Veni Sancte Spiritus – Day Seven
Come Holy Spirit. We wait with Apostles in anticipation for the gift of God’s Spirit to dwell in us. This Novena for Pentecost uses the words of our Foundress, St Magdalene of Canossa, to help us consider God’s working in our lives.
Enjoy! (note: If you missed previous days, scroll down and you’ll find them in reverse order.)
Day 7: “Today we shall live in the company of those Saints who accompanied Christ to Calvary and who were the most fortunate in receiving the Holy Spirit with the fullness of Hiss gifts. Let us ask the help of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for she is closest to the heart of God.”
Day 6: ”Today let us all together make a chain to attract the Holy Spirit to us. All of it will be finely wrought with acts of charity, prayer, ejaculations, holy desires and invocations. We shall ask the help of our Patron Saints, so that the Holy Spirit may descend in our hearts to set us aflame with the fire of his Love.”
Day 5: ”Today let us detest our miseries and our faults. These will admirably help us to open ourselves to the Holy Spirit who is charity itself and is pleased to be called Father of the poor, Giver of gifts and Light to our hearts.”
Day 4: ”With the scope of receiving the Holy Spirit and an abundance of his gifts, we ought to enlarge our hearts very much and be interiorly disposed in complete trust. We should not entertain any hesitation, doubt, fear, scruple or diffidence, but take refuge in the Most Holy Heart of Mary.”
Day 3: ”Today we shall have recourse to the Holy Spirit and our task will be that of examining ourselves, weeping, praying and hoping. Our duties will be carried out with peace, and, should we realize that we have left our cenacle, let us return to it immediately without any disquiet.”
Day 2: “We shall try to examine ourselves seriously in order to discover even the least obstacle that might impede the coming of the Holy Spirit in us. But since we can do nothing on our own, we shall continually turn to the Heart of Jesus…or to the power of Mary and to her maternal compassion…”
Day 1: ”In imitation of the Apostles, let each of us withdraw to the Cenacle of our heart where Jesus frequently deigns to celebrate the Pasch by means of Holy Communion. We shall withdraw to that place to have an experience like the Spiritual Exercises. The director will be our conscience, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, attentive to our powers and sentiments which will never come out of retreat if not out of necessity or called by charity.”
Passing on the Faith: Sr Elisa
As she walks across the parking lot at St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln on a steamy afternoon in mid-September, Sister Elisa Grignoli steps with quiet conviction. About 45 third graders will be arriving for the first 90-minute religious education class of the year. The students are preparing to receive first Eucharist in the spring of 2011. She wants them to take their faith seriously at a young age.
Youngsters and parents file in and “70-something” Sister Elisa is there with a smile and a hug for each child. “Welcome back,” she says. “We’ve missed you.”
What most of the kids know about Sister Elisa is she’s quite a “no-nonsense” nun. She doesn’t like excuses for not coming to class every week, inquiries about early dismissal for sports practice, or seeing disrespect for fellow students. What they likely don’t know is that Sister Elisa, who speaks English, Italian, Cantonese and some Spanish, traveled a circuitous route to arrive at her current ministry as director of religious education. From serving as a missionary and nurse in Hong Kong for 20 years to ministering as a hospital chaplain in Vancouver, British Columbia, she’s responded to whatever mission she’s been called to in religious life.
She’s shown that same dedication in her ministry for the past 16 years at St. Joseph Parish, passing on the Catholic faith and values to each child who comes her way. This year that means more than 500 students in English and Spanish faith formation programs at St. Joseph, as well as its mission churches, St. Daniel in Wheatland, about 13 miles away, and St. Boniface in Nicolaus, about 15 miles away. Sister Elisa, who is in her 46th year as a member of the Canossian Daughters of Charity, has served through the tenure of four pastors. She’s been the glue that’s kept faith formation programs at the expanding parish growing and thriving. She drives from her convent in north Sacramento to work long weekdays, while working more hours on weekends. With her team she oversees the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, adult faith formation, and the EDGE program for teens preparing for confirmation. She also leads a Bible study on Tuesdays.
“The people here love me and I love them,” she says with a slight smile and a noticeable Italian accent. “St. Joseph is my second home. Our parish has changed greatly. When I first came to Lincoln, the town population sign said 8,200 people. Now we have 38,000 people.”
