earth and No Sea

2011-08-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 5, 2011

Revelation 21(The New Heavens and the New Earth and No Sea)

“I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.” When I read those words of Revelation this morning, I looked out of my window at the beauty of the present heaven and earth that is destined to be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth in the coming age. How lovely they are right now! How much better can they get? What will these new realities be like, free from the hidden corruption which limits the beauty of creation? And I felt regret for the sea. I love the sea in its immensity, and its wild freedom from every human attempt to tame it. The sea speaks to me of the infinity and omnipotence of God. I will miss the sea. But of course, the Book of Revelation speaks, not only of nature, but more especially of the transformation of humanity. The sea is symbolic of those forces of chaos in the human heart. I will not miss that sea! Nor will I miss the ocean of sorrow that is fed by streams of sin flowing from the multitude of unrepentant hearts and the tsunami of violence that devastates so many innocent lives. Jesus has passed through the sea of suffering and death. Someday, these things will be no more. Let His star of hope rise in our hearts to guide us on our voyage, when not only our nights are stormy, but even our days are dark.

Who Do You Say that I Am?

2011-08-26T16:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday, August 04, 2011

Matthew 16:13-23(Who do you say that I am?)

Bl. John Paul once said that although he received his faith from his strong Catholic family, there came a certain point when he himself chose Christ. Some of us are "cradle Catholics" and all of us have heard what the secular world has to say about who Christ is. But each of us has to listen to the voice of the Father speaking through the power of the Holy Spirit to identify Jesus as our own Savior. St. Peter did just that at the beginning of today's Gospel when Jesus asked the apostles who they said He was. "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" declared Peter. He had the right answer, for he was listening to God. But then Jesus tried to lead him to a deeper understanding by introducing him to the mystery of the Cross. "God forbid, Lord!" was Peter's response. Wrong, Peter! You were listening to poor human nature and not to God. Peter would not get this one right until after the Resurrection. We too often baulk when Jesus tries to lead us to the Cross, but it is only there that we discover the depths of His identity as Merciful Love. St. Clare would say, "Gaze upon Him, consider Him, contemplate Him and desire to imitate Him".

The Canaanite Woman

2011-08-26T16:44:00.002-07:00

Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Matthew 15:21-28 (The Canaanite Woman)

I love the Canaanite woman who persistently asked Jesus to cure her daughter. I love her for her great faith, I love her for her motherly anguish, I love her for her humility, but most of all I love her for her wit. In such a situation, fraught with emotion, she could still see through the seeming indifference and even hostility of the Lord and engage Him in a clever repartee. “It is not right to take the bread of the children and throw it to the dogs.” “Yes, Lord, but even the dogs under the table eat the scraps that fall from their masters’ table”. I doubt I would have given such an answer! And she merited to receive extraordinary praise from the Lord, “O woman! Great is your faith!” Thank you, Madam, for giving such joy to Jesus and for giving us such an example of trusting boldness. I look forward to meeting you in heaven. And when Jesus seems to ignore me I will have confidence that He really does want my good. Perhaps He just wants to show off my faith.

Feast of St. Mary of the Angels

2011-08-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 02, 2011
Feast of the Portziuncula, the Mother Church of all Franciscans (St. Mary of the Angels)

In the early days of his conversion, St. Francis heard the voice of Christ coming from the crucifix in the Church of San Damiano bidding him to “go and repair His Church”. Being the simple, humble man that he was, Francis interpreted the Lord’s words literally and took up the tools of a construction man. After repairing San Damiano, he turned his attention to a little abandoned chapel in the oak woods of a little portion of land belonging to a Benedictine monastery. The local people said they sometimes heard angels singing there, and so the place was named “St. Mary of the Angels of the Porziuncula (little portion). Francis fell in love with the place. He rebuilt it and asked the Benedictine Abbot if he and his brethren could use it as their place to pray. Here the dozen friars became hundreds and then thousands. Here St. Clare was consecrated to God as the first Poor Clare. And it was here that the little Poor Man of Assisi died. Today is the feast of the Portziuncula, the Mother Church of all Franciscans and the first day of the novena to St. Clare. This year the Poor Clares are celebrating the 800^th anniversary of the Profession of St. Clare which took place at the hands of St. Francis in this place. The Poor Clare family has spread over the whole world. But today they remember their small beginnings and thank God for this little portion where the Mother of God gave them birth.

