Scripture shows us the many times Jesus brought delight into the lives of those He encountered. We see this so well in John’s account of the wedding feast at Cana. Mary notices or is told of the shortage of wine, tells Jesus, and then alerts the waiters. How well she knows her Son, and how wise to anticipate the doubts that would arise in the minds of the waiters. What delight follows, bubbling over into the lives of the immediate family and the waiters as they saw what ensued. Unbelievable, water turned into wine!

[His disciples] saw the unexpected happen (Mt. 14: 17) with just five loaves of bread and two fish. All were fed, and still seven baskets of leftover food were collected. He surprised the crowd. But how much more the widow of Naim (Lk. 11:17) who with a few words from Jesus, saw her son rise up and speak! Jesus’ delight invariably centered on helping those in need.

We too have had experiences of delight in everyday, ordinary events. A long time ago, a little boy of 7, Patrick, who had been ill, came on Saturday to be prepared for his First Holy Communion the next day. His teacher had just about finished when she said, “Patrick, while you are waiting for Jesus, you might like to say a little prayer, maybe, ‘Come, Lord Jesus, and do not delay.’ ” There was a long pause, and then Patrick said, “I don’t think I’ll say that prayer, as I wouldn’t want to rush Jesus if he is busy with someone else.”. . .

At a residence for seniors, a talented pianist was playing all the old songs for those gathered in the large rotunda. Two of the ladies were the center of attention. Coming along the corridor, one of the visitors . . . noticed how animated these ladies were, one in a wheelchair and the other with a walker. With every song played, they could sing every word, keeping time with their feet, in time with the melody. As this visitor looked, clapped, and enjoyed the enthusiasm, it was evident that all—nurses, aides, visitors, residents, cleaners—were caught up in the delight of that moment

If ever we wonder how God wants us to live, a recall of the incidents of delight in the Bible and an awareness of the happenings in life can help us see that more clearly. People we meet on the way, who share and create moments of delight for us, irrespective of age or disabilities, dangerous surroundings, or a schoolroom, all can spread delight by a few inspired words, a letter, a phone call, or by the sharing of memorable music. No wonder Isaiah (65: 18) could say of his God: “For I create Jerusalem to be a joy and its people to be a delight.” How many we know among our own acquaintances who make a good spirit their goal in life.

Anne Marie Kelleher, O.S.U.
Excerpted from her book, And No One Saw Your Footprints, Something More Publications, 2010.

If you wish to respond to this reflection, please email eastprov@atgnet.com

If you wish to view the previous reflection, you may click here.

Click on the Reflections page in the left menu to read the whole Reflection.

Late spring and early summer is a time between big events and the laid-back spirit of vacation. In the church calendar, it’s the post-Pentecost season that has the dreary title of Ordinary Time. Happily, the presence of the Holy Spirit in this season is the silent breath of life.

The big events of late spring are anything but ordinary; they include weddings, first communions, confirmations, graduations, and class reunions. Early summer is no less eventful. Among the Ursulines of the Eastern Province, the initiative to forge a single, new province from the four existing geographically distinct provinces of the U.S.A. will take a step forward in July.

But let me single out one of the late spring events that serves as a benchmark and deserves a second look. A forty year anniversary. So long ago that the details may have fallen from recall.

In universities and colleges all over the U.S., the class of 1970 lived through a tumultuous time on college campuses. Students took unprecedented measures to express their dissent over the Vietnam conflict. On some campuses students occupied administration buildings, and the sight of administrators being forced from their offices was shocking. The National Guard in Ohio was brought in at Kent State University, with mortal consequences. For many students commencement was troubled; dark discontent was the mood.

Fast forward to 2010, and the Class of 1970—or some members of that class—returned to be part of the rituals of reunion. The fortieth reunion alumni/ae are in their sixties now, with life experience stored up over the years. Most are grandparents.

I joined one class for its reunion. What joy they expressed in seeing old classmates, updating old friends, and reflecting on the years since they were students. Talk about the upheavals of their final year of college was reflective and judgments measured. In fact, not everyone had attended commencement. And only a small contingent returned for reunion. Few wanted to rake through the remains of their last months before commencement. Their lives have gone on.

For some reason, I want to remember. Not to stir up the anguish of those days. The moral ardor, principled discussions and choices, willingness to dissent from received wisdom, all those qualities are part of the roots from which young lives grew to adulthood, with complexities over a lifetime. As a former teacher and advisor, I shared their life for a time, hoping that I nourished their roots so that they’d grow and flourish as their unique selves. Teaching is such a profound act of hope. I know that my contribution to students’ lives is only one and small in the scheme of things. But how satisfying to see what they become. The reunion for me was great joy.

That’s why I wanted to be part of their reunion: to celebrate their lives—in Ordinary Time.

Bridget Puzon, O.S.U.

