Why I Love November 1

 

I love November 1!

I think I have loved it since I have been a kid, but really I am only starting to grasp it

more and more as I age.

Why do I love November 1?        It is All Saints Day!

What is there not to love about the saints? Ordinary men, women  and children who struggled with life at times, who were sinners, who gave all they could, who tried each day to be the best they could be, who tried to reflect Christ in their actions and words and when they failed (like we do) they tried again. What is there not to love about that? Remember they did not get their halos until after they died!

I have carried an anonymous quote around with me for years that says:

Saints are saints, because they are cheerful when it is difficult to be cheerful; patient when it is difficult to be patient; because they push forward when they want to stand still; they keep silent when they want to talk; they are agreeable when they want to be disagreeable. That’s all. It’s really quite simple.

 

I love this quote for it reminds me to keep my focus on Christ. It is not about being a pushover, or boasting, or being dull. No, it is all about being a reflection of Christ in all that I do.

This past week in one of my classes, one of my classmates said this about our journey:

We are called not be of our time, but to be of Christ.

Again another reflection of how we are called to be saints. We are called not to get caught up in the fixings of everything that is presented to us, rather we are called to keep focused on Christ to utilize those fixings. So we can help heal our corner of our broken world, to be cheerful, patient, a do-er, a listener, a supporter, to have an attitude of thanksgiving, to have a being-attitude.

And again this past week a priest remind us at Mass:

Thanksgiving should shape who we are.

 

Again the saints shine through with this thought and so can we. We are called to give thanks to God always, to realize that God is present in all parts of our life. The priest also reminded us that in the word thanksgiving is the word give. We are called to give. How do we give of ourselves? How do we give to build the kingdom?

This leads me to the gospel for All Saint Day which is the Beatitudes. Their message is the challenge to live a life of being, to work at our call to sainthood. Being agents of goodness, of change, of kindness, being who God created us to be.

As the Beatitudes remind us we are blessed, no matter who we are, where we are, what we do. God loves us that much, for we are all Saints in the making.

And that my friends, is why I love November 1!

Holy Saints,

Help us to walk with Christ,

Help us to be ourselves, the gift that we each are,

Help us to claim our blessedness.

We give you thanks for your great witness and inspiration.

You help point the way to Christ, so we may drawer near.

Thank you.

Amen.

As November unfolds, I encourage you to find a saint or several saints and read about them, and pray with them, maybe 1 a week, or one every couple of days. Something I do each night is I end with a prayer to a saint for the day. I like that I get to connect with the great company of heaven. I hope you will too. Don't forget to pray for our deceased loved ones during this month of Holy Souls, they too are counted among the saints.

St. Michael...

St. Francis…

St. Br. Andre…

St. Clare…

St. Kateri…

St. Elizabeth…

All Holy Men and Women…

                                                            Pray for us

What Do You Choose?

 

October 24 is the feast day for St. Anthony Mary Claret. He was born and lived in Spain from 1807-1870.

He was a priest, who preached missions and retreats, became Archbishop of Cuba, and was also the confessor of Queen Isabella II. He is the founder of a religious order of priests and brothers called the Claretians.  There are approximately 3,000 men in 63 countries. Their focus is social justice causes in the local communities.

I recently read this quote from St. Anthony:

Choose now what you would wish

to have chosen at life’s end.

This is a powerful reminder of the gift of choice God has freely given us. It reminded me to look at what I am choosing and how I live out my day. Each day I challenge myself to live like Christ, to radiate him into the world. Each night I reflect back on my day and find the ways and places that Christ was a part of my day, hopefully seeing a connection. This quote also really got me thinking about choices, the choices I make each day and if they are choices for life and embracing the gift of God in me.

As these thoughts have been dancing in and out of my mind amongst other thoughts connected to papers for class and responsibilities here I pondered what am I choosing now that will last.

I choose:

Faith in God

Prayer

Hope

Gratitude

Kindness

Joy

Trusting More

Worrying Less

Embracing Who I Am

Serving and Helping Others

Celebrating God’s Goodness

Taking Time for Solitude

Taking Time with Loved Ones

Learning More

Being Open, Life-Giving and Passionate

I guess when I consider what would or could be said about me at my funeral, I would hope these choices I try to make would be easily identified and would help tell my story.

Thank you Saint Anthony Claret for your wisdom.

Thank you for the reminder to live making good choices each day.

 

What do you choose today? What do you choose that will be celebrated at your life’s end?

 

 

 

Food, Music, Alone & Community: God in the Mix

Being a Franciscan means that I live in community. In fact community was one of the drawing cards that was a key part of my discernment. Over the past two and half years I have lived in 4 different communities. Living in that many different communities can be draining at times, but it does help you appreciate the life journey of others and the simple things that can bring one joy and enter into community life renewed and hopeful. Now that I have been in this community for about seven weeks I am feeling more settled and at home, but I am aware that it will stay take time to appreciate it all. I have heard stats that it takes 3-6 months to truly feel at home.