Bad Day for Moses

2011-08-26T16:43:00.001-07:00

Monday, August 01
Numbers 11:4b-15 (Bad Day for Moses)

“Why do you treat your servant so badly?” Moses asked the Lord. Why are you so displeased with me that you burden me with all this people?...If this is the way you will deal with me, then please do me the favor of killing me at once, so that I need no longer face this distress.” Moses was having a very bad day! What can be worse than having to listen to peevish wining? The people have miraculous bread to eat and they want garlic and cucumbers! Who of us has not felt like Moses? I can’t handle this! It’s too much! I’d rather die! Why me? Moses had the good sense to turn to prayer. At a later time the psalmist would do the same: Hear my voice O God as I complain! And still later Jesus Himself would say, “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass… but not my will but Yours be done!” The saints also knew how to “cast their care on the Lord”. When St. Clare faced a horde of Moslem soldiers overrunning her monastery, she prostrated herself before the Blessed Sacrament and prayed, “Behold, my Lord, do You wish to deliver into the hands of pagans Your defenseless servants whom You have nourished with Your own love? Lord, I beg You, defend these Your servants whom I am not able to defend at this time.” A bold prayer that merited a swift response, “I will always take care of you”. The soldiers immediately were seized with fear and fled. God has always taken care of the Poor Clares. Not that He has spared them every suffering. Other monasteries have been ravaged and there are martyrs among the saints of the Order. Neither did the Father take the cup of pain away from His Divine Son until He had drained it. But the prayer of complaint is always answered when it is made in faith, hope and love. God either relieves the suffering or He supports the sufferer until he is raised to new life. So let us too “cast our care upon the Lord” for He cares for us.

Retreat

2011-08-26T16:42:00.003-07:00

Sunday, July 31,2011
Subject: Retreat

Mother Abbess was looking forward to her annual private retreat, 2 days of relative solitude and freedom from her usual abbatial duties. The retreat literally began with a bang in the very early hours of the first day when a clap of thunder nearly jolted her out of bed. She sat up in stunned silence until a knock on the door brought her to full consciousness “Mother, we have no water”. Nocturnal investigations at the water pump in the pouring rain revealed that it had been hit by lightning. The rest of the night was given to drawing water out of the pipes to bring it to strategic locations for the morning’s work, and the next day to arranging for the electrician to fix the pump and surveying the damage to the enclosure wall also struck by the electrical violence of the night. Somewhere between hauling buckets and making telephone calls, Mother Abbess cast a glance toward the God of her heart and said, “Very funny, Lord! So much do you care about the quiet of my retreat!” Something similar happened to Jesus in today’s Gospel He had just received news of his cousin’s death and He sought a deserted place to mourn and reflect. Yet, when He disembarked from Peter’s boat, he found, not a deserted place but a crowded arena full of people eager to hear His word. Both Jesus and Mother Abbess had their plans, but the Father had His own agenda for their retreats. Yet both received that refreshment which only comes from obedience to God. As Dante once wrote, “In His will is our peace.” And this peace multiplies in miracles of love that feed the hungry multitudes from its abundance of new life.

Beheading of St. John the Baptist

2011-08-26T16:42:00.001-07:00

Saturday, July 30, 2011
Matthew 14:1-12 (Beheading of St. John the Baptist)

