the vampires are out in New Orleans

...they only look like mosquitos.

big and not-so-big birthdays

I'm not the only FSP who's a Halloween Baby: A hearty happy birthday also goes to Sr. Mary Rita  and Sr. Sean Mayer!

lost vote

I'm afraid I will be unable to vote this year. Not that the selection is that compelling, but it is a real duty. Illinois does not offer the possibility of requesting an absentee ballot by e-mail, and there are no downloadable request form on the Internet for this, either. I was thinking I could use Fedex to get an absentee ballot in, but I haven't even gotten the ballot request, never mind the ballot, and tomorrow is the deadline for them to receive my request.

That being the case, I ask all of my readers to get out there and vote!

pray for us sinners NOW

We say the Hail Mary so often, and the "hour of our death" can seem very far away. Until just now, I assumed that the "hour" meant just that: the clock-time at which life comes to a close. As if we were asking Mary to show up just on time. But in the Gospel of John, the "hour" of Jesus isn't a moment in time: it is the crucial (literally: crucial as in "cross") period of his life. When Jesus' "hour" opens, he prays, "Give glory to the Son, that the Son may glorify you."

Last night, I realized that Dad is facing a crucial temptation. It is the temptation to short-cut the "hour" by giving up before the time has come. This is why we need to pray for people who are seriously sick, and why the Church insists that the Sacrament of the Sick be given as soon as a person begins to be in danger of death, even though death is not right around the corner. The whole period of sickness is the "hour of our death," and we need God's presence and grace throughout it.

I had already left the hospital and was having some leftovers with my sister when Mom called to tell us of Dad's spiritual turn for the worse. So I left to pray at the Adoration Chapel, and that is where I realized that this is a moment of spiritual warfare, time to enlist the "big guns," and to pray almost in a mode of exorcism. I gave Mom instructions on praying a special chaplet: on the Hail Mary beads of the Rosary, pray "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." And on the Our Father beads, pray "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death." Call it a deliverance chaplet! This morning I prayed a different one, with a view to asking the grace to seek and rejoice in the Glory of God: "You alone are Holy; You alone are the Lord; You alone are the Most High" on the Hail Mary beads, and "O Lord, how great are your works; how deep are your designs" on the Our Father beads.

big, big birthday

Well, this "Golden Birthday" is shaping up to be... less than memorable. Thanks be to God for Karen's magnificent present (which I confess to opening a bit ahead of time): the perfect size (perpetual), the perfect "color" (Jesuit), the perfect Gift (a Mass enrollment). I am calling on those graces right now for Dad, who hit a new bottom yesterday. God be praised, the parochial vicar came back from a pilgrimage just yesterday. He's a young man for a "second career" priest--mid-40's--and came to the priesthood as a widower, so I think he will be able to help Mom and Dad through this low spot.

My godmother (Toodie) wanted me to join her and my sister Nell (who has become Japanese for the day) for a Garden Society costume luncheon. After I finally agreed to go, Toodie was unable to convince the Garden Society to squeeze me in. So in the end I agreed to go with her to the All Saints Day Mass at Greenwood Cemetery (where my Dad's family tomb is). Not exactly my idea of a birthday event, but it will help me in the prayer department!

 

top priority

Today's Gospel tells about a spontaneous healing miracle that took place on a Sabbath day. Usually, Jesus held out for some sort of manifestation of faith--and not just any faith, but the kind that moves mountains. But in this case, he simply turned his attention toward a poor woman who had been crippled for eighteen years and told her, "Daughter, you are free of your infirmity."

Then the local official scolded the crowds for seeking healing on the Lord's day and told them to come back during the work week.

This reveals several things:

The woman didn't just "happen" to be there: she came for a healing. In other words, she had the faith that moves mountains, even if she didn't verbally say, "Lord, I believe."

Jesus seems to have been deliberately provocative, working this miracle on the Sabbath when all "work" is forbidden. And after the official's reproof, he gives a bit of a homily, explaining that just as every one of them fed and watered the farm animals on the Sabbath, to preserve their life and health, there was no reason to deny life and health to human beings in their suffering.

