The Gift of Vows

The beauty of the new translation of the Roman Missal, opens up new glimpses into the depth and mystery of each feast day. The Preface for Religious Profession, which we recently heard chanted at Sr. Edith Marie's First Profession of Vows, captured the principle aspects of the consecrated life, which Sister embraced more fully this past June 30th.


[Christ] is the unblemished flower, 
who sprang fromt he root of the Virgin
and declared the pure heart blessed,

teaching by His way of life the surpassing worth of chastity.

He chose always to hold fast to what is pleasing to you

And, becoming obedient for our sake even until death,

He willingly offered Himself to you

As a perfect and a fragrant sacrifice.

He consecrated to a fuller service of your majesty

Those who for love of you leave all earthly things

And promised they would find treasure in heaven.

This beautiful sequence expresses Christ's pure surrender to the Father's Will in time and in eternity. Sister shares in this one offering of the Son, with her free profession of love to live in obedience, poverty and chastity. At every Mass we are pulled into this mystery of Gift that we behold at every elevation of Chalice and Host. At the heart of this profession is the desire to be made into a gift - like Christ - to our Father.

As with each profession, there was so much joy and gratitude pulsating in the monastery on that day. An extra-special gift was having Sister's parents here on their wedding anniversary - the very same day! May Our Lady, Ark of the Covenant continue to make of our Sister Edith Marie, a beautiful gift to her Son and the whole Church. Congratulations to our Sister and to her family!

God Does Not Disappoint

Today’s significant feast is a glimpse of the ‘bigger picture’ in the middle of this increasing struggle for freedom. As this fortnight continues, something written by G.K. Chesterton comes to mind where he counsels that we beg to be made worthy of the battle for truth. Sts. Peter and Paul – today’s great men – and so many of the holy men and women of the past who have this same attitude of heart are not only encouragement for us, but intercessors as well. Just to recall a few of those well known souls … Moses - who pleads that God not send him rescue the people of Israel, saying that Pharaoh would not listen to him. There is Jeremiah who protests that he is too young to speak as the Lord’s prophet. Elizabeth at the Visitation of Our Lady echoes this humility of soul: “who am I that the mother of my Lord should come to me.” John the Baptist – perhaps the most real of men in that day – seeing Jesus for who He was, so poignantly asks to be baptized by his Lord. Peter’s initial response to Christ’s mercy reveals this same gaping reverence “depart from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.” And then the “last of the apostles” insists that he is not worthy to be called an apostle, but is one because of God’s design.  For us, feeling insufficient to this task of carrying the light of truth about God, man, and salvation into the darkness of an unbelieving world is a legitimate reaction… but not a reason to compromise on the mission. Since Christ is the one who entrusts His disciples with the Gospel, and is the Truth to whom we are called to witness, He will Himself give the grace, the strength, and all that is necessary to carry out this ‘work’ in day to day practice. He does not disappoint! Let us pray for the grace to remain steadfast to the task at hand and continue to pray that the Holy Spirit comes anew to enlighten our hearts & minds and to empower us to pray, sacrifice, stand and work for the freedom to live and worship as free citizens and ultimately – children of God!

From an address of Pope Benedict XVI in England…
Newman teaches us that if we have accepted the truth of Christ and committed our lives to him, there can be no separation between what we believe and the way we live our lives. Our every thought, word and action must be directed to the glory of God and the spread of his Kingdom... [Newman] saw clearly that we do not so much accept the truth in a purely intellectual act as embrace it in a spiritual dynamic that penetrates to the core of our being. Truth is passed on not merely by formal teaching, important as that is, but also by the witness of lives lived in integrity, fidelity and holiness: those who live in and by the truth instinctively recognize what is false and, precisely as false, inimical to the beauty and goodness which accompany the splendour of truth, veritatis splendor.

He Goes Before Us

In preparation for the outdoor Corpus Christi procession Sunday evening at the Shrine, some of the Sisters de-petaled the roses to be strewn by flower girls before the Blessed Sacrament. St. Therese had a very apt idea of what 'strewing flowers' meant. For her, that image was one of sacrifice - giving God all the little 'good' that we have (or rather returning what He has given us).  To borrow a phrase from Bl. Teresa of Calcutta, the result is truly 'something beautiful for God.'
The same Jesus is always present ‘here and in all the Churches throughout the world’, exposed in the monstrance, reigning over our world and at the same time present to our problems, the everyday struggles, hopes and fears. And yet on Corpus Christi he ‘comes down’ and literally goes before His people in procession.  Here the faithful can do with their feet what we strive to do in the Christian life – answer the Lord’s invitation to “Follow Me.” As He is carried in procession we can come like Jairus, or the Syrophoenician woman, pleading for the healing of our loved ones or our own hurts. Here He ‘passes by’ calling the Zaccheaus’, the Levis, the Peter and Andrews of today to come to Him.  Like Saul who encountered the same Risen Lord on the road, we can respond in turn, “Lord, what would you have me do?” Corpus Christi is this and so much more. It is a chance for us to make a return of thanksgiving and adoration to the God who has loved us so much as to give us His only Son as our food and our salvation.