Last week Wednesday, the Gospel reading, like the one for today, talks about going out and carrying nothing! I remember being younger, and in young adult discussion groups there being talk of what Jesus really means...in readings like today, he tells us to go and take nothing. In other readings, to sell all you have and take nothing...
"Of course, Jesus doesn't really mean to sell all you have and take nothing" they would say...
"What if He does?" I always thought, "...how beautiful! "
Last Wednesday, in the homily, Fr. Tom said that as long as that Gospel passage were true, there would be religious life. As long as anyone finds it attractive to leave behind all possessions and follow Him, then we don't need to worry about religious life fading away. I like that story.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Vince Lombardi vs. Mother Cabrini
I'm pretty sure it would be a close match! I mean, come on, their quotes are even comparable! :)
Last night, Laura and I had the pleasure of going with Sr. Mary Lou to see "Lombardi," the broadway play for event sponsored by the Cabrini Mission Foundation. It was such a blast, and a special treat for Laura and I, both Wisconsin natives! Thank you CMF!!!!
Last night, Laura and I had the pleasure of going with Sr. Mary Lou to see "Lombardi," the broadway play for event sponsored by the Cabrini Mission Foundation. It was such a blast, and a special treat for Laura and I, both Wisconsin natives! Thank you CMF!!!!
Friday, September 24, 2010
There is an appointed time for everything...
Need I say more?
Again, God just keeps ...being...Himself! :) Before I came to Cabrini I had the experience of meeting a wonderful Messianic Jew from Nicaragua. We met Salsa dancing, and though the relationship got...complicated, I never stopped appreciating it!
Today's reading included the explanation of how there is a time for everything. I will also include this reading, as it's so important to remember just how balanced life is! In all of it's complicated simplicity that reading is SO TRUE! When I was getting to know Bernardo, I almost resisted it! He ALWAYS brought it up! What do you mean a time for love and a time for war? A time to love AND a time to hate? Yes.
I am finding now....more and more, just how important it is to have an awareness of this truth. It really brings a peace in accepting that life calls us to different responses at different times. We cannot keep EVERYTHING, that is why we need to cast away. That can pertain to junk (haha in my house everyone had a dresser drawer that was their "junk drawer"...looking back, it's kind of ironic that we didn't label other drawers that too!), it can pertain to ideal and expecatations, ....sometimes even relationships. Because it is our job to come up with the best response possible as life comes head on, we are called to do that prayerfully and with and openness to learning and wisdom. It is my prayer for all of us, including myself, that we be mindful of that!
Yay God for the inspiration of such a useful way to understand balance and trust! AND I mean...look there's even a time to DANCE!!! I think that I'm going to have a little less resistance to this part of Scripture!!! ;) Enjoy!
Eccl 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
Again, God just keeps ...being...Himself! :) Before I came to Cabrini I had the experience of meeting a wonderful Messianic Jew from Nicaragua. We met Salsa dancing, and though the relationship got...complicated, I never stopped appreciating it!
Today's reading included the explanation of how there is a time for everything. I will also include this reading, as it's so important to remember just how balanced life is! In all of it's complicated simplicity that reading is SO TRUE! When I was getting to know Bernardo, I almost resisted it! He ALWAYS brought it up! What do you mean a time for love and a time for war? A time to love AND a time to hate? Yes.
I am finding now....more and more, just how important it is to have an awareness of this truth. It really brings a peace in accepting that life calls us to different responses at different times. We cannot keep EVERYTHING, that is why we need to cast away. That can pertain to junk (haha in my house everyone had a dresser drawer that was their "junk drawer"...looking back, it's kind of ironic that we didn't label other drawers that too!), it can pertain to ideal and expecatations, ....sometimes even relationships. Because it is our job to come up with the best response possible as life comes head on, we are called to do that prayerfully and with and openness to learning and wisdom. It is my prayer for all of us, including myself, that we be mindful of that!
Yay God for the inspiration of such a useful way to understand balance and trust! AND I mean...look there's even a time to DANCE!!! I think that I'm going to have a little less resistance to this part of Scripture!!! ;) Enjoy!
Eccl 3:1-11
There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every thing under the heavens.
A time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
A time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to tear down, and a time to build.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them;
a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.
A time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
A time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Come: At table with Cabrini!
On Tuesday night, we at Columbus shared in a truly Cabrinian time at table and prayer. WIth sisters in the city from all over the world, we were 12 together at table. Seven of us from Columbus, Yolanda from Nicaragua, and Lúcia, Noberta, Gloria and Mary Angela from Brasil. The prayer I chose for the evening was from Sacred Space and it truly was a 'sacred space'!
Diane had the great idea of using the Sacred Space in Portuguese so that the Brasilians would be able to read along too! It was so beautiful to have the exchange of both languages, and thanks to Yolanda we had all that we needed translated!
After the beautiful reading from Ephesians, which I'll include so you get the idea, too, I passed around a bowl. In the bowl were some of the most powerful words that were in that part of Scripture (call, unity, faith, hope, love, Spirit, gift, etc.). The papers had the word in English and Portuguese, and the direction was simply to take the word and sit with it. Maybe it was the word that we each needed to hear, maybe there was something else from Sacred Space that stood out....it was quiet.
When the sharing began, Mary Angela, a member of the laity from Brasil shared her word and a beautiful expression of having your what we do should come from the head, then go the heart, THEN go out in action. The sharing continued, thankfully not in order so that no one felt pressured to share! By the end, everyone had decided to share their word!
