All this is love, love's gifts.

This is my last Multitude Monday post.

On Saturday afternoon, I will pass through the door that only Love can open...and my life as the littlest daughter of St. Dominic will begin.

In the meantime, there is so much to be grateful for here and now...just noticing the little moments of grace every day...

...starting new, for the last time (here, anyway), in no particular order...

1. he came back to get me for Compline
2. Gregorian Salve, oh, how I'll miss it, though the Dominican Salve already holds a place in my heart, too.
3. singing O Lumen in the dark on the way home, followed by the De Profundis.
4. I have a place to call home and a family that loves me
5. Sister time watching Theresa of the Andes together and thinking about the separation we will have to endure as I answer God's call to be a cloistered nun
6. Brother time building the best K'nex ball tower ever; I couldn't have done it without him 
7. the astounding generosity of a friend giving me her favorite icon 
8. I was able to go to confession (finally, and just in time to prepare for my entrance!)
9. Adoration for more than an hour on Friday
10.  hugs, hugs, and more hugs
11. sunset Vespers by the bay
12. the beautiful moon, waxing again
13. my oldest brother, still the best big brother ever
14. the humility that comes from reading through old teacher's comments from high school, just reminding me where I've come from
15. beautiful plans of my friends from college, working on Organization for Life projects
16. other vocation stories
17. Dominicana articles making me think every day (and reminding me to pray for my Dominican brothers!)
18. a holy priest's homilies podcasted!
19. week of holy feastdays, especially St. Francis of Assisi tomorrow, Bl. Raymund of Capua on Wednesday, and Our Lady of the Rosary on Friday.
20. the grace to keep on praying
21. these words from today's Office of Readings: "pray earnestly and frequently, not offering long and wearisome prayers, but praying often, and with perseverance." (Saint Ambrose)

for these, and the untold gifts that I've noticed moment by moment but forgotten now...

my sweet Jesus, I thank You!  

And I join the Gratitude Community at A Holy Experience today for the last time
 

 

Blessed be God forever, forever Amen!

One day at a time...

Pope Benedict XVI on St. Therese of Lisieux

Short and sweet...well worth three minutes today!

 St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, pray for us!

Pope Benedict XVI on Sainthood

Following some advice given by the good Abbot last night at Bible Study,
I read Pope Benedict XVI's recent address from the Vigil with young people,
given at Fair, Freiburg im Breisgau on Saturday, 24 September 2011.

The whole thing is indeed well worth reading, but here's a long quote of my favorite part:

Often it is thought that a saint has to be someone with great ascetic and moral achievements, who might well be revered, but could never be imitated in our own lives. How false and discouraging this opinion is! There is no saint, apart from the Blessed Virgin Mary, who has not also known sin, who has never fallen. Dear friends, Christ is not so much interested in how often in our lives we stumble and fall, as in how often with his help we pick ourselves up again. He does not demand glittering achievements, but he wants his light to shine in you. He does not call you because you are good and perfect, but because he is good and he wants to make you his friends. Yes, you are the light of the world because Jesus is your light. You are Christians – not because you do special and extraordinary things, but because he, Christ, is your life, our life. You are holy, we are holy, if we allow his grace to work in us.

Amen!

Lest I ever Confuse the Two Again (II)

(edited re-post from the end of July, because hanging out with beautiful children takes precedence over blog originality right now...)

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Saint Peter Chrysologus is decidedly not the same as Saint John Chrysostom. But I must admit, I get the two mixed up rather easily. It's a good thing I have the Patron Saint Index to get me un-confused. Here's what I've learned (hopefully some of it will stick):

Today's saint is John Chrysostom
 He lived from 347 until 407
In 398 he was appointed bishop of Constantinople
Because of his beautiful sermons, people gave him the nickname "Chrysostom" or "Golden tongue" (now you see why I get the two mixed up so easily?!)
In 451 he was recognized as a Doctor of the Church
He is the patron saint of Constantinople/Istanbul, orators, preachers, and speakers
He is also invoked against epilepsy

Peter Chrysologus is remembered on July 30.
He lived from 406 until 450
In 433 he became the Bishop of Ravena, Italy
Fought Monopyhsitism, which is the heresy that Jesus only had one nature
Because of his beautiful sermons, people gave him the nickname "Chrysologus" or "Golden word"
However, he was not proclaimed a Doctor of the Church until 1729
He is the patron saint against fever and against mad dogs.