Jesus makes it clear that God's priority is people. "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath," as he said in another place.

With Dad's situation, all of us have been trying to pray with faith, but as I told Jesus today, he had better give us the faith he wants to find in our prayers. More than that, I am praying that he grant us to discern and receive what he desires to give. He shows in today's Gospel that his top priority is.. us.

this day in history

Just joking! Anyway, today, the Feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude, is the 47th birthday of my sister Jane (the bride-to-be) and the 23rd anniversary of a private Mass and audience a group of us FSPs had with Pope John Paul. I have two photos of the "baciamano" on my wall, but I couldn't post them here...

On the family front, Dad still needs prayers. I borrowed the convent relic of Father James Alberione to enlist his fullscale assistance...

A thought for Friday

Before I run off to see Jesus-suffering-in-Dad in the hospital, here's a thought on the suffering and death Jesus endured in his own flesh:

"The Son grants the Mother solidarity with the Cross in that he withdraws from her--just as the Father has withdrawn from the Son" (Hans Urs von Balthasar, Mysterium Paschale).

 

 

 

 

musical chairs

Dad was in four hospital rooms today, in three different wards. He woke up in CCCU (which turns out to mean "Comprehensive" Cardiac Care, not "Cardiac Critical Care"), where my brother had spent the night. I brought Mom in right away, and towards lunchtime we learned that he would be brought to a "step down" room. (We hadn't seen a doctor or heard why he was being taken out of ICU.) Around 1:30 he was put into a wheelchair (even though he was told he could not leave the bed or even sit up in it because the "central line" in his neck had a catheter leading to the heart) and brought to a double room in Oncology. The nurse had trouble getting the wheelchair past the other patient's bed, and he hadn't been transferred to the bed when we realized that this room didn't even have space for a visitor's chair where Mom could conceivably curl up to spend the night. So he was put on the list for a private room, and within the hour was installed in a private room across the hall. There was no IV pole or "pump", so the poor nurse on duty had to put in an order for one and simply wait for it to be provided. We were quite concerned that Dad wasn't getting his antibiotics, not realizing that the doses were such that it was okay (the real problem was that he was not getting another sort of infusion). Anyway, at around 5 p.m. my sister Mary (the nurse) came in and, sizing the situation up, paged the doctor assigned to Dad, who was surprised to hear that he wasn't in a "telemetry" section where he could be monitored. The upshot from that was that Dad would be moved to another room--in the exact same unit from which he had been moved yesterday.

Pardon me, but we're all feeling a little stressed and depressed.

What happens to people with no family, like the poor old man in the double room? Single, elderly, with dementia (and probably with cancer, since he was on the Oncology floor). He said he was a Third Order Dominican, and even though the dementia was apparent from his story about witnessing an Islamicist attack on a local airport, I think the Dominican part was probably true, because that isn't the sort of thing on most people's radar. So pray for him (Bernie) and for Dad (Jim). And don't forget my sister Jane, whose wedding on Nov. 11 really calls out for Dad's presence with her down that aisle. And pray for the doctors (all of them) to be enlightened in their discernment of what is best for Dad and the family, and to be more communicative!

ICU

Dad would be in ICU right now, except there were no beds available. Thanks be to God (and to all your prayers), he seems a bit better already, even though his bed is now in the "CCCU" area (cardiac critical care). They needed a department where he could be connected to a machine that can help pull excess fluid out of his system, plus better monitor his situation. His spirits are much better now that they have given up on arm I.V. and put a "central line" in through his neck. This sounds horrible, and he looks a bit like a pirate with the little tubes dangling like Jack Sparrow's dreadlocks, but he is actually more comfortable, and even a bit chipper. This is a relief in itself.

