Today we celebrate the memorial of Saints Timothy and Titus, both converts to the faith as a result of the teaching and preaching of Saint Paul.  Today’s Mass readings present two options:  the first from the beginning of the second letter of Paul to Timothy, and the second from the beginning of Paul’s letter to Titus.  In each, Paul addresses the man who walked the journey of faith with him – Timothy, who became bishop of Ephesus, and Titus, who became bishop of Crete.

In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes:

For this reason, I remind you to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the Gospel
with the strength that comes from God.  (2 Tim 1:6-8)

In his letter to Titus, Paul writes:

For this reason I left you in Crete
so that you might set right what remains to be done
and appoint presbyters in every town, as I directed you. (Ti 1:5)

Paul reminds Timothy and Titus to be faithful witnesses in their office as bishops, exhorting them to call on the Holy Spirit to powerfully witness to the love of God and to continue to work to build the Church.  This is the call of the bishop – to build the Church and to preach and teach in the power of Holy Spirit, not with a spirit of fear, and never with shame of their testimony, but with the strength that comes from God.

I often wonder about the bishops.  What is their day like?  What are their struggles?  What are their joys? Theirs, in many ways, is a hidden work, albeit at times a very public one.  It strikes me, too, especially in this age, how lonely it could be, and often, how thankless.  As Laity, we usually only see the bishop at Confirmation, so connecting on a personal level, like we might with our pastor or parish priests, is mostly unachievable.

A friend of mine chaperoned her high school to the March for Life this week.  She told me that Cardinal O’Malley, Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, celebrated Mass every day with the Marchers.  When I visited my daughter in Atlanta in September, I just happened to be there when the bishop was celebrating Mass with the students.  In both cases, these shepherds reached out in a very simple, tangible way to build the Church, particularly with young people.  I know that this will have a lasting effect on some of them.

So today, I exhort you to pray for the bishops of the Church, especially for the bishop of your local diocese, that the flame of the Holy Spirit be stirred in them and that they will bear their “share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God” as they sacrifice their lives for the building up of the Church.

Saints Timothy and Titus, pray for us!  Anne

Today we celebrate the feast of one of my personal faves, St. Francis de Sales.

What I like most about this sixteenth century Doctor of the Church is his very understandable writings and teaching exhorting the average lay person to respond to the universal call to holiness.  Uncoined during his time, this phrase, “the universal call to holiness”, was articulated in the Vatican II document, Lumen Gentium, having been published in 1964, more than 300 years after St. Francis’ death.  St. Francis understood it from early on and preached its truth to his dying day.

I have referenced his greatest work, Introduction to the Devout Life, many times in my writings.  Today, I thought I’d pass along to you links to some of other of his writings and some tidbits I ran across that might enrich you.  I also share with you some quotes which epitomize his very practical advice.  Take some time to reflect on them and see what the Lord is saying to you today.

Would you also join me in praying in thanksgiving for my Mom, today?  It’s her birthday…and I’m so glad she was born!!!

Her life is a gift from my grandmother who was dirt poor when she became pregnant with her second child.  A close friend suggested that my grandmother have an abortion, leaving pills with her ”to take care of it”.  Those pills would have snuffed out my mother’s life, my life, my two sisters and two brothers lives, and the lives of my mom’s 26 grandchildren.  What a loss for the world!  I don’t think we can ever truly understand the impact one life can have.

On the day after we marked the tragic passing of Roe v. Wade in our country with the March for Life in Washington, and on the day after our President stated that abortion allows, “Our daughters to fulfill their dreams,”  let us storm the gates of heaven for all those women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies, that they will have the grace and practical support to see through the struggle and give life to their unborn children.  Let us pray for an increase in the virtue of purity in our nation.  Let us pray, too, in thanksgiving for all of our mothers and for all those women and men who have chosen life in difficult circumstances.   Mary, Mother of Mercy, Refuge of Sinners, Pray for us!

