Mack Trucks & the Power of Prayer

When I think of prayer, I don't usually think of Mack trucks. Well, not usually. But I got to thinking about the power of prayer, which led to thinking about power and all kinds of power.

Take a Mack truck. I like Macks, there's quite a big difference between hauling a big load with a Mack or trying to carry it with one of those rental trucks. Big difference! I used to drive loads of books, maybe 2,000-4,000 lb. loads(?), between Boston, Philadelphia and New York. Yep, books are awful heavy. Then here at the convent we have our own version of "heartbreak hill," and when you are trying to get up the hill with a truck-load of books in a 20-foot rental truck, it's terrible! 

But a Mack truck? A hill like ours is no problem at all, he just chugs his little heart out all the way to the top. I should know, I used to drive the "convent Mack." It had a shiny white cab with a 20-foot blue box on the back that read "Daughters of St. Paul." You should have seen the toll booth clerks when we passed through, they were always quite amused.

Mack trucks have a lot of strength, a lot of power, and we can all appreciate them and count on them. But that type of power is tangible. Prayer is not tangible in the same way. It is just as real, though and it has eternal consequences of cosmic proportion.

When we pray in Christ we are some of the most powerful people on earth because we are praying within the mystical body of Jesus and so are connected intimately with divine power.

Need an example? Picture in your mind a hefty, strong ox, pulling a plow in a field. Now picture on the tip of the ear of that ox, a small fly who lands there and stays put. As you watch, the fly turns to you and says, "We are plowing the field." Is it true? Well, technically, the fly is part of the forward movement, so you could say that. I'm not sure if the ox would agree. 

This analogy definitely limps. However, Christ, is like the ox who gives the fly a front row seat on his ear, and he pulls the plow of life and blesses us and all we do by our association with him. Our Good Shepherd allows us to hold onto the fringe of his cloak and unites us to his divine power. In baptism, he unites us to himself and we become children of God who can pray in Christ for the salvation of everyone, hence doing great good to our poor world.

That's amazing power! We just need to hold onto him, to cling to him, and to make our petitions and intercessions for self and others through him. We can't see that power, but we believe, and when we get to eternity, we will see all the good that was done, all the ways we helped one another, and all the blessings we shared.

So we just keep ourselves united to the Lord. Sometimes our grip is firm, sometimes it is tenuous, but we help one another to hold on by our prayer to believe, to hope, to love and to serve as Jesus taught us.

I love this picture of the apostles floundering in the boat on the tempestuous sea. It is called Hold On and is by the German artist Sieger Koder. I keep it in a prominent place in my room so that when I'm having a hard day, I fix the image in my mind firmly & just ask Jesus to hang onto me and I struggle to hang onto him. He never lets me go. I've just go to keep

holding on. And that effort to hold on? It's love, after all, isn't it? It's a love that strives to stay in communion with the Beloved, and to do good to all of God's children, because one has received this infinite, divine love.

Lately I have been reading the book, When the Lord Speaks to Your Heart by Gaston Courtois. Courtois was a person of deep prayer and felt that the Lord wanted him to write down what he experienced the Lord communicating to him in prayer. Perhaps this reflection from the book will encourage you:

 "I am, above all, a most tender and close friend, who rejoices in the creativity of those he loves, yet is saddened by their errors, blunders, blindness, ambiguities and resistance. But I am also a friend who is ever ready to pardon and purge the faults of those who come back to him with love and humility. 

I see all the possibilities of good in each one, and I am fully prepared to help them blossom—but I can do nothing without your cooperation. In the measure of your attention to my presence you will experience the power of my divine vitality. I am Light but also Love."* 

Now that's real power! 

May we all "use" it to touch and bless others this day.

A prayer request: please pray for me, I will be going for surgery tomorrow, and I thank the Lord who works through all things for my good. Please pray also for Bobby, who has an inoperable tumor.



*To read more about this great book, go to: http://store.pauline.org/english/books/when-the-lord-speaks-to-your-heart#gsc.tab=0

Our exquisite Paschal Candle designed by one of our own Sisters!

Paschal Candle designed by Sr. Mary Leonora, Provincial Superior of the Daughters of St. Paul, US/ESCanada Province

Sr. Mary Leonora shares with us the 
symbolism of our 2017 Paschal Candle

The regular symbols of the Easter candle are all present:

¨      the Cross (we profess a Christ who was crucified)

¨      the Alpha and Omega

¨      the Year 2017 (all time belongs to Him and all ages)

¨      the five Nails of incense (His sacred wounds).

This is the essential symbolism proper to every Paschal candle, but the candle is also a visual commentary on the mystery we celebrate. In this 100^th year of the Apparitions of Fatima the Paschal Candle focuses on Christ our Redeemer, and Mary ever Virgin as the distributor and Mediatrix of the graces won for us by her Son and poured out on us in Baptism and the other Sacraments.

