Sometimes we find that suffering comes our way readily enough, but the risings come only with great struggle. Our cares weigh heavily upon us, like great boulders blocking our ascent. But we are not alone in our boulder struggles; nor are we the first to experience them. St. Mark’s Gospel offers some insight and food for reflection on the theme of resurrection.

Mark’s account of Jesus’ Resurrection contains a piece of information not found in the other Gospels. His Resurrection story opens with the women coming to Jesus’ tomb for the purpose of anointing his body. Their immediate concern is a very practical one: Who will roll back the stone for us? The stone, the evangelist notes, was a huge one. Sometimes when we are experiencing one of the many dyings that come our way, we are unable to rise on our own. The pain, the sadness, the emptiness is just too overwhelming; like the stone sealing Jesus’ tomb, our burden is huge.

Reading further, we discover, as the women do, that the stone has already been rolled back. Scripture scholars have long speculated on the identity of the stone mover. It could have been an angel, or possibly the disciples. It may even have been Jesus himself. The good news is that God makes all of these stone rollers or tomb openers available to us. How often we find our burdens lifted by angels, by persons God sends our way: a daughter or grandson who surprises us with a visit; a neighbor who invites us to share a cup of coffee or a meal; a fellow parishioner who takes us to Mass or brings the Eucharist to us at home, or a school child who sends us a handmade card to brighten our day. These are the very real angels God sends our way.

Sometimes, too, we are called to serve as stone rollers for others. By our prayers and our acts of kindness we can help move the huge stones that keep others entombed in sadness, suffering or isolation. In this holy week and throughout the season of Easter, let us rejoice and give thanks for those persons who assist us in rising from our daily burdens. Let us also re-commit ourselves to assist those who long to rise from life’s trials.

Let us rejoice in Jesus’ victory over death and in the new life he shares with all of us who believe. May the grace of these holy days and the joy of the Resurrection fill your heart and your home throughout this Easter season and always. – Susan Bremer, osu

As we begin this New Year of 2012 it is good for us to recognize the gifts of our past as we plan for our future. With that in mind please take some time to pray this Ursuline Litany of Saints. This litany will not only give you a new understanding of those persons who have contributed to creating our Ursuline Heritage but it will give you time to pause in gratitude for God’s goodness.

Litany of Cleveland Ursuline Saints…

St. Francis of Assisi, your invitation to live a simple life of service called Angela into a new relationship with her God “in the world.”

Pray for us as we struggle to grasp the meaning of simplicity in the 21st century.

St. Ursula, Angela chose you to be the spiritual focal point of her Company.

Pray for us as we look to your sacrifice as a model for our lives of faithfulness to God.

St. Angela, our Mother, your words continually call us to renew our commitment and our union.

Pray for us as we act, move and bestir ourselves toward lives united in heart and will, caring for each other in Christ Jesus.

Antonio Romano, Augustino Gallo, Gabriel Cozzano, you were companions and dear friends of Angela; we share your love for her and are eager to follow her as faithfully as you did.

Pray for us today as we seek to immerse ourselves in her wisdom.

St. Charles Borromeo, you understood the gift of the Company to the world and spread it beyond Brescia.

Pray for us as we seek to spread our charism into the future despite the challenges that we face.

Francois de Bermond, you courageously founded the first Company of St. Angela in Avignon, France.

Pray for us as we seek ways to refound a new paradigm for religious life.

Mother Mary of the Incarnation, you and your companions brought the work of the Ursulines from France to Quebec as Ursuline missionaries willing to give all for your lover.

Pray for us as we continue to look for ways to involve others in our sacred ministries to the poor and disenfranchised.

Meres Saint-Augustin, Saint Josse, and Saint-Trinite, you founded the convent in Bologne Sur Mer, sacrificing security willingly to spread the Ursuline charism.

Pray for us as we seek to sacrifice the security of our middle class lives so that we can participate more fully in the mission of God.

Martyrs of Valencia, and L’Orange you refused to abandon your vows to your God, and so you suffered death at the guillotine.

Pray for us that we may each grow in confidence in God’s fidelity to us.

Bishop Amadeus Rapp, you called for your friends, the Ursulines, to come to Cleveland and provide education in your new diocese.

Pray for us as we seek new ways to answer the call of the needs in our world today.

Mother Mary of the Annunication Beaumont, Mother Saint Charles, Mother des Seraphines, Sister Benoit Picquet and Miss Arabelle Seymour, you are the Mothers of our Cleveland Foundation.

Pray for us as we seek to be mothers of a new millennium of Christians in our world.

Mother Mercedes Keegan, you recognized that the separation of choir sisters and lay sisters did not promoted unity in the congregation and abolished that practice.

Pray for us as we seek in our chapter to mend the divisions that separate us from each other.

Mother Mary Veronica, you led the Ursuline sisters of Cleveland through the difficulties of the great depression with your wisdom and compassion.

Pray for us as we seek to find ways to finance the new plans that for our future.

Mother Marie Sands, shortly after you were chosen Superior of the community, you immediately began planning for the future home of our sisters at Villa Angela and continued those plans for the future home in Pepper Pike.