The area’s population explosion was triggered in 2000 by housing developments such as Del Webb’s Sun City Lincoln hills retirement community and the building of more single family homes. St. Joseph Parish has grown from serving 600 families in 1996 to some 2,300 families today. Lincoln is worlds away from where Sister Elisa grew up in the small town of Ronco Briantino, northeast of Milan, Italy, where she decided as a child to be a nurse and a missionary. “Missionaries used to come and speak to us. They had a lot of influence on us as children to go to other countries to help the poor and to make Jesus known and loved all over the world,” she recalls. Her spiritual director suggested she discern about joining the Canossian Daughters of Charity, the religious institute she entered at age 21.
After completing studies in nursing in Rome and studying English in England, she was sent to Hong Kong, serving as a nurse in a hospital run by the Canossian Sisters. “In those days they didn’t give us much training to be in the missions. They said you are needed there, so go, whether you were trained or not. I learned the culture by working on the job and I also learned how the people lived. I loved the Chinese people. I shared my faith on a personal level in the hospital and people were very responsive. Many people became Catholic.”
In 1987, Sister Elisa was sent to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to open a new convent with two Chinese sisters. She worked there for six years – days as a hospital chaplain at Vancouver General Hospital and nights and weekends as director of religious education at St. Augustine Parish, which included many children and their families from Hong Kong who had immigrated to Canada.
Her greatest challenge as a religious educator today is “to attend to the needs of the children and their families in a diverse multicultural community,” she says. “I want to make them understand that learning their faith and establishing a personal relationship with Jesus is a process that goes from the womb to the tomb. It’s not just receiving the sacraments. Our spiritual life needs to be nourished by the word of God and the sacraments as much as we nourish our physical life.”
Her students feel the effects when parents lose their jobs or experience marital difficulties. “I can see a lot in the children.” she says. “If they come from a family that takes care of them physically and spiritually, you see that right away. Unfortunately, there is a good percentage of divorced parents, so often the children split their lives after school with either of the parents. I’ve also had children come to me in tears when one or both of their parents have lost their job and they don’t know how to help. The children are the ones who suffer the consequences in these situations.”
Father Eric Lofgren, pastor of St. Joseph Parish since July 2009, says parishioners appreciate Sister Elisa “for who she is, what she has done, and what she has meant to our parish community all these years.
“She has a great sense of dedication, responsibility and love for the people and you can see it in her emotions. She has a strong will and determination to be successful, and she goes in the direction that the Holy Spirit is guiding her. She believes she’s in God’s hands and she will do what God has directed her to do, no matter what the ministry. She takes everything very seriously and doesn’t take the easy road.”
Passing on the faith isn’t always easy, Sister Elisa says, but it’s a neverending and heartfelt task. “I always remember and try to live the words my mother said long ago in Italy: ‘You do what you can, as much as you can. Everybody is necessary, but nobody is indispensable.’ We do what we can with the best intentions, with the love of God and everything in our ability.
“Our Catholic faith, if lived, affects the schools we attend, the place we work, the people we meet every day in our lives. We are the extended hands of God to spread his kingdom here on earth.”
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Sister Elisa Grignoli, Canossian Sister, Religious educator serves multicultural community at St. Joseph Parish in Lincoln (Sacramento, California Diocese). This article was written by Julie Sly, photos by Cathy Joyce for the Catholic Herald Magazine of the Sacramento Diocese, January/February 2011 edition. Republished here with permission.
Three Reasons for Mary
Sister Lisa Marie was asked to contribute to Bright Maidens‘ Tuesday question, “Why Mary?”. Below is the response she posted at her blog, Nunspeak: Three Reasons for Mary:
It is a beautiful question to reflect upon as we begin this month of May, traditionally dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. As I reflect on the question, “Why Mary?”, particular passage of the Sacred Scriptures come to mind that convince me of Mary’s definitive role in our journey of faith, and how she is meant to be honored because of her role in salvation history.
Reason One: Luke 1: 26-38 – the Annunciation
Mary is, like many young women, looking for her future, but as we learn in the Gospel, her plans are interrupted at the words of the angel who tells her she is needed for a special project. she responds “Ecce ancilla Domini. Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.” I am the handmaid of the Lord, be done unto me according to your word. What an example for us especially for a society that projects an autonomous attitude of focusing mainly on one’s own project.
Why Mary? She shows us that there is a bigger project in life than our own, and that it is manifested only when we, establish a rhythm of prayer that guides our actions and decision, rather than relying solely on our passions and practical desires; in her trusting the Word of God spoken through the angel, she was able to give an example for us, to become ‘Women of Listening’ to the desires of God, and include His will in our plans.
Mary shows us, that in following God’s design that flows from our obedience to His Word and His precepts (commandments), we to can sing a Magnificat of praise: “God has done great things for me, and Holy is His name!”