St. Francis de Sales, pray for us!  Anne 

Quotes from St. Francis de Sales

“There is no better way of growing toward perfection in the spiritual life than to be always starting over again and never thinking that we have done enough.”

“Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength”

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself.”

“Make friends with the angels, who though invisible are always with you. Often invoke them, constantly praise them, and make good use of their help and assistance in all your temporal and spiritual affairs.”

“While I am busy with little things, I am not required to do greater things.”

“Friendships begun in this world will be taken up again, never to be broken off.”

“Nothing is more like a wise man than a fool who holds his tongue.”

“You learn to speak by speaking, to study by studying, to run by running, to work by working; and just so you learn to love God and man by loving. Begin as a mere apprentice and the very power of love will lead you on to become a master of the art.”

“Do not fear what may happen tomorrow. The same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and everyday. Either he will shield you from suffering or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.”

“Have patience to walk with short steps until you have wings to fly.”

On-line resources (be patient, some of the pdf files take a while to load):

Introduction to the Devout Life

Treatise on the Love of God

Discerning God’s will (scroll down for to the second letter)

The Catholic Controversy (once on the site, scroll down for the .pdf version)

The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales have a terrific website, chock full of Salesian materials.  Take some time to poke around:

• Prayer of the heart  – reflections to use for mental prayer according to Salesian spirituality – very practical!  Scroll down and you’ll find a whole bunch of different meditations
• Daily with de Sales - scroll down and click on the month to find a daily meditation

Emblematic Habit of the Mind (not an original article, but very interesting reflection on St. Francis’ practice of imagery to strengthen memory to build and learn prayer and faith.  Lengthy, but quite interesting.)

Books:

Francis de Sales, Jane de Chantal: Letters of Spiritual Direction (Classics of Western Spirituality)

Thy Will be done, Letters to Persons in the World

The Sermons of St. Francis de Sales on Our Lady

St. Francis de Sales Act of Abandonment

O my God, I thank you and I praise
you for accomplishing your holy
and all-lovable will without any regard for mine.
With my whole heart,
in spite of my heart,
do I receive this cross I feared so much!

It is the cross of Your choice,
the cross of Your love.
I venerate it;
nor for anything in the world
would I wish that it had not come,
since You willed it.

I keep it with gratitude and with joy,
as I do everything that comes from Your hand;
and I shall strive to carry it without letting it drag,
with all the respect
and all the affection which Your works deserve. Amen.

In today’s Old Testament reading and Psalm, a familiar scene reminds us of the inextricable relationship between mercy and trust.

Over the past few days, the book of Samuel recounts the story:  God rejected Saul as king of Israel.  Samuel sought and found the shepherd boy, David, and anointed him king.  David defeated Goliath with a sling and a stone.  King Saul, jealous of David’s popularity with the people because he defeated the Philistines, sent 3,000 men to search for David, so that those men could destroy David.  Recall that David grew up alongside Saul’s son, Jonathon.  Saul loved David, but his love for power was greater.

In today’s scene we see David hiding deep within a cave.  As only God can do, God delivered Saul into David’s reach when Saul entered the outer part of the cave. David could have killed King Saul, but he did not because the King was God’s anointed one.  David confronted the king with the truth:

“My lord the king!”
When Saul looked back, David bowed to the ground in homage and asked Saul:
“Why do you listen to those who say,
‘David is trying to harm you’?
You see for yourself today that the LORD just now delivered you
into my grasp in the cave.
I had some thought of killing you, but I took pity on you instead.
I decided, ‘I will not raise a hand against my lord,
for he is the LORD’s anointed and a father to me.’
Look here at this end of your mantle which I hold.
Since I cut off an end of your mantle and did not kill you,
see and be convinced that I plan no harm and no rebellion.
I have done you no wrong,
though you are hunting me down to take my life.
The LORD will judge between me and you,
and the LORD will exact justice from you in my case.
I shall not touch you.
The old proverb says, ‘From the wicked comes forth wickedness.’
So I will take no action against you.
Against whom are you on campaign, O king of Israel?
Whom are you pursuing? A dead dog, or a single flea!
The LORD will be the judge; he will decide between me and you.
May he see this, and take my part,
and grant me justice beyond your reach!” (1Sam 21:9-16)

David completely trusted God, resisting the peer pressure of his men who wanted to kill Saul, and submitting to God’s anointed one out of love for God.  David didn’t know what would happen.  King Saul could have killed him right there.  He could have taken David away, or made a scene which brought 3,000 men to his aid.  David had to know the risks.  There’s no way he couldn’t have.  His words reveal the source of his conviction, “The LORD will be the judge.”