In the center of the candle is Jesus, perfect Sacrifice and High Priest, risen in glory, His arms raised to the Father and outstretched to embrace everyone: “And I, when I am lifted up, will draw everyone to myself.” His robes are priestly: red, because He has offered His very life and His blood for us; gold and silver, signifying His Divinity and His glory.

His wounds gleam like jewels, for by them we have been healed. His wounded side glistens just below the center nail of incense, and out of it flow blood and water. Behind Him is the Cross, the instrument of our salvation and the altar of sacrifice. The figure of Jesus as Priest reminds us that the Mass is the perfect Sacrifice and the most sublime act of adoration and praise we can offer to the Father; it is our greatest source of grace.

At the side of Jesus stands Mary, His Mother and our Mother – His precious gift to us as He was dying. She is Mediatrix of Grace, the Woman who stands with Jesus through every suffering and pain, the Faithful One. Stabat!  The three stars on Our Lady’s veil and dress proclaim that she was Virgin before, during and after the Incarnation of her Divine Son.

With one arm Mary embraces Him and holds her hand out to receive the blood from His side. The other arm is extended to bestow that blood on humanity. As she lets the blood fall upon us it is transform into light-filled drops of grace, distributed through her own gift of the Rosary.

The blood and water that pass through Mary’s fingers, not to be immediately distributed, fall into a jar – symbol of the Church, reminiscent of Cana: “Do whatever He tells you.” In docility to the Church, in obedience, is abundance of grace. This grace is distributed especially through the Sacraments.

Beneath the central figures flow the waters of Baptism, breaking the darkness and filling it with the Light of Christ.

Above these same figures are the green and gold of New Life and the promise of Eternal Life. The Spirit of God is symbolized, reminding us of Mary’s Fiat at the beginning of the Redemption, as well as of the birth of the Church in the Cenacle. It is also a reminder of the promise of the Divine Master to His own to send the Spirit to them.

The candle is an invitation to Exult, to Magnify the Lord with Mary! So we sing this Easter night:

Exult!...

O wonder of Your humble care for us!

O love, O charity beyond all telling,
to ransom a slave You gave away Your Son!

O truly necessary sin of Adam,
destroyed completely by the Death of Christ!

O happy fault
that earned so great, so glorious a Redeemer!

Meaning of the Paschal Candle

Every year, at the solemn beginning of the Easter vigil, we hold what is called "The Service of Light" in which a fire is blessed, and from this fire the paschal candle is lit. It is sometimes called the Easter candle or Christ candle; its name comes from pasach, the Hebrew word for Passover. 

After a period of darkness beginning on Good Friday, congregations first light this candle which signals Christ’s banishment of death and darkness. The priest  marks the candle with the symbols Christ's passion saying, "By his holy and glorious wounds may Christ our Lord guard us and keep us. Amen." The candle represents Jesus' steadfast presence in our midst, through all that we may experience, come what may. Often there is an image of the Risen Jesus of great beauty carved into the wax. We continue lighting the paschal candle each Sunday throughout the Easter season until Pentecost

The Paschal Candle is also used for baptisms, signifying the fire of the Holy Spirit and that the newly baptized in now living in the light of Christ. "Just as Jesus is light for the world, you are

called to shine as a light for other people. You are also called to bring light to the world." (My Baptism Remembrance Book, Pauline Books & Media)

We light the paschal candle at both the beginning and the end of life.  Its presence at the head of a casket at a funeral reminds us again that Jesus overcame death, not only for himself, but to free all of us from the slavery of sin and death. Those who are united to him by the covenant of baptism will live with him forever.

Symbols of the Paschal Candle

1. + A central cross identifies it as the Christ candle, and its flame burns despite the death Christ endured. Five red nails with incense inserted into the center are placed at four endpoints of

the cross to represent Jesus’s wounds.

2. ΑΩ The letters alpha and omega, which begin and end the Greek alphabet, signify that God is the beginning and the ending of all things, and that the Word of God is present from creation until the end of time.

3. 2017 The current year is carved into the candle indicating that God is present not just as alpha and omega, at the beginning and end of time, but throughout history. God is present in our midst, as we are gathered around this candle and as we go forth in this "year of our Lord."

Mass of the Lord's Supper

I just want to share with you the following, taken from Celia Sirois, one of my favorite authors:

"Tonight's readings from the Book of Exodus and from 1 Corinthians are exercises in liturgical remembering (anamnesis). The Passover supper is described as "a memorial feast" for all generations and, in the Eucharistic celebration, the bread is broken and the cup drained in remembrance of Jesus. Such remembering, the Catechism says, "is not merely the recollection of past events but the proclamation of the mighty works wrought by God...In the liturgical celebration of these events, they become in a certain way present and real" (n. 1363). Thus in every Jewish Passover, in every generation, the liberating act of God is experienced anew. Likewise, as often as we eat the bread and drink the cup of the Lord's Supper, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross is made present.

