Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque

For me, one of the great wonders of the Catholic Church is that there is so much to learn.  Today is the feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17^th century Sister of the Visitation who is especially devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.  She is known for spreading this devotion throughout the church.  As a mystic she had many encounters with the risen Christ.

            Today’s reading in the Liturgy of the Hours includes a letter from St. Margaret Mary.  She says,  In the course of every activity pray as follows: “My God, I do this or I endure this in the heart of your Son and according to his holy counsels. I offer it to you in reparation for anything blameworthy or imperfect in my actions.” Continue to do this in every circumstance of life.  And every time that some punishment affliction or injustice come you way, say to yourself: “Accept this as sent to you by the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ in order to unite yourself to him.”  But above all preserve peace of heart.  This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust in him”

            In the apparitions to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus gives these twelve promises for those who are devoted to His Sacred Heart.

1. I will give them all the graces necessary for their state of life.
2. I will establish peace in their families.
3. I will console them in all their troubles.
4. They shall find in My Heart an assured refuge during life and especially at the hour of their death.
5. I will pour abundant blessings on all their undertakings.
6. Sinners shall find in My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy.
7. Tepid souls shall become fervent.
8. Fervent souls shall speedily rise to great perfection.
9. I will bless the homes where an image of My Heart shall be exposed and honored.
10. I will give to priests the power of touching the most hardened hearts.
11. Those who propagate this devotion shall have their names written in My Heart, never to be effaced.
12. The all-powerful love of My Heart will grant to all those who shall receive Communion on the First Friday of nine consecutive months the grace of final repentance; they shall not die under my displeasure, nor without receiving their Sacraments; My heart shall be their assured refuge at that last hour.

"Look at this Heart which has loved men so much, and yet men do not want to love Me in return. Through you My divine Heart wishes to spread its love everywhere on earth."

For more information about Saint Margaret Mary and her life, you can click on http://www.piercedhearts.org/theology_heart/life_saints/margaret_mary.htm.

Dancing Around the Altar of . . .

On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hearing Father Robert Barron speak about the New Evangelization.  It is the best presentation that I had heard on this topic.  He began by recognizing that this is a current focus of the Church.  Father Barron is the creator of the Catholicism series released in fall 2011.  He has the talent to bring the highly theological into lay-mans terms.  He presented much, good content in this talk -too much to talk about here.

One of my take away ideas came from the time when Elijah, “the only surviving prophet of the Lord”[i] challenged the 450 prophets of Baal to have their gods light a fire on an altar. Fr. Barron recalled the scene, describing how the 450 prophets called on their gods to light the altar with fire.  They called from morning to Noon saying, “answer us Baal!” But there was no sound and no one answering. Then they hopped around the altar they had prepared.[ii] 

After continued hopping and calling on their gods and eventually slashing themselves, there wasn’t an answer.  Then Elijah built an altar with twelve stones, each representing a tribe.  He had the altar drenched three times until water flowed around the altar and into the trench around it.  He called on God, saying “Answer me Lord that this people may know that you, Lord are God and that you have brought them back to these senses.”  And the fire consumed the altar, even the water in the trenches.  And all of the people repented and said “the Lord is God”.

Father Barron’s point is that we have our own altars today.  There are things that we dance around all of the time.  For me I spend time each day “dancing around the altar of food”.  For others it can be alcohol or drugs, pornography, vanity, greed, sex, etc.

His point is that rather than follow the Lord in all that we do, as fragile human beings, we find another altar around which to dance and call out and slash our arms in the pursuit of earthly possessions or activities that bring us fame.  Yet all we need to do is to call out to our almighty, loving Lord and to pursue his plan for us, and ask for help to conform our will to His.

In our modern time, it is difficult for many to even think about obeying God.  We have been brought up to grasp and pursue material things, fame, success and money.  These are our altars.  Yet our great and mighty triune God is capable of some much more than we can imagine, if we dance around His altar and call upon Him as our Lord.

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[i] 1 Kings 18:22

[ii] 1 Kings 18:26

Did an Angel Drive my Car?

I wonder if I had a direct encounter with the supernatural world on Wednesday night.  Today’s feast of Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Saint Raphael reminded of Wednesday’s crazy series of events.  The short story is that I accidently took the wrong medicine before dental surgery. 

Each time I see the dentist, I take four tables of antibiotics to prevent any infection that might occur in my replaced hip.  I thought I only had antibiotics in my medicine cabinet and took four pills without looking at the pill container.  It was only after feeling lightheaded and sick that I asked the dental assistant to call my husband to pick me up.

My husband noticed that the pill container contained codeine.  After my dentist assured me that I hadn’t overdosed, I spent the afternoon quite ill, dosing on the couch.  At dinner, I only drank water and still felt awful as I laid back on the couch.  I agreed that I would go with my husband at 8 to pick up my car.  Neither of us wanted to leave the car in the parking lot over night.