Reason Two: John 2:1-11 – the Wedding Feast at Cana
At the wedding feast, as the wine was running out, Mary approached her Son, saying, “They have no more wine.” Have you ever wondered about Jesus indirect answer to her? He responds, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come” (v.4). Mary doesn’t wait to clarify. She turns to the serveants and tells them, “Do whatever he tells you.” And it is through her intercession Jesus’ first recorded miracle in the Gospel of John takes place.
In this example, we are encouraged to rely on Mary in a role as an intercessor. She as a mother knows that if she asks her Son to do something, he will do it. It is a sign of her faith in Jesus’ divinity. She doesn’t know how wine will be supplied – that is not in the scope of her concern – but only trusts that Her Son will provide because she has asked Him. Today’s Gospel points to this reality, in the kind of faith Mary exhibits: “If you ask anything of me in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:14).
Why Mary? Mary, the Woman of Faith, understood these words of Jesus intuitively. She experienced through her relationship with Him that he never disappoints, but brings about everything, so long as it is not contrary to the Father’s will. We then, have recourse to Mary, to intercede on our behalf, just like she did for the wedding couple. And all will be accomplished so to glorify the Father.
Reason Three: John 19:23-27 – at the Foot of the Cross
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother 11 and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Ecce Mater Tua. Behold your Mother. When I first heard the Bright Maidens’ challenge to write a post on the topic, “Why Mary,” the tender scene at the foot of the Cross, was the first thought that came to my mind. It is, for me, the culmination of Mary’s ‘Yes’ at the Annunciation. She had no idea when she first said ‘fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum’ that she would one day find herself looking up at her Son on a tree of pain and suffering. Nothing could have prepared her for that day, where her own heart would be wrenched in two. No prophecy (like that of Simeon in Luke 2:34-35) could have told her how sharp that sword of sorrow would be, piercing her motherly heart. Yet, there at the Cross, participating in the suffering of her Son, she continued to say:
“Yes”
“Yes”
“Yes”
I believe that it is here, at the foot of the Cross, Mary teaches us the most important lesson for Christian living. Her “Yes” to God has no conditions placed upon it. No strings attached. It is freely given to God, with her recognition that Her life is forfeited to whatever it is God wants.
Why Mary? Whenever I, in giving myself to God, wish that I hadn’t been so generous, it is Mary that tells me, “No, Lisa Marie, be generous with your ‘yes’, no matter what it costs you.” Looking to her example, how can I take back my small offerings when she has made it her life project to fulfill what she began as that young fifteen year old girl, in that first ‘yes’ to God? My prayer is, that I too, may be faithful in my own daily ‘yes’ that continues to build on my vows as a religious, my first fiat, allowing the Lord’s project for my life, to become my own.
Inspice et Fac – What’d you say?!?
These words – Inspice et Fac – are embedded in the mind and heart of every member of the Canossian Family.
Our Foundress, Saint Magdalene of Canossa, wrote in her Memoirs (I.32,34):
Icon of Saint Magdalene, which hangs in St Peter's Basilica - Rome, next to the Altar of St Thomas.
“During Holy Week while reading in a small meditation book the verse “Inspice et fac secundum exemplar”, I experienced an inner stirring, so strong that it remained with me for several days. I felt urged to follow the Crucified Christ but without understanding anything in particular…I believe that it was then that I looked to the virtues of Christ Crucified for inspiration to write the Rules of the Daughters of Charity, that is, of the Institute.”
The passage quoted by St Magdalene refers to Exodus 25:40 – “Inspice et fac secundum exemplar quod tibi in monte monstratum est” – “Look and do according to the example shown to you on the mountain”. She is quoting from a meditation booklet she was using, that placed this passage into a Christian context: look to Christ on the mountain of Calvary for the example for Christian life. Magdalene was taken up with this image, and it became the charismatic intuition to take up Christ Crucified as the model for her, and later on, for the Daughters of Charity-Servants of the Poor.
The heart of our Charism of the Greatest Love comes from the idea, we cannot love our neighbor without first contemplating the “Greatest Love that shines from the Cross”. It is there, contemplating Jesus’ greatest act of love, we learn to be love for others.
Inpice = to gaze upon, steadily look at.
et = and
Fac = do it (imperative)
It is not just a nice sentiment for us. It is an imperative, a must, in the life of every Canossian, to take up our duty of contemplating Christ Crucified, and to learn from him our path of virtue and service. Our Mother Foundress, Magdalene, outlines very clearly the virtues we should be ever willing to embrace in our lives:
Charity- Gentleness
- Meekness
- Humility
- Zeal
- Fortitude
- Most Amiable
- Most Generous
- Most Patient
These can only be learned by taking Christ for our Model. We learn from Him, by daily contemplating Him. Inspice et Fac.
