Come, Holy Spirit – A Reflection on Pentecost

By Sister Joanne Frey, MHSH

As I journey on the road of my heart, I am looking ever more carefully for signs of the activity of the Spirit in my every day.  I find the Spirit so aware of my search that I had only to choose what to share here.

The Spirit led me to Mary’s search for understanding about how she could possibly fulfill what the Angel Gabriel said to her.  I was struck with Gabriel’s promise, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the most high will overshadow you.”

The image of the Spirit overshadowing Mary and accomplishing such wonders gave me a new power.  I knew the Spirit would be present when I had questions about how, when, where, why.  His spirit would not fail to overshadow me.  What I need is to believe in his presence, his love, his power, his shadow to enfold me.

Now it is the apostles who ask the question of the risen Lord.  Their question is when.  When will you restore the kingdom to Israel?  His answer is a promise:  “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth.”

The apostles, the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, pray and wait.  The promise has been made.  The power of the Spirit will overshadow the place where they gather.

The time for Pentecost was fulfilled, “…from the sky a strong driving wind…tongues of fire rested on each of them…and they were filled with the Holy Spirit…”

Can I live in the faith that assures us that the Spirit will overshadow us…will abide in us…will surround us with peace…will guide us through the dark places…will fill the empty cavities in our hearts where losses have torn us almost apart…will provide wisdom to choose the heart’s truth before all else?

Alleluia, rejoice, the Holy Spirit overshadows us!

Beauty in Brokenness—A Reflection on the Boston Bombing

By Sister Clare Walsh, MHSH

My accent is a dead giveaway.  I’m from Boston.  I work a block from where the Marathon bombings shattered lives and broke the heart of a city.  I walk down Boylston Street almost every day.  Patriots Day, Marathon Monday, is iconic in this sports-loving town.  We love this day that heralds spring.

In the days since this horrific event—from the sound of the bombs exploding to the silence of lockdown—I have experienced a tangled web of feelings: horror at the bombings, anger at the loss of young lives and limbs that danced and ran, sadness that this joyful day has been forever changed, and a desire for justice.

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Then, within days, the “terrorist” had a name, a face, a story.  He is a 19-year-old kid.  My feelings remain, but now they are more complicated.  As I hear cries for the death penalty, calls for stricter immigration laws and a gun in every home, my heart is sore.  I feel lonely in a city rejoicing at the “victory” of “We got him!”

I feel profoundly sad.  I live in fear of hate.  Cardinal O’Malley’s statement urging “reconciliation not revenge” consoles me.

As evident in our Christian story, there is beauty in brokenness.  We are humbled by the courage of so many medical professionals and bystanders who ran toward harm’s way to literally save the lives of those hurt by the bombs.  The stories help to heal our broken hearts and offer a glimpse of humanity at its best.  Tears have been my prayer in this season of resurrection.

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I grapple with how to console God for what we do to each other.

May God bless us all.

Following Francis—the Saint and the Pope

A Reflection for Earth Day  2013
By Sister Dolores Glick, MHSH

April 22, 2013—Earth Day.  It has been 43 years since that first Earth Day.  This year it will be celebrated in 192 countries—the largest secular holiday in the world with more than a billion people worldwide acknowledging the importance and the fragility of the environment we share.

Although much progress has been made over the last four decades, environmental issues often get the back burner while legislatures and governments attend to matters that seem more immediate or threatening.

And, unfortunately, the care of our Earth is often politicized and those who seek to protect our fragile planet are dismissed and referred to as “tree huggers.”

(Although many of us take that as a compliment—try it!)

As Christians, we have a responsibility to care for our Earth; we are the stewards of this planet.  It is especially timely that we should pause and think about our environment on Earth Day this year:  Our new Pope has chosen Francis as his papal name in honor of the saint from Assisi, the Patron Saint of Ecology.

In his inaugural Mass, Pope Francis spoke of the need to be protectors:

“It means protecting all creation,” he said, “the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us.  It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live….which all too often, instead of using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another’s detriment.”

His ministry in Argentina, along with statements he has made as Pope, suggest that Francis considers care for the Earth to be entwined with care for the poor.

And his commitment is more than words from the pulpit.

As Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina, he did his part for the health of our planet.  In the Archbishop’s palace, he used only one room for himself, because he did not want the heating to be turned on when there was no staff.  He preferred to take public transportation and spoke regularly about the “increasing alienation of the Earth and the problems of the environment” on his weekly television program in Buenos Aires.

