84

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Anna, elderly, generosity, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, mother, perseverance, steadfast women, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, widow, women

In today’s gospel, Luke chronicles the day on which Jesus was taken to the temple by his parents “to present him to the Lord” as was prescribed by the religious law. For each of the characters the story holds great importance. As young parents, Joseph and Mary must have felt pride in addition to their love of their child, Jesus – especially when Simeon and Anna – two long-lived “residents” of the temple – recognized Jesus as “the long-awaited one.” For Mary, the elation must have been short-lived, however, when Anna spoke of the sword of sorrow that would pierce Mary’s motherly heart because of who Jesus was to become. I often see this as a great narrative to be expanded and staged, but today I was immediately focused on Anna.

The Scriptures describe Anna as having lived seven years with her husband and then as a widow to the age of 84. I am statistically one of the “younger” Sisters in my religious community and have the privilege of sharing life with many women in their 80s and 90s. (Next month Sister Frances, very special to our local community, will celebrate her 100th birthday!). I often comment on the fact that I have had six significant people in my life who are all the same age and are 15 years older than I am. At this moment, I realize today, the four that remain on earth are 84 years old. All six have been dedicated to God in one way or another: 3 religious Sisters, 2 married women and one who has lived “the single life.” While quite diverse, they have all taught me lessons of perseverance and generosity of life for which I will always be grateful.

Let us all praise those steadfast women in our lives and give thanks to God for their good example!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It’s Our Turn

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change, defeat, discouraged, fail, failures, Genesis, Joseph, Meg Wheatley, mercy, mistakes, perseverance, slavery, stuck, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, unconditional love

Today’s first reading from the Book of Genesis tells the story of world-wide famine and the fact that Joseph, the boy whose brothers had sold him into slavery, used the power he had gained as governor of Egypt to feed starving people everywhere. It’s when his brothers appear before him that Joseph has his most important moment. It’s one of the great mercy stories of the Hebrew Scriptures and has many lessons to teach. (GEN 41-42)

Most of us won’t have the opportunity to sit in such a place of power and decide whether to be merciful or vengeful to those who have harmed us but we would be wise to practice unconditional love on a daily basis so we will assure our ability to act toward others as God would act when tests of our “mercy quotient” arise. Meg Wheatley had some comforting words this morning for the times when I – and all of us – are not as successful in life as we would hope to be.

When we fail, which of course we often will, we don’t have to feel discouraged. Instead, we can look into our mistakes and failures for the valuable learnings they contain. And we can be open to opportunities and help that present themselves, even when they’re different from what we thought we needed. We can follow the energy of “Yes!” rather than accepting defeat or getting stuck in a plan.

This is how the world always changes. Everyday people not waiting for someone else to fix things or come to their rescue, but simply stepping forward, working together, figuring out how to make things better.

Now it’s our turn. (Perseverance, p.13)

 

 

 

 

 

Fathers

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ancestry, father figure, fatherhood, fathers, fullness of life, Gospel, Jesus, Joseph, love, Scripture, Sisters of St. Joseph, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Over the past 48 hours I have had the opportunity to spend time with two women whose fathers died this past summer. Last night my own father appeared in a dream which I only remember for his passing presence and the appearance of his wedding ring – not on his hand but clearly his – a strong symbol in his life and the lives of our family.

Curiously two very different gospels appear in the lectionary today. The first is the beginning of Mark’s gospel that speaks of John the Baptist’s proclamation of Jesus and then the appearance of Jesus at his baptism – the beginning of his public life – where the voice of God was heard to say, You are my beloved Son; with you I am well-pleased. The second choice for the gospel reading begins by noting that Jesus began his ministry at about thirty years of age and then goes on to relate his ancestry, not in the manner of the more familiar text from Matthew but backward from Joseph all the way to Adam, son of God. I must have been somewhat inattentive to my reading because I started to reach for some other text for inspiration when something inside said, “Read them again.”

