God's Providence

Mountain Top Experience

2010-02-28T14:13:00.000-05:00

The gospel for the second Sunday of Lent is always about Jesus and his closest disciples up on the mountain top. Jesus is praying and the disciples are sleeping. But it is a moment in which Jesus is transfigured by his experience of God--his face becomes light (as Moses' did when he saw God), his whole being is changed by the experience--even his clothing. And the first reading about Abraham and his mountain top experience of seeing the stars and coming to know how God was with him and promising him goodness.

In the homily this morning Father Al asked us to recall those moments when we have met God in some way and been transfigured by it. He recalled his own experience of the Cincinnati symphony orchestra's rendition of Ravel's Bolero--the power of it that made him almost tremble and how he wanted it to go on forever. He suggested we recall experiences of art that were so profound that they led us to contemplate "beauty itself." Or the person's who have invited us to experience God's love. And he spoke of the moments of power during Mass. The words "lift up your hearts" and the great and awsome invitation that is. Awe and wonder. Those were the themes I recall. I want to remember those moments of meeting God so I can again experience awe and wonder this week.

Advent

2009-11-29T16:13:00.000-05:00

Advent always begins with a reading that sounds like Chicken Little and "the sky is falling." But it is truly a season of hope and encouragement. The falling sky is a prelude to a new heavens and a new earth. I do long for fulfillment of all that I hear God promise us--peace, life, joy, holiness. But then I spend a lot of my daily life asking "why?" Why isn't it all here as I envision it? This advent I want to stop asking "why?" and start resting in a trusting attitude. After all, the rest of today's readings also talked about God being our justice. I want to trust that God's justise, which I am too limited to completely comprehend, is at work. And then it is my role to be patient, hopefilled and about the task of making the world "good news" to the best of my ability.

Big Moments

2009-11-27T09:38:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving tales around the table remind us of our ancestry. We recall all the larger than life people who have in some way passed genes or personality traits on to us. Of course, the tales are like sagas which get bigger and bigger and more bizarre or more heroic as the years pass.

However, they do hold some truth and offer some help for us in looking at who we are. What are the stories from your family that you can identify as describing something essential about yourself? This might be a good piece of your discernment. Who are you? At the same time we are not determined by our ancestry. We may find that we are quite different from the people in the stories we are hearing. Who are you? Where has God been in this process of you becoming who you are? What do you want to claim from the past and what is uniquely new in the center of your heart? God is giving you your past and forming something new in you right now.

Some opportunities for discernment exercises at this time of year. Be grateful for all that has gone before and all that is in you.

Casting Nets

2009-09-03T11:01:00.001-04:00

Help me be like Peter. He was humble enough to listen and follow the instructions of Jesus even though Peter was the expert in the fishing business and had done everything correct all night and still caught nothing. Teach me to follow.

Clarity

2009-03-14T14:50:00.002-04:00

Looking for clarity? It is a favorite pastime of mine. I always want evidence right here and right now. I seem to test God, asking proof of love and care. Yet I know that it is only in trust that I can open myself to the love God desires to give me. Calculating and measuring destroys love in human relationships and does not belong in our love for God either. When I desire clarity in deciding what God desires for me, I must be willing to let go of my need to know with certainty. God give me the grace to respond to love with love and to risk giving my life without certainty about the path. All I need is confidence that the path leads to God and God's perfect love.

Discernment Ideas

2009-03-13T09:23:00.002-04:00

Discernment about God's will involves being aware of what leads me to loving relationships. At the end of the day it is good to be in touch with the movements of my heart during the day. What types of interactions led me to be more tolerant of others, more compassionate, more caring and more at peace with who I am? That will give me some clues about where I should be moving in my life.

God is Providing

2009-03-12T09:24:00.003-04:00

God is providing a day to get things done, but mostly another day to praise God for all the wonders of life. The crocuses and daffodils are really popping up. It got cold again, but the green shoots remind me that life is hidden in the winter depths. God provides rest for the life of the plants and for me. God hides life where I least expect it. Open my eyes.

