Wrap Your Arms

"Good morning, dear Lord!" the little one said.
"I love you!
I feel joy and peace
sitting in the stillness
of your presence.
What is your concern today?"

"Rejoice that I have risen!" the Wise One said.

The little one continued, "I know that you have risen from the dead,
and that you are alive.
What more do you mean, O Lord?"

"So too shall you be with me," the Wise One continued.
"I am with you now, but so too shall you be."

"Thank you," dearest Lord, the little one said.
"You are alive! Tell me more."

The Wise One continued, "I am living, and breathing,
thinking and moving. I am a person."

"Wrap your arms tightly around me,"
the little one begged.

"Rest deeply in me today," the Wise One instructed.

The little one queried, "How does that look?
What must I do?"

"Take quiet time with me," the Wise One encouraged.

And then the Wise One began to sing,
"Come unto me when you are heavily burdened
and take my yoke upon your shoulders,
I will give you rest.    Mt 11: 28
Like a shepherd I feed my flock
and gather the lambs in my arms,
holding you carefully close to my heart,
leading you home."    Ez 34: 11

The little one rejoiced and said,
"Thank you, Lord, for feeding your sheep,
with your life-giving Word
that, like your steadfast love,
is new every morning." Lam 3: 22-24

Psalm 131

Today's psalm response:

     In you, O Lord, I have found my peace, I have found my peace.

dove outside my window at home yesterday

My heart is not lifted up,
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great
and too marvelous for me.

But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother's breast;
like a child that is quieted is my soul.

Live by Love

"To live by love
is to go through life
sowing peace and joy in hearts!"

--St. Therese, The Little Flower

Anxiety and Restlessness

Women of Peace ministry began when a desire within me increased to overcome anxiety and be led forth in peace. Other women expressed their desire to experience the same grace.

I remain aware that when my duties increase, my responsibilities multiply, the holidays are coming and relatives too, that I need to be more protected from all anxiety.

Here is what St. Padre Pio advises about that:

"Beware of anxiety and restlessness because there is nothing that more greatly impedes progress towards perfection. Sweetly place your heart in the wounds of our Lord, but not with force. Have great confidence in His mercy, because He will never abandon you. But do not fail, for this reason, to tightly embrace His Holy Cross."    

Just to reiterate...three things Padre Pio recommended:

• place your heart in the wounds of the Lord
• have confidence in His mercy
• embrace His Holy Cross

Dear Lord, Father of heaven and earth,

     We offer to you this day our hearts as we place them in the wounds of your son, Jesus. We offer the resounding "YES" to your holy and perfect will and ask that you increase our confidence in your mercy. Forgive us of our sins and protect us from all anxiety. Give us, we beg you, O Lord, an increase, too, in the capacity to embrace your Holy Cross. Amen!

Grace & peace be with you,
Sheila

Be Not Afraid

Early this morning I went with my husband to a chapel. Near the end of adoration, I was flooded with the song "Be Not Afraid" by Bob Dufford. I could hear the first verse:

 "You shall cross the barren desert, but you shall not die of thirst.
You shall wander far in safety, though you do not know the way.
You shall speak your words in foreign lands and all will understand.
You shall see the face of God and live."

And then the refrain:

"Be not afraid. I go before you always.
Come, follow me, and I will give you rest."

I came home and was led to the blog site Whispers in the Loggia by Rocco Palmo. He had written a post entitled "Blessed Are You, John Paul II, Because You Believed!" http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2011/10/blessed-are-you-john-paul-ii-because.html

Little did I know it is the feast day of Blessed Pope John Paul II and words from his inaugural homily of the pontificate were being quoted. What were they? "Do not be afraid!"

I love it when this happens. The Lord speaks in our hearts when we take time to listen and then we turn somewhere else and that word is confirmed. Life in the Spirit is so exciting!

Here's an excerpt from John Paul's homily on October 22, 1978:

"...Do not be afraid. Open, I say open wide the doors for Christ. To his saving power open the boundaries of states, economic and political systems, the vast fields of culture, civilization and development.