Pray for us as we plan together for a future not our own.

Mother Annunciata, you ushered us into the post-Vatican Church and its many changes in the shape of Religious life for the world of the 20th century.

Pray for us as we usher in changes that will speak to our post modern world.

Sisters Kenan and Anna Margate, you opened the way for aggiornimento, calling for your novice to be women of the Vatican II Church.

Pray for us as we move into a new paradigm of being human, of being holy, of being one.

Sister Bartholomew, you opened hearts and called for a renewal of relationships within our congregation.

Pray for us as we try to open our hearts to each other.

Dorothy Kazel, our sister, you continue to call us to fidelity and sacrifice despite the cost.

Pray for us that we may respond out of love for the poor despite the cost and the sacrifice.

Joanne Marie Mascha, you were always the gentle soul, who reached out to the neediest among us.

Pray for us as we seek to be gentler with ourselves and each other.

Jean Iffarth, you were a faithful daughter to a Church that you studied carefully, and legally.

Pray for us that we too may remain faithful in the face of difficulties and work toward unity in our church as well as our community.

Anita, your life was one of justice for all, seeking peaceful solutions for all conflicts.

Pray for us as we strive for alternatives to violence in all aspects of our lives.

Jeannette, your prayer was always one that inspired us to contemplation.

Please pray for us that our prayer may lead us to the Universal Christ through our Mother Angela.

Angelita, your leadership still holds sway over us as you continue to be alive and present to us.

We beg your prayers and your love and your guidance.

Let us pray:

All holy Ursuline men and women, God has accomplished great things through you using you to bring others to holiness and to shape the world for God.

We pray in gratitude for all that God has accomplished through you and ask that our lives may also be signs of the Reign of God in our world.

May we be ministers of God’s mission as you have ministered in the past.

And may we model our lives on your lives of charity and compassion and justice.

Amen.

Mary Ellen Brinovec, OSU

“Let her be joyous and always full of charity.”
St. Angela, Chapter Two, The Rule

Daily re-consecration
Revives my Hope
Draws me inward,
Whence Faith propels my soul
Into God’s creative Heart,
And burning Love
Commissions me.

O Jesus, transform me now
Into Wisdom,
God’s essence,
For service to your Mission
Of healing and empow’ring
By holy touch
This world of pain.

Sainted Angela, live on
In my prayer
In my labors - -
That they might bring to Light Christ
Who engages me in the work
Of engaging
Others for Him.

Grounded in Divine Wisdom
The Universe,
God’s wondrous gift,
Instills in me holy awe
And beckons me to journey
Deep into Life
Sharing God’s wholeness.

Irene Charette, OSU

In the Book of Revelation, we read the words, Behold! I make all things new. While that particular line referred specifically to the future coming of the Lord, we know that through his death and resurrection Jesus made all things new, offering people of all times a second chance at salvation. On an even more basic level, in the cyclic turning of days, with each rising and setting of the sun, we have an opportunity to begin again each day.

The dawning of a new year offers us another chance to begin again. It is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, to leave behind the sorrows, hurts and disappointments of the past year and to turn with optimism to embrace another year of favor by the Lord. Resolving to begin again, allowing ourselves to be re-awakened to the beauty of life, we open ourselves to the joy that is held in store for us. God’s desire for our happiness and well-being, and God’s promise of a future full of hope (Jer. 29:12) urge us on.

As we embark upon this New Year and its opportunities for growth and grace, let us do so confidently, knowing that our God, the God of beginnings, endings, and new beginnings, is our faithful companion and guide. And as we journey into this New Year, let us strive to:

                                       ~ foster an optimistic attitude;
                                       ~ celebrate life and goodness;
                                       ~ cherish people more than things;
                                       ~ begin and end each day with prayer;
                                       ~ thank God at least as often as we beseech God;
                                       ~ love others as we love ourselves, and
                                       ~ love ourselves as we love others.

May God’s grace abound in our lives throughout this year! -- Susan Bremer, OSU

________________________________________
• The twenty-fifth day of December.
• In the five thousand one hundred and ninety-ninth year of the creation of the world
from the time when God in the beginning created the heavens and the earth;
• the two thousand nine hundred and fifty-seventh year after the flood;
• the two thousand and fifteenth year from the birth of Abraham;
• the one thousand five hundred and tenth year from Moses
and the going forth of the people of Israel from Egypt;
• the one thousand and thirty-second year from David's being anointed king;
• in the sixty-fifth week according to the prophecy of Daniel;
• in the one hundred and ninety-fourth Olympiad;
• the seven hundred and fifty-second year from the foundation of the city of Rome;
• the forty second year of the reign of Octavian Augustus;
• the whole world being at peace,
• in the sixth age of the world,
• Jesus Christ the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father,
desiring to sanctify the world by his most merciful coming,
being conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and nine months having passed since his conception,
• was born in Bethlehem of Judea of the Virgin Mary,
being made flesh.
• The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ according to the flesh.

In times of Thanksgiving, we pray well and hard. Taking time for moments of adoration, contrition, thanksgiving and supplication will fill this season with peace and love.