I brought Mom home for the night (her first night at home in a week), and will deliver her to CCCU tomorrow morning after the unit opens to visitors. After that, we'll let Dad call the shots. We can't have any more family reunions in his room, because the department allows only two at a time... So we'll have mass gatherings in the waiting room. With all the other worried visitors, waiting to see their loved ones.

prayers.

the secret of happiness

The Gospel I prepared for last night was not the one proclaimed at Mass this morning, so I'm a bit befuddled. However, the two sync marvelously. I prepared for the Gospel for Tuesday of the 29th week in Ordinary Time in which Jesus is beginning to hint at the "end times" Gospels we'll be hearing as the liturgical year draws to a close in a few weeks: "Keep watch! You do not know when the Lord is coming." But it is not a command or recommendation to be nervous; it is an exhortation in view of a great good: Those whom the Master finds alert and awake, ready to welcome him, will find the tables turned (literally) as the Master puts on an apron and waits on them. (Honestly, all I can picture is John's image of the Lord washing the feet of his disciples, when he took off his outer robe and tied a towel at his waist.)

The Gospel we heard at Mass (perhaps it was take from the readings for the saint of the day?) was the call of Peter and Andre, James and John, the fishermen, while they were at work: "Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men!"

You see that, though these two sets of brothers were not literally keeping watch for the coming of the Lord, their hearts were "on call," and when the Master came, they were ready to welcome him. And, of course, eventually the Lord did seat them at table, feed them the Bread of Life, put on an apron and serve them.

All this helps me reflect on the secret of happiness, which we have largely lost because of sin. The secret of happiness is to give yourself away (St. Paul would say "empty yourself") in love. This is how God exists: self-giving love. But because of sin, our tendency is self-seeking love, and only with difficulty can we be convinced, a little at a time, that self-emptying is more fulfilling than self-seeking, no matter how "successful" it is! The situation with Dad, of course, is fostering this kind of reflection. I was thinking, look: the great gift of self-giving love that parenting is. And how much self-emptying it takes! (And hopefully, there's a hint of future happiness there for them!)

still praying

We've been accompanying Dad these days, and it does seem as though he will be hospitalized a while longer with what is turning out to be a stubborn infection. So much of my prayer is simply for his morale. Please continue to support him and us. (Thanks.)

On another note, while praying the Rosary with the "daily Mass crowd" at St. Christopher's this morning, I was reflecting on how the first reading for the day (from Ephesians 2) applied so well to Our Lady. It was along the lines of God's redeeming action coming "before" and acting so powerfully to place us with Christ. St. Paul meant it for all of us, so of course it pertains even more to Mary.

A thought for Friday

Since I will be traveling back to New Orleans on Friday, I am posting the day's reflection on the suffering and death of Christ tonight. It is from "Death on a Friday Afternoon" by Richard John Neuhaus.

"Avoiding the cross makes very good sense, if we do not know the One whom we join, the One who joins us, on the cross that is the world's redemption. The victory of Christ is not a way of avoidance but the way of solidarity in suffering."

Dad update

I was in Milwaukee this morning, helping with a book display for a Catholic education conference, so I missed the two calls from home... Dad is being admitted to the hospital again, with a recurrence of infection (or a brand new one), plus a blood clot in his arm. He is so discouraged! I am seeing about making arrangements to go back to New Orleans (I may as well stay for my sister's wedding... and... Mom did want to be with me on my big, big birthday..)

Prayers, please.

Last Chance for "Holyween"

It's not too late to get your copy of my book "Halloween Alternatives" before it goes out of print... Think of it: game, costume and snack ideas (and reproducibles) for three saints-themed parties. The fun of dress-up and candy without the fear factor! Last year I heard from a parish religious ed director who uses it every year for a "Holyween" party that the kids and catechists love.

Beatifications

I see that four more beatifications have been approved, of holy people in four countries on three continents. The beatification ceremonies themselves will be held in the countries where the new blesseds served the Church: Germany, Spain, Brazil and India. Most amazing, to me, is that the Beata in Brazil (a missionary sister from Spain who cared for the needy) died only in 1983. I wonder if she is the most "recent" of all Blesseds. Does anyone know of a Blessed who died even later than that?

stunning witness

Today's saint is the incredible St. Ignatius of Antioch, a first century bishop, successor of Peter (in the See of Antioch!) and martyr who, as he was being marched to Rome as a prisoner, dictated seven epistles to the various churches along his route, and one to his destination, the Church of Rome. That letter to the Romans has some of the most remarkable testimony in all Church history: the mysticism of Christian martyrdom.