The Church then invites us to pray Psalm 57, “A miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into a cave.” (source)  “Only six psalms contain this Hebrew word, miktam.  No one is quite sure what it means, but all six of these psalms are psalms of lament.  All six are linked to David and four of the six have references to David’s struggles with enemies.” (source)  David’s heart is broken as his life is threatened for doing God’s will and for rescuing God’s chosen people.  This was David’s prayer along the way as he ran from his enemies:

Have mercy on me, O God; have mercy on me,
for in you I take refuge. In the shadow of your wings I take refuge,
till harm pass by.

I call to God the Most High,
to God, my benefactor.
May he send from heaven and save me;
may he make those a reproach who trample upon me;
may God send his mercy and his faithfulness.

Be exalted above the heavens, O God;
above all the earth be your glory!
For your mercy towers to the heavens,
and your faithfulness to the skies.   (Ps 57:2, 3-4, 6 and 11)

Consider David’s prayer.  David asks for mercy and immediately trusts in God’s refuge.  He praises God and immediately trusts in God’s protection.  He exalts God and immediately trusts in God’s faithfulness.

Faith is the hinge between mercy and trust.  In faith, we pray for mercy; in faith, we trust God will give it to us.

Saint Faustina’s Diary is entitled “Divine Mercy in My Soul”.  The one phrase we take away from it is, “My Jesus, I trust in You!”  Today, let us pray in faith for God to pour out His mercy on our world, on our nation, and in our hearts, and that we will in faith trust in His Providence and care for each an every one of us.

My Jesus, I trust in You!  Anne

Nothing in the world prepares a woman for what happens to her heart when she becomes a mom.  Nothing.

Yesterday at the airport, I waved goodbye to my older daughter after she went through security on her way back to college.  This is the fourth such goodbye, and I thought it would be easier over time, but it’s not.  In fact, this one was as hard as the first.  It surprised me.  (Ohhhhh…..here come the tears again!)

It’s all good stuff.   She’s happy.  Doing well. Making good decisions.  Surrounded by solid friends and an active Catholic life.  Then why is it so hard, and why is my heart so heavy?

First, I think it’s because we love so much.  As moms we pour ourselves into our children.  We sacrifice and give.  We laugh and cry.  We hold them and we let them go.  We remember their first steps like it was yesterday, and as hard as it was in those younger years, we yearn to scoop them up like they are babes, but we just can’t do that anymore.  That time is gone, and it will never be back.  It is a bittersweet parting.

Second, I think it’s because with each passing goodbye, we get closer to the final goodbye when they are launched and living on their own as adults, and with each passing goodbye, we know it will never be the same again.  One day they will marry and start a family of their own.  We remember doing that ourselves and only looking forward, never looking back.  It never dawned on me how hard it must have been for my mom.  Now I know in a way I never imagined.

Third, I think it’s because it’s hard to envision what life will be like on the other side.  As moms, we are so enmeshed in the day-to-day and being available to meet the needs of our families that we don’t really look too far out because it always changes.  I remember before she arrived having a hard time imagining what life would be like as a mom at home, especially after 10 years of work.  Now, I struggle to imagine life at work after all the time at home.  Now I seek a future for me.  I haven’t entertained that thought for a long, long time.