There is probably no prayer more familiar than the Lord’s Prayer. Recited in private prayer, as part of the Rosary, and in each celebration of the Eucharist, the prayer that Jesus taught us is a hallmark of Christian spirituality. Yet, how often do we recite the words without giving much thought to their meaning? A closer look at individual phrases might provide some insight to the prayer as a whole.

We pray to God, Father in heaven, hallowed by your name. What a beautiful way to begin a prayer, drawing upon the familial relationship we share with God. God is parent, embodying qualities of father and mother. God is the one who brought us into being; God knows us intimately and loves us unconditionally. So maybe the young child who misheard the words and prayed, “Our Father who art in heaven, how’d you know my name?” was really just in awe of this God who is at once mighty and mysterious, yet intimately personal.

In the words, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, we pray that the fullness of God’s reign — perfect peace, perfect love, perfect understanding — might be born among us. But God’s reign will not be perfected or fulfilled in our midst until we allow ourselves to live in God’s light, attentive and responsive to God’s will. Even as we seek the fullness of God’s reign in our lives, we move as pilgrim people toward the heavenly community reserved for all who are found faithful.

In the phrase Give us this day our daily bread we pray for daily nourishment of body and soul. But the words also serve as a reminder not to get caught up in unnecessary worry about tomorrow. Our prayer for daily bread, for bread sufficient for this day, ought to represent our trust in God to assist us in our needs.

Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. This phrase calls us to love God as God loves us. We can only expect to be forgiven in the measure we forgive. It’s a clear reminder of Jesus’ words that we are called to forgive others not only seven times, but seventy times seven times. Our willingness and ability to forgive should be without limit and should flow from hearts grateful for God’s mercy showered upon us.

Finally, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Because we live in a less than perfect world, it is naïve to think that we will not be tempted. Temptation is all about us — in the lure of materialism, in grief and frustration that can lead us to despair, in hurts that make us hard-hearted and unforgiving. We are tempted, yet if we strive to live in God’s will, God will indeed assist us in time of temptation.

The Lord’s Prayer is one of the Church’s treasures. As we pray it each day, let us strive to make it more a part of our lives. Let us lend our best efforts to making God’s kingdom come by being nourishment for others, and by being a forgiving and reconciling presence in our homes and in our world. May God’s will truly be done through us and among us. — Susan Bremer, OSU

The Power of One

One song can spark a moment,
One flower can wake the dream,
One tree can start a forest,
One bird can herald spring,
One smile begins a friendship,
One handclasp lifts a soul.
One star can guide a ship at sea,
One word can frame the goal.
One vote can change a nation,
One sunbeam lights a room.
One candle wipes out darkness,
One laugh will conquer gloom.
One step must start each journey,
One word must start each prayer.
One hope will raise our spirits,
One touch can show you care.
One voice can speak with wisdom,
One heart can know what’s true.
One life can make the difference,
You see, it’s up to you.

A World of Stories, edited by William J. Bausch

O Cosmic Christ,
in you
and through you
and for you,
all things were created;
in you
all things hold together
and have their being.

Through Teilhard de Chardin,
scientist of the cosmos,
you imagined a new heaven and a new earth.
Through Teresa of Avila,
charismatic leader,
you inspired a church of courage and wisdom.
Through Mahatma Gandhi,
great soul,
you became nonviolent in the struggle for justice.
Through Catherine of Siena,
fearless visionary,
you forged a new path for women.
Through Meister Eckhart,
creative mystic,
you refused to abandon the inner light.
Through Hildegard of Bingen,
greenness of God,
you poured out juicy, rich grace on all creation.
Through Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
drum major of freedom,
you shattered racial barriers
and freed dreamers to dream.
Through Anne Frank,
writer and witness,
you preserved goodness in the midst of great evil.
Through Cesar Chavez,
noble farmworker,
you transformed the dignity of human labor.
Through Harriet Tubman,
prophet and pilgrim,
you led the captives into freedom.
Through Vincent Van Gogh,
artist of light,
you revealed the sacredness
in sunflowers
and in starry nights.
Through Thea Bowman,
healer songbird,
you danced the African-American culture
into the Church.
Through Pope John XXIII,
window to the world,
you awakened awareness to the signs of the times.
Through Mother Teresa of Calcutta,
guardian of the unwanted,
you enfleshed a reverence for all life.
Through Thomas Merton,
universal monk,
you explored the sanctity of every human search.
Through Mary Magdalene,
apostle to the apostles,
you ordained women to proclaim the good news.
Through Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart,
musician of Holy Mystery,
you bathed the world in beauty.
Through Julian of Norwich,
anchoress and seer,
you showed the Mother image of God.
Through Dom Bede Griffiths,
marriage of East and West,
you unveiled the divine face
at the heart of the world.
Through Joan of Arc,
defender and protector,
you remained true to personal conscience
over institutional law.
Through Rumi,
poet in ecstasy,
you illuminated friendship as mystical union.
Through Maura Clarke and Companions,
martyrs of El Salvador,
you rise again in the hopes of the dispossessed.
Through Rabbi Abraham Heschel,
Hasidic sage,
you answered our search for meaning
with wonder, pathos for the poor, and Sabbath rest.
Through Dorothy Day,
pillar of the poor,
you recognized holiness as bread for the hungry.