Ignatius tells the faithful in Rome not to try to prevent his being thrown to the beasts, but instead to "pray to Christ for me that the animals will be the means of making me a sacrificial victim for God." "The time for my birth is close at hand. Forgive me, my brothers. Do not stand in the way of my birth to real life; do not wish me stillborn. My desire is to belong to God. Do not, then, hand me back to the world.... Give me the privilege of imitating the passion of my God."

That last line I quoted is one of the earliest non-Biblical writings we have with the unequivocal identification of Jesus as God. (The term "passion" means "suffering" or "something undergone.")

Anyway, the Romans seem to have respected Ignatius' desire that they not intervene in the Imperial process that had already been set against him. His feast day as a martyr has been celebrated on this day since the 300's.

Radio interview

Dr. Michael Waldstein, translator of the new edition of Pope John Paul's groundbreaking "Theology of the Body" talks, will be on the air Sunday, Oct. 22, at around noon on most Catholic radio networks. Tune in and tell others!

Tonight at St. Paul of the Cross

Tonight Sr. Susan and I will be at St. Paul of the Cross parish in Park Ridge. The parish just started perpetual adoration in May, and I will be giving a very brief talk about Eucharistic Adoration as part of an hour of shared prayer. We will have a few books with us (of course!) for those who want to know more about the spirituality of Blessed James Alberione. The prayer begins at 7:00, so come one, come all!

Wisdom of God

Ordinarily I don't blog on Sundays; I try to carve out a little more contemplative space for the Lord's Day. But this morning I noticed some new-for-me connections between the readings. My insights were accelerated when the singer to my left in choir turned to me after the first reading and whispered, "I didn't get that reading at all." If perhaps are were others in the blogosphere with the same reaction, maybe my reflections will be of interest.

The first reading opens with a kind of testimony by a sage who prayed for wisdom and pleaded for prudence. The parallel structure is a poetic device, and is actually an intensification by means of repetition: praying is the same thing as pleading, therefore wisdom is understood as synonymous with prudence. We Western thinkers tend to associate wisdom with the intellect (philosophy, "love of wisdom," seems to be an intellectual exercise), but for biblical people, wisdom was very much a practical virtue: it was what guided you in concrete decision-making. But "wisdom" was a loaded word. A strong tradition associates "wisdom" with God's own creative vision: "Wisdom" (personified) is seen as God's "architect" in creation, or as God's craftsman. So wisdom is intimately associated with God, especially in God's relating beyond the Divine Essence. And to "possess wisdom" is to be in communion with God, so that one's own actions become extensions and manifestations of God's action.

In the Bible, wisdom is personified as a woman. (Probably the word itself is a feminine form.) Along these lines, St. Francis of Assisi personified poverty as a woman, "Lady Poverty." So when the sage speaks of his desire for wisdom, the translation uses the pronoun "her," which can was, in fact, the crux of the singer's confusion this morning.

So the sage tells us just how valuable this wisdom is: more desirable than silver and gold, more lovely than beauty itself. And he is willing to lose everything he has, as long as he can gain this precious treasure.

Here we have a wonderful parallel with the Gospel of the day: the rich young man's question and Jesus' challenge to "Go, sell what you have...and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come follow me."

The tradition of the Church is to recognize Jesus himself as the "power and the wisdom of God," as the "word through whom all things were made," as the one to see whom is to see the Father. Jesus is the Wisdom the sage prayed for and the rich young man desired! But to possess this Wisdom as Way, Truth and Life, you have to "count everything as loss" (to employ St. Paul's autobiographical expression). The sage gave up everything in the pursuit of wisdom, and declared that with wisdom, he had gained more than he risked. But the rich young man, who had everything and yet lacked one thing, went away sad.

The verse before the Gospel gives us the conclusion, in the words of the first Beatitude: Happy are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

Beatitude

Today's Gospel gives us dueling Beatitudes, so to speak. A woman in the crowd, inspired and enthusiastic, cries out to Jesus, "Blessed is the womb that bore you." But Jesus answers with a different beatitude: "Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it."