As I prayed over today’s Gospel of the beheading of St. John the Baptist, I was reminded of a passage from St. Bernard’s commentary on the Song of Songs. He writes of a man in love with God: “Falling asleep in the midst of his prayer he dreams of God; what he sees is a dim reflection in a mirror, not a vision face to face. However, although it be but a vague apprehension and not an actual vision, a fleeting glimpse of sparkling glory as it passes, utterly delicate in its impact, yet he burns with love and says: “At night my soul longs for you and my spirit in me seeks for you.” A love like this is full of zeal; it is a love becoming the Bridegroom’s friend, the love that must inspire the faithful and prudent servant whom the Lord appoints over his household. It fills the soul’s capacity, grows heated and brims over, gushing with abandon into streamlets. This is the love that cries out: “Who is weak and I am not weak? Who is scandalized and I am not inflamed?” Let such a man preach, let him bear fruit, let him show new signs and do fresh wonders, for vanity can find no toehold in the man whom charity totally possesses. A total love is the law in all its fullness, it can effectively fill the heart’s capacity. Finally God himself is love, and nothing created can satisfy the man who is made to the image of God, except the God who is love, who alone is above all created natures. The man who has not yet attained to this love is promoted to office at the gravest risk to himself, no matter how distinguished he be with other virtues. Even if he knows everything, if he gives all his goods to the poor and lets his body be taken for burning, without charity he is worthless.”

Such a man full of zealous love was St. John the Baptist. And such a man promoted to office without the least semblance of this love was Herod the Tetrarch. It is a sad fact of our sinful human condition that often those who hold public or even ecclesiastical office are unqualified according to St. Bernard’s standards. And so, those truly on fire with love are persecuted, imprisoned, and put to death because they prove too hot to handle for the powers that be. Let us pray that our modern day prophets may not lose courage and our Herods be converted to the greater power of divine love.

Feast of St. Martha

2011-08-26T16:41:00.001-07:00

Friday, July 29, 2011
Luke 10:38-42 (St. Martha)

Busy St. Martha is often portrayed in contrast to her contemplative sister Mary who sat at the feet of Jesus and listened to His word. But Martha also had a very deep and vibrant relationship with Jesus. The brief dialogues between them recorded in the Gospels show that she spoke with Him like Moses, as one friend speaks to another. She did not dress up her prayer, but spoke from the honesty of her true self. And Jesus responded to her with unfailing divine good humor. “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me alone to do all the serving? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things…” “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died…” “Your brother will rise.” “I know he will rise at the resurrection on the last day.” …“Take away the stone.” “Lord,…surely there will be a stench!” “Did I not tell you that if you believed…” Martha was a fussy lady, but she was not afraid to let Jesus see her as she really was and to tell Him exactly how she felt. Her honesty did not put Him off, but rather endeared her to Him. We cannot have a relationship with anyone, least of all Jesus, if what we show him is a false self. We do not fool Jesus, nor do we have to. He loves us as we are just as He loved Martha. He will gradually lead us to a better self as He led her, but we have to drop the protecting pretences. He is with us and for us. He will never shame us or reject us. Let us entrust ourselves to Him.

Understanding

2011-08-26T16:40:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Matthew 13:47-53 (Understanding)

After speaking his parables, Jesus asks His listeners if they have understood all that He has told them and they respond, “Yes”. Surely Jesus must have smiled. He knew that even after more than 2,000 years of pondering, the Church would not be able to exhaust the depths of His parables, yet his first century audience had understood them all! But being the good teacher that He was, He did not discourage His students, but assured them that if they learned well, they would have treasures of wisdom in store, both old and new. The time would soon come for their testing and the proving of their ignorance. Then they would be ready to receive another Teacher, the Spirit of wisdom who would dwell within them, leading them into all truth. Let us entrust ourselves to this Spirit who has already been given to us so that we may read the Scriptures with understanding and live our lives informed by His love

The Meeting Tent

2011-08-25T16:46:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Exodus 33:7-11, 34:5b-9, 28 (The Meeting Tent)

We read in the book of Exodus that Moses used to pitch the tent of meeting outside the camp of the Israelites. There, accompanied by his young aid Joshua, he would speak to the Lord face to face as one man speaks to his friend. Afterwards, Moses would return to the camp, but Joshua would remain in the tent. Why did Joshua linger in the meeting tent? Was the experience of being close to God, of seeing the pillar of cloud and hearing the divine voice so overwhelming that for awhile he could not move? Was he reluctant to return to ordinary life like St. Peter on Mt. Tabor who exclaimed, “Lord, it is good for us to be here! Let us erect 3 tents…” Or was he like another young Joshua (otherwise sometimes known by the Greek form of his name) who remained in the temple without his parents’ knowledge in order to be about his father’s business? Moses was glad to return to the camp unassisted. The man who had met God in the burning bush knew that Joshua, son of Nun, would someday be a leader of Israel and that the best training for such a vocation is contemplative prayer. Before Joshua could lead he would have to learn to be led by the Lord. May all who are called to ministry in the Church learn this lesson as well.