O Cosmic Christ,
in your heart
all history finds meaning and purpose.
In the new millennium,
in the celebration of jubilee
help us find that which we all seek:
a communion of love
with each other
and with you, the Alpha and Omega,
the first and last,
the yesterday, today, and tomorrow,
the beginning without end.
Amen.
Resource:
www.SpiritualityandPractice.com
Website content and design by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Praying in the Season of Autumn

We invite you to take a moment and allow the realities of this autumn season to lead you to prayer.

Notice the crisp winds blowing the leaves in circles. Might God’s Spirit be blowing new inspiration in our lives?

What fruits and vegetables of this year’s harvest have reached our tables?  We give thanks, O God, for your bounty to us.

Leaves on the trees are falling to the ground in graceful surrender. What might we need to let go of during these days.

The days are growing shorter, the light is waning. But what does darkness reveal that light never does? How is God present to us in his splendor – always!

Let us pray

O loving God, we give you thanks as this autumn season. We accept with joy the gifts of this year’s harvest. We praise you for sunshine, for rain, for cold winds, for all that these days hold. As Earth now begins its season of waiting, we too wait upon your ever-faithful care of us. We pray for ourselves and for all people in our world in need. Amen.

The sudden death of our president Sister Angelita Zawada on September 15 has left our Ursuline family reeling. As sisters, associates, family and friends grappling with this incomprehensible loss, we find comfort and support within the circle of all the lives she touched. We rejoice in the life of this good and faithful woman, and we thank God for the faith, enthusiasm, service, and spirit that are her legacy to us and to all who knew and loved her.
Well done, good and faithful servant!

Our faith fuels our belief that in death all of our loved ones become part of the eternal community of all the beloveds of God. In a very real sense, though, they seem to enjoy a kind of dual citizenship, for even as they dwell with God, they continue to live on within and among us. In the people, places, sights and sounds of each day, in the amusing and touching memories we recount again and again, Sister Angelita and ther departed Ursulines, family members and friends are with us still; they are and will ever be part of the very fabric of our lives.

Our interactions with them have changed us forever. They live on in us who are their sisters, children or parents, siblings or friends. As the words of the funeral rite remind us: for God’s faithful ones who die, life is changed, not ended. Likewise, our relationships with those who have died are changed, not ended. Because we are rooted together in God, the source of all life, our lives are forever intertwined. Nothing can change that, not even death. Our loved ones have a permanent place within and among us. We have only to stop, to listen and to look. And in the familiar laces, sights, sounds, and stirrings of the heart, we will encounter once again those hom we have loved.  And we will rejoice! – Susan Bremer, OSU

Imagine a life – your life – where the
experience of simple
awareness is your guiding light
throughout the day.
There is no struggle, no effort, no hurry,
no agenda.
Just attentiveness to the needs and tasks
of this moment, and the next moment,
and the next moment.
Imagine a way of being that participates
in the doing of everyday life, but without
the fuss, without the confusion, without
the breathless, anxious pace.
Imagine a way of being quietly rooted
in ongoing awareness of the Indwelling Presence.

This is the contemplative life.
Fully alive.- fully aware.
fully present and engaged,
but informed, enlivened and
ever renewed by the Source of all that is.
Even now, right now, this Source lives in us.
Stop reading and breathe deeply, and slowly.
Become aware of this Presence
in this very moment.

    ~Author Unknown

Unless the Lord builds a house, they labor in vain who build it. ~ Psalm 127, 1

With the observance of Labor Day, this verse seems an appropriate topic for reflection. Since the very beginning of time, people throughout the ages have been engaged in labor. We work to provide food, shelter and clothing for our families. Sometimes we work to help provide for those unable to support themselves, or we lend a hand to restore the efforts of those whose lives have been toppled by natural disaster or by the economic collapse. We work in imitation of God whose labor produced all of creation to please us and to serve our needs.

Regardless of the work we do, whether physical, mental or pastoral, there is a common thread that binds all workers together. That thread is the dignity that is inherent in all work, the dignity that comes from serving as co-creators, co-workers with the God of Life. Like the three servants in the Gospel parable who are placed in charge of their master’s estate, we too are charged as stewards of the earth. We are given the responsibility to work the land, to care for it, to increase its yield so that all people may live healthy and holy lives. Unless we labor together in partnership with God, all of our efforts count as nothing. Conversely, our simplest efforts, if offered as prayer and praise to God, are mightily blessed.

In our observance of Labor Day, we are reminded of the source and inspiration of our work, and of the dignity of all labor and laborers. We are reminded as well of the countless persons who are denied the opportunity to work or to earn a fair wage. In our prayers let us remember all the unemployed, all who seek honest labor, and all who labor in the shadows of unjust or oppressive conditions.