If you wish to respond to this reflection, please email eastprov@atgnet.com

If you wish to view the previous reflection, you may click here.

Click on the Reflections page in the left menu to read the whole Reflection.

Click on the Reflections page in the left menu to read the whole Reflection.

Occurrences such as “You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father” (Gloria); ”Power of the Holy Spirit”; “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life” (Creed).

And from the Preface for Pentecost : “Today we celebrate the great beginnings of Your Church, when the Holy Spirit made known to all peoples the one True God and created from the many languages of humanity, one voice to proclaim one Faith.”

“Let your Spirit come upon these gifts to make them holy so that they may become the body and blood of Jesus Christ” (the Consecration).

“Grant that we may be nourished by His Body and Blood and may be filled with the Holy Spirit and become one body, one Spirit in Christ “ (Memorial Prayer).

Prior to Pentecost and the administering of Confirmation, banners were displayed in our parish. The thought surfaced that these words, common in themselves, have a deeper connotation relative to the Spirit. The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” confirmed this (1830, 1831) in explaining the gifts of the Spirit:

• Wisdom that helps a person to value the things of heaven
• Understanding that helps a person grasp the truths of religion
• Counsel that enables a person to see correctly and choose the best approach in serving God
• Fortitude that strengthens a person’s resolve to overcome obstacles to living the faith
• Knowledge that helps one to see the dangers to faith and the right path to follow
• Piety that gives a person confidence in God and an eagerness to serve God
• Fear of the Lord that makes a person aware of God’s sovereignty and the respect due God and God’s laws.

 
Elsewhere the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit, that is, the way we recognize the Spirit present and working in human lives, begin with love, joy, peace, and patience.

Calling to mind the original Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit appeared as tongues of fire, we invoke the Spirit to “Come, fill the hearts of the faithful, and enkindle in them the fire of Your Divine love.”

Pat Gillin, Ursuline Associate

If you wish to respond to this reflection, please email eastprov@atgnet.com

If you wish to view the previous reflection, you may click here.

Click on the Reflections page in the left menu to read the whole Reflection.

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,

Rejoice, O Mother Church!

It is truly right

This is our Passover feast,

This is the night when first you saved our fathers:

This is the night when Christians everywhere . . .

This is the night when Jesus Christ

Father, how wonderful your care for us!

Night truly blessed when

From the Liturgy for the Easter Vigil

If you wish to respond to this reflection, please email eastprov@atgnet.com

If you wish to view the previous reflection, you may click here.

Click Here To Read Windows On Ursuline Life

There was a time beyond childhood, in entering the spirit of Lent, when it seemed best to break a bad habit and/or develop a good one. That cut closer to the bone, and it was harder to keep. I can’t remember what habits were nipped or grew as a result of that choice of Lenten practice. Nothing so vivid as the candy sacrifice.

What have these memories yielded in 2010? A look at the Gospel of Ash Wednesday highlights the constant refrain that the liturgy has reinforced over the centuries: prayer, fasting, almsgiving. And translating those good habits into life in our times surely will put into focus the new commandment that Jesus gave at the Last Supper, a commandment that tells us of God’s expectations of us: A new commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.

Does my fasting from food, drink, or other treat affect the “other” we are to love? Can we aim our good habit at relieving the deprivation others suffer? I don’t know for sure, yet I can ask God to receive this small sacrifice and gift on behalf of others.

Jesus fasted in the desert to prepare for the temptations he encountered and that we read of in the first Sunday of Lent. His fasting is all the more powerful as a model, since he, like us, in his everyday life, did not scorn the meals that are our everyday nourishment and the food and drink that make a happy setting for celebration on special occasions.

Prayer and almsgiving more readily reveal how we can express God’s love (love as Jesus has loved) through our praying for and giving to others. More than praying for, we can enter into Lenten prayer with the desire to encounter God more deeply—as the “You” in my prayer. Besides a time set aside for prayer, attention to God, the one who is with us—God as “you”–establishes a direct connection. That habit of direct address in prayer may bring the joy of something like a face-to-face encounter.

Recently, we’ve all been faced with the almsgiving needed for victims of the Haiti earthquake. It didn’t take a Lenten practice to impel us give to those in dire need. Lenten almsgiving may ask us to take another look at sharing our resources, material and personal, with others. Perhaps we can build a habit of donations on a regular basis to those in need (Catholic Relief Services, Salvation Army, local food pantry) something like the dollars-per-month solicitations used by not-for-profits (like PBS).

Donations of time, attention, and kindness to those in need of these things is personal almsgiving, equally a gift from our resources. And they fulfill Jesus’ new commandment.

In another context, Samuel Johnson said, “These things are not good because they are commanded; they are commanded because they are good.”

What’s the outcome? Jesus says “Your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

Bridget Puzon, O.S.U.

If you wish to respond to this reflection, please email eastprov@atgnet.com

If you wish to view the previous reflection, you may click here.