So often today, man does not know that which is in him, in the depths of his mind and heart. So often he is uncertain about the meaning of his life on this earth. He is assailed by doubt, a doubt which turns into despair.

We ask you, therefore, we beg you with humility and with trust: let Christ speak to man. He alone has words of life, yes, of life eternal."

Amen to the prayer of your heart, Blessed John Paul II.
Intercede for us!

Turn, Turn, Turn

" To everything--turn, turn, turn

There is a season--turn, turn, turn

And a time to every purpose under heaven.

A time to be born, a time to die. A time to plant, a time to reap.

A time to kill, a time to heal. A time to laugh, a time to weep...

A time of love, a time of hate,
A time of peace, I swear it's not to late."



Words from the Book of Ecclesiastes
Adaptation by Pete Seeger 1962
Photos taken at Bayard Cutting Arboretum/New York State Park

The Spirit Pleads

From a letter to Proba by St. Augustine, bishop describing the peace that surpasses all understanding:

     "The person who asks for and seeks this one thing from the Lord makes his petition confidently and serenely. He has no fear that, when he receives it, it may harm him, for if it is absent, anything else he duly receives brings no benefit at all. This is the one, true and only life of happiness, that, immortal and incorruptible in body and spirit, we should contemplate the Lord's graciousness for ever. It is for the sake of this one thing that everything else is sought and without impropriety requested. The person who has this will have all that he wants; in heaven, he will be unable to want, because he will be unable to possess anything that is unfitting."

I love it when the saints simplify spiritual truths and that's what St. Augustine does in today's reading from the liturgy of the hours. His letter to Proba was continued through the past week's second readings beginning last Sunday through today--Friday. I highly recommend reading all the excerpts from the letter because they are so full of wisdom.

Augustine reminds us of the "one thing" we should seek: "to dwell in the Lord's house all the days of my life" (Ps 27: 4) which is the happiness that is everlasting. It is the peace that surpasses understanding.

In prayer he suggests we pray as Jesus did, "not my will, but thine be done" and then abandon ourselves so that our will can be transformed to our Father's, and become accepting of any circumstances that the Lord allows for our greater good.

Even when we do not know what to pray for the Spirit of God does, and "pleads for the saints according to God's will." (Rm 8: 27) Augustine explains that this pleading, this intercession "moves the saints to plead," to intercede.

So let us continue to stir into flame our desire to "dwell in the house of the Lord all our days" by praying as Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer.

Grace & peace!

Sheila  

Being Vulnerable

“ If you want to love, you must be willing to be vulnerable. The Gospel makes it clear that if you extend your hand often enough in a gesture of love, someone will drive a nail through it. If you love others, you may be deceived, betrayed and abandoned. If you love Christ, you must walk the difficult road to Calvary, but you will begin to see yourself borne by powers that are beyond you. It may not be very noticeable at first. It may be no more than patience with criticism, or extra generosity after you have done enough. You may feel firmly drawn to God even when you can’t pray. You will begin to change. … Love inspired by charity is one of the most potent forces in the world.”

An excerpt from the book Stumbling Blocks, Stepping Stones
by Father Benedict Groeschel

Getting Stuck

“Many of us…get stuck worrying about what’s going wrong or what has gone wrong. We get bogged down living negatively. How do we change this?

We start by shifting our mindset from constant negativity to more positive thinking.

When we choose to think more positively, we act more positively, we speak more positively, and ultimately, we feel better about life. The best place to start is to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness and appreciation. Give it a try. I promise happiness is right around the corner.”  Dr. Meg Meeker

..."be transformed by the renewing of your mind...Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will." Rm 12:2

Nobel Peace Prize

Leymah Gbowee

The Nobel Peace Prize for 2011 was awarded on Friday to three women--two from Africa and one from the Arab world--"in acknowledgment of their nonviolent role in promoting peace, democracy and gender equality. The winners were President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia — Africa’s first elected female president — her compatriot, peace activist Leymah Gbowee, and Tawakul Karman of Yemen, a pro-democracy campaigner.    