Obviously, Mary herself was one of those blessed ones. In fact, Augustine said that Mary conceived Christ through faith, in her "hearing," so to speak, before she conceived him in the flesh in her womb.

But, as the TV commercials say, "Wait! There's more!" Because Jesus' comment perfectly parallels what we heard in the Gospel a week or so ago. His mother and other family members had come to him while he was surrounded by  listeners. They sent the message that they were there for him, and Jesus said, "Who are my mother and my brothers? Whoever does the will of God is brother and sister and mother to me." That's where we are, God willing (!): we are blessed with the very blessing Mary enjoyed, and for the same deep reason.

Ya gotta love Chicago

It's that time of year again... Chicagoween, with pumpkins, orange lights and acrobatic performances in the "Haunted Village" in Daley Plaza.

Too Good to be True

Today's Gospel is one of the stranger stories Luke offers us. Jesus had cast out a demon, and the people around him muttered that the devil made him do it: that it was by Satan's power that the demon had come out. As if God taking action to rescue us from evil and harm was simply too good to be true. And then some other bystanders had the gall to ask him for "a sign from heaven"! (I suppose an exorcism didn't qualify as a "sign from heaven".)

It was enough to make even God roll his eyes.

A Marian Thought for Friday

To keep my pious resolution, I am posting my Friday thought on the suffering and death of Jesus, but since today is associated with Mary in a special way (being the anniversary of a significant apparition at Fatima, and also the 50th anniversary of an officially recognized apparition of Our Lady in Cleveland), I chose a reflection on Mary's participation in the mystery of our salvation. It is from Richard John Neuhaus, Death on a Friday Afternoon:

"Weeping at the cross, Mary is both the mother of sorrows and the mother of hope. The resurrection glory is discerned in the way that Christ dies. Now the reason for the whole drama becomes clear in the Son's unqualified obedience to the Father, even to death, and the Father's promise to glorify the Son.... The other disciples discovered the resurrection glory at the dawn of the third day. Mary had already discovered the glory in the cross."

the CTA guy

Lately when I've take Chicago's famous "L" trains (especially to and from O'Hare airport), I have noticed some new messages from the "CTA guy," the recorded voice that tells riders which stations they are approaching or leaving, which way the doors open, etc. Now he also asks us to "be considerate when talking on the phone or listening to electronic devices," warns us about suspicious packages, and informs us that "soliciting and gambling are prohibited on CTA trains." (I didn't realize that gambling was a problem on the L!)

Sr. Rose on TV

Sr. Rose has finally taken part in a trivia game show! (We always told her she should go on Jeopardy.) She wasn't the main contestant, but that's okay. Here's what she has to say about the experience, along with the details of the program:

The new show is called "1 vs 100" on NBC, beginning this Friday at 9:00pm, and hosted by Bob Saget (Full House). I don't know how they edited the show or which day(s) I will be on. I think they taped five shows. It's a pop culture trivia show. I am one of the pack of 100 that plays against the 1. The network (NBC) wanted someone to go on for a non-profit. I have no idea how I came off (and I tremble at the thought). It certainly was educational though. To tape a 43-minute program it took HOURS and incredible planning and coordination. I arrived on the lot at noon and left at about 12:10 a.m. The producers and everyone were extremely nice--including the other contestants that I spoke with. That's all I can tell you according to the contract! I played for our Retired Sisters Fund and thanked all the people watching who contribute to the annual fund for retired sisters. (I hope they left that in.)

Teach us to Pray

 That's the wonderful request in today's Gospel. The disciples made this request of Jesus after seeing him at prayer. (I can only imagine what an impression that must have made!) And they asked him, "Teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."

Right there we learn something: John the Baptist was a teacher of prayer. We don't often picture him in that role. Popular imagination has pretty much focused on his "active ministry" as a prophet and preacher of woe and wrath, but here we get a hint of John the mystic--as he had to have been.

