An Unexpected Retreat

               Thursday night, as I was waiting for my son to finish football practice, I felt beat.  It had a very busy week filled with a variety of activities that had drained my body and my mind.  I was try to figure out where I was going to mass the next day, as I had to drop my son off such that it conflicted with my usual churches for daily mass.  St. Dominic’s came to mind. 

               St. Dominic’s church building is nearly 100 years old and it is located in SW DC near a variety of office buildings and it has a mid-day mass geared to working people.  The inside is so different than the “modern” churches built in the mid-20^th century in the suburbs.  I didn’t think twice about where I would go, but had to determine whether to drive or metro.

               While I was dropping my son off at school on Friday morning, I had the sudden urge to find a quiet place to pray.  I realized that St. Jerome’s church was just a few blocks away.  I parked and entered the church lobby, only to stop and smell – incense!  Well, that could mean a funeral, although the parking lot was pretty empty, or adoration!

               Yes, as it happens, they have adoration every Friday morning.  I knelt in reverence to our Lord and was just kneeling in the pew when the priest came into the sanctuary and kneeled.  As it happens, they pray the Litany of the Sacred Heart and the Miraculous Medal prayers at the time I arrived.  And I happily joined the dozen or so who were gathered.

               It got even better, at the end of the prayer time, we had the opportunity to venerate a relic of St. Rose of Lima, who feast was celebrated that day.  After all of the activity, I was able to settle into the quiet and spend time with our Lord in contemplation.

               Getting into my car, I decided to drive to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, park and walk to the Brookland Metro Station.  That would allow me to stop in the Shrine on the way back to my car.  The mass at St. Dominic’s was so peaceful.  It was attended by at least 50 people.  I love the way the cross, with Mary on one side and John on the other, is hung so close to the pews.  After mass, I was able to venerate a relic of St. Jude’s!  And then went to his chapel to pray.

               Walking back from the Metro, I ran into a friend who is a Dominican Brother and was able to catch up on this summer activities.  I spent time in the chapels in the upper church and then drove home.

               What a beautifully, unexpected retreat!  I don’t think it could have been better if I planned it.  Well, perhaps it was planned by our Lord. After all, He was waiting for me in all of those places!  

Be Still!

               It has been a whirlwind of a month for my family and me.  On July 22^nd, we left for a vacation in California and spent too many hours on LA freeways.  Three days after returning home, 2-a-day football practice began and my brother came for a visit with his family. Less than 48 hours after they left, I drove four hours to the Catholic Writers Conference in New Jersey while my husband packed his belongings and my son working on his summer reading and practiced more football.  Arriving home, I unpacked and repacked and drove twelve hours with my husband to St. Louis, where he began his new job after getting him settled, visiting our new city and meeting his new co-workers, I flew home.  This past Monday was the first “normal” day for me in four weeks.

               And I found myself driving my cat to the veterinarian at Noon on Monday.  The last time I had her at the vet, I was there for two and a half hours.  I was hopeful that I could be in and out in less than an hour.  I did go prepared.  Before I left the house, I perused the stack of books that I acquired at the Catholic Writers Conference and brought one of them with me to the appointment.

               I sigh with relief as I approached the waiting area, it was empty. I checked in only to learn that all of the appointment rooms were full, but was assured it would just be a few minutes before we were settled in a room.  I pulled out the proof copy of Teresa Tomeo’s new book, “God’ Bucket List”. It will be published in November.   I read the opening chapter and then looked at my watch.  I had been there for twenty minutes. I stood up and stretched, sat down and turned the page.

               Just a few moments later, Paws (my cat) and I were ushered into the examination room.  Paws tried to get comfortable on the stainless steel counter and I sat on the bench, more than slightly irritated.  “Be Still” was the title of the chapter I was reading.  I finished it, looked at my watch and sighed.

               I had just read about the need to find quiet time with God in the midst of crazy scheduled.  I pick up Paws from the sterile, cold counter and put her on my lap as I reached for my rosary.  I closed my eyes, crossed myself and began to pray.  I could feel Paws purring as I fingered the beads in one hand and stroked her with the other. Moving from one joyful mystery to the next, I felt the tension leave my body. As I was finishing the Salve Regina, the door opened and the vet entered.