It is the heart of the Canossian way of life.
We learn to love God through our teacher, Jesus.
We learn also to love our neighbor through our teacher, Jesus.
And hopefully, those we serve will desire to do the same. Inpsice et Fac secundum exemplar.
Do You Know What You’re Choosing?
Last week on VP, I took the opportunity to write a post on marriage and a recent experience I had, witnessing a friend give himself to his new bride through the Sacrament of Matrimony.
One of my blogging buddies, and VP contributor, Elizabeth Hillgrove commented on the post, saying, “I love reading a reflection on marriage from your perspective as one in the religious life.”
I commented back a challenge, with a supposed wink, “Thank you, Elizabeth. It would be interesting too, to read a post from you on the ‘possibility of religious life today’.”
And so a brief exchange in posts began. First with an entry here at Ignitum Today by Elizabeth, where she takes a look at religious life through what is probably many people’s view, via movies. Ah, but before I could respond, mutual friend and blogger, Anthony S. Layne, stated“Somebody’s evading …. :^)=) … I’d like to see a post that digs into this a little further … but only if that’s not asking for more than you’re willing to share…In fact, I may post on that myself.”
And post on it, he did. Well worth the read if you haven’t already!
My admiration goes out to Elizabeth for stepping up to Anthony’s challenge, for she wrote a second post on the topic, this one digging a lot deeper, honestly admitting the difficulty of DISCERNMENT. Yes. That’s what it is.
And, what is discernment? We discern every day. That is, we make choices every day, so what makes us go into panic-mode when considering religious life? Ok, so we’re not exactly making a decision about what to eat for dinner; these daily discernments, we know, will not change our life drastically.
One of the biggest difficulties of considering religious life is an emotional barrier. Well, we’re human. We were created for relationships. Elizabeth expresses this reality really well in her post (and oh, how it brings me back to the days when I was floating around the idea in my head of being – do I dare think it – a nun!):
“As I lay in bed, having listened to the sermon (on discernment), I wept. I wept when I became aware of a darkness filling the void where discernment belonged…I ached, a violent, physical pain in my chest, at the idea that choosing a religious vocation meant my children would never exist… I cried thinking about writing letters to my family and friends instead of seeing them… My tears fell because the religious life has rarely been a serious consideration and I realized that meant I had walled up a path to God.”
For me, it was a wanting to know God’s will, while at the same time NOT wanting to know it, because I was afraid I was standing on a precipice, and the next step would bring the world I knew into chaos. Sure, I could rationalize “if it’s God’s will, he will take care of everything.” And of course, I believed that, but my humanity being what it is, still felt a bit uncertain; would I bear up under the pain of separation from family (not to mention a letting go of my independent lifestyle)? I wasn’t sure I was ready for that.
Some good advice I found, which is helpful for whatever decision is before us, we must recognize that our feelings can deceive us. We live in a society that feeds on emotions and, at times, forgets we are rational creatures too. It is best, then, that as we discern the possibility of religious life or priesthood (for you guys out there), we must involve our rationale and not allow our emotions to get the best of us. Our emotions are important, but they can block us from opening up the doors to new opportunities, or, as Elizabeth said, “wall up a path to God.”
That is why religious communities call brief visits by inquirers “come and see” rather than “come and stay.” They are open-ended, with the purpose of such opportunities to help a discerner have a glance at ‘real’ religious life, and help tear down the walls of any preconceived notions of that life (you know, like that of the singing nun and lovely Sister Bertrille, the flying nun). At the same time, no obligations are placed on the inquirer. They may participate in prayer, meals and other communal activities. They may go with a professed to observe them in action in their apostolate, and see if they can find themselves doing the apostolate too. There is time built into these days for the inquirer to ask questions about the community’s life and rule. And there is time for personal prayer.
Prayer is key, both on visits but even more so in our day-to-day life discernments. Before even thinking about religious life, I recommend these things:
- Ask Mary the Mother of God to help you. Consecrate yourself to her Immaculate Heart. Let her guide you where her Son desires. She will not lead you astray.
- Stay close to the Sacraments of reconciliation and communion. These help purify the heart so to hear God better in His word, and to prepare the heart to desire God’s will in our own lives.
- Develop a deeper relationship with God through prayer. Create discipline in your own daily routine that gives time for prayer and meditation (or, try living as a religious in the world as much as you can).