On the drive to the parking lot I was not sure how I would manage to drive the three miles back to the house.  As I got in the car, my stomach felt queasy.  I got behind the wheel, took a deep breath and started the car.  I knew my husband was following me and would pull over with me if I needed to stop.  Yet, as I pulled out onto the main road, I didn’t have any problem driving.  I was cautious, but did not have any difficulty turning or stopping.

Sooner than I knew, I pulled into my drive way and parked.  I sighed and got out of the car. As I walked to the mailbox to get the mail, I began to feel awful again.  My husband got out of his car and commented on how great I drove, as I threw up on the grass.  I was so weak that I was

I can only think that I must have had some supernatural assistance to get me home safely.  Did my guardian angel assist me in that time of need?  Some will say it might have been adrenaline or just my own nature. Others will deny the existence of thrones, dominions, angels and archangels.  On this day, when we remember our supernatural friends, I am thankful to the angel who might have been driving my car on Wednesday.

               

An unexpected milestone

                On Monday, I turned 55 years old.  I didn’t think of 55 as being a milestone.  Yes, 50 was a time to celebrate and to evaluate.  Months in advance, I let my husband know that I wanted to go away with him for a weekend.  We had a great weekend in Sanibel Island, although I think we lowered the median age of people at the resort by about 10 years!

                

                What has my attention about 55 is that it feels like I turned 50 just a few months ago and that means that I’ll be 60 before I know it.  I’m not worried about growing old or facing health issues or even death.  I am more cognizant about how I am spending my time.

               

                 In the past five years, what I want out of life has changed.  Some of this is from life experiences. It was in my 50^th year that God swept me back to Him in the most marvelous, loving way.  Three years ago, my in-laws moved in with us. Two years ago, I accompanied my Mom on her final journey on this earth and last year was at the deathbed of my father-in-law.  My husband and I survived one job lay off and are currently in the process of experiencing another.

               

                 I find myself wanting fewer things as I want to spend more time with my family and friends.  Television, except for watching sporting events with my son or old movies with my husband is a thing of the past.  After years of collecting things, I’m more inclined to give away items.  I want to travel more, find new ways to enjoy the outdoors, be more selective in my volunteer hours and find extra ways to pray.  And I want to continue to make friends of men and women of all ages.  I have good friends who are 26 and 88.  They variety of ages adds richness to my days.

               

                  I want to follow God’s path for my life.  I’m more inclined to try new things now than in my 30’s or 40’s, am not worried about what others think of me and have found a creative part of me that I’ve not experienced.

               

                  I think more now about the amazing role models I’ve had in my life for aging.  Mable, the 82 year old baker who I worked with on weekends at Eden Glen restaurant as a college student, was the first “old” person (other than a grandparent) that was my friend.  I learned how to bake from her, but I also watched as she lived an active and full life.

              

                  My Aunt Mary is now 88.  She and husband have been great role models for how my husband and I want to live our retirement years.  Since his death two years ago, (she married him when she was 19) she has been an amazing example of how to live as a widow.  When I went to visit her earlier this month, she was complaining about aching joints.  She planted mums in her garden the day before!

                

                Watching the joy and energy of our beloved, aging Pope Benedict XVI is a life lesson in itself.  He has no retirement age.  His papacy has changes as he is not able to travel quite was much as before, but his desire to be the shepherd of his flock is as vigorous as ever.

                

                At 55, I don’t wish to be younger, or old, but to enjoy each day to its fullest.    That might be the best gift of this milestone. 

               

God in the marketplace?

I am reading “God in Action” by Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I, Archbishop of Chicago.  It has been on my bookshelf for several months, but with the upcoming elections, it seemed like a good time to read it.

Yesterday, I read the chapter subtitled, “Business as a Vocation from God”.  For me, the words leapt off the page.  He writes, “There’s a distinction and a separation in law between religious institutions and political institutions, but not between faith and society; the first 150 years of this country’s history bears witness to health interaction between the concerns of society and the influence of faith.” [i]

Cardinal George goes on to write that secularism, (my pastor may make the case for relativism), has become the public religion.  Any areas dealing with faith are considered private and no longer have value in the public spheres, especially the market place.  This becomes a significant problem as the gift of faith calls us to something beyond what and what we currently are. 

He then references the Trappist monk Thomas Merton[ii] in discussing “false selves” – masks that we use when interacting with others.  We might have the “boss mask”, the “mommy mask”, the “pious mask”, etc.  The masks represent a role that we play in various parts of our lives.

Yet as we spend more time with God, His unending and merciful love unifies everything in our lives, including our work, making us integrated persons who are free to act according to His will for us.  As we answer the call to follow his will, as our faith grows and deepens, faith no longer is a mask, or something that happens at a certain time and space, but is grafted into ourselves. 