Thoughts on Thinking

2009-03-11T10:04:00.002-04:00

I have been reading a book by Kathleen Norris called "Acedia and Me." It has some material early on about very old writings on spirituality. She pointed out that before we started talking about the cardinal sins, monastic writers spoke of "bad thoughts." It got me to pondering how the way I am thinking, the pattern of thought that I allow to continue in my head and heart, leads to some negative attitudes and then behaviors that are hurtful to others. I want to clean up my judgemental thoughts and my worrying. I have a feeling that will lead to more virtue in my life.

Waiting for God's Time

2008-10-29T09:12:00.002-04:00

I have been expecting the leaves to turn and give me a feast for my eyes. Somehow that feast always also refreshes my soul. I get moved by the beauty and think about the vast beauty of the one who creates such a scene. But the leaves started to turn brown and fall without having that riot of color first. So I began to think that the summer was so dry we would not have a beautiful fall this year. Then a couple days ago on my way to school, I saw it. The trees on Pooles Creek Road and on Horse Branch Road were dazzling with color. "God Provides," I thought. It may not be on my time schedule but God provides. Fall is late this year.

I found a lesson in this for discernment. I often want to know God's desire for me and I want to know it NOW. But part of discernment is being faithful in the slow and boring times, in the dry and routine times. To be a good discerner, one must be patient and trust. If we are faithful and continue to look with both seriousness and quiet trust, we will see what God Provides.

Economy

2008-10-24T11:23:00.002-04:00

What is this thing that is going on? I wait to hear the stock market report each day as though I can change something by listening. It has been so erratic and usually disappointing. I am trying not to fret about the future of retirement accounts but also to act responsibly. Is this a time to evaluate my lifestyle and live more simply? Is it a time when I should not expect comfort and privilege? I want to be mindful of those who have lost jobs and income. I want to cut back on my consumption of the resources of the earth. I want to be aware of those who will come after me and their needs so that I do not use up what they will need.

I hope I can trust that God will provide, perhaps not what I want but what I really need. God will provide an abundance of grace and courage.

Autumn and Discernment

2008-10-21T09:13:00.002-04:00

I am still reflecting on the fleeting beauty of the autumn leaves. Is there a message in those leaves about discernment? What comes to me is that one of the obstacles to hearing God's call is clinging to a past or present experience. Once I determine that the beauty I have experienced in some special moment of my life is the ultimate purpose of my life, I close myself off to the next gift that God offers.

I can think of some exhilarating times of my life, but I know that they were just prelude or preparation for the next thing God gave me. Sometimes the "next thing" was not as attractive (at least initially) but growing into the person God was calling me to be meant letting go of the comfortable for the new.

Today, let's open our hearts and our ears to hear what God has planned for us.

Fall Colors

2008-10-20T09:12:00.002-04:00

The leaves are turning and it is beautiful. The air is crisp, well maybe, cold. I am trying to slow down so that I can appreciate the beauty of this season. Is God telling us about beauty? Sometimes when I see the hillsides, I think of how beautiful the creator of all this is. Sometimes I reflect on how fleeting the beauty is. Winter is on the way and the leaves will fall. Is God storing up more beauty and reminding us that this is just a taste and that there is far more beauty in store for us? Today I want to appreciate all the beauty life offers but also to hold it with a light grasp. I want to allow God to give and take and I want to generously share whatever is beautiful in me life.

Mary's Birthday

2008-09-08T09:14:00.003-04:00

Well we don't really know when Mary was born, but surely it is appropriate to rejoice in the fact that she was born. So today, we do.

Mary is an example for all of us. Whatever our vocation, we can look to Mary because she said "yes" to everything God asked of her. We can follow her example of believing that God would give her what she needed to live in the situations that were part of our life. She trusted that God would provide. We can try to carry the Word within us and bring Jesus Christ to the world. We can be brave in the face of great sadness and suffering as she was as she stood at the foot of the cross--faithful to her love of her son.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.

Labor Day

2008-09-01T10:57:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to all who labor in any way. Celebrate and rejoice.

I think of all the great statements about labor that come each year from our church. Labor is a source of dignity (or should be) and it is a participation in God's creative love. We are creating the world that God intends by our labor.

I also know that the way laborers are treated does not always respect their dignity nor promote the dignity of work. Today I pray that all laborers will be treated with respect and that work will be provided that reminds us of our dignity as co-creators with our God.