- Act. Go and see. Inquire with communities whose spirituality is close to your own. If you have a spiritual affinity for a saint, what order did she belong to? Are there communities nearby that are of the same religious family?
As a friend of mine who was discerning at the same time as I said, “what are you waiting for? If you don’t like it, you can leave. But at least you can say you tried.”
I tried, hoping I wouldn’t like it. My friend didn’t enter religious life in the end. Fortunately for me, I found myself drawn deeper into the mystery of religious life and persevered.
Is it painful? Do I miss my family? Yes, at times – especially holidays and birthdays – I long to be with them (my first Christmas in the convent deserves a post of its own). Yet, God in his patient love has shown me that he has prepared me all my life for this. He has made me His own, and this has made all the difficulties worth it. Yes, I have found my calling. I have found my path to God.
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Some helpful resources for the discerning soul:
Some inspiration from a hidden pearl of the Church, Saint Magdalene of Canossa, who shares her own discernment of her vocation:
Magdalene became a foundress of a new type of religious life for women of her time (1808) in founding the Figlie della Carità, Serve dei Poveri, known in the States as the Canossian Daughters of Charity, Servants of the Poor (Canossian Sisters).
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Related Posts:
What Moves You to Love Others?
In the first episode of Fr. Barron’s Catholicism project, he makes the point that Jesus is like no other king. He came, not to rule by power and conquest, but by His love. Our Foundress, St Magdalene of Canossa tells her daughters, “God has given you a great gift by giving you a vocation to this Holy Institute of Charity…our principle aim is to love God with all our heart and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.” But the question for us is, “What moves us to love?”, or, what is our motivation in our loving?
In Saint Paul’s famous passage from 1 Corinthians 13:1-3:
If I speak in human and angelic tongues but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.
So, even in doing fantastic things, if not done in love, it is only good in as much as the world can perceive it as such. But. When we manage to do good works for the love of God, even if maybe someone else may manage to do it more perfectly (but without love), the difference between the two motivations determines how much God’s grace can come in and bless the work beyond our own understanding.
What motivates you to love? The answer to this question will open the path of your vocation, and how God wishes you to spend that love.
Our Patron Saints for 2012
Sister Lisa Marie wrote on Twitter:
It's Christmas all over again! Convent tradition, we receive a Patron Saint for the year on New Years-My Patron is Our Lady of Good Counsel.
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Sr Lisa Marie Doty (@Sr_Lisa) January 01, 2012—
Each Sister of our religious community receives a Patron Saint for the year, along with a mandate to pray for an intention of the Church and/or of our Religious Institute. This year’s line-up of Saints is pretty formidable (at the bottom of the post, there is a very helpful Saint Finder that can help you locate a Patron Saint for 2012)!
Sister Teresa received Blessed Cesar de Bus, Founder of the Priests and Sisters of Christian Doctrine, Patron of Catechists (our primary ministry).
“I was so beside myself and fired with such a longing to do something in imitation of him (St Charles Borromeo), that I would not give my eyes sleep or my days rest until I had given some beginning to this resolution of mine.”
Feast Day: April 15
Virtue of Piety.
Pray for our Ministries of Charity: Catechesis, Care of the Sick, Education, Formation of the Laity, and Spiritual Exercises.
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Sister Elisa received Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, Doctor of the Church and Founder of the Redemptorists, Patron of Vocations (God knows we need more workers in the vineyard!).
“It is necessary for you to pray diligently to God to make you know his will as to what state he wants you in. But take notice that to have this light, you must pray to him with indifference…if you entreat him with indifference and resolution to follow his will, God will make you know clearly what state is better for you.”
Feast Day: August 1
Virtue of Humility.
Pray for the increase of Holy Vocations to our Religious Institute.
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Sister Felicity received Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church and Refoundress of the Discalced Carmelites, Patron of Religious and of Headache Sufferers.
“Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one Glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.”
Feast Day: October 15
Virtue of Fortitude.
Pray for renewal of the Canossian Religious Institute to its original fervor and Foundress Saint Magdalene of Canossa’s intention.
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Sister Jenny received Saint Cajetan, Founder of the Theatines, and was known for his concern for the corruption of priests, and for the sick in hospitals. He is the Patron of the Unemployed.
“Do not receive Christ in the Blessed Sacrament so that you may use him as you judge best, but give yourself to him and let him receive you in this Sacrament, so that he himself, God your saviour, may do to you and through you whatever he wills.”
Feast Day: August 7
Virtue of Faith in Divine Providence.
Pray for the Protection of the Church against scandal and corruption.