Diane shared her word, "Come." She laughed! At first she saw it as the word 'come' in Spanish, which means to eat. But the word in English, 'come.' is the idea of us all gatheirng together. We were 12 at table. We shared a meal of physical nourishment, but more importantly shared in Eucharist in the way that we were all able to share our faith's, despite language barriers. HOW BEAUTIFUL! It was really quite emotional for me to be in the presence of 11 strong women, both religious and laity, myself included. It was touching to hear everyone's perspective, most via their word, on what the Gospel says our mission is as part of the Cabrinian and greater Christian community. It was beautiful to hear what people from other countries had to say and how relevant their ideas were even though they are from other places of the world. The part that we really awesome for me was to watch my sisters, the one with whom I live in community share their own spirit-filled reflections on their words from the Gospel. Pretty cool, huh?
I just keep finding that no matter how God-given the experiences here are, ...they never run out! He just keeps giving us more opportunities to experience Him in all that we do - in our prayer, our community time together and in each of our ministries!
(Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13) I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Diane had the great idea of using the Sacred Space in Portuguese so that the Brasilians would be able to read along too! It was so beautiful to have the exchange of both languages, and thanks to Yolanda we had all that we needed translated!
After the beautiful reading from Ephesians, which I'll include so you get the idea, too, I passed around a bowl. In the bowl were some of the most powerful words that were in that part of Scripture (call, unity, faith, hope, love, Spirit, gift, etc.). The papers had the word in English and Portuguese, and the direction was simply to take the word and sit with it. Maybe it was the word that we each needed to hear, maybe there was something else from Sacred Space that stood out....it was quiet.
When the sharing began, Mary Angela, a member of the laity from Brasil shared her word and a beautiful expression of having your what we do should come from the head, then go the heart, THEN go out in action. The sharing continued, thankfully not in order so that no one felt pressured to share! By the end, everyone had decided to share their word!
Diane shared her word, "Come." She laughed! At first she saw it as the word 'come' in Spanish, which means to eat. But the word in English, 'come.' is the idea of us all gatheirng together. We were 12 at table. We shared a meal of physical nourishment, but more importantly shared in Eucharist in the way that we were all able to share our faith's, despite language barriers. HOW BEAUTIFUL! It was really quite emotional for me to be in the presence of 11 strong women, both religious and laity, myself included. It was touching to hear everyone's perspective, most via their word, on what the Gospel says our mission is as part of the Cabrinian and greater Christian community. It was beautiful to hear what people from other countries had to say and how relevant their ideas were even though they are from other places of the world. The part that we really awesome for me was to watch my sisters, the one with whom I live in community share their own spirit-filled reflections on their words from the Gospel. Pretty cool, huh?
I just keep finding that no matter how God-given the experiences here are, ...they never run out! He just keeps giving us more opportunities to experience Him in all that we do - in our prayer, our community time together and in each of our ministries!
(Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-13) I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift. The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Yo No Sé Mañana...
No sé de hoy, ni de este momento! ¿ Quien sabe? Haha...Everytime I've turned the radio on in the last 3-4 days, the song "Yo no sé mañana," has been playing! And I was like, that's so true; I don't know about tomorrow, heck, I don't even know about today...or right now! That's where trust comes in!
All I can do is try! I came back to NY, and my first feelings were of utter relief. My summer was very special and much-needed, but the feeling of coming back to Columbus was just as great as all of the time spent away! I had been so long without the sisters!! I came back during prayer, and as soon as it was OVER, I ran into the chapel!! They are so wonderful!!! Angie, Archangel, Diane, Toni, Mary Lou, the WHOLE gang!! AND the new missioners - it was so great to finally see all of their faces! Skype is a good way to keep in contact, but a hard way to meet!
We quickly all got to spend time together, as the spider bite ensued. Everyone had a hand in both the attempted diagnosis and treatment of that thing on my arm! The missioners definitely had an interest! Sr. Toni, bless her, took time to take me to the ER to finally get the abscess drained! It's hanging in there! The good news is that I still have my arm, and the volcano is missing!
We also went on a boat cruise together! Though the event itself was questionable, I had a great time spending the ride with these three lovely ladies!!
Who knows what the rest of the year has in store? I'm just excited to see what's next!! I just pray that I stay open to the graces that come through the joy and challenge of this new yet familiar experience!
All I can do is try! I came back to NY, and my first feelings were of utter relief. My summer was very special and much-needed, but the feeling of coming back to Columbus was just as great as all of the time spent away! I had been so long without the sisters!! I came back during prayer, and as soon as it was OVER, I ran into the chapel!! They are so wonderful!!! Angie, Archangel, Diane, Toni, Mary Lou, the WHOLE gang!! AND the new missioners - it was so great to finally see all of their faces! Skype is a good way to keep in contact, but a hard way to meet!
We quickly all got to spend time together, as the spider bite ensued. Everyone had a hand in both the attempted diagnosis and treatment of that thing on my arm! The missioners definitely had an interest! Sr. Toni, bless her, took time to take me to the ER to finally get the abscess drained! It's hanging in there! The good news is that I still have my arm, and the volcano is missing!
We also went on a boat cruise together! Though the event itself was questionable, I had a great time spending the ride with these three lovely ladies!!
Who knows what the rest of the year has in store? I'm just excited to see what's next!! I just pray that I stay open to the graces that come through the joy and challenge of this new yet familiar experience!
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