Feast of St. James

2011-08-25T16:45:00.001-07:00

Monday, July 25, 2011
Matthew 20:20-28 (Feast of St. James)

Among the Galilean women who stood on Mt. Calvary that first Good Friday was the mother of James and John. As she watched the thorn crowned King of the Jews slowly die on his bloody throne, flanked by two condemned criminals, did she think back to the day she asked Jesus for the favor of having her sons sit on his right and on His left? Truly were his words made clear to her “You do not know what you are asking”. Nor were her sons able to drink the bitter cup that they had so confidently declared they could. But let there come another time, post-Pentecost, when filled with the wine of God’s love that is the Holy Spirit, James would have the power to drain the chalice of martyrdom at the hands of Herod and John would drink the slow draught of long service in exile. Now James and John are in the heavenly kingdom along with their mother and no one cares where they are sitting. Each is with Jesus, facing the Father, in the Holy Spirit. And that is all that matters.

The Hidden Treasure

2011-08-25T16:44:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Matthew 13:44-52 (The Hidden Treasure)

I thought I was going to have a day off because I already have a poem for this Gospel passage, but the Lord gave me another thought to share. So the poem I have in reserve!

We often feel that we are not understood, even by our closest friends and dearest family members. This feeling can be the source of a great, abiding sorrow in our lives. But we must realize that the inner treasure of our true self is hidden with Christ in God. Jesus has bought us with the price of His own blood. He wants us for Himself. Yes, we do and should give ourselves to our loved ones, but that secret, innermost source of our life is reserved and revealed only to the Divine Lover. Everyone needs to feel that he or she (especially she!) is treasured by a special someone. The cloistered nun knows that she has been found and loved by Christ, then hidden in the enclosure to be His own. But she is also the sacramental sign that each human being is also the treasured one of God. When we permit Him to purchase us, it is at the same time a death to our selves and a nuptial embrace. Here we find our life and bear fruit for the kingdom of heaven.

The Covenant

2011-08-25T16:43:00.002-07:00

Saturday, July 23, 2011
Exodus 24:3-8 (The Covenant)

At the base of Mt. Sinai, Moses built an altar of stone and sacrificed holocausts of oxen as peace offerings to the Lord. He poured out the oxen’s blood on the altar and sprinkled it upon the people of Israel to ratify the covenant they had made with God. “All that the Lord has spoken we will do and be obedient.” How wonderful! And yet we know how short lived was the people’s obedience and how long suffering the Lord would have to be with them. Human beings have little power to keep their good resolutions, no matter how fervent and sincere. And so God would provide another altar, this one made of wood, set on top of another height called Calvary. There He would sacrifice, not oxen, but Himself, pouring out His own blood for the remission of our sins. Let us take up the cup of salvation and drink the saving blood that sanctifies and unites us to Jesus. For it is only through Him, with Him and in Him that we can give glory to the Father.

Rabbouni

2011-08-25T16:43:00.000-07:00

Friday, July 22, 2011
John 20:1,2, 11_18 (Rabbouni)

Below a poem inspired by today's Gospel. Jesus calls us by name, but not only the name our parents gave us. He calls us by that inner name which expresses our essence. And He calls us, not for ourselves alone, but for those who will benefit from our Gospel living.

Rabbouni

A ray of rising sun
Escaped the mists of morning
And sought the Risen One
His sight with light adorning.

It caught and touched His eye,
Caressed His ruddy cheek,
But I, He would deny
This consolation seek.

For though we stood apart
He penetrated through
The prison of my heart
To press my essence new,

Where He alone could go
And I with Him would see
What He alone could know
That I with Him would be.

