Sister Elaine was delighted the other day, and made no secret of it! She received a card on the occasion of her 60th jubilee from a relative. She was enthralled…
This card, a Hallmark, had a picture of a smug little fox with the caption: “You should be proud of yourself!” Sister was quick to share that it was “the good Lord who should be proud for having gotten [her] that far,” through 60 years. She mentioned later that she had even had the card in chapel, showing it to Him, and saying as much, thankful for the grace of perseverance over these years. Congratulations, Sister Elaine, on your 60th Jubilee of Religious Profession, and for your example of joy and gratitude to the rest of us. I think your little fox is pretty cute, too!
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Although I grew up “in town,” I spent many a day out in the country. Our good friends had a farm about 50 miles south, where we often visited.
I’ve had experience gathering eggs, picking corn (and rock), playing around in the hayloft (and falling on my way down the ladder / fracturing my foot ), having bonfires that reached nearly to the telephone wires, and other great fun that you just don’t find within city limits. Perhaps this experience “on the land” is part of the reason I love seeing things grow. I’m delighting in the four plum seedlings that I’ve nursed from pits and that are once again flourishing after their winter dormancy beneath snow-covered pails. Also, working with residents on our raised gardens out on the patio has become a tradition for me. It’s fun carefully planning out where the little seeds will be planted. This planting season, I actually used a tape measure, recently acquired from a conference the other Sisters had attended in Bismarck. Now, we might actually have strawberries! I got a call this morning from a friend of St. Anne’s who might be bringing us some extra strawberry plants. Whether it be spinach, onions, cucumbers, peas, beets, basil, dill or strawberries (our crops this year). there is something sweet and satisfying about cooperating with life’s growing process, whether it be plants in our gardens or people in our lives. Thanks be to God for the gift of our own lives as well as all the blessings that grow all around us! In today’s first reading from Acts, Paul and Barnabas mention the fact that it is “necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14).
In his homily at Mass, Father briefly reflected on the role “hardships” play in our lives. In my own prayer this morning, this phrase struck me, too. I know that hardships, as much as I’d rather avoid them or be quickly done with them, have been necessary in my life as well. I think about times and situations that have been particularly hard, and realize they have been vital in my own growth as a person. Where would I be today if it weren’t for these hardships of my life? This passage to me serves as a lesson, as a reminder, to me to thank God for these hardships that help shape me as a person, that lead me closer to Him as I journey, seeking His kingdom. This morning, at Mass, I was struck by the continuing omnipresence of the word “alleluia” in the liturgies of the Easter season. Even though our society put those chocolate bunnies on sale weeks ago, the Church knows better and still fully immersed in this season of joy and praise.
I find it interesting that even verses with seemingly little connection to this “A word,” abolished during Lent, now end with Alleluia, exhorting us to “praise the Lord” (English translation of the word). So, we might ask, why do we end the majority of our antiphons and liturgical proclamations with “alleluia,” “praise the Lord,” for over a month and a half, through Pentecost? Is there a lesson for us? I think so! God has done truly amazing things for us…At Easter, we celebrate the marvelous mystery of Christ’s resurrection, His conquering of sin and death. This truly merits our praise! The ongoing prolific alleluias also might serve as a reminder for our daily lives, not only during Easter, but throughout the year, that we should be in the habit of giving thanks and praise. Just as we exclaimed “alleluia” at least three times during the course of a ordinary Easter weekday Mass (though who can call the Mass ordinary?), we would do well to say it repeatedly in our hearts throughout the day! Regardless of what the other words of the verses are about at Mass, we so often end them with “alleluia” during this joyous Eastertide; how much more should I lift my heart in praise, regardless of (or because of) the circumstances that surround me. Alleluia!!! When I had just finished college, I was a volunteer publicity assistant for our parish’s Council of Catholic Women.
One major undertaking I had in this role was creating a newsletter for the group, which we called Mulieris Dignitatem (Dignity of Women), drawing its name from JPII’s document on “the Dignity and Vocation of Women.” It featured recent undertakings and events from the group’s members. Now, years later, having started a group for area Catholic women to support each other in our faith, I find my mind drifting back to this important concept, so totally misunderstood in modern society. As I try to figure out who will speak at next month’s gathering and what the topic will be, I am drawn to the possibility of a brief reflection on our call and dignity of women within the Church. (I say “brief” because the speaker only has about 25 minutes allotted.) Unfortunately, during the past several decades, with the laudable pursuit of respect and equality, a lot of women have become confused about what it means to be a woman, about what our wonderful, God-given role is, after all. I think that preparations for upcoming meetings may be a good refresher course for me, personally, about the dignity and vocation each of us has as a woman within the Church. In closing this little post, I find it fitting that our monthly gathering, entitled “Magnificat Morning” points to Mary, even in its name. Who, better than she, can show us what it is like to be a woman of faith? Mary, who first brought Christ to the world, can be a model to us, helping us to bring Him to those we meet each day. Today is a day of ambiguities, you might say.