Being a Sister of St. Joseph, I am usually eager to comment when Joseph shows up in gospel stories. Today, it took two readings to make the connection of the importance of the role of fathers in the lives of their sons – and daughters. I am one of the “lucky ones” to have had a father who shone with the love of God and showered that kind of love on others throughout his life. We don’t have too much evidence from the words of Scripture of the man Joseph was but it’s easy to extrapolate his character from the few scenes in which he appears. His care for his family, his trust in God and his willingness to participate in the plan of God regardless of the cost are easily seen without a single word from him.

Today, then, I am grateful for the nudge to reflect on fatherhood and the three great fathers who have mirrored Joseph to me in the lives and gratitude of their daughters. In addition, I pray that all children will somehow have a father figure in their lives who will teach them and love them in the way God loves all of us – into the fullness of life.

Open the Gates!

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Anna, baptism, completion, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Messiah, new eras, open everything, open to new ideas, opening the gates, psalm 24, Simeon, surrender to life, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, waiting on God

Today’s gospel tells the story of Simeon and Anna, two very old people who have dedicated their lives to God, living in the temple precincts, waiting and praying for the coming of the promised messiah. When they saw Joseph and Mary bringing the child Jesus to present him to God – somewhat like many of us were brought to the church for baptism – both Simeon and Anna knew completion. As Simeon said, “Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace…for my own eyes have seen your salvation…the glory of your people…”

I think of all the “Senior Sisters” sitting daily in the chapel at our motherhouse or in their rooms, waiting on God, looking for a sign, listening for God’s call, living in surrender to life. Many of them are older than Anna’s 84 years. they have lived and ministered in religious community for 60, 70 or 80 years (one is 104 years old!) and are an example to those of us who take courage in their perseverance and steadfastness. This past Saturday I met one of them (aged 88) who told me she was “so excited!!” to read the feedback from the latest Congregational process toward our future. She wants to be around for whatever comes – at least for the next 15 years or so…

Psalm 24 speaks today of opening the gates of the city to let God in. One translation was particularly beautiful, I thought, saying: So open wide the gates and doors, O humankind, open everything, and let God’s glory in. Who is this God whose beauty streams to us in majesty so strong? A God who battled chaos and who won! So open, open everything to God. Let no door be shut, let beauty flood and fill the world! Who is this king of majesty, this queen of light? It is the Lord of All, the God of everything that is, your God, the Radiant One, Most Beautiful!

May we all give thanks and bless the ones who teach us to be open to new ideas, new eras dawning on the world and especially those who help us open the gates of our hearts to the One who calls us ever forward in love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

O Root of Jesse, Come!

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Christmas, genealogy, Jesse, Joseph, King David, Matthew, O Antiphons, Root of Jesse, Samuel, Son of David, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, tree of life

As we move forward in the history of God’s people and toward the celebration of Christmas, we encounter the person of Jesse in the O Antiphons. Jesse was a farmer and sheep breeder in Bethlehem who had eight sons, the youngest of whom was David, chosen by God as King of Israel. That the family of David would endure forever was an article of faith in monarchic circles (2 Samuel 7), supported by the fact that his dynasty had occupied the throne in unbroken succession for over four centuries. The genealogy of Jesus in chapter one of Matthew’s gospel shows the direct line from King David to Jesus through his legal father, Joseph. More than a statement of physical genealogy, then, Son of David is a Messianic title. When people referred to Jesus as Son of David (17 times in the New Testament), they were not only speaking of physical genealogy.  Rather, they meant that he was the long-awaited Deliverer, the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures.

Our reflection for today may include gratitude for our own family genealogy as well the 2,000 years of Christian history initiated by Jesus and his genealogy, spanning 14 generations from Abraham to David and 14 from David to Jesus himself.

O Root of Jesse, You stand as ensign of mankind, before You kings shall keep silence and to You all nations shall have recourse. Come, save us, and do not delay.