My Master taught me this:
His naming me was grace,
His everlasting kiss,
My most profound embrace.

Assenting now to ascending Son,
Beholding still, to His own I run.

God Descending on Mt. Sinai in a Cloud

2011-08-25T16:42:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 21, 2011
Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20 (God descending on Mt. Sinai in a Cloud)

I love the image of God descending upon Mt. Sinai in fire and cloud to the sound of thunder and trumpet blast. Surely, for the people of Israel it must have been an overwhelming experience, a defining moment that would stay with them the rest of their lives. It is tempting to cry out to God with the prophet Isaiah: Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down with the mountains quaking before you! Then everyone would repent and believe in you! But what happened to the Israelites when they left Mt. Sinai? They forgot the mighty deeds of their God as soon as adversity came upon them. When Moses was too long talking with God, his people became impatient and fashioned the golden calf, a god they could handle and control. Later still they would get bored with the miraculous manna and then still later, on the verge of the promised land they would lose their nerve and turn back. But let us not be too hard on the people of Israel. Would we have done any better? God has done greater things for us then He did for them. He has saved us, not just from slavery to Pharaoh, but from the worse slavery to sin and death. Yet we too forget. We daily fashion for ourselves our own golden calves, grumble our own complaints and turn back from our own battles. St. Clare tells us that we should remember continually the mysteries of the Lord’s Passion. If we do so, our hearts will be set on fire with love, that love which endures all things. Let us go especially to the Eucharist where is the divinely instituted remembering and re-presenting of the Lord’s saving Sacrifice. There we find the Bread come down from Heaven and Jesus, the sure Way to the Promised Land of the Father.

Who is My Mother and My Brethren

2011-08-25T16:41:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Matthew 12:46-50 (Who is My Mother and My Brethren)

Jesus says that whoever does the will of His heavenly Father is His brother, sister and mother. Because of our tendency toward materialism, we are apt to think that physical realities are more real then spiritual ones, when in fact the very opposite is true. By virtue of our Baptism, we have access to an incredible intimacy with Christ that goes far beyond any natural human relationship. We are children of the same heavenly Father and so are truly brothers and sisters of Jesus. And like the Blessed Virgin, we too have been overshadowed by the Holy Spirit, becoming living tabernacles. St. Clare says that just as Mary carried Jesus in her body, so the faithful person carries Him in her soul. As wonderful as all this is, there is still more. On Calvary, Jesus consummated our relationship with Him on the Cross, so that now we are not only sibling and mother to him, but also beloved spouse.

I Will Fight Your Battle

2011-08-25T16:40:00.003-07:00

Monday, July 18, 2011
Exodus 14:5-18 (I Will Fight Your Battle)

During these last few weeks, the first reading at Holy Mass has been from the Book of Exodus, that dramatic account of Israel’s journey from

Egypt

to the Promised Land, from slavery to freedom. Today we find the children of Israel have just arrived at the shore of the Red Sea. But looking back, they see Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit of them. The newly freed slaves do what is all too easy for human nature: they cry out to the Lord and complain to Moses. For his part, Moses handles the situation well. He calmly told them to have confidence, the Lord will do their battle for them, so they can keep quiet. It is a good answer, but only the beginning. The Lord has more to say. I like to fill out the conversation between Him and Moses that is given in the Scriptures. “Go forward!” says the Lord. Where?” “Into the sea.” “But that’s crazy!” “Yes, and it’s going to get worse (but we won’t deal with that now). Just trust me. Take up your wooden staff by which you worked miracles in my name, stretch out your hand and do a greater wonder: split the sea in two! Yes, I will indeed fight your battle, but I will do it in a way you cannot imagine, and you must come with me into the unknown, into the impossible, into death itself.”
And so it is with us when we reach our own dead ends on our journey through life. We must trust God and go forward with Jesus, our new Moses, who has stretched out his hands on the wood of the Cross, who has already fought our battle for us and leads us through the sea of death into a new and glorious life.