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Lastly, Sister Lisa Marie’s Patron Saint is Our Lady of Good Counsel, whose image is linked to a mystical appearance of a painting in the town of Genazzano, Italy on the Feast of Saint Luke (April 25). She is the Patron of those seeking clarity/enlightenment.
O Mary of Good Counsel, inflame the hearts of all who are devoted to you, so that all of them have shelter in you, O great Mother of God. O most worthy Lady, let everyone choose you as teacher and wise counselor of their souls, since you are, as Saint Augustine says, the counsel of the Apostles and counsel of all peoples. Amen.
Feast Day. April 26
Virtue of Prudence
Pray for the Provincial Council of North America and for the Institute’s General Council.
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And so begins our New Year, flanked by our Patron Saints, along with our Institute’s protectors:
Saint Michael the Archangel, Pray for Us!
Saint Francis of Assisi, Pray for Us!
Saint Cajetan, Pray for Us!
Servant of God, Sister Fernanda Riva (FdCC) Pray for Us!
Servant of God, Sister Luigia Grassi (FdCC) Pray for Us!
Saint Josephine Bakhita (FdCC) Pray for Us!
Saint Magdalene of Canossa, Our Mother Foundress, Pray for Us!
Mary, Our Mother of Sorrows at the Foot of the Cross, Pray for Us!
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Now, it’s your turn! Have you chosen a Patron Saint for 2012? If you need help, you might want to try Jennifer Fulwiler’s Saint Generator. Offer a prayer to the Lord, asking Him to provide you a Saint companion for this year. When you are ready, go here. Be prepared to be pleasantly surprised.
And, we would love to hear who your Patron for 2012 is, so report back to us in the comments, or tweet us!
Blessed New Year everyone! Let us start off right, and let the Lord and our Saints take every step with us!
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This post is cross-posted at Sr Lisa Marie’s blog.
Must We Love Each Other Equally?
Sr Lisa Marie had the opportunity to meet with Fr. Jason Vidrine‘s middle school class in Louisiana (via Skype), to discuss religious life. She expanded on her lesson over at Ignitum Today and we share it here:
After briefly introducing myself and why I became a sister, the floor was opened up for them to ask questions. One wanted to know what I do for fun. Another wanted to know how many times a day my community prays together. Then came a very interesting question,
“Do you like all your sisters equally?”
Wow. what a question!!
And it is an important one. There wasn’t time to discuss this question at length, outside looking at community life being similar to life in our families. I asked the class, “Do you like all your brothers and sisters equally?” To which I could pan across the room at the faces and see they were not all that sure they did. Naturally, we have siblings we get along with better than others, while other siblings can get on our nerves a bit more. And, also like a family, community must strive to include all, and to love all, especially the ones least likable. The family – and religious community – is where we put the Gospel into practice, “love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 13:34).
Today, as I was thinking about my conversation with these inquisitive mid-schoolers, I was reminded of some recent writing on monastic friendship through the eyes of Aelred of Rievaulx. To understand what true friendship is, one first understand what charity is.
To understand charity, Aelred speaks of love in three parts:
attraction (natural impression made in our mind by person or object);
intention (inclination of our will towards person or object); and
fruition (result of this act of the will by which we enjoy the result of this act of the will).
Since man is corrupted by original sin, it is possible for each of these three parts of love to be flawed. Man can be attracted to the wrong object, or in wrong proportion to it or other objects. Love, when any of these three parts are corrupted – moving us to love wrongly – ceases to be love and becomes cupidity instead (and sin enters into the picture).
Aelred uses these distinctions, looking at love and cupidity to distinguish between true friendship (which comes from right loving) and false friendships (based on some imperfect or corrupt love). In this way, he defines friendship as a perfect form of love, even when we consider our enemies whom we are called to love.
Taking this brief (and most inadequate summary of Aelred’s teaching!), we can take a look at the mid-schooler’s question, “Do you like all your sisters equally?” Based on attraction, we are naturally attracted to some more than others, just because some are easier to like than others. Based on intention, we do intend to love all of our sisters because we know the Gospel calls us to this ideal. The fruit – or quality – of our community life is manifested by how we choose to love. Where we sincerely strive to love each sister, we find a richness in our community life; rather, when we consciously choose to treat each one according to our attraction, our community life is fragmented, and does not portray the love of Christ as brightly.