Anniversary of Vows

2008-08-29T09:39:00.002-04:00

Years ago, on August 29 I made my first vows as a Sisters of Divine Providence. Five years later on the same date, I made my final vows. It has been quite a journey since then with many ups and downs and surprises. I have done things that I never thought I would do and accomplished things I did not know I was capable of doing. I have been places I never know I would go and found myself enriched and challenged in the process.

I am thanking God for all the good times and the struggles of my life and asking that I grow daily in the knowledge that God provides for me with tender love. I am also praying that I will love God more faithfully and deeply and that I will rejoice in knowing the nearness of God.

Blog reader, I ask you to pray with me today in gratitude and to ask God to bless us with more women who want to witness to God's providential care, to grow daily in trust of God and who desire to abandon themselves completely into God's loving hands.

Not Knowing

2008-08-28T13:47:00.002-04:00

Today I reflected on the passage about being ready because you do not know the hour when the master will return. It seems threatening at first. But then, if the one who returns is Christ, then it is a time to await with joy. I tried to do that today.

Sometimes I look at all my failures and all the things I find difficult or at disappointments and interpret them as ways in which I am not good in God's sight. Or I think that they mean I am not as loved by God as I desire to be. It was so clear this morning that all these things are not measures of my love for God or God's love for me. Human success in work and relationships, while an important part of life, is not what life is about ultimately. Giving self to God and not placing the other things above that love is what life is for. I tried to rest for just a few minutes in the sense that God loves me even when I am experiencing disppointment or what seems to me to be failure. For a moment I was at peace with that.

I want to wait today for whatever way God desires to come into my life.

Comfort

2008-08-26T16:50:00.002-04:00

I am still thinking about those titles of Mary. The past few days have had some serious disappointments and have been difficult. Today, everything seemed brighter and there were small things that made my day one of joy. The weather is cooler, my students remembered what we did in the last class, some faculty lingered over lunch. We shared about current events but laughed some, too. I talked with Sr. Leslie who is making final vows Saturday and agreed to entertain her little nieces while adults decorate a hall. All small things but comforting. So I am thinking of Mary as "Comforter of the afflicted." And I say, "Pray for us."

Little Things

2008-08-16T10:45:00.002-04:00

I am amazed at how good the nice cool weather makes me feel today. I was thinking how nice it is and enjoying it when it dawned on me that "God provides" it. So I need to take time to be grateful.

Yesterday, the chaplain, in his homily, suggested we reflect on the various titles for Mary in the litany. I thought about "Virgin, Most Faithful" because I had a do list a mile long and was anxious about accomplishing it. The title reminded me that accomplishment might not be within my control but fidelity was. I labored all day, didn't finish, but recall that I was faithful.

Today I think I will focus on "Comforter of the Afflicted" because one of the sisters in my community has been at the hospital all day yesterday with her nephew who had brain surgery. I want to remember him and pray for him. So, Comforter of the Afflicted, care for Jamie today.

New Beginnings

2008-08-14T14:34:00.001-04:00

Time to prepare for the openning of another year of teaching. I love to think of meeting all the new students. There is so much life on campus, so many faces, so much hope, so much energy. I love it and look forward to it. Preparing the syllabi is another issue. But it gets done. I pray for a year of grace.

Come, Holy Spirit

2008-04-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

The gospel readings for a few days now are about Jesus' announcement that he is going and that he will send the Spirit to be with his followers. I have never been so struck before with how wonderful this promise is. While Jesus' physical presence would be wonderful, the Spirit actually becomes the source of our life. We are moved by this Spirit, breath the breathe of this Spirit, are motivated by this Spirit, are led by this Spirit. I am praying for an abundant outpouring of this Spirit so that I will truly live the life of Christ. I am praying for you too. How would you like this Spirit to lead you? What it is you ask this Pentecost as you await being filled with the Spirit?

Anything You Ask

2008-04-19T11:23:00.003-04:00

"If you ask anything in my name, I will do it." I am always excited by this statement of Jesus and I invariably begin to ask. I do not always get what I have asked in the form that I expect it. Then I wonder if I have not asked properly, if I do not recognize the answer, or if the promise is not true.