Weeds and Wheat

2011-08-25T16:40:00.001-07:00

Sunday, July 17, 2011 10:34 AM
Matthew 13:24- 43 (Weeds and Wheat)

At the sprouting stage, it can be hard to distinguish weeds from good garden plants. But when they grow up, the difference becomes obvious to the experienced gardener. Unlike weeds and good plants, however, human beings have a free choice about whether or not they are going to be beneficial to the Lord’s garden. And what makes things even more complex, that choice is not final until the last breath. So it ill behooves those of us who consider ourselves “wheat” to be judging those who seem to be “weeds”. Let us rather pray for them that they may repent and join us in giving glory to God. And let us not forget to pray for ourselves that we may be faithful to the end!

Jesus Withdrew

2011-08-25T16:39:00.003-07:00

Saturday, July 16, 2011
Matthew 12:14-21 (Jesus Withdrew)

Faced with the murderous antagonism of the Pharisees, Jesus withdrew from them. But He did not withdraw out of fear for his safety or because He was hurt by rejection. Rather, it was for the sake of His enemies that He took His leave. He knew that in their present state of mind, His presence would only aggravate them. So too, does He sometimes act with us. When He sees that He is a bit “too much” for us, He will withdraw His sensible presence until we are able to receive Him again. The bruised reed He will not break, nor quench the smoldering wick. Every good parent and superior knows that there is a time to admonish and a time to refrain. However, only a loving, discerning and patient heart is able to know that perfect timing. Let us ask Jesus to give us His wisdom and to trust His action and even more His seeming inaction in our lives.

Feast of St. Bonaventure

2011-08-25T16:38:00.001-07:00

Friday, July 15, 2011
Feast of St. Bonaventure

On this feast of St. Bonaventure, great Franciscan mystic, and doctor of the Church, I would like to share an excerpt from one of his many writings, “The Journey of the Mind to God”. This piece is especially interesting, for although Bonaventure was an eminent scholar, he gives the primacy not to the intellectual knowledge of God, but to the loving relationship with God in mystical union.

Speaking of contemplation, St. Bonaventure writes: “It cannot be comprehended by anyone unless he surrenders himself to it; nor can he surrender himself to it unless he longs for it; nor can he long for it unless the Holy Spirit, whom Christ sent into the world, should come and inflame his innermost soul. Hence the Apostle says that this mystical wisdom is revealed by the Holy Spirit. If you ask how such things can occur, seek the answer in God’s grace, not in doctrine; in the longing of will, not in the understanding; in the sighs of prayer, not in research; seek the bridegroom not the teacher; God and not man; darkness not daylight; and look not to the light but rather to the raging fire that carries the soul to God with intense fervor and glowing love. The fire is God, and the furnace is in Jerusalem, fired by Christ in the ardor of his loving passion.

A Meek and Humble Heart Give Rest to the Soul

2011-08-23T16:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Matthew 11:28-30 (A Meek and Humble Heart Give Rest to the Soul)

Jesus asks us to learn of him, for he is meek and humble of heart. Obedient to this word, I have made a special study of meekness and humility and they have not been easy lessons to learn. I have a choleric personality, attracted to strength, achievement and excellence. Meekness and humility, as I once perceived them, did not seem to fit in with my attractions. St. Thomas Aquinas helped me to understand meekness as that which modifies anger. St. Teresa of Avila taught me that humility is truth. And of course, I meditated on these qualities in the life and death of Jesus. But it was not until I truly saw meekness and humility incarnated in living human beings that I felt their irresistible loveliness and desired them for myself. And I also experienced a welcome rest for my soul every time I willingly renounced the yoke of arrogance and pride. We learn meekness and humility, not from books and exhortations, but like a child learns how to walk: by watching the grown-ups do it and then just doing it ourselves.