Our foundress, Saint Magdalene of Canossa, in speaking on Canossian religious life, encourages us to live out a perfect love of charity in her words, “Union of heart and love among sisters is one of the distinguishing characteristics of the Institute.” These words also reflect Jesus’ priestly prayer, “ut unim sint” – that they may be one. Both of these ideas are only possible though, if our love is like that of our example in Christ, “love one another, as I have loved you.” And our living in community in whatever form that takes – religious life, family, married life – has all the tools it needs for success.
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Taken from the book, Spiritual Friendship, by Aelred of Rievaulx
An Interview with 9 a Nine Year Old (Emily)
We had the pleasure of receiving a series of questions from nine year old Emily, the daughter of twitter friend @Jimi971. Sister Lisa Marie shares her answers to the ‘interview’ with our readers:
What is your convent called?
Each of our Convents are named after either Christ, Mary or a Saint. Our Convent here in Sacramento is named Our Lady of Lourdes, in honor our Blessed Mother as she appeared to Bernadette (Your favorite saint!). Our Province (there are 18 provinces in the world – ours includes the US, Mexico and Canada) name is Cristo Rey (Christ the King).How many Sisters are there?
Currently, we are 5 here in our Sacramento community. It is really a small convent (but wonderful!). When we have young women visit, we have a pull-out bed in the parlor. Some of our convents have as many as 45 or 50 Sisters! Like our houses in East Timor, Indonesia and Italy. Overall, we are about 3800 Canossian Sisters world-wide.Do you have to stay in a convent? How often can you leave?
We go out from the Convent nearly every day to do our works of charity. Here in Sacramento, all five of us work in Catechesis in the Diocesan parishes. We also have the opportunity to visit our families. Our missionaries go home every 4-5 years. Sometimes, when a family member is sick, a Sister has permission for an extended stay/visit with her family.How do you have fun?
Each of us have hobbies we enjoy. Mine are: Rosary making, graphic design, writing, reading, video making (you can check out my videos on youtube), and photography. I like talking to the youth of our parish, and taking walks. We work really hard each day (see our schedule below), and some of us don’t return from our ministries until after 9:30 at night. So while we are catching a bite to eat when everyone is home, we talk about the things that happened during the day in our ministries, so we can rejoice in the Lord’s working in our lives, and share in the prayer for those we serve. Two nights a week we have recreation together. Many times we work on our projects (rosaries, knitting, crossword puzzles) and talk about things that are important to us. We do have a television, reserved for watching the news together at 10pm (followed by night prayer and bed), and on occasion, we review movies that we are considering using with our youth or young adults in our ministries.What order are you in?
Our religious order is officially called Figlie della Carità Canossiane (FdCC), which translated is Canossian Daughters of Charity. Our Foundress, Saint Magdalene of Canossa began the Institute in 1808, with a few followers out of the abandoned Convent of Saint Joseph’s in Verona, Italy. You can read more about her here. She also founded the Canossian Sons of Charity (brothers and priests), and the Lay Canossians (our tertiaries of lay men and women, both single and married).How often do you pray?
Jesus desired that we ‘pray always’ (Luke 18:1), and the tradition of the Church has seven times of prayer a day to honor Jesus, and call our minds back to Him. Saint Magdalene desired that we pray seven times a day, using the seven sorrows of Mary (because Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, is the example for our lives of trust in God). Traditionally, our communities would stop their work seven times a day, to stand with Mary in her sorrow, to refocus our attention on her Son, Jesus. We try to keep this same intention now, even though our rule – following Vatican II – specifies only two fixed times of prayer: (1) Lauds (morning prayer) and (2) Vespers (evening prayer). By Canon Law we are required to pray these two times. However, our community also prays at (3) 11:30am (before lunch), as well as our (4) personal rosary and (5) night prayer (compline). We also have (6 & 7) two times of quiet meditation each day (usually 30 minutes in the morning, and 30 minutes at night). The highest moment of prayer for us each day is the (8) Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. On Fridays, we also pray a rosary together for Vocations, and often meditate together on the Stations of the Cross. Besides these times of prayer, we also make private visits to the Chapel to spend time with our Lord. You can read about our daily life here.Who is your favorite Saint? (mine is St. Bernadette)
My all-time favorite Saint is St Teresa of Avila. She is my inspiration for becoming a nun, and I still look to her for wisdom in living out my vocation, especially in growing in my prayer life with God Alone! :)How old were you when you decided to become a Nun?
The first time I thought I might like to be a nun, I was 17. I made a final decision to follow this path as a religious when I was 28. Now that I know what a beautiful life it is to belong to the Lord, if I could choose all over again, I would have followed my first thought when I was 17!Why did you become a Nun?