Tonight's Gospel also asks us to remember. In John's version of the Last Supper, Jesus interprets his death by washing his disciples' feet. When Peter protests, Jesus tells him, "What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later." Peter will remember; and so must we. And because we remember, we wash one another's feet."

From Word of Life: Daily Scripture Companion by Celia Sirois, Pauline Books & Media
http://store.pauline.org/english/books/word-of-life#gsc.tab=0

Washing feet

What is Holy Thursday to you? In general, when I think of this day, I think of Jesus' institution of the Eucharist, Priesthood, serving others, belonging to Christ's body on earth (the Church), and the start of the Sacred Triduum.

This year, because of what I have experienced in April in the way of health issues, I'm thinking a LOT about the washing of the feet. How many people, since the beginning of Lent, have been involved in "washing my feet," in so many ways: presence, support, encouragement, friendship, and prayer. The love has been overwhelming! And many times, it has been communicated in simple, ordinary ways.

I invite you to just pause a moment, right now, and call to mind the people who have been washing your feet lately. Thank God for them! They are precious, and they are doing things to show you that they love and care for you! Granted, their love might not be perfect (I know mine is not), but it is the gift of those people to you. Wonder at it and be grateful.

Then look around to see whose feet you can wash today. Your love doesn't have to be perfect and it doesn't have to be a big thing, just done with love. Jesus wants to help, and will!

Spy Wednesday

Wednesday in Holy Week is often referred to as "Spy Wednesday" because of the gospel account of Mt. 26:14-25 that refers to Judas. A small detail to be noted when reading through John's account of the banquet in Bethany which takes place previously to all that goes on in this scene in Matthew: Mary of Bethany's vessel of aromatic nard, poured out to wash Jesus' feet, is worth 300 denarii. That is ten times more than the 30 pieces Judas accepts in payment to hand over Jesus in today's gospel account. 

Mary was lavish in her response to Jesus, purchasing the best and using it generously so that the fragrance filled the entire room.

Judas? He handed over a dear friend and Master for just 30 silver pieces.

Jesus embraced the Father's will entirely and poured himself out for our sake, so that we could live a life of freedom and abundance as God's sons and daughters.

Mary of Bethany and Jesus sought the good of those around them. Judas was fixated on things, money, to be exact.

And you? What is most important to you? What will you give today? Jesus will walk with you and help you, no matter the challenge.

Pray Psalm 91 as a way of recalling God's faithfulness and protection in difficulties:

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.1 Hebrew Shaddai

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he14 That is, probably the king loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Sharing the Lord's Portion

In the gospel scene for this Tuesday of Holy Week, I am struck by the humanity of the apostles and can imagine the passage of Jn. 13:21-33ff well. There they all are at table to celebrate the Passover and Jesus announces that one of them is a betrayer. What does Peter do? He catches John's eye and signals with a nod, "Find out who it is!" And Jesus actually indicates his betrayer, although Peter and John could not fully comprehend at that moment all that it meant. 

This makes me wonder how it must have been for Jesus, knowing his betrayer, and also not wanting to be alone with that knowledge perhaps? He shared it with two of those closest to him. He gifted them with a portion of his lot, his struggle, since his hour had finally come.

Jesus, I want to walk with you today, to bear with you your own portion. Yes, Lord, to share in your life, your pain, your struggles. I was not there at the Last Supper, but I am here at my office, at the grocery store, at school, and in so many places where I can share life with "you" through the people you place on my path. Help me be attentive to you and walk with you today in whatever way you need me to share life with you.

Love, an eternal gesture

The thought that touched my heart most  from today's gospel reading, John 12:1-11, centered on Mary's gesture of love. She anointed the Lord's feet with ointment, then dried them with her hair. How close she must have been to Jesus to be able to do that! And the act itself indicates that she intuited something of what he was about to face in the coming days. Love senses. Love reaches out.

I had the grace to attend a retreat led by Fr. Marco Rupnik, SJ, the artist of the mosaic pictured below. I will never forget how he spoke of love. He impressed on me so beautifully that every act of love, in Christ, is imbedded in the memory of God the Father for all eternity. All eternity! Not just big acts, but little acts too. 

Mary of Bethany's gesture of love is her "signature." How many gestures of love, small and large, can I offer in Christ today, in the coming week? We remember how Paul describes love in 1st Corinthians, chapter 13: "Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered,  does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things." So there are many ways that we can offer love to those around us, and become, more and more, builders of a civilization of love. Not just for now, but for all eternity.