O Root of Jesse, Tree of Life, you sprout from the royal line of King David. Yet you are the king of kings. All nations do you homage. Come, take root in us and bring us to flower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hometown Boy

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A Sleep of Prisoners, Christopher Fry, Jesus, Joseph, Jr., justice, Luke, Martin Luther King, Mohandas Gandhi, Nazareth, prophet, speaking the truth, upstart Spring

In today’s gospel, Luke lets us know that telling the truth is sometimes dangerous. (LK 4:16-30). Jesus comes to Nazareth, where he grew up, and all is well – even amazing – as he stands up in the synagogue and reads (eloquently, it seems) from the prophet Isaiah, proclaiming that the message he read was being fulfilled as he spoke. The local folks wonder how he became so erudite – or so wise – since his father was Joseph (the inference being: a local guy, simple like themselves.) All was fine until Jesus started talking about past failures of Israel to be attentive to the prophets, such that God’s favor fell on foreigners instead. He had predicted their reaction by saying, “A prophet is never accepted in his own native place,” and was proven true as they ran him out of town and were ready to kill him in their fury – but it was not his time and he escaped.

There have been many people in our lifetime who have been vilified for speaking the truth, calling attention to societal conditions that are unjust or immoral. It’s easy to point to famous examples like Mohandas Gandhi or Martin Luther King, Jr. Today, however, I’m thinking of local people of conscience who work tirelessly for justice and are often ignored or disparaged for upsetting the status quo. It seems now that there is so much that needs fixing in our world that we can no longer turn a blind eye but must all be willing to speak up for change. And I believe there is hope in this era of mass communication where we have access to so many resources and so many spiritual people calling for transformation. I’m reminded of the epilogue from A Sleep of Prisoners, a play by Christopher Fry, that speaks of this urgency today and I write it as a spoken message to be read aloud because I think it is in the speaking that the urgency can best be felt.

The human heart can go to the lengths of God. Dark and cold we may be, but this is no winter now. The frozen misery of centuries breaks, cracks, begins to move. The thunder is the thunder of the floes, the thaw, the upstart Spring. Thank God our time is now, when wrong comes up, to face us everywhere, never to leave us until we take the longest stride of soul [men] ever took. Affairs are now soul size. The enterprise is exploration into God. What are you making for? It takes so many thousand years to wake. But will you wake for pity’s sake?

For the Glory of God

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Ad majorem Dei gloria, catholic, enough, For the greater glory of God, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, St. Ignatius of Loyola, The Sophia Center for Spirituality, Your love and Your grace

I was reminded this morning of one of the customs of life in a Catholic school. At the top of our test papers (and probably our homework assignments as well) we wrote +JMJ, a reminder to dedicate our work to Jesus, Mary and Joseph. As we got older this was sometimes replaced by the Latin phrase, Ad majorem Dei gloria (+AMDG), For the greater glory of God. I’m sure that sometimes we wrote it to assure a good grade rather than as a reminder of the purpose of all our work, but something of motivation must have been instilled in us with this habit.

Today is the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola whose life story is a long and tortuous recounting of transformation from soldier to mystic and founder of the religious community called the Society of Jesus, commonly known as the Jesuits. It was Ignatius who took as the motto +AMDG for his “band of brothers” and who early in his conversion wrote what has become an intensive retreat model for spiritual seekers the world over called The Spiritual Exercises. The spirituality of Ignatius is summarized in a short prayer that mirrors the way he lived his life and has motivated others to deeper love for God over the past five centuries. A modern translation in song by Jesuit John Foley is my favorite rendering; the repetitious refrain especially calls to me.

Take, Lord, receive all my liberty, my memory, understanding, my entire will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; that’s enough for me. Your love and Your grace are enough for me. Take, Lord, receive all I have and possess. You have given all to me, now I return it. Give me only Your love and Your grace; that’s enough for me. Your love and Your grace are enough for me. Take, Lord, receive, all is Yours now. Dispose of it wholly according to your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; that’s enough for me. Your love and your grace are enough for me.