Here's a quote from John Chrysostom:

"God asks little, but He gives much." 

And another one, from today's Office of Readings:

"If God wants something, let it be done! If he wants me to stay here, I am grateful. But wherever he wants me to be, I am no less grateful." (from a homily by Saint John Chrysostom, bishop)

Amen! Blessed be God forever, in all His angels and all His saints! Amen!

Giving thanks after Irene

Giving thanks today...

for the gifts and graces of this beautiful weekend and day:

-sharing laughs with family over the escapades of Sister Bertrille + co.
-babysitting one of God's most precious little angels : : she lives and I am blessed : : hidden grace
-reading the Word on the bridge as she slept in her stroller : : more peace in my soul than I'd had in days
-I sang my favorite songs to her, not embarrassed or self-conscious at all : :  moonless night : : home safe
-F's move to college went well
-the mystery of God's will and providence making good out of my failure : : new arrangement for girls' room
-We made it safely through the storm : : the basement did not flood : : K'nex on this side, Legos on the other
-his gentle reminder that I need to be more patient
-understanding her and loving her more : : good neighbors "roughing it" together
-deep sleep in the pitch dark : : morning dawning beautiful and clear
-the example of John the Baptist, whose feast day is today: "I must decrease, and He must increase!"
-morning clean-up teamwork: : oreos, melted ice-cream, + cherries as a snack for hungry workers
-Our Lady's Statue is back in the garden!
-power came back quicker than expected : : enjoying the luxury of a hot shower at home! : : internet access

Joining the Gratitude Community at A Holy Experience today and every Monday:

 

Blessed be God forever!

A Rose of Suffering

Source

 Today is the feast day of Saint Rose of Lima, a third-order Dominican and the first canonized saint of the Americas.

 Here are two quotes from the writings of Saint Rose, in the Office of Readings for today:

"We cannot obtain grace unless we suffer afflictions. We must heap trouble upon trouble to attain a deep participation in the divine nature, the glory of the sons of God and perfect happiness of soul."

"No one would complain about his cross or about troubles that happen to him, if he would come to know the scales on which they are weighed when they are distributed to men."

Saint Rose of Lima,
pray for us,
that we may bear our splinters of the Cross
with joy and thanksgiving as you did,
for the glory of God and the salvation of souls!

Saint Maximilian Kolbe

A Holy Card of St. Maximilian Kolbe

  If today were not Sunday, it would be the feast of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, a Polish martyr who died of Love in a concentration camp during WWII.

I have a theory that the saints don't mind it in the least when their feast day gets bumped by Sunday, the Lord's Day. For Who was the One that gave them the grace to triumph over death, as He did in His Glorious Resurrection? Who is the One we worship by our veneration of the saints? Christ the Lord, God Alone.

Still, I remember Saint Maximilian Kolbe in a special way today as he is one of my favorite saints.

Here's an excerpt from what I wrote about him in my journal last summer (August 14, 2009):

"Today, I thank God for the example, prayers, and support of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who has been a well-loved companion of mine since childhood. I was first introduced to him by My Friend Magazine's "Saint of the Month" cards--he was one of my favorite saints in that collection.

Since then, he has stayed with me as an inspiration, light, and help, especially in difficult moments of my life, but in ordinary things as well. When I was struggling in Conceptual Physics in college, he joined Saint Albert the Great (O.P.) to help me out and keep me on the right track.  After I had finished Physics, his holy card (image above) disappeared, for a year, but I still remembered him and cited him as being one of my greatest patron saints--along with Joan of Arc-- in my talk for the Crossroads Retreat in February '09. Then, just one week ago, I found his holy card again, just in time for his feast today!