On this Labor Day, let us be mindful of the privilege we have been granted to serve as co-workers, and let us be grateful for the particular work entrusted to our care. Let us also be confident in our efforts knowing that it is God who inspires and directs our labor. And as we celebrate, let us pray in the words of the psalmist, that God, the author of all life and labor, might continue to prosper the work of our hands.
~Susan Bremer, OSU

Hope

“Let her be joyous and always full of charity.”
St. Angela, Chapter Two, The Rule

Daily re-consecration
Revives my Hope
Draws me inward,
Whence Faith propels my soul
Into God’s creative Heart,
And burning Love
Commissions me.

O Jesus, transform me now
Into Wisdom,
God’s essence,
For service to your Mission
Of healing and empow’ring
By holy touch
This world of pain.

Sainted Angela, live on
In my prayer
In my labors - -
That they might bring to Light Christ
Who engages me in the work
Of engaging
Others for Him.

Grounded in Divine Wisdom
The Universe,
God’s wondrous gift,
Instills in me holy awe
And beckons me to journey
Deep into Life
Sharing God’s wholeness.
                                                         ~ Irene Charette, OSU

Choose life that all may live.

I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse.
Choose life, then, that you … may live. -- Deut. 30:19

We are called to be people of life. God gave us life. In the face of human weakness, Jesus died to preserve that life. The verse quoted above is quite clear. We can choose life and its accompanying grace and blessing, or we can choose death and its attendant curse. The choice would seem to be an easy one. But in today’s society, our actions do no always reflect a choice for life.

The Catholic Church has espoused what has come to be called a “consistent ethic of life.” What this view suggests is that our lives, our attitudes and all our actions should flow from an underlying belief in the sacredness of all life. The consistent ethic encompasses all areas involving life issues. The late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin noted that the “spectrum of life cuts across the issues of genetics, abortion, capital punishment, modern warfare and the care of the terminally ill.” Thus, if we are truly pro-life people, our stance for life, our support of life must be consistent across the board.

We see in our world evidence of opposing forces which suggest that we are far from a life-respecting society. Abuse of life is all around us – drugs, abortion, euthanasia, destruction of the environment, unbalanced distribution of resources, and an ever-increasing rate of person-to-person violence. No choice for life here.

Most of us would readily say we are pro-life. We disdain the drug culture, violence and abortion. In these areas it is quite easy to choose life. But the consistent ethic of life directs us to be pro-life in all areas, even when the choice is not a popular one. Our pro-life stance must extend to the poor, to those on death row, and to those often labeled undesirable. The ethic of life challenges us to a new way of thinking and living that has little to do with liberal or conservative viewpoints. The choice for life that God invites from us demands that we respect life at every stage: the child in the womb; the family on welfare; the individual in prison, the terminally ill. All of these persons, regardless of their situations, are children of God, created in God’s image, and recipients of God’s love and mercy.

The consistent ethic of life provides a framework for living as people of God. We must bring our pro-life stance to bear not only on abortion and euthanasia, but also on racism, capital punishment, welfare, sexism, and health care reform. God makes no distinctions between or among peoples; all are God’s children.

God has set before us life and death, blessing and curse. Let us continue to choose life always and in all ways. Let us be God’s instruments of life in a world sorely in need of love and compassion. – Susan Bremer, osu

A Reflection on the Parable of the Sower
Matthew 13: 1-23

In the Gospel for next weekend we hear the Parable of the Sower, the first in a long series of parables in Matthew. These stories that Jesus told are something like puzzles with their last line often catching us by surprise. Sometimes they make us uncomfortable and so we resist the depth of their meaning.Some parables we understand more easily than others and some remain mysteries to us for many years. The Parable of the Sower reminds me of an experience I once had several years ago.

I recall the huge garden I was tending for a friend who was away for a few weeks. It was the size of an Olympic swimming pool. After planting, weeding, and waiting in great anticipation the time for harvesting arrived. I was alone that Sunday afternoon and it was all I could do to pick the abundance of zucchini and beans. As I worked quietly I pictured myself as the seed falling on good soil that was accepting of God’s Word and bringing forth a great harvest. I thought of times when the seed fell on rocky soil and my mind was closed to God’s Word because of things like prejudice or fear of hearing the truth. Then there were the times when the seed of God’s Word was crowded out of my busy life so full of its many interests.

That day as I quietly paid attention to getting every bean under every leaf, I began to wonder what I was going to do with two hundred pounds of zucchini and more beans than an army could eat. As I lifted each leaf I recalled that perhaps I should be thinking about being the farmer rather than the seed. The farmer waits patiently for the harvest to come. He or she knows that the harvest is always meant to feed others. The farmer sows, waits, watches, and in due time, harvests the gifts, and shares them with others. And then the cycle begins again: sowing, waiting, watching, harvesting, and giving away.