Today I read a reflection on the passage which pointed out that the Greek text has "you" in the plural. It is what we ask as a community of believers that will be granted. Which brings me to the topic of discernment. Often when I ask for clarity about my call, I do it in my own private and personal prayer. Sometimes I even get into a vicious circle in my mind and in my prayer--going round and round and making no progress on the path of my discernment. Perhaps, what is needed at such moments is community prayer. Praying together with others and sharing faith with them is an essential part of discernment. In speaking my questions, I may hear something new that I did not recognize when I was praying alone. In listening to others praying and sharing, I may hear God speak a new word to me. I may, as the disciples asked earlier of Jesus "see the Father."

A discernment suggestion--join a group to pray and share faith together. Then listen.

Receiving the One Sent

2008-04-17T13:56:00.002-04:00

"Whoever receives the one I sent receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me" (John 13:20). These words from today's gospel remind us to be aware of all those who enter our life today. They are sent. How will I receive those sent to me today? To receive them is to receive Christ and the Father. There are many options. Love, openness, hospitality are called for.

Shepherds

2008-04-13T15:33:00.002-04:00

John's gospel has a couple stories about shepherds. One is about a good shepherd who goes (recklessly) in search of lost sheep and the other is about how intimately the shepherd knows his sheep and how trusting the sheep are of his love and care.

The shepherd knows each of his sheep by name. That is such a moving thought. God knows me by name, Jesus knows me by name--knows me intimately and still loves and cares for me. When I imagine the shepherd calling a sheep by its name and see the sheep responding, I long for the same kind of a trusting relationhship with God. I imagine the sound of the voice that loves me unconditionally and I long to recognize that voice calling me each moment of my day.

Discernment entails hearing and trusting. It involves knowing how I am loved so that I can respond without fear. Prayer helps me grow in trust and awareness.

Bread from Heaven

2008-04-08T09:17:00.002-04:00

Moses asked God to feed the grumbling, hungry people and God provided manna in the desert which fed the people. Jesus promises us that he will provide bread that will not only feed us but that will end all our hunger. This is the bread I long for--the one that will end my incessant longings for so many things.

There is a passage in John Shea's book "Starlight" about Adam and Eve and how they woke up to their humanness when they realized that each time they ate they would be satisified only temporarily and that after several hours they would be hungry again. It was an endless cycle that bound them and they desired not to be in this endless cycle--they desired to be something other than human. But when they found themselves at the manger on Christmas morning, they touched the child and were fed from his eyes and his heart. Then they said that they chose to be bound to this manger (this feeding place) forever.

Is this what we are called to by Jesus when he says that he is the sign, he is the bread? Are we being asked today to accept our humanness and to find it fulfilled in Jesus. Can I accept Jesus' presence in my life today and cease to hunger for anything but his nearness?

Signs

2008-04-07T11:13:00.002-04:00

I ask for signs from God when I am about to make a decision. So I am intrigued by Jesus' words in today's gospel. He says to the people who look for him and find him after he multiplied the loaves and fed them, "You do not seek me because you have seen the sign but because you have eaten your fill of the bread." What sign did they miss? What sign am I missing when I look for signs to confirm that God loves me or that I am on the right path?

What does it mean that we need only faith in Jesus? If I had faith would I cease to be asking for signs? I think the signs I ask for are more like the things the people did see--gifts from God that satisfy some temporary needs I have. Today I want to recognize the sign of God's presence and power in my life and world without the manifestations that are satisfying to my temporary needs.

What is your experience of seeking signs? Does the gospel for day raise any questions for you?

Burning Hearts

2008-04-06T13:47:00.002-04:00

The phrase in today's gospel that always grabs me is, "Were not their hearts buring within them as he spoke to them on the way?" I try to get in touch with scripture passages that have been very significant to me over the years, ones which evoked a passionate response. Sometimes part of discernment is being aware of what moves us, especially things from scripture of particular actions or atttitudes of Jesus.

For me this story is always moving as well as the one about the woman at the well and the one about Jesus being the vine and our being the branches. I can also remember a time when Jesus' cure of the blind man moved me deeply.