And I am sure I am not the only one who has been helped by Mary's most glorious martyr. He should be an inspiration and example of fidelity and purity to all priests and religious, especially Franciscans.
 And, looking back, I think that his devotion to Mary helped prepare me to grow in devotion to her as well, though I ultimately chose the Consecration and Holy Slavery according to the teaching of Saint Louis de Montfort."

Also, I drew this picture of a legend from Saint Maximilian's childhood...

...as the story goes, he had a vision of Mary offering him a choice of two crowns. 

The red one represented Martyrdom, and the white one represented Purity. 

Instead of choosing one or the other, however, he said, "I choose both."         

Saint Maximilian Kolbe, Pray for us!

Blessed be God forever!

Veriditas--The Greeness and Beauty of God's Garden

Veriditas is the Latin term for Green-ness - alive-ness - in the writings of Hildegard of Bingen. And the content of this post fits this category, I think.

Throughout the last few years, I have been saying the Office of Readings on a semi-regular basis, to the extent that some passages from the readings, or even whole readings, have become as dear friends to me as Holy Mother Church sets them before my eyes each year. Today’s second reading for the Feast of Saint Lawrence contains one such passage:

source

“I tell you again and again, my brethren, that in the Lord’s garden are to be found not only the roses of his martyrs.

source

       In it there are the lilies of the virgins, 

Source

  

the ivy of the wedded couples, 

                                          and the violets of widows.

Source

On no account may any class of people despair, thinking that God has not called them.”

–From a Sermon on Saint Lawrence, by Saint Augustine of Hippo. (Second Reading from The Office of Readings)

 God has called all to live in His Garden, to the praise of His Glory! May we never cease to bless and praise His Holy Name!

Saint John Vianney and Catherine of Siena on Prayer, Fish, and the Blessed Sacrament

  "Some men immerse themselves as deeply in prayer as fish in water, because they give themselves totally to God."

 So writes Saint John Mary Vianney in his Catechetical Instructions (Second Reading from today's Office of Readings)

This reminds me of something Saint Catherine of Siena wrote in her Dialogue; this is not it, but I found this one first...

"See, dearest daughter, in what an excellent state is the soul who receives, as she should, this Bread of Life, this Food of the Angels. "By receiving this Sacrament she dwells in Me and I in her, as the fish in the sea, and the sea in the fish -- thus do I dwell in the soul, and the soul in Me -- the Sea Pacific." (A Treatise of Prayer, no. 26)


This is it:

"since the soul seems, in such communion, sweetly to bind herself fast within herself and with God, and knows better His truth, inasmuch as the soul is then in God, and God in the soul, as the fish is in the sea, and the sea in the fish, she desired the arrival of the morning (for the morrow was a feast of Mary) in order to hear Mass." (A Treatise of Divine Providence, no. 2)

When we receive the Most Precious Body and Blood of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, we are like fish in the sea.

The sea is the life of the fish;
God is the life of the soul.


The sea flows in and through the fish, as well as all around it;
God's life flows in and through us, as well as all around us.


The fish cannot exhaust the ocean;
we cannot exhaust God's grace and life in us..

Every fish is unique
and uniquely loved are we by God.

Saint John Vianney, Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for us, that we may learn to live fully immersed in God's grace!

been counting since last week...

Giving thanks to God today for His 1000+X gifts:

From the second half of Monday last week:

1. the most recent batch of files--done. So many names triggering sweet and bittersweet memories at work.
2. first engagement
3. cooler weather

From Tuesday:

1. her wish for a blueberry muffin or banana bread fulfilled--by blueberry banana muffins!
2. finishing breakfast in tears of laughter for the second morning in a row (I love my crazy family!)
3. encounter with a Franciscan sister (and the three Friars of the Renewal are still here, too!)
4. joy in my heart, leaving the island. We're going on an adventure!
5. we turned onto Waterman Street. I lost the game.
6. keeping watch for the Providence College sign on the side of the highway...to pray for my Friars Preachers!
7. driving down the now familiar route to my convent...only we're not going to my convent. Just to a college run by Jesuits.  ; P
8. the most hospitable Wendy's staff I've ever met, just down the hill from the college where my sister will start as a freshman this fall 
9. re-entering Providence at 12:21...how's that for Providence?!
10. afternoon off from work...transition back to the 70s and early 80s tomorrow
11. email from my dear Mistress, clarifying a question I had. Now I can go to the Doctor's later this week!