               What a difference that prayer time made in my demeanor toward the vet. Paws was also relaxed and was more cooperative than normal.  The check up didn’t take long and soon she was back in her carrier, and we were heading back to the car.  I check my watch and it had taken an hour and twenty minutes for the visit.  I was behind my crazy, Type A schedule, yet the prayer time kept me balanced.  Perhaps I should put “Be Still” on the background of my phone!

Inspired by Two Abrahams

               On Sunday, I listening to the Pastor preach about Abram, who became Abraham, and I thought about the journey that my husband, family and I began that day.  As Abram heard God’s call and responded, my family is embarking on a journey. My husband has accepted a job in another city and our family will have two home bases for the next 20 months or so.  Like Abraham, we are not really sure where this journey will take us.  Well, we know what city, but we do not know how it will change our family, or affect future decisions.  As we leave the greater DC area, will we ever return to live near our Nation’s Capital?  How will this affect our son’s college decision? Perhaps not the most important, who will cut my hair?

               My husband accepted the position because we believe that this is where God is leading him.  While my husband is moving, my son and I will stay in Silver Spring until he graduates from high school. He is beginning his junior year and is very happy, achieving good grades and involved with a variety of activities including the teen group at church.  Fortunately, my husband will be able to come home one or two weekends each month and we will visit him in his new I home for Thanksgiving.

               On Monday, as we drove his belongings to the new city, we stopped at Abraham Lincoln’s boyhood home in southern Indiana. “I will prepare and some day my chance will come,” was a quote that struck me in one of the exhibits. This was written as a young man, living on a farm in Indiana. Lincoln was a man of God who read the Bible frequently.  His life included tragedy (losing his Mom, sister and two children) and he was not always considered successful.  It was a chance trip to Louisiana that inflamed his abhorrence of slavery.  (Or was that trip just part of God’s plan for his life?)

               Lincoln could not have projected the effect his life would have on the nation and on the world, but he could persevere each day, courageously following God’s will for his life.  As his family moved from Indiana to Illinois, did he wonder how his life would change?

               As my family and I begin this new phase of our lives, we ask God for his guidance and for the courage to follow his will. We also ask Mary to cover us with her mantle in this new journey.  While I do not directly compare our journey to that of the two Abrahams, they are a source of inspiration.  

              Have either of these two men call Abraham inspired you?

The Temptation of $425 million

               On Monday, I saw a sign that the Powerball jackpot for this coming Wednesday (tonight) was $400 million.  I was purchasing a drink at 7-11 and didn’t give a second thought about spending $2 on a ticket.  Last night, I arrive at the hotel for the Catholic Writers Conference and saw a sign that in the hotel store that blinked a total of $425 for Powerball. 

               As I laid my tired body down in bed last night, I tried to think of something that would halt my speeding brain so that I could sleep.  I started to fanaticize about what my husband and I would do with $425 million, when my eyes suddenly opened and I realized that wishing to be a winner of the lottery is a great temptation to greed.

               Although I spent several years in my early career as a foreign exchange trader, trading millions of dollars each day, I can’t say that I have any idea of how I would measure $425 million.  My first thought was that we could put $300 million in a foundation, avoid a whole boat load of taxes and be able to support the multitude of causes that we love.  Perhaps generous thoughts, but still not pure.

               God has given me an amazing husband, a wonderful son, a nice place to live and, most importantly a strong faith to live each day.  How might winning $425 million upset what God has planned for me, for my husband and my son?  How many of the seven deadly sins could be attributed to my desire to win $425 million?  Certainly greed, pride, gluttony and perhaps sloth can be ascribed to the desire for these millions.

               As I closed my eyes to try to get a few hours sleep, I vowed not to buy another lottery ticket.  Today, I’ve walked by the store at least eight times and it seems like the sign gets bigger and brighter by the hour.  Yet I have determined that desiring to win a big jackpot is greedy, at the very least.     