As the sun began to move lower in the sky that Sunday afternoon, I put the gifts of the harvest into brown bags and then drove into the city. I invited people to take what they needed. That day in the garden taught me that I cannot remain the seed that bears fruit. Eventually I must become the sower who gives away the gifts to others.
I am reminded that at every Eucharist we bring forth gifts that represent the effort, time, and love of each of us. These gifts are then transformed into Jesus and given back to us so that we can share them with others.
~Peggy Duffy, OSU

POWER OF THE SPIRIT

As we celebrate the Pentecost Season, let us recall the power of the Spirit that gave the apostles the renewed faith and courage to spread the fire of God’s Spirit throughout the known world of their time. The same Spirit is available to each one of us today. Let us remember, and be grateful! As the Spirit joins with our spirit, God is within! “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. God will not grow tired or weary, and God’s understanding no one can fathom. God gives strength to the weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Prayer: Call us God, to further transformation today. Enlighten and sustain us. Draw us to new discovery and deepening of heart. Because of Your grace, there is a pearl of great price within us; it is the hidden self, where You abide, the seed of all goodness and love, the power of all that is life giving! Help us to spread our wings in anticipation of the wind within and without. Show us how to willingly let go of the ground on the wings of praise. By the breath of Your Spirit, may we be lifted higher. Open our eyes, to see from on high, all to which You are calling us.  AMEN.
                                                                                                              ~ Sr. Joan Petersen, OSU

Prayer in the Words of Angela Merici

The prayers that follow are quotes from the writings of Angela Merici, founder of the Ursuline Sisters. Although she wrote these words in the 16th century, they still serve as inspiration for our prayers today. Unite yourself with the spirit of Angela Merici, trusting that you have in her an intercessor for all of your concerns.

“May the strength and support of the Holy Spirit be with all of you, that you may persevere steadfastly and faithfully in the work you have undertaken.”

“Have confidence and strong faith that God will assist you in everything.”

“You must be convinced that God will never fail to provide for all your needs.”

“Have a firm and unshakeable determination to submit yourselves to God’s will.”

Let us pray. . .
Gracious God, following the example of Angela Merici, we ask that you enlighten, direct, and teach us what we must do for love of you and for your people. Bless us as we walk ahead for whatever you call us this day and everyday. Amen.  

                                              ~ Sr. Maureen Grady

Come Holy Spirit

“Come, Holy Spirit,” we pray. We seek a new job, we long for a new relationship, we agonize over a life-altering decision. If we are wise, we know that we do not face an uncertain future alone. We hear the words of the sequence that we pray on Pentecost, “Give the faithful joys that never end.” And yet, we struggle.

“Honey, call me,” my mother said in a phone message a few weeks ago. “Your father said that you got the new job you wanted, and I am sure that if you had told me I would have fussed over you.” How could I return that phone call to my mother who just the day before had shared my excitement about going back to work – and in the very same school that I had attended as a child? This time I would be returning as principal, but my mother was having a hard time keeping it all straight. “Come, Holy Spirit,” I pray. I want to pray for the gift of memory for my mother, but I think that the gifts of patience and endurance and humor are the ones that we are all going to need far more as remembering gets harder and harder for Mom. Memory isn’t returning, so we need the grace of the Holy Spirit to speak in ways that Mom can hear without frustration or upset. And isn’t there a larger lesson for life in that? I know that so often I want to pray in ways that tell God what to do. But over and over life keeps teaching me to pray much more simply, “Come, Holy Spirit, and do the work in me that must be done so that I can do your work.”

“Come, Holy Spirit,” we continue to pray. We need your gifts, but so often we try to lay claim to the wrong ones. Remind us often to be open to God’s holy will, to that which will make us holy in return.

I celebrated my new job – but there was a catch in my throat as I started to greet my new students and their families. I selfishly wanted my mother there to be proud of me in my accomplishment. But the fire of the Holy Spirit burned in me and reminded me that it was time for me to become the best of my mother and share her love with my new “family.” And my prayer was answered for there were and will be “joys that never end” if only I am open to them.  ~ Sr. Laura

The Easter season stretches on, carried on the warming breezes of spring – a welcome change to winter’s cold. But even as the Alleluias resound in our churches, our world is far from being a place of resurrection. We as a society seem destined to be stuck on the darkness of Good Friday.

The violence that is so rampant about us stands in direct contrast to the new life we celebrate in this holy season. Ongoing wars, the escalation of domestic violence, and a continued application of the death penalty in our state and others offer depressing testimony to the sickness of our society and an ever-eroding regard for human life. These senseless crimes are merely an exclamation point on the string of violence that has claimed countless victims throughout the cities and towns of our nation and our world.

How do we as Christians reconcile such violence with the Easter message of peace, love and new life? How do we attempt to make sense of what is apparently senseless? How do we stem the tide of evil, social sickness and violence that threatens our very lives? If any good is to come from such ungodly acts, it must begin in us, in our hearts. We must look within ourselves and identify the seeds of violence that dwell there — in the words we speak; the racist, sexist or prejudicial attitudes we hold, and in our hearts that often refuse forgiveness or seek revenge. Before we can entertain any hope of ridding our streets or homes or government of violence, before we can even begin to pray for deliverance from violence, we must root out any traces of violence in ourselves.