Of Brothers and Sisters

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a difficult surrender, Genesis, human relations, inheritance, jealousy, Joseph, Matthew, siblings, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

About three weeks ago my sister wrote asking for prayers for a friend whose beloved sister had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Last night I had an email from her friend that was titled “Update” and was shocked upon opening it to find Camille’s obituary. The reality of losing a sibling came a bit closer at that moment.

This morning’s first reading (Gn:37:3-28) begins to tell the story of Joseph whose father loved him “best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age.” We all know the story of the brothers throwing Joseph into the cistern in a plot to kill him because of their jealousy but selling him instead to a passing caravan. The tables turn in the end to a happy conclusion for Joseph and – luckily for them – for his brothers. The gospel is similar but more violent as the son of a landowner is killed by tenants seeking his inheritance. (MT 21:33-46) In both stories, the expectation that perpetrators could not possibly disrespect a beloved child of a father is proved false.

I am left sitting this morning with thoughts of the complexity in human relations, mourning for Connie’s sister and for the loss that her family is experiencing and saddened that jealousy can – and does – play such a role in families even today. Whether because of money or levels of affection, personality or birth order, lives can be damaged and families fractured in many ways.

All I can do, I suppose, is offer gratitude for the harmony and love among my siblings, pray for those who have not been so blessed and take every opportunity to listen and help those who are suffering in situations of brokenness, offering them the love that is missing in their lives to the extent possible. What I know for sure is that offering my inability to solve the problems of others is a difficult surrender, a lesson still to be embraced.

Generation after Generation

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ancestry, faith, family, genealogy, heritage, Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Matthew, religious, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

Yesterday I was in a conversation about skin (sunburn vs. tanning propensity) and hair color – which easily morphed into talk of genetics and family ancestry. When I read this morning’s gospel (MT 1:1-23) I was amazed as usual at the excellent record-keeping of those who recorded the ancestry of Jesus from Abraham through all the generations down to “Joseph, husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.”

So many of us – myself included – can only trace our ancestry back two or three generations. Since the United States is so young and is a nation of immigrants, the search for “great, great…” ancestors is complicated. The best we can do is trace our heritage to a continent or a country. Having visited Ireland, I understand the strength of connection (at the cellular level?) to place and culture. The same can be said, it seems, about faith and religion, as places of pilgrimage hold special reverence for visitors.

Today I will spend time reflecting on my familial and religious heritage and be grateful for the good influences that have been passed down from those ancestors that I know and those who remain in God’s heart but who have influenced my being in this time and place.

Of Mothers and their Sons (and Daughters)

Tags

graduation, Jesus in the temple, Joseph, Luke, Mary, The Sophia Center for Spirituality

It is perhaps significant that today’s gospel (LK 2:41-51) tells the story of the only event we have of the life of Jesus between the infancy narratives and his public life. I say that as high school graduation ceremonies and parties abound in our town. Today our Church celebrates Mary, the mother of Jesus. By extension, I think we might remember all mothers (and/or fathers) who are busy preparing food and cleaning house and otherwise readying the family to receive the crowd who will come to help them breathe a sigh of relief at the achievement of their “child” at the end of one and the beginning of another chapter in life.

The gospel story was about the trip Mary and Joseph made to Jerusalem for Passover when Jesus was 12 years old that turned into high anxiety when they found him missing on their way home. Returning to Jerusalem, they found him in the temple sitting with the elders, listening to them and asking them questions. He thought it was a fine thing to be doing, being “about my Father’s business,” while his mother remonstrated with him, trying to get him to understand her great anxiety.

Those years of parenthood are often not easy – nor are the teenage ones always a picnic for the teens – so today I pray for all parents and graduates who have survived until this day, that joy may be the hallmark of this moment. For all high school graduates as well, I pray for feelings of accomplishment, safety and a bright future. For all, a day of forgetting the difficult and celebrating the beautiful.