This morning, for Morning Prayer, I was surprised that we used the full Office of St. Joseph; this celebration of St. Joseph the Worker is just an optional memorial. Then, we went to Mass, and Father did not observe the memorial at all, simply using the Wednesday of the second week of Easter, another surprise! The Mass to be attended was another instance of options and decisions. There was a special Mass with the school children including a May Crowning, celebrated by the Bishop. I had wanted to attend, but it didn’t work out with my schedule so we went to the early morning Mass instead. And the ambiguity of my day continues…. I could ask myself today, what is my job title? Am I a receptionist? Am I involved in social ministry? Am I a personal care aide? Today, I’ll be all three, with another meeting in between and will finish my day at the reception desk again! (I’ll be filling in for a sick aide/receptionist after my regular work duties.) It will be an interesting day, I’m sure. Who knows what other little ambiguities and challenges will come up?! I pray that St. Joseph, the Worker, will intercede for me in all of it. The Paschal Triduum is always a beautiful time for me, but after the Easter Vigil (or, to be frank, during it), I am exhausted!!
There are so many things going on: helping with liturgies, special cleaning projects (candle holders, etc.), and continuing traditions that help make this time of year so special. As we were discussing roles for the liturgies during these holy days, somehow the topic of “reading the red print” came up. There is a lot of red print, that is text giving liturgical directives in the “Roman Missal” (the book used by the priest), during these days. Even after having helped with Holy Week liturgies for several years, I still don’t remember everything. There is a LOT to remember. Thankfully, we’ve developed a “cheat sheet” here at St. Anne’s as to all that needs to be prepared, and even where certain needed items are kept. It’s great! Needless to say, during the past week (or more), I’ve been reading a lot of colored text, or red print, as we say. But, that’s not the end of my colorful experiences! Good Friday evening, after finishing up my work in chapel, I went to our activity room kitchen and boiled 3 dozen eggs. Holy Saturday afternoon, some residents gathered, and we dyed the eggs together. I really love all these paschal traditions; they are so beautiful, just like the sparkling candles, flower-laden sanctuary, and colorful eggs. These traditions help us “taste and see” the wonder of these holy days, the depth of which I feel I have barely touched. Well, I’d better get to work now practicing the music for this morning’s Mass. Today, having heard that the temperature was to get up to 60, I was finally able to get out in the yard and uncover my “little trees.” Our maintenance man, Jasen, and I had planted them last fall, surrounding them with leaves for added protection, and covered them with pails for the winter.
Now, as spring appears to be here (I’d better not hold my breath), it is time to let my little seedlings see the sun. They are so tiny that you can hardly see them, but they’re still there! The sun is not too strong yet, but it should be increasing. Hopefully, when warmer days come, my “little trees” will start soaking in the sun…Hopefully, within a few weeks, I can see some green, some new life! I think there are some lessons for my own life in these little seedlings! This morning, as I was reflecting on the readings for today’s Mass, I was struck by a message that was repeated in both the first reading (Isaiah) and the epistle (Philippians):
“Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new!” ~ and ~ “Just one thing: forgetting what lies behind but straining forward to what lies ahead, I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus.” I have been praying about a difficult situation, asking for some change, some relief. It was interesting that both of these readings seemed to lend me some promise of the “newness” for which I have been asking. Might God be doing “something new” in me, in my life? Time will tell! In the meantime, I guess I’m called to renewed trust, to renewed love, each day. As we see the snow recede and enjoy the ability to go outside without a winter jacket, this sense of anticipation, of new life just on the horizon, touches our physical world as well. I pray that these final weeks of Lent and the coming festivities of Easter may be a time of renewal for you and for me as we daily seek His “upward calling.” I came over to the convent this afternoon to tie up a few loose ends (including checking email and brushing my teeth) before starting my shift at the reception desk. I would not be off again until ten.
While I was here, I decided to look for an item Sr. Elaine had offered to me, stating it was in her top drawer. Happily, I found it without too much effort. At this point, the thought crossed my mind of switching her drawers around as an April Fools trick. Instead, I admonished myself to “save some for next year.” Throughout this day, I have been up to a bit of mischief, here and there. I suppose you might say I am acting more like a child than a grown woman, but oh well, April 1st comes but once a year. Having done my research for fresh (and harmless) April Fools tricks, I have been victimizing others at St. Anne’s by:
In the meantime, I have to hope that no one notices the specks of black marker on my hand, left behind from the toilet paper trick. I want them to be surprised to see the spiders! I will preface this reflection by stressing that I mean no disrespect to any members of other traditions; I am not saying that, within this “universal church” to which we belong, one Rule of life is superior to another.