Some Scripture scholars say that there are hints in the Gospels that Jesus was, for a time, a "disciple" of John, or at least that he was in John's retinue. So it could be that, just as Jesus learned how to pray from Mary and Joseph, he learned another aspect of prayer from John.

At any rate, the prayer Jesus taught us, the Our Father, is the most Jewish of prayers, so it very well could have been the way John taught his disciples. What made the difference was not so much the words as the spirit of sonship with which Jesus prays--and which, by our Baptism, we share.

Catholic TV

Choose your language and follow this international Catholic TV convention !

New neighbor

His name is John, firstborn of Joseph and Cecile (who has been a very faithful volunteer for us). Welcome and blessings, John!

Concert Info

For those of you on the East coast, here is the long-awaited information (recently requested by Lisa) about our Christmas concerts! Will I see you there?

 

Nov. 30, Staten Island, NY (Benefit dinner/concert at Hilton Gardens)

Dec. 2, New York City: St. Malachy Church, 1 p.m. and/or 7 p.m.

Dec. 3, Princeton, NJ: St. Paul's Church, 3 p.m.

Dec. 6, Philadelphia, PA (Benefit event; so far I have no details)

Dec. 9 & 10, Boston, MA (at our motherhouse; probably Saturday evening and Sunday around 2 p.m.)

 

This year, we will also have a concert CD available for immediate sale (the pre-release edition of the album recorded this summer).

Chicago events

Get out your calendars, O Chicagoans, and plan to be there! Both events take place right here at the Pauline Bookstore/Convent on Michigan Avenue.

 

Oct. 16-17 (12-12:45): Sr. Helena Raphael will shed light on John Paul II's Philosophy. Bring your lunch! (This is a two-part presentation.)

 

Dec. 2 (Saturday) 9:00-3:00: Advent Women's Retreat with Amy Welborn, author of "A Woman's Book of Days" and other titles. $25. fee includes lunch. Pre-payment required.

Guadalupe in the Movies!

Here is a bulletin from Sr. Rose, our movie nun:

A new film is being released on December 1, 2006, to commemorate the 475^th anniversary of the appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. It is called Guadalupe. It is coming out the same day as The Nativity Story and I think the two films will be so very compatible. (Read my blog and find out why!) The film is produced by a Mexican film company called Dos Corazones and being distributed in 200 theaters in cities where there are large Spanish-speaking populations, including New York, New Jersey, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Antonio, Denver, Miami, etc. It is in Spanish with English subtitles.... The film is for everyone, not just the Spanish-speaking. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a model of evangelization in so many ways. An image (picture) is worth way more than a thousand words.

I think 2006 will go down as a significant cinematic Marian year.

O.L. of the Rosary

It's the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary--formerly known as "Our Lady of Victory," in honor of the significant naval victory of European forces over the "Turks" at Lepanto in 1574 (I think that's the date!). From what I read about this, the victory itself was not significant militarily, but it was enormously significant from the standpoint of European morale, because up to that point, it seemed as if the Turkish forces were utterly unstoppable. They owned the seas, and they had designs on the land. The European victory proved that it was possible for the tide to turn, and by that very fact, Lepanto became a turning point in European history.

If I remember correctly from what I read about this, the European forces were every bit as brutal and bloodthirsty as their opponents, even using severed heads as cannon balls, so I refuse to speak of them as "Christian," even though they were baptized, and the armada was called together under Papal authority. There is room for repentance even in a victory attributed to Mary and the Rosary.

 

Jesus' Magnificat

Today's Gospel, the regular Saturday-in-Ordinary-Time Gospel, is a perfect match for a feast of Our Lady. Usually, on Marian feasts, the Gospel can be chosen from the "Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary," and one of the standard features is the Magnificat of Mary: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior..." Today's Gospel is the Magnificat of Jesus: "I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth..."

In Luke's version of both "magnificats," joy is a prominent feature. Mary "rejoices in God" her Savior. Jesus "rejoices in the Holy Spirit." The same Greek word is used in both instances. There is a wonderful mystery there: the hallmark of union with God is joy, not just a happy joy, but a joy in God, participation in the life of God. And the hallmark of Jesus' own prayer is joyful praise.