In a way, religious life isn’t something we choose, but that is chosen for us by God. God gives the gift of vocation to religious life to many, but not everyone who receives this gift responds. I would like to rephrase your question and ask, “Why did I respond to God’s gift and become a Nun?” I’ll give an example to explain. I remember as a young girl, waiting for Christmas, and anticipating what gift I would receive. I had desires of what I might like to have, but sometimes, my mother chose a different present for me. At first when I opened the gift, I didn’t appreciate what she chose; but very quickly – every time – I realized how much better she had chosen for me than I could have chosen for myself. I think this is a good analogy for religious life. God knows what is best, and He put this ‘gift’ – this call – to religious life inside of me from the time I was born. Through my life, I had to learn to appreciate what he chose for me before I could really see that it is the best life I could have for myself, and respond by accepting his ‘gift’. It was only in understanding God’s love for me, and that others needed to know of his love too, that I had a deep desire to follow Jesus and be His spouse, united to Him in his work. Jesus works through religious and priests to make the love of the Father known. It is a challenging life, but it makes me very happy to belong to God as a nun.Thank you, Emily, for asking such beautiful questions! If anyone else has a question they would like to add to Emily’s, we will be very happy to respond to them here! God bless!
Religious Freedom must be Defended
On April 12th, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released an update Our First, Most Cherished Liberty. The twelve page statement reminds us how historically religious of all denominations have exercised their faith in the public square for the benefit and service to the marginalized and the poor. The statement also warns us of what can happen if we do not defend the right to act according to conscience:
We need, therefore, to speak frankly with each other when our freedoms are threatened. Now is such a time. As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we address an urgent summons to our fellow Catholics and fellow Americans to be on guard, for religious liberty is under attack, both at home and abroad.
This has been noticed both near and far. Pope Benedict XVI recently spoke about his worry that religious liberty in the United States is being weakened. He called it the “most cherished of American freedoms”—and indeed it is. All the more reason to heed the warning of the Holy Father, a friend of America and an ally in the defense of freedom, in his recent address to American bishops:
“Of particular concern are certain attempts being made to limit that most cherished of American freedoms, the freedom of religion. Many of you have pointed out that concerted efforts have been made to deny the right of conscientious objection on the part of Catholic individuals and institutions with regard to cooperation in intrinsically evil practices. Others have spoken to me of a worrying tendency to reduce religious freedom to mere freedom of worship without guarantees of respect for freedom of conscience.
Here once more we see the need for an engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong critical sense vis-à-vis the dominant culture and with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the Church’s participation in public debate about the issues which are determining the future of American society.”
Representing the Sacramento Diocese, our own Reverend Bishop Jaime Soto is a member of the administrative committee that approved the USCCB statement, and encourages us within the Diocese to do our part:
”The notion that our faith can no longer define our works is a threat to the grace we bring in the name of Christ. It will inhibit our ability to be ‘doers of the Word.” (James 1:22). The bishop urges the Catholic faithful to join the Catholic Legislative Network at www.cacatholic.org and communicate with the White House and congressional representatives to urge a clear definition of religious employer.
Let us do our part.
Inform yourself.
We can begin by making ourselves more aware of how our religious liberty is threatened. Go to the Religious Liberty page of the USCCB website, and read about it. Bishop Soto also encourages the faithful to read the latest Catholic Herald special report on Religious Freedom.
Get involved.
- Share this post with your friends and family, and ask them to do the same with others they know.
- Know who your elected representatives are, and write to them about your concerns.
- Go to the USCCB action center and see what petitions regarding religious pending need your help.
Mark your calendar.
- June 9, 2012 – Eucharistic procession on the Feast of Corpus Christi, following the 5pm vigil celebration at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. Bishop Soto will personally lead the procession, with stations of adoration along the way.
- June 21 – July 4 – A Fortnight for Freedom, the fourteen days from June 21—the vigil of the Feasts of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More—to July 4, Independence Day, be dedicated to this “fortnight for freedom”—a great hymn of prayer for our country.
And pray. We must pray daily for our Bishops and the religious leaders of all denominations that they will be united in the defense of religious liberty in our nation. We must pray for wisdom to know what to do, and for the courage to stand firm in our faith.
May we turn to Mary, who acted with her own free will and became the Mother of God, intercede for us.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
you have given the world its true light,
Jesus, your Son – the Son of God.
You abandoned yourself completely
to God’s call
and thus became a wellspring
of the goodness which flows
forth from him.
Show us Jesus. Lead us to him.
Teach us to know and love him,
so that we too can become
capable of true love
and be fountains of living water
in the midst of a thirsting world.
(DCE, 42)