               Being thankful for all that God has, (or has not) given me, is important to my being His faithful daughter.  That grasping for something other than what I have, is a GREAT temptation. I thank God for this little check up on my desires.

Mary of Nazareth

               Today I drove 200 miles, mainly in sloppy rain to Somerset, New Jersey.  Tomorrow begins the Catholic Writers Conference, a three day extravaganza of workshops and presentation for writers who are “rooted in the Gospel, writing for the world.”

               Tonight there was a showing of a new movie being distributed by Ignatius Press about Mary, the Mother of God.  I was so moved by the movie that I have to write about it before I can go to sleep.  Making a movie about Mary is difficult, given the amount of first-hand accounts that are available.  It is a beautiful, viable account of Mary’s life.

               In this film, Mary is portrayed as a woman who always has faith in God.  It is that faith that allows her to live through the difficult times and to guide her family and those who love Jesus as tragedy strikes.  The relationship between Mary and Joseph, knowing they are parents to the Messiah is beautifully illustrated throughout their lives. And the unique relationship between Mary and Jesus is also well portrayed.

               Favorite scenes include:

                Joachim, Mary’s father says something to the effect of, “Mary has always been a mystery, too much of a mystery for me”. 

               When Mary tells her parents of the visit from the angel and that she wants to visit Elizabeth.  Her parents deny that Elizabeth can be pregnant, at her age.  Yet she is determined to do God’s will and cajoles them (and Joseph) into letter her go.

                 In an incredibly touching scene between Mary and Zachariah on the steps outside his house, he is puzzled that he, a priest, could not believe God.  And yet Mary, a young girl, was able to have faith and believe in God’s plan.

               Mary and Joseph first became aware that Jesus was not to belong only to them in the scene when the three dozen or more shepherds arrive to see the Messiah. One shepherd wanted to hold Jesus and Mary lets him and then he passes Jesus to the next and on and on, each person gently kissing the new born.

               Mary’s telling of the story when Jesus was lost in the temple was beautifully depicted, as is the near stoning of Mary Magdalene, and the telling of the prodigal son parable.  The trial, scourging, and crucifixion are always difficult to watch.  I love the resurrection scene with Mary Magdalene. (I hope I didn’t give away the ending.)

               After I have digested the contents of the movie, I want to write in detail how this movie has changed how I view Mary.  It will help me to love her even more.

               Ignatius Press is releasing this movie on September 8^th for use by non-profit groups to show it in movie theaters.  This is the same method they used for Restless Heart, the movie about St. Augustine last year.  To get information on how to screen this movie, contact screenings@carmelcommunications.com.

Women Speak for Themselves

               I had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a rally in Lafayette Park, across from the White House this morning.  About 350 women (the limit for the rally) spent an hour in friendship and collaboration as they rallied for religious freedom.

               A year ago, Helen Alvare, from George Mason University created a group called Women Speak for Themselves in an effort to have a platform for women who have views opposed to the Obama administration related to health care.  The organization has grown virally with Helen sending a message every three to four weeks, highlighting what women are doing around the country to speak out on women’s issues. 

               On this dreary, drizzly morning, women from across the country, of all ages, races and religions gathered under some large oak trees to speak for themselves.  All kinds of signs were being held illustrating that “women can speak for themselves”!

               I was delighted to be one of ten speakers.  As a daughter of God, I do not have a choice to not speak.  Government intervention in all aspects of family life is not keeping families together.  Support for drugs that encourage lifestyles with multiple partners and no commitment does not promote the most important building block of our society – the family. 

               Other speakers included health care professionals, advocates for women, lawyers, graduate students and moms.  There were so many wonderful phrases that I hope some of the speakers will be on YouTube.  Perhaps one of my favorite is that the mandate is a war on Moms. 

               What I’ve learned is that equality with men does not mean that we are the same as men.  Women and men are very different creatures. Together, we complement each other in so many wonderful ways, but men can’t be mothers and women can’t be fathers. 

               Enjoy the photos from today and Google Women Speak for Themselves if you want to get involved.