First Friday and a new feature

The exceptionally large assembly gathered for the 5:00 Mass this afternoon at St. Peter's reminded me that today is First Friday--a perfect day to launch the new feature I decided upon last night while doing spiritual reading. It is my hope and plan to offer a short reflection by an outstanding writer on the typically "Friday" theme of the Lord's suffering and death.

We'll start with Adrenne von Speyr, the author of the book I was reading last night (The Cross, Word and Sacrament):

"The Son of Man not only loved mankind unto death, but he loved God too, God above all, God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit."

Back in Chicago

Back in Chicago: From the adoration chapel at St. Clement of Rome parish to the afternoon adoration at St. Peter's. My sister picked me up at 5:45 this morning for a ride to the airport (Thanks, Mary), and as we approached in the dark, I was suprised to see the huge orange flames, skyscraper-high, from the oil refineries to the west. I've never been in that part of the city before dawn.

The early flight brought me into Chicago on time to share a community lunch with Sr. Susan and Sr. Helena, who were getting ready to leave for a book display in Green Bay, and with Sr. Anne Eileen, my longtime friend from our Boston community, who had been in town for a conference and was going to leave after lunch. I hadn't expected to see any of them, so it was a real treat. Sr. Thecla prepared roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy and one of her "signature salads" for the meal, since it was "community day" when we have a solemn high noon dinner. (I missed the community Mass in our chapel, but I heard that the homily was fantastic--Father J. Grace, originally from the Richmond diocese but now a Paulist, did the honors.)

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad are coping with the situation of Dad's miserable health. The doctors released him from the hospital sooner than warranted, because of his own desire to attend his brother's funeral. Perhaps being at home will help somewhat. Prayers are still needed all around.

And tomorrow (again, before dawn), I head out with one of our employees to staff a book display for a teacher's conference in the Rockford diocese. Prayers, please!

Deborah Boudreau

Well, here's Sr. Grace's reply! I'm especially fascinated that she actually called up women by that name!

:0  :)  :0  :)  :0  :)

I had no idea! I looked up "Deborah Boudreau" on whitepages.com and called about 6 of them around the country! How embarrassing!

I want to use the story in the same issue as a "Making a Difference in Our World" article written by postulant Julie about students who raise money for an orphanage in Ukraine and at the same time learn about the Eastern Catholic Churches, how to write icons, chotki prayer beads, etc.

Book Lover's Paradise

My cousins began cleaning Uncle Buddy's house on Saturday. I got more than one inquiry from them: "Do you want any of Uncle Bud's books?"

Uncle Buddy bought books by the dozen. Three, five, ten copies of any title he especially liked. He didn't really read them; maybe a few. He went more for the titles and cover art. He had a few book cases, each shelf lined with two rows of books, and twenty or so boxes on the floor. This afternoon, my sister Mary and I ran some errands for Dad and then, snowballs in hand (it was 92 today), went to see the books. I brought a small canvas bag, thinking I might find three or four books of interest.

I came home with five large boxes.

We set aside the Bibles we found (30) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (7), so they could be given to people involved in prison ministry. There was a beautiful bound edition of Lives of Saints from around 1947 with red watered satin flyleafs. A 1964 Sacramentary, mint condition. Two complete sets of the books of St. Peter Eymard. Oodles of prayerbooks, including one from 1886, and another with an inscription made out to our grandfather when he was in the seminary in 1911.

There are treasures in that little house, but I am returning to Chicago on Thursday and so I can't help arrange the books for sale or give-away. I suppose they will be going to a used book dealer, unless someone out there is interested in thirty or so boxes of books in varying condition (from abominable and moth-eaten to pristine)...

True Fiction

I got this e-mail from Sr. Maria Grace, editor of our kids magazine (My Friend):

This is probably a long shot, but do you happen to remember anything about the author of a story that was in the January 1995 issue of My Friend, called "A Different Flavor Catholic." It was about a girl who stays over her friend's house and goes with the family to a Melkite Greek Catholic church. Not a lot happens in the story, but one learns a lot about the liturgy etc as compared to the Latin Church.