Jesus taught the way of non-violence. In startling contrast to the ancient eye for an eye code of justice, he instructed us to love our enemies and pray for our persecutors (Mt. 5:44). It is a considerable challenge at best; a seemingly impossible one when the violence strikes so close to home. Yet that is our call. That is the way of the Gospel and the example set before us. Jesus endured indignity, insult and extreme violence, yet before dying he prayed that God would forgive his killers. Can we do the same? To do anything less would serve only to perpetuate the very cycle of violence we seek to break.

There are no easy solutions or quick fixes for the violence we see around us. But if there is to be any hope of a turn-around, it must come from us and from all people who believe in love and goodness and resurrection. In these remaining weeks of the Easter season, let us seek to be courageous and hopeful in our small but determined efforts to make our world a place of peace and new life. – Susan Bremer, OSU

A Prayer for Mothers

Heavenly Father,
You have given each person the
Precious gift of having a mother.

Throughout the ages, mothers have
Been the unsung heroes of our lives,
Content with little things;
A smile, a thank you, a token remembrance.

May all mothers learn from the example
Set by Jesus’ mother,
Mary,Our Mother in Heaven.

Let us always remember our mothers
As a treasure which You have given us,
Whether she is still here or in heaven.

Pour down Your grace on all mothers
Today and every day, and help each one of us
To live our lives
based on the good examples,
love and devotion
which we have learned from them.

Amen.

Anonymous

That I May See

As we celebrate this Easter Season let us hear Jesus asking the blind man, and each of us “What do you want me to do for you?”
my answer is:

Lord that I may See with Eyes of Faith –
That I may see:
Each day as a precious gift,
People as a spark of the Divine,
Challenges as opportunities,
Strangers as friends I haven’t met

That I may see:
Sunlight as your smile,
Rain as your tears,
Grass as a warm blanket for the earth,
Lightning as a wake-up call,
Clouds as Your way of playfully hiding

That I may see:
Pain as a reminder of my mortality,
Sickness as finite,
Loneliness as human longing for You,
Separation as a temporary condition,
Sorrow as a call to trust in You,
Death as a friend to bring me home!
~   by Sister Joan Petersen,osu

What is your answer?

Anything Can Happen in a Garden

Today we begin the time after Easter and our souls rejoice with the risen Lord and Mary as they meet in the garden. She is awed by his visit. He reaches out to her and simply says her name, “Mary.”
We too feel the awe of the Easter morning as we experience the birds awakening in the early morning, the trees budding and the flowers.
Oh, the flowers come to life again.
We are in awe of the birth of newness in our world and with gratitude we realize that anything can happen
In a garden: death meeting life
death to self
life dug out of death
tombs of life
resurrection
death
broken bread
crushed grapes
birth pains.
Yes, anything can happen in a garden.

                  ~ Macrina Wiederkehr, OSB

Holy Week

“This is an honest [week] of very good ritual that gathers all the absolutely essential but often avoided messages – necessary suffering, real sharing, divine intimacy, and loving servanthood.”
                                                                            -Richard Rohr in Wondrous Encounters

Over these past weeks I have been watching a Yorkshire terrier give birth to and nurture six little puppies. The mother dog is exhausted and, in spite of ceaseless eating, worn thin by the demands of her hungry babies. This very natural, instinctive process comes to mind when I ponder the gift of Holy Week in our lives. Jesus acts much the same as this weary, bone thin mother, but his is a daily choice to give over his life for the sake of ours. Because Jesus loves us more than his own life, he embraces suffering even after asking that it be taken away if possible. His is a conscious choice, eyes wide open to the pain that is ahead, and he makes it out of a deep well of love that we can only imagine. Sharing the very stuff of life that is his own body and blood, Jesus kneels at the feet of his disciples and gives us the eternal example of what it means to love our neighbor as ourself. In fact, we are charged to join in the divine intimacy and reach far beyond ourselves and beyond the calluses and wounds and ugliness of our neighbors into their hearts and serve the person within who is once again the face of Jesus. The circle never ends. Do we have the courage and humility to engage in the “necessary suffering, real sharing, divine intimacy and loving servanthood” of Jesus this Holy Week? May we rise above and beyond our instinctual responses to a gloriously brave embrace of our baptismal call
to walk this week and, therefore, enter into the Easter celebration with open hearts ready for resurrection and even greater love of those we call neighbor, friend, brother or sister.
~ Laura Bregar, OSU  

Prayer for the Fifth Week of Lent

The season of Lent is a time for admitting our sinfulness and seeking God’s pardon. The traditional psalm for this spirit of sorrow and trust in God’s mercy is Psalm 51. During this Fifth Week of Lent, pray with selected verses of this psalm. Allow Lent 2011 to lead us to a deep knowledge of who we are as human beings capable of both good and evil – and more importantly -- who God is as our ever-forgiving God.

□ Have mercy on me, God, according to your steadfast love□ Cleanse me from my sin
□ Teach me wisdom in my secret heart
□ Wash me, and I shall be purer than snow
□ Create in me a clean heart, O God
□ Put a new and steadfast spirit within me
□ Sustain in me a willing spirit
□ O God, open my lips and my mouth will declare your praise

Let us Pray

Create a clean heart in me, O God. Remove from me harsh judgment and negativity, so that there is room for compassion. Allow the beauty of my inner heart to shine forth, so that all persons who meet me will see Your love for them. Let this season of Lent be a time for me to follow You more closely in the particular circumstances of my life. Amen.