I look for patterns. It seems to be that I am moved by stories in which people begin to see what was hidden from them before and also the sense of the life-giving connection that we have with Jesus. It appears then not only that it is important to me to see and understand and to feel a close presence of Jesus, but that I am called to bring those elements into the lives of others. There are clues to our call in the patterns of our responses.

Today the disciples are so wrapped up in their disappointment and sorrow that they do not see. They do not recognize Jesus even when he is walking with them. Two things open their eyes. One is being called back to the scripture and the other is breaking bread. If we are in a process of discernment about our life choices, we do well to spend time daily with scripture, look for patterns in our life of what moves us and participate in the Eucharist whenever we can.

Loaves and fishes

2008-04-04T13:57:00.002-04:00

In today's gospel a young boy provides only five barley loaves and two dried fish. Yet what an abundance. Carrying through on yesterday's reflection I am reminded of how God can provide from what appears to be very little. It is the two dried fish that strikes me as important today. They would be probably be low on my preference list from a menu and yet look at what they hold when placed in the hands of Jesus.

Sometimes before discerning to follow a call, I count up my assets and find myself lacking in what I think it takes. Sometines we think that it is all up to us and that we have to be able to accomplish something great on our own. There comes a moment in discernment when we need to take the focus off our ourselves and our abilities and rest in God's love and power. We hold back when we feel inadequate. But who is adequate? Only God can supply what is needed for announcing the gospel and bringing the healing of God into lives and the world.

It can be noted that the boy seems to disappear from the story after he offers his gifts. He does not bemoan the meagerness of what he has to offer. He does not remain the center of his own attention. All eyes are on Jesus. All we really need to do is offer and follow through on our offer of self.

Trusting God and not continuing to focus on our own littleness or unworthiness as a hindrance to following our call is a big part of discernment.

Abundant Gifts

2008-04-03T09:58:00.002-04:00

"God does not ration the Spirit." Today is a day to recognize God's generosity with us and to be grateful. It is a day to know that God does not have a stingy attitude but loves without measure. It is also a day to be more godlike--giving without counting the cost or expecting a reward. It takes courage to recognize our own stingy attitudes and try to move beyond them.

This recognition of God's generous gifts is important to discernment. Knowing our own gifts and knowing that they are received from God is at the beginning of discernment. Gratitude is essential as well. And finally trusting that God will continue to be generous leads us to trust that we can risk following our call. God provides abundantly.

Light

2008-04-02T10:19:00.003-04:00

This morning's gospel spoke of Christ as light. Images of light come to mind--candles, fireworks--all images that bring clarity and warmth. I was thinking of the past couple weeks of rainy, gloomy weather and remembering how may times I said to someone that I just need some sunshine.

In terms of discernment, light is an important element. We all want clarity before we come to decisions. I read a relection this morning from "the little white book" which talked about allowing Christ to bring light into our own darkness, our own hearts where there are areas of darkness.

What would keep us from allowing Christ into our darkness? Fear. Sometimes we are even afraid to look honestly into our own hearts because we fear what kind of darkness we will find. This is an important first step in discernment--seeing ourselves honestly and accepting the movements of our own hearts. If we want to look into our hearts we can put away fear because, Christ will be with us, loving us no matter what we find and giving us courage to allow Christ to be our light.

Fools

2008-04-01T08:43:00.002-04:00

Don't be fooled today. Following God's call may seem like a foolish choice, but it is the height of wisdom. Think about it. Don't be a fool. Listen to God's call which may lead others to think you foolish.

Mary and Discernment

2008-03-31T14:55:00.002-04:00

The feast of the annunciation is an important one for discerners. Mary said "Yes" to God's call. Sometimes when I reflect on the story I am just grateful for her "yes" which was the entrance of God into the flesh of humanity. But then I think about all her "yes" entailed, so much that she had no idea would come about as a result of it--both the wonder of God made man and the pain of a life that witnessed what she witnessed.

It challenges me to accept uncertainty rather than knowing everything that will result from my choices. I find myself wanting to know what a "yes" will mean from now to eternity. A "yes" to the will of God is a "yes" to mystery. All of us who enter into any discernment need to trust that God will provide for us throughout our life. We do not need to know all the things that will follow our "yes."