With that being said, I came to a greater appreciation of my own spirituality this past week, spending a couple of days at the lovely University of Mary in Bismarck. I had not grasped before the strong Benedictine presence on that campus, although a couple of my aunts had graduated from there. We had been invited to the campus to take part in the fourth annual “Vocations Jamboree,” an opportunity for which I was very grateful. We even got to stay in amazing guest rooms on campus; the virtue of hospitality was definitely evident there! Wednesday morning, I found my way to a little chapel in which to have my morning visit with my Beloved. I was so thankful; one never knows if a chapel and/or time for prayer will be available at special events such as this. Part of my Lenten practice this year is trying to make the Stations of the Cross each day. I really cherish this special form of prayer which brings us more deeply into meditation on our Lord’s sufferings. Thus it was that, after finishing my half hour of meditation on the scriptures, my eye searched the walls of the small oratory, looking for plaques of the Stations. There were none. I think of Dorothy, in The Wizard of Oz, who said: “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” I was not in a Franciscan house anymore… Other aspects of the chapels there reinforced this realization for me, including but not limited to, the monastic style positioning of the pews. (Again, I want to stress that I am not saying that one way is better than another.) Being immersed in the Benedictine spirituality, which is somewhat foreign to me, brought me to the conclusion that I really am a Franciscan. Actually, St. Francis’ three great devotions, to Christ in the Crib, on the Cross, and the Eucharist, have been key to my spirituality since childhood. There are pictures of me as a toddler sitting before the manger set (the stable was built by my dad and the ceramic statues painted by my mom), absorbed in the scene. In fifth grade, I was part of a living stations-type performance, acting as a woman of Jerusalem. I also remember fondly attending Friday evening Stations of the Cross at our parish church. I remember a evening in (5th grade??) CCD (Religious Ed.) class, when our teacher took us into the new Adoration chapel, and introduced us to how to visit Jesus there. (This was to become the place I first experienced my call to religious life almost ten years later.) With all of this, it’s no wonder I ended up in a community following St. Francis’ way of living the gospel. However, it wasn’t until late in my process of “searching for the right place” that I became open to the possibility of a Franciscan community. But, that’s another story altogether! It was a beautiful Wednesday evening in mid-October when a first-time mother put her little baby in the car seat, and drove a mile to the school building where the seventh grade religious education class she was teaching was to meet.
As she entered the classroom, the students saw the infant, gathered around, and were eager to take turns holding the four-month old baby girl. They fussed over the child, admiring with delight how little and sweet she was. In the past two classes, the topic of abortion had come up in class discussions; some of these thirteen year-olds thought that it was alright for a woman to terminate her pregnancy, to end her unborn child’s life with an abortion, at least in certain cases. Now, when class began, she, the teacher, asked for a show of hands of who thought an abortion was okay. Over half of the hands went up. The young mother decided to help the students, tangibly, to look at the issue in a new way. She went on to explain that this little baby had just been diagnosed, the week before, with a vision impairment; her optic nerves were underdeveloped. She and her husband did not know how much (if any) the baby would be able to see. The class was speechless. After more discussion, in closing, the young mother asked for a new show of hands as to how many students thought abortion was okay. No hands went up this time. I share this story now, having heard it from my mother over the years, for I am that “little baby.” My life could have been terminated if those advocating selective abortion had their way. With recent legislation, in some areas, which does not respect the dignity of the life of the unborn, I felt it was appropriate to share my connection with the issue. Although I have had to deal with the challenges of impaired vision through the years, it definitely has not deprived my life of meaning. I am so grateful that I have had the opportunity to live, an opportunity denied to so many children of recent generations. Now, I work in a care facility, serving Christ in our residents who need a caring home, people whose lives are not always seen as valuable. Many of them are elderly and closer to the end of their lives. I feel privileged to be able to help them, recognizing the dignity and value of each life. Sr. Christina M. Neumann, OSF What an interesting day…and it’s not over yet!!
