The word, Advent, comes from a Latin word meaning “arrival” or “coming”.  For this reason the Church has named the period of four weeks prior to the Feast of Christmas, Advent.  The anniversary of the birth of Jesus is coming and we wait in joyful hope.

Waiting is not usually a pleasant (joyful) experience for an impatient person.  Patience has never been an easy virtue for me to live, I freely admit.  However, I have come to know with Henri Nouwen that “Waiting is essential to the spiritual life.  Waiting as a disciple of Jesus is not an empty waiting.  It is a waiting with a promise in our hearts that makes present what we are waiting for.  . . .  We wait during Advent for the birth of Jesus.”  I am grateful that this year Advent is shorter than normal since week four is only one day long! 

The scripture readings during Advent remind us of various stories of waiting.

• The Israelites waited for the Messiah to come;
• The desert waits to bloom;
• John the Baptism waited for Jesus, as he prepared the way of the Lord;
• Mary and Elizabeth waited for a child to be born;
• Zechariah waited to have his speech restored;
• Groups and individuals who came to see Jesus waited to be healed or fed;
• Even “the Lord waits to show you favor.”  Isaiah 30:18

We all wait for something.  Advent gives us an opportunity to enter into the waiting, to help us keep our perspective when we are bombarded with the early attempts of our commercial world to get us to prepare for Christmas by exercising our purchase power.  Making Christmas a wonderful experience for ourselves and those we love is important, but often we get distracted and pulled away from the real meaning of the season.

This year Our Lady of Lourdes will present “Lessons and Carols”, the story of the fall of Adam and Eve, the promise of the Messiah and the birth of Jesus, told in nine short Bible readings interspersed with music.  All of our liturgical music groups will work together, under the coordination of Carol Clark, to present this beautiful program on Sunday, December 3 at 3:00 p.m. in the Church.  Come to enhance the value of waiting.

Someone once said very powerfully, that if Jesus is not born in you, he is not born.  Let us take the opportunity during this Advent season to live in the present moment and wait in joyful hope for Jesus to come into our lives more fully.

Did you look at the theme of this month’s spirituality article and say, “I don’t think I want to read that!”?  If you did you likely weren’t the only one.

Death is a topic most people choose to ignore until life imposes it upon them.  It’s understandable because death involves pain and loss; it leaves a hole in our lives; it demands change; it ushers in the unknown.  These are not experiences that delight us, but they are a natural part of life. 

The idea to write about death came to me, as you might expect, because November is the month wherein the Feasts of All Saints and All Souls are celebrated.  It is the month when we hold our annual Memorial Prayer Service (Saturday, November 4, 10:30 a.m. in church) and also the month of the dying and falling leaves.

Let us remember in prayer the faithful departed from Our Lady of Lourdes, whose names appear elsewhere in this newsletter.  Their names are also listed on the church banners hanging behind the altar during this month of November. 

It is good to remember in prayer those who have died.  It is also good to realize that each of us dies a little every day.  One of our elderly sisters, whose mind was seriously slipping, spoke wisdom to me one day when she simply stated, “I wish I had learned how to ‘let go’ when I was younger; maybe this aging process would be easier.”  Her comment called me to be more conscious of my daily losses and more accepting of them as part of my life journey.  I believe that life is fuller when we embrace, rather than merely tolerate, all of its nuances.

It is only through death that new life occurs.  When we cling desperately to the life we know, resisting change, we obstruct the workings of the Holy Spirit and we prevent growth.  Jesus has gone before us to show us how to suffer and die, believing in the promise of resurrection and eternal life.  Nature also teaches us this truth.  The leaves die, leaving bare branches and trees that appear dead.  But in the spring the budding and the greening of those same trees reveal new life.

Death is natural; dying is unavoidable and necessary.  Our faith gives us the hope of new life and ultimately eternal life.  Scripture give us words to fuel our prayer.  One such passage is the familiar quote from Psalm 23: “Though I should walk in death’s dark valley, I fear no evil with you by my side, your shepherd’s staff to comfort me.”

I am writing this on September 11, a day in recent U.S. history that will never be forgotten, a day we commemorate each year with testimonials and prayer, no matter what our faith.  It was an occurrence that affects the entire globe.  We are world citizens; we are a universal church.  As Americans and as Catholics we are called to global solidarity.