Divine Mercy

2008-03-30T16:03:00.002-04:00

Today is Divine Mercy Sunday. I am thinking of the mercy that Jesus showed to Thomas. When I read the gospel I had a sense that Jesus had really finished his visits but that his concern for Thomas who was pained that he had missed the visit. Thomas was unable to take the word of the others, but something in me felt he was also hurt that Jesus had come when he was absent. But the merciful Jesus would not let Thomas remain in his pain. He came just for Thomas.

Often I am like Thomas. I want evidence--concrete and empirical that God loves me. I am always challenging God to "show me." Jesus' love for Thomas was so overwhelming. I wonder if his asking Thomas to explore his wounds was to be sure that Thomas was aware of his love or if he wanted to Thomas to recognize his own tendency to doubt unless he had even tactile evidence. I want to think that it was Jesus' mercy that desired Thomas' touch and closeness.

Then there are the locked doors that resemble our locked hearts and locked vision. Locks are important when we are afraid. Today, I want to ask Jesus to invade my fearful locked heart and allow me to feel his immense love for me. I want to receive the spirit breathed on me freeing me from all my fears.

Acts of the Apostles

2008-03-29T15:14:00.002-04:00

The readings from Acts of the Apostles are wonderful. I am always elated to hear of the power and the healing miracles of the disciples who experienced the Risen Christ present with them. Sometime I ask why we do not still see such wonders, why my faith does not bring the same kind of results. But then the gospel readings have been about the disciples who seem to be looking for Jesus in the wrong places--among the dead, in empty tombs. Maybe I am looking for the signs of Christ, risen and present in the wrond places. Today I will try to alert to the wonders of grace in the people and situations I meet.

Fishing

2008-03-28T12:26:00.002-04:00

This morning's gospel found Peter returned to fishing. Was this a desparate act? He had left all to follow Jesus--his nets, his father. Now it had all come to an abrupt end. Did taking up the nets remind him of what was lost? In some ways I could identify with Peter when he was not longer aware of the presence of Jesus. Most of us live in a place where the felt sense of Jesus' presence is fleeting.

Then two he labored all night and caught nothing. Again, I heard a message addressed to me. How I long to see the fruits of my labor. Working without seeing results always leaves me disappointed. But at the suggestion of Jesus, Peter and the others have an abundantly fruitful experience. Some say that the people of the time thought that 153 species of fish represented all of the kinds there were in the Sea of Galilee. So the catch implied that it was the whole fish world that was hauled in.

Did Peter remember at that moment that Jesus had told him he would be a fisher of men? Did he know that he was called not to be a messenger for the whole world?

What stays with me from the story is the image of the net, filled to bursting, being dragged onto the shore. What joy! What abundance! What does it say for me today? Maybe it says that obedience of Jesus is all that is necessary and whether I see results in my ministry or not I can rest in the abundance of God's love which provides.

Fishers

2008-03-28T12:18:00.002-04:00

In this morning's gospel Peter went back to fishing. Maybe disappointment that his time as a follower of Jesus had come to an abrupt end. He had left all--even his nets and his father--to follow. But now he is back at the fishing job. Taking up his nets again.

I refelcted on what he was able to do on his own and what he could do when merely obeying the suggestion of Jesus. The image that stays with me is that net--full to the breaking point. What an abundance. And Jesus--they had not recognized him in the shore. Somewhere I heard that the people of the time believed there were only 153 kinds of fish in the Sea of Galilee so this catch of 153 represented the whole world of fish.

Earlier in his ministry Jesus had told Peter that he would be fishing for people. Now this large catch of every kind of fish. Did Peter remember that he will be fishing for people?

My reflection for my own life, was around the frustration I feel when I do not see the results of my labor and the call to merely obey and to be aware that the stranger on the shore is Jesus.

Easter Week

2008-03-27T17:24:00.001-04:00

I have been reflecting of the readings from Acts of the Apostles and feeling great joy in the power which the apostles have as they continue to experienc Christ present with them. I long to see the wonders that faith produces. Today I want to rest in the presence of the Risen Christ without looking for the wonders.

