Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies

Interesting scripture reading today. Wheat, grapes the ultimate sacrifice. What am I willing to die for? Have you ever had to think about that?

I remember when I was in St. Lucia and the US ships were seen going toward Grenada and we heard the Cubans were coming to St. Lucia. Some of my American friends said get home and not in such polite words. the Sisters I was with said are you going to leave us? I just couldn't leave and was prepared to stay no matter what. the Cubans didn't come. At least I was willing.

We don't know the hour Jesus will ask us to lay down our life for another.

I believe it is only through suffering we learn to deal with letting go which is needed before we can give our life to another.

Had you ever thought of your mother did that when you were born. she had no assurances it was going to go well.

This is the last week of lent and I think a little dying to self for another wouldn't hurt all that much. I sure will make our Easter more meaningful.

How do you deal with those with a disability?

Today on TV I watched a young girl born with no legs and only one arm compete in a swimming contest. She hopes to win to go to France to compete. It brought back good memories of a woman I worked with in Marshfield who had surgery to remove the bottom half of her body.
the doctor asked me to help her adjust to the change. she was born with spina bifida which resulted in cancer. She couldn't walk so dragged her legs around. the surgery brought her relief and a faster way to get around.
She didn't need the help to deal with this the rest of us did. She was well adjusted. Some nurses had a hard time and asked if she was a person since she would loose half of her body. She didn't loose her soul.

Some couldn't take care of her as they got too upset with her calm ways. Some had to deal with their own body image. Betty brought much healing to others. she has cone made which her body fit in so she could sit which she never could do before. She has had a little flat platform with wheels which she scooted about on.

Accepting her was very hard for alot of people. She became a dear friend to me and was a delight to know. She was editor of her local paper, wrote poetry and generally loved life.

It brought to my mind all those experiences and the hard time many had adapting to her disability and to know she helped them.

We can learn alot from those who seem to have a disability. Maybe we without a disability have the most disability in seeing not the soul of the other.

Faith is to be shared

The morning readings in my prayer dealt with faith as a gift knowing we have a choice to believe. Faith is a gift. I don't often think of it as that and take time to thank God for the gift of faith. I really don't know how I would do life without it.

Faith although is a gift it is not a private thing. It is not for me and God type of relationship. Our model is God who is so self-giving. Faith entails the responsibility to share the good news of God's love revealed daily in our lives if we only look and see.

I admit today I had a little frustration with a situation in which  someone I believed in by their behavior showed they were not what I believed them to be.

 I prayed for guidance for this person and for those whose life were affected. It is always sad when things turn out this way. We are responsible for how we act not just what we say. God give me the wisdom to see your presence in this experience as well.

service to the poor who is really poor

In ministry we are to provide service to those in need or the poor. A couple of us go to an Assisted living once a month and provide bingo for the residents.

Yesterday I went and sat by an elderly lady who had her head down and the first part of the game didn't seem to be aware of what was going on. They all win prizes when they bingo. When asked what she wanted as a prize she didn't say anything so we gave her a prize. Mid game she whispered to me I like potato chips so chips we gave her. Mid game she took my hand into hand and held it very tight rubbed the back of my hand as if she was comforting me. I said who is the real poor. She made me feel special to her and she even smiled a couple of times as she rubbed my hand. 

I left feeling special and cared for. I gained much more than what I gave. She was totally present to me.

Thank you God for the experience of her ministering to me.

Now I ask do we really always know who the poor are?

God's Vision all be saved

Today in the scripture reading we are told "Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life"

We are so fortunate we live in a country that gives us the opportunity to know Jesus and to believe. Some places in the world still are without knowing of Jesus, yet if you study them you will know they do have some belief in God. It may not be the same as ours but it is there all the same.

Now we have choices. Scripture further says if we choose to do evil things that is our choice. I am so glad God wants us all to be with Him now and in life here after.

I was thinking today in my interactions with others and myself do I act like I believe this? Do I treat myself in the way God would treat me or do I not give myself time to play as well as pray, both of these activities are key to contemplation.

This week take a little time for yourself, the others will still be there. Is it selfish well the guide is Love others as I love myself. Share the joy.

Why personal conversion

Some asked me why I said yesterday belonging to a muticultural community is an apportunity for my  personal conversion.  

Being involved with multicultural Sisters who belong to the same community as I do, working toward communial goals, living and working with each other, sharing in ministry, prayer and discernment causes one to examine and be honest about feelings toward the other.

I had such an experience living with two US Sisters of Polish heritage. I believe they wont mind I share this experience. Now those of you who know me know I dont pay much attention to how my clothes match or if they do. I have been working on that to learn more of what goes with what. One day in the kitchen I said to one Sister (polish heritage) do I look okay or do I look Polish? Out of the bathroom came comment what did you just say. I said oh my where did that come from. When it was brought to my attention I realized this was a cultural predijuce statement. Where did I learn that?
Where I grew up in Northeastern wisconsin we often talked about the dumb polacks, shared polish jokes and the like. I really didnt realize how that became part of how I viewed those of polish heritage.

Another example of what I learned growing up at home was negative attitudes toward American Indians. In my SSM community we have two American Indians. I have a choice not to put those attitudes on them as well and  get to experience them as  co-partners on the journey.

These are only two examples of experiences within my own US area. I have had many more experiences where I have been faced with addressing my own orginal sin of predjuice.

I have the gift of sharing religious life with those with other cultures who have accepted God's call to further the Gospel in the SSM's congregation

The Gospel calls  us to be counter-cultural but we cant do so unless somewhere on the journey we get to know how we are accepting the things we learned or what current society is teaching us that has us acting on our predjuical beliefs.

I thank God I have the opportunity for personal conversion in this area.

I am sure if you think about this you too can identify persons with whom you are involved that can lead to your own letting go of some of your pre-conceived ideas and belief about those who appear different than you. Pray God to help you also to have a personal conversion experience.  

Beauty of God encountered

We are made in the image and likeness of God. Wow

I just had the privilege of sharing 4 days with some of the Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother from the US.Caribbean province. We had a meeting in Milwaukee near the airport to plan for the next 5 years and to select 9 Sisters to represent us at a meeting in fall in Rome, Italy.

We are so blessed to be multicultural province. Together we Sisters from Belize, Guyana, Dominican Republic, Germany, Switzerland, Columbia, St. Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad, various parts of the US, Philippines, and  Korea, together planned and set forth suggestions for our community for the next 5 years.

We are all called by God to reflect God's presence to others and to ourselves.

I enjoyed meeting friends who live afar who I have not seen lately. It was blessed and good weekend.

Level of trust was evident as we surfaced the hard issues.

I thank God for being called to of being a member of a international community. This not only allows me to experience God in a variety of expressions but also calls me to inner conversion, a challenge to address my way of thinking and believing and a chance to engage another way of thinking and believing.

Praise God