Days of grace, noticing love in the big and little things, but not recording until all gratitude for all this came pouring out one afternoon (but not in chronological order, or any kind of order!)...

1. letter from one friend; package (with homemade honey!) from another
2. grace and courage to speak despite anxiety and fear
3. beginning "training"--jogging with littlest sister
4. the Communion of Saints
5. The Bishop of the Golden Tongue and the Bishop of the Golden Words
6. exploring Parade School and praying hard for Danny and his family
7. 2 CSC sisters looking after me
8. already building anticipation and prayer for Dominican Brothers: the 13, the 9, and the 16.
9. Adam of the Road and High Middle Ages History memories
10. early morning planting: the last of the bean plants
11. 99, 99, 99, and 99! See what glory and knowledge God has given!
12. the number 313 keeps on popping up at work...and I am so grateful for the Edict of Milan! 
13. littlest sister's great love revealed as we sit near the garden together in the afternoon: "I gave you the biggest raspberry, Mary!"
14. God's love is uncalculating, too!
15. 6 round band-aids covering my worst signs of weakness and the fun my sister and I had putting them on me and decorating them (this has to do with one of my yellow stars, by the way, the one that says, "you will never break your bad habits. Just keep giving in/ ignoring them/ getting angry about them"  I've given in to this one destructive habit for nearly 21 years and bear scars on my legs because of it. 21 years, and my legs have never been clear of scabs. I've had enough! But how can I get angry when one of my band-aids says, "God is Love!" and the others are pretty and I cannot get at my scabs to pick them off anymore?) God is good!
16. Ketchup makes everything better
17. bees in the raspberry patch
18. deadheading marigolds and memories of childhood gardening with Mommy (inchworm, inchworm, measuring the marigolds...)
19. shade
20. the promise of a new month rapidly approaching...and so many glorious feast-days ahead!  
21. confirmation of a hope--things are coming together! and it was worth the wait and even the fears last night, for the joy that I have now is so much the greater! 
22. and that he should take time out of his vacation to email me and reassure me that he has not forgotten, for this I am truly grateful, and beg a thousand blessings from God upon him!

Joining the Gratitude Community at A Holy Experience today and every Monday:

Lest I ever confuse the two again

Saint Peter Chrysologus is decidedly not the same as Saint John Chrysostom. But I must admit, I get the two mixed up rather easily. It's a good thing I have the Patron Saint Index to get me un-confused. Here's what I've learned (hopefully some of it will stick):

Today's saint is Peter Chrysologus
He lived from 406 until 450
In 433 he became the Bishop of Ravena, Italy
Fought Monopyhsitism, which is the heresy that Jesus only had one nature
Because of his beautiful sermons, people gave him the nickname "Chrysologus" or "Golden word"
However, he was not proclaimed a Doctor of the Church until 1729
He is the patron saint against fever and against mad dogs.

John Chrysostom is remembered on September 13
 He lived from 347 until 407
In 398 he was appointed bishop of Constantinople
Because of his beautiful sermons, people gave him the nickname "Chrysostom" or "Golden tongue" (now you see why I get the two mixed up so easily?!)
In 451 he was recognized as a Doctor of the Church
He is the patron saint of Constantinople/Istanbul, orators, preachers, and speakers
He is also invoked against epilepsy

Earlier, I posted a quote from Saint Peter Chrysologus; here's one from his brother bishop John Chrysostom:

"God asks little, but He gives much." 

Amen! Blessed be God forever, in all His angels and all His saints! Amen!

St. Peter Chrysologus asks...

"Why then, man, are you so worthless in your own eyes and yet so precious to God?"

This line from the Office of Readings for the feast of St. Peter Chrysologus surprises me every year.

Why am I so hard on myself? Some would say that it is because I have an inordinate sense of self, a self-love that hates to admit of failure or weakness and yet constantly accuses me of them anyway. This is not the way to honor the wonder of my being, which is only God's free gift from start to finish. He created me, He redeemed me, He loves me, and therein lies my dignity, a dignity that can never be annulled or effaced by anything that I do or fail to do.