We can all follow his lead.  Each of us can make a difference and we can begin with a few small things that can effect real change:

–Use only the water you need and reuse where possible.  Take shorter showers.
–Use environmentally friendly cleaning products
–Use “human powered” methods of transportation whenever possible, i.e. walk,               jog, skip, ride a bike)
–Carpool to work or take pubic transportation
–Buy locally or grow your own.
–Plant a tree (and hug it!)
–Eliminate or reduce usage of pesticides
–Turn off lights when you are not in the room
–Use energy-saving light bulbs
–Recycle!  Reuse!
–Don’t litter
–Avoid plastic bags
–Participate in local environmental groups
–Support local efforts to “go green”
–Pray that our political leaders have the wisdom and insight to protect our Earth
–Stay informed: www.epa.gov (Environmental Protection Agency)

Here is part of an Earth Day blessing by Diana Macalintal:

“God of all creation…Send your Holy Spirit over this sacred land we call home, that the earth may be radiant with your glory through the care of your people.

From east to west and north to south, may your blessing be upon every living thing you have created….”

Gifts from God – A Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Easter

By Sister Joanne Frey, MHSH

We are now a new creation*.  Is your spirit rejoicing in the Risen Christ? His gifts are coming in such quantity that I’m placing them in special packets labeled with his message reworded to fit my memory.

LET PEACE SURROUND YOU. The Risen Jesus spoke that message repeatedly to help us recognize the importance of this basic garment. Without peace our senses become clogged with daily trivia and thus dulled to their proper functions of seeing, listening, responding—and so blinded, deafened, imprisoned that we struggle to be, to no avail. We must cut ourselves free to become whom we are called to be:  peace makers, inheritors of the earth.

His second gift, FEAR NOT, I AM WITH YOU.  How strong those words are! Trust me. I am here with you. Today. This moment, in this very situation. Trust beyond belief. Put your fingers in the place of the nails. Your hand into my side. It is I. Here, today, now in this moment. Be not afraid. Oh, yes, it can look like all has been sacrificed. But there is a spark in those embers. A new creation awaits your creation. Be not afraid. Begin to build anew. There is that person who needs your healing touch, smile, word. Give it. Be not afraid.

Now, yet a third gift:  COME AND BE FED.  This is the invitation I open over and over again. Surely it is our Risen Lord on the seashore providing the food as has been his practice and continues to be to this very moment and beyond. Isn’t He the best ever!! The food is prepared, ready to be eaten. Enjoy this best of company. And expect the future times of eating together. It is a gift certificate that keeps on giving.  I want to share my food, my peace, my trust, with all of my brothers and sisters.  I ask God to ground me ever more completely in His love. I trust Him to feed me daily with His living bread.

Reflection:

What now, Lord?
Filled with your peace, your confidence,
your trust, your living bread. I come to be
one with you, today, every today…

“…whoever is in Christ is a new creation:  the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”  –2 Cor:17 

A God’s-eye View of the World

A Reflection by Sister Donna Fannon, MHSH

I recently visited one of our Sisters, Sr. Rosa Sofia Toledo, in Haverhill, Massachusetts.  Sr. Rosa, a native of Venezuela, is ministering at St. James Parish this year.  The pastor, Rev. John Murray, has supported our Venezuelan mission in Manzanita and Cabudare for many years.

Haverhill is located in the northeastern part of Massachusetts and borders New Hampshire.  It is close to Lowell and Lawrence.  All of these towns were vital manufacturing hubs during the industrial revolution in the 1800s.  The rivers teemed with logs, the factories produced cloth and shoes, and the population was largely French Canadian, Irish and German.

In the January 21^st issue of America Magazine (the theme is “Who is my Neighbor?”) noted that in 1860 Lowell “had more cotton spindles than all 11 states of the future Confederacy combined.”  Now, Lowell is home to the second largest Cambodian community in the US and immigrants from Mexico, and Central and South America make up large segments of the population. Like immigrants of former generations, all are looking for an opportunity to work and to provide for their families.

I was surprised to learn that currently the fastest growing ethnic group in Sr. Rosa’s parish is Brazilian. In fact, Fr. Murray is learning to speak Portuguese.  And in addition to English, Mass is offered in Spanish and Vietnamese.