The author's name is Deborah Boudreau. I would like to re-use the article in an upcoming issue and need to contact her, but there are no records (contracts, payments) from that far back. If you remember anything about where she lived, etc., that would be helpful.

I had to let her know... I am Deborah Boudreau! That was the pen-name I used for fiction stories I prepared when I was the editor of My Friend. (I had a non-fiction pen-name, too: Jeanne Arsenault.)

Homecoming!

Dad's home! (Just in time for his brother's funeral tomorrow.)

Who is the greatest?

Forget "to be or not to be." "Who is the greatest?" That is the real question. And today's Gospel for the feast of the Guardian Angels puts it to us.

It's easy to be amused by the up-front manner in which the disciples ask that question of Jesus. It is like the over-the-top posturing in gangsta culture and certain Middle Eastern cultures. We would be so much more subtle. (That's why we have titles in our corporations and society pages in our newspapers and pecking orders in just about any group.) We want to know the same thing the disciples wanted to know: how to be Number One. 

And Jesus says that it is necessary to "turn and become like children"; to "humble oneself." To be a servant, he says in several other places. This is reflected also in St. Paul's famous hymn in Philippians, where he points to the example of Christ who "emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness, and humbled himself still more by accepting death on a cross."

I found myself this weekend on the disciples' side of the question, though in a typically "subtle" way. It is such a subversive mentality! But the answer always remains, "empty yourself" of yourself, to recognize and respond to the "Great and Holy One" whose presence the Angels always see and adore.

Muslim linkage

I was linked by a blog by an American Sunni Muslim woman, mother of three, who maintains an extremely wide-ranging personal blog. She had included me in a list of religious blogs of other traditions. Her site is really worth a visit. From what I gather, she and her husband are highly educated, and now living in Jordan (after finishing grad school in Boston). (The link here puts you on her list of religious blogs; she has many, many pages to her site.)

What is especially interesting, of course, is getting the perspective of a highly educated American woman who was born and raised Muslim. 

October for Catholics

Today was Respect Life Sunday, as well as the beginning of the Month of the Rosary and Mission Awareness Month. The parochial vicar at St. Clement of Rome (Mom and Dad's parish) gave a fine homily on what it means to Respect Life. He pulled no punches, covering issues related to the beginning of life, the natural end of life and what that means in an age when technology can sometimes seem to take the "end" out of the end of life. He talked about the problem of capital punishment. He talked about Rachel's Vineyard retreats for post-abortive women, men and couples. He talked about marital intimacy being by its nature lifelong and faithful. He talked about not living together before marriage--he also admitted that there are some couples who are living together "for financial reasons" who really aren't "messing around" and batted that down by reminding people of the obligation we all have to give witness even to nieces and nephews, neighbors and godchildren who have no way of knowing what does or doesn't go on behind closed doors.

 

And to cap it all off, there were two baptisms at Mass: Celeste and her little brother Blaise were "claimed for Christ" today. May their young parents, who perhaps have just returned to an active life of faith, keep that flame of faith alive in their home!

 

I forgot to mention that St. Clement of Rome was listed among the "Top 100 Catholic Parishes" (in the US, I think). This parish sings all the usual contemporary stuff, with the music projected onto the wall of the Church; it has all sorts of ministries and meetings; it has had perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for 21 years (interrupted only by Hurricane Katrina, when the chapel and church were flooded and had to be restored); next week it will have its 20th annual "Rosary Rally." The parish complex sustained over $1 million in hurricane damage beyond what their insurance will cover; the ailing pastor is hoping that other parishes might consider "twinning" with St. Clement's to help out. I think that St. Clement's would have a lot to share in terms of vibrancy.

Deacon Fred

My Claretian friend, Fred Sahuc, was ordained Deacon yesterday. He is a fabulous preacher, a pastoral man, and a New Orleanian. Please pray for his ministry! He looks forward to priestly ordination next year--and so do we.

(Photo credit: Louis Sahuc)