Here is the quote cited above in its fuller context: "He who made man without generation from pure clay made man again and was born from a pure body. The hand that assumed clay to make our flesh deigned to assume a body for our salvation. That the Creator is in his creature and God is in the flesh brings dignity to man without dishonor to him who made him.
Why then man, are you so worthless in your own eyes and yet so precious to God? Why render yourself such dishonor when you are honored by him? Why do you ask how you were created and do not seek to know why you were made?" (From a sermon by Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop).

I am precious to God. I have not earned His love, nor could I ever. For if love can be earned, then it is not love. When will I learn to live freely in the light of this truth? It is easy to think in my mind and say with my lips but hard to live with my heart. In fact, one of my yellow stars with ugly red words carries this blatant lie: 
"Love must be earned." And its partner says, "You are not worthy."  I have lived in the shadow of lies long enough. Love cannot be earned, but I am precious to God and honored by God. It may be true that I am not worthy of Him, it is true, but He is worthy of me, as He said to one of His saints (I believe it was St. Catherine of Siena). And so I hope in God's love.

Sweet Jesus, Jesus Love, I trust in You!

A Holy Couple

Today is the feast of Joachim and Ann, parents of Mary, grandparents of Jesus.

In a sermon on the Nativity of Mary (from today’s Office of Readings) St. John Damascene exclaims:

Joachim and Ann, how blessed a couple!

Joachim and Ann, how blessed and spotless a couple!

Joachim and Ann, how chaste a couple!

Saint Joachim and Saint Ann, you who raised the Blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary in such a way that she was found worthy to be the Mother of our Redeemer, pray for us to God, and obtain, I beg you, a special blessing for all grandparents this day!

two 5 minute quotes for today and tomorrow...

...because that's all the time I have right now...

From Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word II, reflection on Matthew 13:38b

 "The real surprise comes at the master's reaction when the servants, overcome by anxiety, want to dash into the field and pull out the weeds on the spot. Rather than becoming obsessed like them with the presence of evil, the serene farmer at once ponders something far more important: the welfare of the wheat. He at least does not think that the power of the weeds to choke is superior to the power of the wheat to grow and thrive." (Merikakis, 276)

This quote relates to the Love War and my recent thoughts about anxiety attacks. I particularly love the image of the serene farmer (God). He offers me a share in His serenity, if only I have the heart and will to accept it! This probably has something do do also with abandonment to Divine Providence...head in a sack...serenity. Something to think about...

*****

From Fire of Mercy, Heart of the Word II, reflection on Matthew 13:39

 "the Church [on earth] necessarily has within her both the good and the bad, not statically but dynamically, that is, the sinners hopefully growing more and more by the action of divine grace into their full stature as saints. This is the era of the patience of God, of the maturing of the harvest, of the mutual aid that saints and sinners are to bring to one another: yes, even the sinners, by giving the saints the opportunity to collaborate with Christ in their redemption and thus merit their unfading crown."(Merikakis, 285)

This is Christ's Body at its best: saints and sinners working together with Christ for the salvation of all! And God is patient indeed! Praise and blessings be to Him forever and ever, amen!

(ok, so that was more than 5 minutes, but that’s all right—I had more time than I thought...God is merciful and I love Him forever!)

Challenge of the Day

 Bl. John XXIII on imitating the saints:

 "God wants us to follow the examples of the saints, assimilate the vital substance of their virtues, convert it into our own blood, and adapt it to our own unique habits and special circumstances." -Mario Benigni and Goffredo Zanchi's John XXIII, the Official Biography (quoting Bl. John's journal)
follow...assimilate...convert*...adapt...Got it! (um, a little help here, please!) Only by grace, so I pray,
Lord, thank you for the example of your saints, blesseds, and all the holy men and women who have walked your way before us. Help us to follow their example and put their virtues into practice according to your will for our lives. Amen.

*there's that word again...convert. metanoia. conversatio morum. I cannot be the same today as I was yesterday. Onward and upward...