                                                                                          Submitted by Maureen Grady OSU

Prayer for Lent

O God, my love, my all, I offer you today my prayers, works, and sacrifices for your honor and glory and in reparation for my many sins. Each day this Lent, I have been begging you to assist me as I renew my spirit. My hope is that my whole being will be immersed in Gospel living, that is, taking time away with Jesus for contemplation and time with others for the sake of reaching out as Jesus did. All the while I have been conscious of maintaining a penitential posture, hoping that my many sins will be forgiven and that and when the great day of the Resurrection arrives, You will find my heart ready for deep union with You as I sing Easter hymns of joy and triumph. Amen
Irene Charette, OSU

 

Opening Ourselves to God: A Lenten Reflection

I once heard a story that so affected me, I still recall it each year at the start of Lent. The story is about a violin that is put up for auction. At first glance the violin seems little more than a piece of junk that no one wants; it’s rusty and dusty and the strings hang loosely from the wood. Once it is wiped and polished and the strings tightened and tuned by the “master” musician, all in the audience suddenly recognize the instrument’s value and it ends up being sold for thousands of dollars.

The “master” in the story speaks to me about God: God’s creative genius in forming each of us; God’s gentleness and love in sustaining us, and God’s persistence in showing us our own lovableness and worth.

The story also speaks to me about me, and about all of us. Clearly we are represented by the violin. Like the violin we too are sometimes reduced to rust and dust and loose strings. Over time we lose our polish; sometimes we drift so far and so long in this state that others no longer recognize us as God’s creations; sometimes, in fact, we ourselves fail to see any evidence of the Holy within us. The trials that life sends our way; the sadness that sometimes marks our days, the dis-ease of body, mind, spirit and soul -- all of these have a way of making us seem less than beautiful, less than holy, and considerably less than what God created us to be.

Like the “master” who sees beyond the rust and dust to the beautiful instrument beneath, God looks beyond our shortcomings and weaknesses – even beyond our sinfulness – to uncover the beauty that dwells within.

The season of Lent is a special opportunity to rediscover all that is good and holy within us and to find and reclaim all that we may have lost. Our Lenten journey leads us to search within ourselves for those areas of our lives most in need of conversion and to offer them to God so that God might restore us to wholeness and holiness once again.

Yes, Lent is a dusting off period, a time to turn to God, that God might tighten our strings and help us reclaim our lost beauty. If we heed God’s call to conversion, if we yield to the Master’s loving touch, we will be transformed. Then all of us will proclaim the Lord’s resurrection in joyful song and with our very lives. – Susan Bremer, OSU

 

LENTEN REFLECTION SEEING AND KNOWING AS A MYSTIC

“The devout Christian of the future will either be a mystic or they will cease to be anything at all.”

                                                             ~ Richard Rohr

They will be on a spiritual journey which will call them to constantly see with new eyes and to be open to new understandings of traditional beliefs. A mystic is called to reflect on the reality of the paradoxes with which our faith challenges us. For instance, Jesus is both human and divine, Mary is both virgin and mother, bread is still bread and yet Jesus. To ponder what we believe is to open ourselves to internalize the truth beyond the belief and integrate it into our living in “the presence” as well as acting out of what we have come to believe and experience.

                                                                                                           ~ Karl Rahner

 

Lenten Prayer

We are gifted with another Season of Lent. Let us treasure the time given us to open our hearts and minds to the Lord who loved us to death, and has never ceased to love us unconditionally.

The Scripture calls us to a change of heart, and a return to a life of forgiveness and love. Let this Lent be that time, for if not now – when?

Prayer

Come, O Life-giving Creator
Awaken in me during these Lenten days

                                                     ~ Sr. Joan Petersen, OSU

 

Praying for Peace in the Middle East

During this time of turmoil for the people of the Middle East, let us call on God’s grace for everyone involved: the women and men seeking freedoms, the governments, the religious institutions. This week we can use words from the three monotheistic religious traditions of that part of the world in beseeching God on behalf of our sisters and brothers.

Jewish Tradition
You shall love God with all your heart,
And with all your soul,
And with all your mind.
And you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
                                                          The Prophet Moses
                                                                     The Book of Deuteronomy

Christian Tradition
Where there is charity and wisdom
There is neither fear nor ignorance.
Where there is patience and humility
There is neither anger nor disturbance.
Where there is mercy and discernment,
There is neither excess nor hardness of heart.
                                                     St. Francis of Assisi
                                                                            Selections from Admonition XXVII

Islamic Tradition

O God, You are the original source of Peace; from You is all Peace, and to You
returns all Peace. So, make us live with Peace; and let us enter paradise, the
House of Peace. Blessed be You, our Lord, to whom belongs all Majesty and
Honor!

                                                              The Prophet Muhammad

The World Peace Prayer

Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.
Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.
Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.
Let peace fill our hearts, our world, our universe. Amen

                                                                      ~ submitted by Sr. Maureen Grady