Adoption has taught me that our children are God’s first.  He created them for His purposes and for His honor and glory.  He entrusts them to us for a time, to form them and prepare them for the work He has prepared for them in the world (Eph 2:10).  We pray that they have the grace to know and to do His will and that they stand firmly at the center of His will because that is the best place for them to be.  When we let them go according to His plan and purpose, we, too, stand in the center of His will – sometimes sobbing from the pain.

This brings me to our own heavenly mother, Mary.  She lived life as a woman and mom like we do.  She, too, had to let go, and no doubt cried many tears along the way.  She knew, like us, that we must surrender our children to the Father’s will because it is the best place to be.  She sobbed at the foot of the cross.

So, I look to her as a role model to help me to surrender to the Father’s will.  One of the first times we see Our Lady after the crucifixion is in the Upper Room (Acts 1:14).  She prays with the apostles awaiting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  I, too, must do the same. I need to reach out to others so I don’t have to carry this burden alone, and I must pray and wait.  God will do the rest, including taking care of my daughter, showing me His plan for me, and mending my aching heart.

The house was empty when I returned from the airport yesterday.  I went upstairs only to see that my daughter had finally cleaned her room.  She later told me that she cleaned it “just for me.”  It won’t be a mess again until she returns in May.  I knew, too, that one day, it will stay clean for a long, long time.  I cried.  I think Our Lady cried right beside me.  Following her example, I turn to the Lord in prayer:

Out of the depths I call to you, LORD;
Lord, hear my cry!
May your ears be attentive
to my cry for mercy.
I wait for the LORD,
my soul waits
and I hope for his word. (Ps 130:1-2,5)

Come Holy Spirit.  Anne

Ever wish you were Samuel, and God’s voice spoke more clearly to you?  I know I often cry out, when I’m not sure what God is calling me to do, Oh, if only I were Samuel! Then again, how many repeated calls might I miss, like Samuel, and dash off in the wrong direction? Eli guided Samuel to hold still the next time he heard the voice, and just say, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (Samuel 3: 3-10)

As I reflect on today’s Old Testament passage, I realize, I’ve never uttered these wise words. I may thrash out in my fears and frustrations, God, just tell me what to do! But rare is the wise moment where I just hold still, and tell God I’m listening. In fact, my usual refrain, is: Lord, I don’t know what to do with all these burdens. Here they are; I place them at the foot of your cross. Please shine your light on all this mess.

I realize, with the help of Samuel’s example, and Eli’s wise words, that I vacillate between interrogatory prayer and giving up. Now, I’ve often thought “giving it all to God” was faithful, but I think I missed something in the extremes. God does not always give us a directive that gets through our layers of busyness and confusion quickly and clearly. But, he does not want us to give up, and he uses us to solve problems so we can grow in charity and wisdom. It all starts with holding still and listening.

Practicing stillness is challenging for me. I often wish I had six more hours to every day; then I’d be sure to get “it” all done.  I have little time for stillness, but I know I can make time for that, if I put a higher priority in this.

And have you ever found yourself frenetic, and you realize how much time you wasted, just in the fretting, and in the inefficient motions? If we can still ourselves, think clearly, and move more methodically, we actually accomplish more, without the stresses and strains we add with our anxieties and impatience.

Anne put a challenge to us this short season of Ordinary Time, to count our days – the real meaning of Ordinalis (ordinary) – well over these weeks preceding Lent. Here are my resolutions:

• Prioritize stillness at the beginning of each day. In my prayers of thanks and praise, along with my long list of intercessions, I will just hold still and say: “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

 

• When I don’t know what to “do” I’ll resist the spiritual temptation to dump all at the foot of the cross. Instead, I’ll ask God to show me what I’m to do, and to show me what I’m to let Him handle.

Today’s Gospel (John 1 :35-42) relates a critical scene where John the Baptist turned to two of Jesus’ disciples and announced, “Behold the Lamb of God.” Like Eli guiding Samuel, so John guides the disciples to realize more fully what was right in their midst.

Thank God for all the guides who lead us to turn our ear heavenward, to turn our eyes toward the light, and to redirect our lives to The Presence.

Barbara