On my way home to Brockton—another town that was bustling in the 1800s—I remembered that the largest ethnic group at my local parish is from Cape Verde.  In the building where I live I hear Creole, Portuguese and Spanish as often as I hear English.  I remembered the story of my own family—my father grew up in a French Canadian family and my mother’s parents were born in Ireland— and the journeys my ancestors had made from Europe to North America to the US.  No different than the current generation of so many from South America, Mexico, the Caribbean Islands, Korea, China, Africa, the Middle East and so many other places around the globe.  What a marvelous and diverse world we inhabit.

Questions for reflection:

• How has your ancestry formed you and influenced your worldview?
• What signs of ethnic diversity do you notice in your neighborhood?
• How might you help out through parish-based or community-based efforts to welcome a family that is struggling economically and/or has difficulty with language?
• How have your multi-cultural friends and coworkers enriched your worldview?
• Do you glean any wisdom for your own life from the Bible stories of the Visit of the Three Kings and the Holy Family’s journey into Egypt?
• Have you reflected on the richness of your own inheritance that includes the journeys of your ancestors (and perhaps your own)?
• How might reflection on these questions invite you to imagine yourself as a world citizen?

New Life – A Reflection for Easter

By Sister Elizabeth Langmead, MHSH Vice President

In preparing to write this blog for Easter, I have sat and prayed with the grief of my sister’s death last month and the deaths of other loved ones.   Our own experiences of suffering and grief inform our hearing the story of how the women came to the tomb that first morning of the week.

We know the anguish of their sorrow…we feel their bewilderment and emptiness.  And what did they find?  They found the empty tomb!  Yes, Easter is about the empty tomb.  Death is not the final word.  Each of the four evangelists expresses this slightly differently; however, the final word is Resurrection – new life.  The emptiness gives way to something new…something unimaginable, something beyond words!

Our Catholic Church has just recently experienced the new life evidenced in the election of Pope Francis.  Into the empty space left by Pope Benedict, a new Pope has been chosen.   Pope Francis called upon the throngs of people to bless him before he gave the papal blessing – many have commented on the newness of this action.  This new pope has inspired conversations of new hopes for the Church and new promises for ways of witnessing to the marginalized.

So, the question for me and indeed for all of us who profess to be followers of Jesus, is “Do we/do I believe in the empty tomb? Do we/do I believe in the something new beyond the emptiness?”   Was that what I glimpsed in the new life of my sister’s grandson…a life that arrived the very day we buried her?

As my family gathered and shared photos and stories, was the momentary joy I experienced a glimpse of her new, eternal life?   Our readings and songs this Easter season proclaim that the Lord is risen just as He foretold…that the Light shines on in the darkness and the darkness has never overcome the Light; and that all the earth sings an alleluia song because indeed Jesus is risen.

So, as we witness the miracles of new life among us, as we experience the joys of springtime breaking though the desolation of winter, we remember the grief and sorrow of loss and hang onto the promises that Jesus has overcome death and promises that we and our loved ones will experience resurrection as well.

–Where in your life have you/do you experience the empty tomb?

–When in your life have you experienced new life coming from that empty space inside?

–Where in your life are you being called to make space for the new that is coming?

–How does believing in the Resurrection manifest itself in your life?

A Reflection for Holy Week

By Sister M. Martha Pavelsky, MHSH

The Paschal mystery?  We live it daily, dying and rising in every dimension of our lives.  That’s hard enough.  Even more difficult is watching others struggle through the process.  How can they go on, we marvel, people raising a child with both mental and physical illness? Chronically depressed people who lose their jobs and have no hope of finding another?

Recently I saw “Silver Linings Playbook,” a movie about bipolar disorder and its effects in one man’s life.  Dying and rising were all over the place, as you might imagine.  It’s a movie, so maybe I was foolish to hope for insight:  it concluded with a trite “love conquers all” solution.

In the longest run, that’s true, I believe.  In all the shorter runs, not so much.

And yet…What I see in the devotion of parents to their afflicted child is not a solution to a problem, but a steady, deep-down growth in fidelity and tenacious commitment to one another and to the family they’ve brought into being.

There is no easy answer, but I glimpse the shine of silver through their struggle.

What is the experience of dying and rising making of you?

Who and how are you becoming as a result of it?