Feeling at home is key and as much as community life was a drawing card it is also challenging. Like any family there are times of give and take, there are frustrating moments, rewarding moments, moments that slip by and other moments that help you grow. There are also those moments that ground you, give you strength and encourage you. Sometimes those moments are when you are by yourself.

Yesterday was one of those moments and a moment that helped me realize again that is God at work in my life and also the gift of community.

At one point I was actually alone in our house. This is a very rare occurrence when you live in community. It was this being alone that set into motion the realization of God at work and the gift of community.

While I was alone I turned on the stereo that plays in the kitchen and dining room (a first time for me since I got here). I found a great music station and let the right kind of music loft to gently fill the rooms. As the music played I set the table for our community meal. I then decided to call my parents to just to say hello. There is just something about music playing and a dining room that makes me think of home. As I was on the phone my Friar Brothers began to return home from their various commitments. I really wasn’t alone for that long. They came in and out of the kitchen and no one said anything about the music or turned it off and then I was left alone again to do some food preparation for supper. I love cooking with good music on in the background. I think it makes the food taste better! As I was enjoying the music and preparing Brothers soon started to congregate in the kitchen, some to enjoy a drink and an appetizer, others to finish off meal preparations. We began discussing the day, news events and still the music lofted in the background. I continued to do food prep, we continued to talk and when the volume of the conversation grew I simply slipped out of the room and faded the music away.

It was in these moments that were both therapeutic and rewarding that I was reminded that I had asked God to remind that God is Emmanuel – ‘God With Us’. Indeed God did, with some alone time, music, conversation, and then community coming together again. There are always gifts (I need to remember these when community life is challenging). God is always present. I am grateful for the richness of these blessings and how they have filled me up to continue on the journey of the week ahead. Interesting how being alone can make you appreciate the gift of community and time with community can make one appreciate the gift of being alone. God indeed loves to share blessings. I am grateful.

I hope in your week ahead you can find the right mix of alone time and community (whatever that mix of people may be). I also hope you can find the right music to gently fill your rooms as you prepare a meal. I promise the food will taste even better! God is indeed in the mix!

Giving Thanks

On this Thanksgiving Day, I share with you a beautiful Litany of Thanksgiving I discovered. It is written by Fr. Peter John Cameron, O.P. It is a wonderful reflection of life and all our blessings. As we give thanks to God for all that we have, let us be mindful that so many of our brothers and sisters do not have plenty and are hurting. What can we do to help them and allow them to be thankful as well?

Litany of Thanksgiving

    We thank you, O Lord.

This is a day to thank God for all his many blessings in our lives.

With gratitude we now pray in thanksgiving.

For the love of God, for faith, family and friends…

 

For joys, successes, achievements and accomplishments…

 

For health, safety, work and rest…

 

For struggles, sorrows and trials…

 

For our jobs, for those who support us, for education and

for chances to serve…

 

For gifts, talents, abilities, for honors, for strength and energy…

 

For our homes, for food, warmth, and shelter,

for all the things that make us happy…

For hobbies and pets, for happy memories, for our favorite things,

for leisure and relaxation…

 

For our nation, for freedom and peace, for those who lead by example…

 

For the ability to say ‘I’m sorry’, for the forgiveness of others,

for the generosity of others…

For good advice, for the trust others put in us, for tenderness,

understanding and compassion…

For kindness, goodness, joy, and laughter…

 

For all the wonders of creation, for beauty, music, sports and art…

 

For new opportunities and second chances…

 

For all the ways we have grown and become better people…

 

For renewed hope and fulfilled dreams, for the providence

and protection of heaven…

For the gift of life…

The Dawning of Thanksgiving Day 2015. Amazing!

 

Celebrating the Feast of St. Francis 2015

October Third and Fourth are special days

we celebrate St. Francis and his life ways.

The photos tell of our journey as we prepared and celebrated

together we rejoiced with all God created.

 

Fall is the air and all creation is in full splendor,

The chapel is ready for the big celebration,

Cleaning is done all tidy and neat,

We are ready for our friends and neighbours to meet,

Delicious treats prepared to share,

 

And of course we honor beloved St. Clare,

Music is practiced and we are ready to sing,

All creation joins in and let their voices ring,

We gathered together in prayer,

 

And with good friends we did share,

 

The blessings of St. Francis and the gift of this day,

This marks the end of Day 1 of the Feast but there is more on the way.

We awaken refreshed and begin with prayer,

We gathered with pets to bless them, which is not rare,

 

The table is made ready for Friars to gather round,

First to the Chapel for Mass we abound,

 

We then sat down to a delicious feast,

 

And my dear niece did not miss out, she created these treats,

(sure wish I could have had one!! Yummy!)

And so concludes another Feast Day,

blessings of peace and all good to guide your way.

 

Amen.