The Burning Bush

2011-08-23T16:44:00.001-07:00

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Exodus 3:1-6, 9-12 (The Burning Bush)

Not only to Moses on Mt. Horeb does God reveal Himself in a burning bush that is unconsumed. We saw Him in Mother Theresa who, although deprived of all sense of the presence of God for 50 years, was an icon of that presence to millions by her ardent charity toward the poorest of the poor. We looked upon God when we witnessed the flaming spirit of Bl. John Paul unquenched by the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. We have seen the divine action in the lives of members of our families and friends, who when faced with the most crushing of circumstances, somehow were not crushed. And we ourselves experience God each time after suffering the worst devastation of sorrow, that inexplicable flash of hope ignites our hearts anew. Wherever obedient love is revealed in the midst of pain, wherever the crucified Christ is once more manifested in one of his disciples, there is another burning bush and there is holy ground.

Suffering and Self Sacrifice

2011-08-23T16:43:00.001-07:00

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Matthew 11:20-24 (Suffering and Self Sacrifice)

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reproaches the cities and towns that witnessed his preaching and miracles yet did not repent of their sins. It sounds like He is frustrated! We should not be surprised, for Jesus was a true man with true human feelings. Those of us who are preachers or teachers, parents or superiors ought to take heart when our exhortations fall on deaf ears. We are in good company. Incarnate Wisdom himself failed to move the hearts of His listeners with His divine eloquence. In fact, Jesus died a failure. He was rejected, executed as a criminal with only a handful of followers (mostly women) who remained loyal to Him to the very end. Indeed, it was not His preaching that saved the world but His suffering and death. Only when the Son of Man was lifted up on the cross did He begin to draw all men to Himself. And throughout the ages it is the suffering of the Church that gives power to her preaching. “The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians.” And the self sacrifice of the Poor Clares is a hidden source of evangelization that permeates the whole Church like the fragrance of nard that was poured on the feet of Christ by Mary of Bethany. Both those who preach and those who hear the Word are enlivened by the contemplatives’ sharing in the Cross, which like perfume, is sensed rather than seen.

Love not anyone more than Jesus

2011-08-22T16:47:00.001-07:00

Monday, July 11, 2011

Matthew 10:34-11:1 (Love not anyone more than Jesus)

Jesus says that if we love our parents or our children (or anyone else for that matter) more than Him, then we are not worthy of Him. If Jesus were not divine, this statement would be the height of egoism. But Jesus is God. He must be at the center of our life and our heart. If we love anyone more than Him, then our love is disordered at the very core. It can never be a blessing to ourselves or even to the one we say we love, for it is ultimately self-centered and self-serving. The bond formed by this kind of love is weak and easily broken by human weakness and failure. By contrast, when Jesus is at the center of our love, then all our relationships are strong with His strength for it is He who becomes the bond which unifies. One of the many paradoxes of the Christian life is that we love our family and friends better when we love them less than Jesus. The Poor Clare gives radical expression to this truth by her vow of enclosure. By this vow she separates herself from most physical contact with her loved ones. But she discovers that her love for them grows richer and more profound, not in spite of, but because of her enclosure. Being denied superficial contact, her infrequent encounters with her family and friends become occasions of a new and deeper level of relationship, free from the pursuit of self gratification which always prevents true intimacy. It takes time for this to happen, but it is a blessing worth waiting for. Today is the feast of St. Benedict who exhorted his followers “to prefer nothing to Christ”. When we do so, we find ourselves enjoying the sometimes unexpected hundredfold.

The Sower

2011-08-22T16:43:00.001-07:00

Sun, 10 Jul 2011

Matthew 13:1-11 (The Sower)

Whenever I hear the parable of the sower, my gardening instincts are aroused. Just let me get at that neglected field! Pull up the thorns! Sift out the rocks! Dig in the compost! Bring down the hoe! The preparation for planting a garden is a laborious task and the cultivation of the heart even more so. It is in the many decisions of every day that we either care for or neglect our interior garden. The Poor Clare’s form of monastic life is completely orientated toward nurturing in her the Word of God. She receives the abundant sowing of the seed again and again in the Liturgy of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours throughout the day. In the warmth of Eucharistic adoration she is warmed by the radiation of divine love. Her vows of poverty and obedience deepen her soil for the growth of the Word, while chastity and enclosure create space for its flourishing. Prayer and penance water and fertilize the seed so that it bears rich fruit for the Church and for the world.