1 Franciscan Way

          On Palm Sunday, April 13, 2014, I renewed my vows for the first time with 16 other junior professed Sisters. It took me back to August 14 th at my first profession, saying the words for the first time and placing my hands into those of Mother M. Regina Pacis. Our lives are consecrated and lived through the vows, not simply for their own sake, but for the sake of others. As a Community each Sister has the responsibility to live individually and yet together this way of life as the Body of Christ.  When each junior professed sister renewed her vows, and as I did it myself, it was beautiful to recall that image of the Body of Christ and to allow Him to lead me each day wherever He desires His merciful love to be made visible.

                As first year novices we spend quite a bit of time learning, reading, and praying about our three vows.  So far, I have focused more of my time outside class on the vows of poverty and chastity.  It has been a great blessing to deepen my understanding of God’s call for me to live in intimate union with Him – loving Him before all others and above all else, and seeing everything (and everyone) else as a gift from Him.  I have been able to recognize more His great love for me in the gift of my vocation and all the many gifts He gives me each day of my life.                 That was a rather long introduction to the point of this post.  I am supposed to be writing about a Lenten grace.  When I was praying about how God was calling me to fast and pray this Lent, He seemed to be saying, “Okay, what are you waiting for?  It’s time to think about that third...

At first when I started thinking of a Lenten grace to write about I could not think of anything.  After all, I have not had any visions, been healed of a disease or worked any miracles!  But then I thought about the greatest grace imaginable, the grace of falling deeper in love with the One Who has called me to be His.  This has been His gift to me this Lent; the gift of knowing in a deeper way that I am His and He is mine.  The gift of falling more in love with our Eucharistic God, Who even as I write this and you read this, is waiting for us, waiting to shower His love on us.  Not in some generic spring shower way, but a torrential downpour on each of our souls.  This Lent Jesus has let me experience, even if it was just a little, His presence in the Holy Eucharist.  His gift to me has been Himself and now I am trying to give Him in return what He is longing for:  my whole being.  I pray that all of us will come to see the immense gift o...

Lent, a time of prayer, penance, and fasting, has been filled with many graces.  This Lent was busy with many different activities, but at the root of it has been Christ.  He has shown His Face in the people I have met and served.  He has spoken through my Sisters, visitors and the time spent in silence before the Blessed Sacrament with His peace.                 Graces can be so apparent and other times so hidden.  In this Lenten journey Christ has poured so many graces, too numerous to count or even share.  He has spoken through scripture to share that He comes for all of us.  Even in the difficult moments when we barely recognize ourselves, He is waiting for us, for me, for you at the well thirsting for your love.  He has shown us through the blind man that wonder of being able to see Christ and the world anew when we say yes daily in our little self denials.  The bl...

These next few days some of the novices will share about a Lenten grace they have received.                               What echoes in my mind this Passion Sunday is, “if you knew the gift” (John 4:10) which Jesus spoke to the woman at the well.  If I only knew the gift.  Like the woman I thought I could grasp what Jesus had in store, but I now find myself in awe.                 This Lent God has opened my heart to see, ever more than before, the depth of His spousal love for me, His abandonment to my yes.  In short, the Gift He wishes to offer, His very Heart, He offers to me, awaiting my response, the abandonment of my ways, my fears.  Then, upon consuming Him in the Eucharist, He may consume me so that we may become one flesh.  He has shown me His Gift, so that I can be completely given.

May the peace of Christ descend upon you! Can you believe it?  Can you believe that tomorrow we enter into the holiest of weeks?  Are you ready? Perhaps you have been so busy that Lent has just “passed you by” and now it is Palm Sunday.  Perhaps you anticipate this week with great awe.  Perhaps you are fighting the temptation to think you just failed all of Lent with your resolutions, so why try now.  I write at this time to encourage you to begin again.  Regardless of what your Lent experience has been thus far, Jesus is inviting you to accompany Him this week.  If you are discouraged, remember, resolutions not fulfilled remind us that we are indeed weak and need Jesus.  We need Him.  I need Him.  I need His grace to respond in charity.  I need His mercy so to give mercy to my neighbor, my Sister, my friend.  I need His love to restore my dignity.  Jesus invites you and me to be with Him these days.  He ...

When I was on homevisit several years ago I had a once in a lifetime experience.  I was in the kitchen and I heard my niece who was under two years old crying in the back room.  My sister comes to get me.  She tells me that my niece is requesting me to do something.  What?  Yep, she is crying because she wants ME to change her diaper.  She does not want her mom to do it or grandma, but me.  Now, how many of you have been chosen to change a dirty diaper?  My niece finally calmed down when I arrived on the scene to do what she wanted.  I do not know why she wanted me to do it, but I was the chosen one. As we get ready to enter into Holy Week, do you know who you want to cleanse your soul?  Each one of us is in need of mercy.  Do you and I recognize the "dirt" in our heart?  I am in need of a Savior who will wash me clean.  Are you as adamant and determined as my niece in knowing Who you want to help you?  Go to Jesus ...