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Matthew 19:19)  In today’s world our neighbor is in Iraq and Lebanon and Darfur and El Salvador and Appalachia and next door.  We are all one human family.  “Promoting the unity of the human family is the task of the whole Church.  . . .  A parish’s catholicity is illustrated in its willingness to go beyond its own boundaries to extend the gospel, serve those in need, and work for global justice and peace.  This is not a work for a few agencies or one parish committee, but for every believer and every local community of faith.  This solidarity is expressed in our prayer and stewardship, how we form our children and invest our resources, and the choices we make at work and in the public arena.”  (Called to Global Spirituality: A Statement of the NCCB) 

How do we at OLL “go beyond” our boundaries “to extend the Gospel”?  Many of our parishioners are involved in outreach ministries.  There is room for more to be involved; the needs are endless.  They were so in Jesus’ time and they are still in our time.  Each year on Mission Sunday we are invited to share some of our wealth with those less fortunate in a developing country.  Each Lent we hold a simple meal and contribute to a rice bowl as we stand in solidarity as a faith community with the poor.  Our eighth graders are invited to be involved in a program of service as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation.  The hope is that our hearts will be touched and we will reach out beyond our comfort zone to help overcome the divisions in our world, not just once, but for a lifetime.

No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.  Individuals at OLL act in various ways to reach out to others.  The parish as a whole provides numerous opportunities to be involved beyond our borders.  In addition, we would like to consider a Twinning relationship with a domestic or foreign mission area of the world.  This would include mutual prayer, communication and cultural sensitivity.  Currently there are about fifty parishes in the Archdiocese that have such a relationship.  You are invited to learn about Global Spirituality in general and Twinning in particular, Monday, October 9, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in Trinity Hall.  Dr. Mike Gable, Director of the Mission Office for the Archdiocese, will make a presentation and facilitate our interaction.

Come hear the Jesus call!

When I entered the convent fifty years ago, the Church said that I was “leaving the world” to enter religious life.  The practices I discovered in the Novitiate were meant to help us leave the world behind.  We wore a dress from another era; we were limited to monthly visits with our families; we were not allowed to read newspapers.

Then Vatican II happened.  Both the church and religious communities were asked to go back to their roots and enter into a renewal process.  One of the fruits of this experience was the growing conviction that we, clergy, religious and lay, need to live our lives and strive to be holy, in the world, not apart from it.   

There are links between the church and the world, between religion and science, between body, mind and soul.  All is one, no matter how vigorously we try to compartmentalize things.  The tragedies in the world and the circumstances of our lives often suggest the content of our prayer.  What touches the soul affects the body and the mind.  Everything is connected and the ultimate goal of life is wholeness or integration or holiness.

Jesus was involved with concepts of wholeness and unity.  He saw to it that those who came to listen to his words had physical nourishment (multiplication of the loaves and fishes—Matthew 14:13-21).  He used touch to heal people (healing of the man born blind—John 9:1-12; raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead—Luke 8:40-42, 49-56).  When he healed a person’s body he often spoke of their faith that made the healing possible (woman with a hemorrhage—Luke 8:43-48; healing the paralyzed man—Luke 5:17-25).  He used imagery to explain the truths he was trying to convey (enough faith to move mountains—Matthew 17:20; parable of the sower and the seed—Mark 4:1-9).

The deepest truths seem to need paradox for full expression (the pain and joy of childbirth; the grain of wheat must die in order to bring forth fruit—John 12:24; the last shall be first—Mark 9:35).

There is a need for unity and wholeness at every level of our lives.  Let us make Jesus’ prayer our own, “That all may be one.”  (John 17:21)

SPIRITUALITY ARTICLE

LIVING IN THE PRESENT MOMENT

When I was a novice, we were asked to choose a favorite scripture passage.  How does one choose a quote from 73 books in the Bible—so many possibilities?!  All those years ago and I still remember the passage I chose, “Now is the acceptable time.”  It was short, but it could have been even shorter; it could have been simply, “Now!”  Even then I had a tendency to look ahead and plan ahead and anticipate, sometimes missing the beauty of the present moment.  Those are all good things, but only if the now moment is where life is lived.

If we live in the past we may feel guilty for things we have done or not done.  Or, we may feel blissful about our huge successes.  Revisiting them can be helpful, but if we dwell on either, we are wasting the present moment—one more thing about which to feel guilty in the future

If we live in the future we may be dwelling in fantasyland.  Having dreams and planning for the future is essential, but if we dwell there we are wasting the present moment and then it is gone, never to be reclaimed.

We can learn from the past so that our present is fruitful; we can anticipate the future so that our present has purpose.  Living fully in the present allows one to be aware and attentive, to live life consciously, to experience life with every part of one’s being and to make the most of each situation and of every relationship.  When we live fully in the present moment we will become our best self, our true self.  We will have no regrets about the past.  We will encounter God in the here and now because God exists in an unending present. 