They were the first women to win the prize since Kenya’s Wangari Maathai, who died last month, was named as the laureate in 2004." Alan Cowell, London 

Congratulations to these courageous women of peace. We applaud you!

peaceful protesters

Hillary Clinton said this about the women:

"They are shining examples of the difference that women can make and the progress they can help achieve when given the opportunity to make decisions about the future of their societies and countries.

The unflinching courage, strength and leadership of these women to build peace, advance reconciliation, and defend the rights of fellow citizens in their own countries provide inspiration for women's rights and human progress everywhere. This recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments reflects the efforts of many other women who are promoting peace and security in their countries and communities. I want to commend the Nobel Committee for recognizing the powerful role women are playing in building peace and ending conflict around the world."


For more on the story of the women of Liberia go to this link:

http://www.becomingwomenofpeace.com/2011/07/women-of-liberia.html

St. Francis Peace Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

St. Francis in our backyard

where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
    by St. Francis of Assisi

Peace With Self

Today's epistle instructs us:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4: 6-8

Pray, petition, and give thanks. "The first movement of the prayer of petition is asking forgiveness, like the tax collector in the parable: 'God, be merciful to me a sinner!' It is a prerequisite for righteous and pure prayer." (CC 2631) Another important aspect of receiving this peace is thanksgiving. Hopefully these three elements can be woven together each time we pray so it becomes a habit pattern. 

The letter from Paul to the Philippians continues:

"Finally,...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."

O, the wisdom from St. Paul. "Think about such things"...shows us the importance of what we think and the effect it has on our experience of peace. No doubt when we focus on the opposite of these values--whatever is false, ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, pathetic, base, of bad report...we grow anxious.

Our world is full of news of bad report. We're bombarded from every side and every form of media. There's an excess of immorality, greed, corruption, falsehood, murder, only to name a few of the evils. And we can't escape hearing about it.

But what we can do is learn, know and incorporate the sacred scriptures--the Good News--in our daily lives. This serves as a great buffer and protection against all evil often manifest in the stories we hear in the news.

Wouldn't it be great to model life in such a way that we can say to others, like Paul, what you have learned, and heard, and seen in me, put into practice?

May our Lord bless us with such grace that we can experience abundant peace in our hearts and minds, no matter what happens.

The Little Flower

Rejoice! And that is what I have done on this glorious feast day of The Little Flower, Saint Therese of Lisieux. My heart rejoices!

I woke this morning filled with joy knowing I was going to 7:30 AM Mass with friends before the women's prayer breakfast. And just as I was about to walk out the door the phone rang.

On the other end of the line was my dear husband, my honeylamb. He had finished an hour of adoration in the hospital's chapel and was letting me know he left early this morning without enough gas in the car, his wallet (meaning money) and was afraid he would not be able to make it to the nearest gas station.

"Could you come help me?" he asked.

Stunned on the other end of the phone, my frustration rang out. "You're asking me to come...there? I'll miss Mass. I can't believe you're..."

"Never mind," he said and the phone clicked off.

Immediately realizing my ungracious response, I tried to dial him back. No answer. He had not taken his cell phone either.

It became crystal clear to me that I was to let go of my desire for Mass and offer up the sacrifice of helping my husband instead. That's my first vocation I reminded myself...I'll be blessed for that. And I sure won't feel good going to a prayer breakfast knowing I left him high and dry.

So off I drove in the opposite direction heading toward the gas station I figured he'd try to get to. Just a mile later (he had already traveled four miles) we passed each other on the road and did a quick turnaround so I could hand off some money and express a quick apology. He was glad to see me.

At 7:20 AM now I thought "Well, I can still make it to the church for part of the Mass." Praying for green lights I covered over eight miles in record time (it helped that it was a week-end with light traffic). I flew out of the car once I arrived at the church and dashed up the stairs into the chapel. Mass hadn't even started yet even though it was almost 7:35 AM at this point.  No sooner did I genuflect and scurry to my seat than the priest came out the door to begin Mass.

I had to chuckle with the sense of God's timing.

The whole experience multiplied my joy for the day. St. Therese, do you have something to do with how this worked out so well?

I just want to thank you today, Therese, for being such a good good friend! Now here's a rose from my garden back to you who bestows so many roses from heaven to earth!

I love you!