My “take away” from this reading is this: once our unified selves enter the business world, tension is then created because we may be asked to take off our “faith masks” to conform to what is expected in specific situations.  Our work, the way that God calls us to use the gifts He has given us, will be transformed when we bring our unified selves to the market place.  As we labor, not in drudgery, but in joy, conducting our actions in His name, others will notice.  We will bring His love into the marketplace and who knows that will result!

Thank you Cardinal George for allowing me to realize that business is one place that I may put “God in Action”.

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[i] God in Action by Francis Cardinal George, Commerce as a substitute for war, page 155

[ii] If you haven’t read Merton’s “Seven Story Mountain”, put it on your Christmas list.  It is well worth the time to read this story of conversion.

Fruit of a Teacher's Strike

              There is much celebration in Chicago this morning, as students and teachers go back to school after a teachers strike.  I have been following the news on this event as I can still vividly remember a teacher’s strike in the Detroit school system.  About forty five years ago, in the 1960’s the Detroit teachers strike lasted more than two weeks.  I was 9 or 10 years old.   An experience I had during the strike had an important effect on me.   

               

                As a child, September was my favorite month of the year.  School began in September and not only did it mean new classes and teachers and a chance to see friends that I didn’t see over the summer, but also new school supplies and clothes.  It is also my birthday month.  I was more than a little distressed that school was delayed.

                

                During the second week of the strike, a friend invited me to come to her church.  The church decided to host a Bible school until regular classes resumed.  I was delighted to accompany her.  At some point during that week, we studied the parable of the sower.  I’m not sure which Gospel reading was presented, but the idea of sowing seeds that would or would not survive in various soils came alive for me.

                

                In fact, to this day, each time I listen to the parable, I think back to that lunchroom and how I didn’t want the Word gobbled up by birds, or to sprout only to not have roots to live, or to get choked.  Of course I wanted the Word to increase thirty or sixty or one hundred fold.  Then, as even now, I stop and think about the kind of soil I have been in the recent past. 

                

                  I would like to think that most of the time I am the “good ground”, and yet I can think of times when I am not.  Certainly, at times I may not hear the Word because I am distracted by thoughts such as:” Do I have enough lunchmeat in the house for sandwiches for tomorrow?” or “How am I going to complete the work for a client and get to my son’s football game?”

                

                  Other times, seed does not sprout because of the business of my life, or seed gets choked because of my preoccupation with grasping for the things of this world. 

                

                   This particular parable is a critical reminder for me to be diligent in hearing the Word, absorbing it and allowing it to produce fruit.  After all, “I did not choose Him, but He chose me to go out and bear fruit that will last.”

                

                   On this crisp fall morning, as children in Chicago are roused out of bed early to begin another year of education, I like to think that maybe some of them had a positive experience over the past two weeks that will have an effect of their lives, even 45 years from now!

                

A Crisp Tuesday Morning

        On a crisp Tuesday morning with weather, not unlike today, I took a rather unexpected walk up Rhode Island Avenue in DC with strangers.  We were walking from the business section of our Nation’s Capital to a Metro Station.  The streets will filled with traffic. Strangers stopped to offer us rides.  It was quiet.

        And then, the sounds of a plane cause us to jerk our collective heads up to the sky.  Oh, not a plane, but a helicopter. With a sigh of relief, we continued our walk. 

        This was not a normal Tuesday morning, but September 11, 2001.  We had been sent home from our offices after the plane crashed into the Pentagon.

        On that walk, I heard a person begin to sob.  She said, “One of the towers has collapsed.”  I immediately began to pray for the people in the tower.  I also had an image planted in my mind of thousands of angels hovering at the site of the Twin Towers, catching the souls of those who were dying that day.

        Many may remember the Franciscan priest, Father Mychal Judge, chaplain to the FDNY who was among those who ended their earthly lives that day.  This morning, I used a portion of his homily from the day before as a prayer.

        You do what God has called you to do. You get on that rig, you go out  and do the job. No matter how big the call, no matter how small, you have no idea of what God is calling you to, but God needs you. He needs me. He needs all of us. God needs us to   keep supporting each other, to be kind to each other, to love each other….        We love this job, we all do. What a blessing it is! It’s a difficult, difficult job, but God calls you to do it, and indeed, He gives you a love for it so that a difficult job will be well done..        Isn’t God wonderful?! Isn’t He good to you, to each one of you, and to me? Turn to God each day -- put your faith, your trust, your hope and your life in His hands. He’ll take care of you, and you’ll have a good life. And this firehouse will be a great blessing to this neighborhood and to this city. Amen.

        Good words to pray, no matter what our professions or stages in life.  He will take care of us and we will have good lives!

May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.  Saints from 9-11, pray for us!