“Now is the acceptable time.” was, is, and will always be a good scripture passage by which to live one’s life.

July 4^th, as we know, is Independence Day.  As Americans we treasure our freedom and on a civic level that means liberation from the control of another entity.  We need to celebrate that liberty, knowing that the citizens of many countries have to fight for the privilege of being free and too many never achieve it.

Americans are free, but many people who live in America are not spiritually free.  John quotes Jesus as saying, “the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31)  The truth is that God loves each of us with an overwhelming and unconditional love.  When we know that we are loved by God, by family members and friends, we are free to love ourselves and others.  When we love ourselves we accept ourselves as we are, with all our qualities and limitations.  When we love ourselves we can become our truest and best self.  We don’t need to be tied to being number one or wearing a particular brand of clothing in order to be accepted by our friends.  Being tied to anything other than what is of God, our Creator, is to be unfree.

Freedom accompanies a deep awareness of the ultimate meaning of one’s life.  When we know why we were created by God we can be free of everything that is not of God.  You remember the story of Job, who had an abundance of everything and suffered total disaster.  He lost his family, his home, his possessions and his health.  Job challenged God as he sat on his “dung heap”, but he never lost faith in God.  He was able to say, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.  Blessed be the name of the Lord.”  Disordered attachments enslave us and prevent us from being free. 

When we are right with God we are truly free.  Let us pray to live open-handed, to be willing to have taken away whatever we are most attached to, so that we might be free to receive whatever our loving God wishes most to give.                          

SPIRITUALITY ARTICLE MAY

GRATITUDE

Monday, April 3, the Bereavement Committee from Our Lady of Lourdes had its annual In-service Day. The topic was Gratitude; the presenter was Sister Mary Ellen Murphy, Past President of the Sisters of Charity. As I listened and reflected, prayed and shared, I found myself wishing that the entire parish could have been present. Thus grew the idea to use some of those ideas in an article for our Parish Newsletter.

We teach children to say thank you at a very early age, hoping that they will learn good manners and develop positive relationships with others. It’s the beginning of looking at everything as gift.

Receiving thanks is just as important as giving thanks. We appreciate receiving gifts—a present, a kind word, a helping hand, someone’s time—and so we say thank you or show our gratitude in some way. Somehow it seems more difficult, or we feel awkward, in responding to another’s gratitude to us. We say, "Oh, it was nothing." or "No problem." Well, it was something for that person, and even if it was a problem, we wanted to do it anyway.

Gratitude needs to be humble. The focus is not on self, but on the other, whether we are saying, "Thank you" or "You’re welcome." In sign language the gesture is nearly the same.

An attitude of gratitude is tested when things don’t go our way. It’s hard to be grateful when the milk spills, when we break a leg or someone we love gets sick or dies. It’s human to be upset and to feel the pain. A grateful person is human, but strives to think beyond self. Bitterness or revenge is the result of a self-absorbed person. Ironically it is through loss, weakness and struggle that we learn gratitude. Anyone who has been through the 12-step program knows that.

Gratitude is the attitude of a disciple of Christ, one who believes in the paschal mystery, that life comes through death, that light shines in the darkness. Having just celebrated Easter and still in the Easter season, we are steeped in this mystery and grateful for Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection. How can we keep from singing?!

SPIRITUALITY ARTICLE APRIL

SACRAMENT OF THE SICK

There are innumerable stories in the gospels of Jesus healing the sick. The reader of the New Testament must conclude that the healing ministry is important and part of the Mission of Jesus that we must continue.

We read in the Letter of James (5:14-15) "Any one of you who is ill should send for the elders of the church, and they must anoint the sick person with oil in the name of the Lord and pray over that person. The prayer of faith will save the sick person and the Lord will raise that person up again." Herein lays the basis for the Sacrament of the Sick.

In the early church the anointing of the sick was commonplace. By the middle ages it became less frequent and was administered only to those who were at the point of death. Because of this the sacrament grew to be called Extreme Unction. Until about forty years ago, if a sick person saw a priest approach the bed with a prayer book and oils, he suspected that he was dying! The renewal of the sacrament returns to the early church understanding of the sacrament. Any baptized person who is seriously or chronically ill may receive the sacrament, and the sacrament may be received several times.