I Thirst

I have many delightful memories of living in San Diego, at the corner of 5th and Cedar streets in the downtown area, between 1988 and 1995. And living there, just 30 minutes from Mexico, I also have my own exciting border-crossing story—though it might not be the kind you’re accustomed to hearing! The sun was not yet up, but Trinidad Keating was already knocking at our back door. We were expecting her, so I answered the door quietly and greeted her, then all four of the sisters and I followed the elderly Mexican woman out into the darkness.

We drove out of the city to the barren area of San Ysidro and there we crossed the border with no trouble at all. We headed to a poor area of Tijuana, Mexico, maneuvering our way through the bumpy dirt roads. Following Trinidad's instructions, we turned a corner, drove a little farther, then parked next to a simple low structure. Entering the building, we were greeted with a nod at the door by one of the Missionaries of Charity who showed us the way to their chapel. It was perhaps 20 by 20 feet inside, and we joined the sisters there in praying in preparation for Mass. We took our place in the very back and I noticed that the frail, kneeling sister one row in front of me was indeed Mother Teresa of Kolkata. She was kneeling on the floor, rapt in prayer, her gnarled bare feet giving evidence of a life of sacrifice and hardship.

Once the Mass was over, we prayed some more, then our dear friend Trinidad introduced us to the saintly woman. Mother greeted us warmly, murmuring words of encouragement about loving Jesus totally and about caring for the poor. To this day, I cannot see the words I Thirst without thinking of that day and of Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity, women who have taken those words as their life guide. Their official website notes that they are "called by Jesus to quench his thirst for love and souls." How do they do that? By “remaining at the foot of the "calvaries" of today's world,” which especially means those persons who are poor, sick, lonely or rejected.But these sisters aren’t alone!

Today, you and I meditate on the words of John's gospel and turn over in our hearts and minds these same words: "I am thirsty" (Jn 19:28 NRSV). We treasure them, for they are among the last words that Jesus left us. How can they guide us in our everyday lives? When we consider the passion of Jesus as presented in John's gospel, we realize that Jesus is freely going forth to meet his destiny. He’s not being dragged away; rather, he goes out to meet his enemies—and actually protects his disciples in the ensuing dialogue in the garden where they have come to apprehend him. He is presented here as a king who is in charge, as royalty. This is brought out in other ways as well: his enemies fall to the ground, he commands Peter to put his sword away, the dignity with which he responds to the high priest attendant's slap, and the way his cross is put in the primary central place between the two thieves. From the cross we hear him say, "I thirst."

Yes, Jesus shares the searing physical thirst of those crucified with him. He is, after all, suffering excruciating pain and is on the brink of death. But there is more. As we look over the panorama of his life, we think of the burning thirst of Jesus Christ. What did he thirst for? There’s a very simple answer: Jesus thirsted for God ,and to do all that would please his Father. 

 In the fourth chapter of John, verse seven, we read how Jesus says to the Samaritan woman, “Give me a drink.” He thirsted for her to come to know his Father, to live the truth, and he wanted the same for all the townsfolk who lived there as well. She believed in him, and actually ran to tell the villagers, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done!” The events of that day—Jesus' physical thirst, request for a drink, and the dialogue that followed—changed that woman's whole life, forever. 

We turn back to the life of Mother Teresa. She was a young girl living in Macedonia who joined a convent in Ireland and was later sent to India; and she didn’t know all that God had in store for her. But she did know this: Jesus wanted her to quench his thirst. And you? Is there some way that Jesus is asking you to respond to his, “I thirst”? How might you do that today? Do you realize that this invitation would also entail being more intimately united to him? 

Make Psalm 63: 1–5 your prayer, asking the Lord to pray it with you and in you, so that you can feel his thirst and to what he may be calling you. 

O God, you are my God, 
I seek you, my soul thirsts for you; 
my flesh faints for you, 
as in a dry and weary land 
where there is no water. 
So I have looked upon 
you in the sanctuary, 
beholding your power and glory. 
Because your steadfast love 
is better than life, 
my lips will praise you. 
So I will bless you as long as I live; 
I will lift up my hands and 
call on your name. 
My soul is satisfied 
as with a rich feast, 
and my mouth praises you with joyful lips..." 

For yourself: With the grace of my Baptism, I have been crucified with Christ, dying to myself and rising with him. Because of this great gift, I have the capacity to live in Christ. I take a few moments to thank God for this and for the many people who have been part of my Christian journey. For someone else: Today I will live, “You before me” as a way of responding to Jesus’ thirst. I will put others first, whether it be a worthy cause I can contribute to, a lonely person to spend time with, or someone whom God puts in my path who just needs help. I will cultivate my thirst for God and for pleasing him by reaching out to others.