Falling Leaves

2007-10-06T15:16:00.000-04:00

The leaves have not turned to autumn colors this year--at least not yet. Many trees have died because of the dry weather we have had. It is still very hot and I long for the cool breezes, the soft autumn smell, the fall rains and the wonderful colors. It is a time for learning to thank God for what is and appreciate the blessings of the day.

It is difficult to discern God's call when I am not able to bask in what is because I have figured out what should be and then demand it. God answers my prayers in mysterious ways. Look for God's call in what is not what is expected.

Preaching about God

2007-08-08T11:02:00.000-04:00

Today is the feast of St. Dominic whose heart was so full of God's word that he could not keep it in. He preached. I think of how we might preach even if we are shy or not prone to stand on street corners or in pulpits announcing God's presence. We are all called to preach with our lives. I think in our world, there is a strong message in our living together in community. We are such an individualistic society. Living together in harmony with people we have not specifically chosen is very rewarding, if not always easy. It does preach something our world needs to hear.

My Deepest Joy

2007-07-27T13:26:00.000-04:00

Fredrick Buechner says that vocation is the "place where my deep joy meets the world great need." The world's needs are many and great. I am aware of them. But what of my deep joy? Can I name it? And how is it related to any or all of the world's needs. What sounded simple at first leads me to a great exploration. What do you think about this quote and where are you in the pursuit?

2007-07-26T09:23:00.000-04:00

Good Morning and happy feast of St. Anne. I am looking forward to our celebration tonight here at St. Anne Convent. There will be many of us coming together for Mass and dinner. These special days are always full of joy in being together. This one is especially nice since summer seems like a more relaxed time.

Many blessings on you today.

2007-07-25T14:47:00.001-04:00

What are your thoughts today about God's will? I like to think about it as very different from our human will which we often associate with willfullness. God's will is huge. It allows for us to make any choice and then in that space where the choice lands us, opens up for us a million more ways for us to find God, see God, love God and come to union with God.St. Catherine described it as an abyss of love enfolding us in nothing but mercy.Search for God's will. Do. But remember it is always opening up rather than closing the way for us and is surrounds us with love.

Discernment Opportunities

2007-07-20T10:49:00.000-04:00

Sometimes when we are making a major choice or trying to determine how God is calling us to live out our commitment, we can get into a rut in our own minds--going round and round and getting nowhere except back to the place where we started. Sometimes, saying out loud what is going on in our heads and hearts helps us more a step forward. Even better is saying these things aloud to someone else. Feedback helps. What someone else hears us saying can be very insightful.

So...
If you are going round and round about how God is calling you--to married life, single life or life as a vowed religious, here is a great opportunity.

An Evening of Discernment at St. Anne Convent/Moye Spiritual Life Center on September 6, 2007. We will begin at 7 PM and end at 11 PM. Why not join us. Contact Sr. Fidelis Tracy CDP at vocation@cdpkentucky.org

Discernment again

2007-04-27T12:54:00.000-04:00

I have been thinking about discernment of God's call and reflecting on the element of freedom. Perhaps, the most important part of knowing how we are to respond to various things in life is being free. Often I find myself unable to allow God to speak because I have already closed off various possibilities. And the reason I close them off is fear. Sometimes it is fear of the implications of a particular choice and sometimes it is a more basic fear--such as being afraid of failure or of not not being liked, etc. What do you think?

Communications Day

2007-02-16T12:52:00.000-05:00

We are having a day for mother's and their high school daughters here at St. Anne Convent. There will be some great input on communication skills with time to practice together. But that is not all, there are activities planned that will be fun for mothers and daughters to do together. Do you know anyone who might like to attend? It will be on February 25 from 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Lunch and Mass are included. Let me know. Sr. Fidelis

Thoughts on Vocational Discernment

2006-06-28T10:39:00.000-04:00

This morning is a beautiful day, a good one to be grateful to God for blessings. I was thinking about how gratitude is a part of discerning God's will for me. How can I search for the dream God has for me if I am unaware of the blessings God has given me. Today I am grateful for the mild weather we are having, for the summer schedule which is not so hectic for me, for the sisters with whom I live, for the good book I am reading, for so many things. God is good and whatever God wants for me is a blessing.