Suffering is difficult to accept, whether the suffering is yours or that of someone you love. A person can resist it, deny it, blame others for it and become bitter, or embrace it and grow in character because of it. No one asks for suffering. In fact, it is healthy to ask that it be removed; Jesus did that in the Garden of Gethsemene. But he also added in prayer to his Father, "Not my will, but yours be done." Suffering has redemptive value for the one suffering, as well as for the church and the world.

The Sacrament of the Sick helps the sick person to grow to wholeness through the illness and to identify with the sufferings of Jesus. It gives strength, courage, forgiveness of sin and peace, as well as accompanies restoration to health or preparation for death.

Like all sacraments it is communal in nature. Whether it is administered in a person’s home or in church or in the hospital, the church prefers that as many people as possible be present to join their prayers and participate in the ritual.

I have had the privilege of participating in many such rituals. They are moments of grace for all who witness the rite, not only the one who is receiving the sacrament. God’s love and concern are concretely evident in the faith and care of those present.

The sacraments celebrate God being with His people at every significant moment of their lives from birth, through the need for forgiveness, spiritual nourishment, courage and healing, in the choice of a vocation in life and at the time of death. Let us give thanks for these rites that proclaim so powerfully that our God loves us.

 Maria Hill, csj                                                                                                                         

SPIRITUALITY ARTICLE MARCH

SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION

We all know and have experienced that God is love and that God’s love is faithful and unconditional.  We also know that evil exists, that we have the capacity to sin and are in need of conversion.  Put those two truths together and we have the basis for the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Remember the story of the Prodigal Son, in which a loving father runs to greet his son, the repentant sinner, throws his arms around him and welcomes him home with a banquet?  (Luke 15:11-32)  God is like the merciful father in this parable—always ready to forgive and to celebrate that forgiveness.

The church has given us many means of forgiveness, e.g. the Our Father, the Penitential Rite within the Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Strictly speaking, the Sacrament of Reconciliation need only be received when one is in the state of mortal sin.  However, it is a powerful ritual that gives grace (new life from God) and the church strongly recommends that we take advantage of those graces.  Here are some additional reasons why the Sacrament is good for us.

1. We are social beings and we need others.  It is important that we see ourselves in relation to the community.  Sins may be secret, but they are never private.  There is a ripple effect, just as there is with the good that we do.
2. It is a sacrament of growth.  We need to identify sin in order for conversion to happen.
3. The sacrament enhances positive relationships with God and with others.  It encourages us to take forgiveness seriously, to make amends and to grow in relationship.
4. It is a source of joy and peace.  It helps a person to feel whole and at one with others and with the world.
5. It is a means of celebrating forgiveness as an individual within community.  The ritual deepens the experience of forgiveness.

Lent is a wonderful time to take advantage of the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Check the letter that accompanied The Magnificat, the Lenten book sent to your home, to see when the Sacrament (both communal and individual) is being offered at Our Lady of Lourdes.

                                                                                                            Maria Hill, csj                                                                                                                                      

SPIRITUALITY ARTICLE FEBRUARY

SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE

When one speaks of Marriage, one thinks of love—love that is mutual and committed and forever, no matter what obstacles intrude (sickness, poverty, etc.). On the day of the wedding love is like fireworks; after several years of marriage love is more like a sunset (intense beauty, moving to darkness, with the promise of a bright, new day).

Marriage has been considered a sacramental in the Catholic Church, i.e. a sacred sign of love, for a very long time. However, it wasn’t listed as a sacramental until the 12^th century. It wasn’t until the 15^th century that it became an official sacrament. Marriage is a primary way (not the only way) that God leads men and women to holiness.

The love between husband and wife is self-giving, as is Jesus’ love. It is faithful and permanent. A married couple receives grace during the receiving of the sacrament of marriage. The couple then becomes a sacramental for each other every day of their lives. And as they love each other daily, they give witness to the love God has for all people. The graces of the Sacrament of Marriage are life-long, even though the sacrament is usually received only once.

Self-giving love reaches beyond husband and wife and beyond family to sharing their love with those who have need of it, until we are all one, which was Jesus’ desire.

Statistics tell us that at least 50 percent of marriages end in divorce. No marriage is immune to difficulties which can tear at a relationship and wear it down. Sharing faith, remembering that God is part of the union of love, can give the courage necessary to meet any challenge. At Our Lady of Lourdes there are many married couples whose lives give witness to the Love of God. We are blessed as a faith community because of their presence. Any couple who grows in love for each other, has done so by the grace of God and by faithfulness in times of struggle as well as in times of ease and joy.

Let us keep married couples in our prayer that they may remain faithful and grow holy through that sacred relationship. Here is a short prayer for couples:

God of Love,