Where do I begin??? For a few days, now, we’ve been hearing that a snowstorm is coming this weekend, but no one really knew how much of this white stuff was on the way. With well over 60 inches already this season, the streets have become quite narrow. I normally like to walk, but it’s not really a safe option anymore, until the “spring thaw” hist, whenever that will be. Consequently, I caught a ride to Mass this evening; I had been on duty as the a.m. receptionist and unable to go earlier. I came back, walking in the door just as the other Sisters were clearing the dishes. I grabbed some soup, and headed in the chapel to join them for vespers and our weekly rosary for vocations. After prayer, I headed to the activity room kitchen, a place I had spent a bit of time just the day before, to make some rhubarb sauce. This culinary delight, though now out of season, is a favorite of our visiting sister, and so I planned to make a big batch to last the two weeks that she’ll be here helping out. I could not make all of the rhubarb into sauce because I only had a limited amount of sugar. However, I did manage a batch of 24 cups of rhubarb (with the almost four remaining cups of sugar), a little water, the remaining raspberry jello and syrup I had. Despite the fact that I was really “scraping the bottom of the barrel,” it turned out to be delicious (if I do say so myself). As I was turning off the stove, doing dishes, and wiping off the counters, I learned that one of our night shift workers (who lives a distance away) would not be able to make it in to work tonight. Our dear receptionist was doing her best at trying to find a replacement. After a busy day, and another one coming, I was not eager to work the night shift this time. To help quicken the cooling process so I could go home and get a little rest before the night shift began at 10, I took my pot out and set it in the snow near the building. I came back inside, and soon saw one of our apartment residents, who had helped cut up many a stalk of rhubarb (during its season). I couldn’t help but offer her a little jar. As I spooned the sauce into the jar, I realized that it was still too hot to pour into my plastic containers. Outside I went again…this time, further out, where lightly falling flakes were still falling. Soon the sauce was a bit cooler and safe to pour into containers. It’s now a quarter after nine, and the phone just rang…one of my co-workers will be in at 10:30 tonight, so my “night shift will only be a half an hour long. I’ll be glad to go to bed for some sleep after a very interesting day, complete, even, with rhubarb in the snow. We’ll see what tomorrow brings! This afternoon, upon arriving at the reception desk for my shift, I took care of a few things, and picked up a book I’d found in our chapel library on The Faith of the Early Fathers.
I opened, and to my delight, found that it included The Didache, a very early teaching document with which I had become acquainted years before. I thought it would be “fun” (pardon the flippant expression) and also edifying to read something from so early in our faith, so “close to the sources,” you might say. I hadn’t been reading long when a phrase really caught my interest. The passage sounded very familiar, echoing almost word for word the message from the gospels on love for enemies, and the like. The particular instruction that struck me was new to me, however: “Fast for those who persecute you.” Wow!! With the beginning of Lent just around the corner, and with myself struggling with a few people in my life, this one hit the nail right on the head! Although I am not sure what all of my Lenten practices will consist of, I am glad for the new inspiration of offering deeds of penance for those very people who I find difficult. I think this may be a very good way for me to practice “love of enemies” and, also, perhaps to soften my attitude towards people who the gospel challenges me to love. Hello! I am Sr. Regina-Maria.
I live in Bavaria, Germany. I am a member of the Franciscans of Dillingen at the Regens-Wagner province. I am 35 years old and live with one another sister in Absberg near the Brombachsee, a wonderful lake. We have here one of fifteen institutions for disabled people of Regens-Wagner; I work at the “Müßighof.” In the middle of the 19th century, the spiritual guide of our community was the priest Johannes Wagner. He was also director of the seminary. In German we use the title “Regens,” so he was called Regens Wagner. He saw the poor disabled children and people and the need to help them. He saw that they are not stupid, but are misunderstood by the other people. He asked the Dillingen Franciscans to help them. So the Dillingen Franciscans gave the disabled people work and a home, and the priest Regens Wagner became their “father.” Regens Wagner and the Dillingen Franciscans founded the institutions for the disabled people. In 1973, the German province got divided in three provinces because we were so many sisters! The sisters who worked in the disabled institutions got one province and it got the name of the priest Johannes Wagner. For a long time only Sisters and the disabled people were in the institutions. Later also secular employees have came to work with us. Now we have about 5000 employees and 90 Sisters in the Regens Wagner Province. We have kindergartens and schools for the disabled people; they work in special workshops, and often they live in the institutions. Sometimes they live at their parents home and come here to work. We have special workshops for the disabled people so they can be challenged and given a chance to grow, so they can do all they are able to do! This is the task of the employees! Where I work is a organic working farm with a shop and a small restaurant. My workplace is the shop. We sell our own produced organic vegetables, but also many other food from other small family businesses! It is important for us to know our suppliers and manufacturers. We prefer regional and seasonal things. I make the orders and sell at the cash desk. I love it to work here, to know the customers. To meet the tourists who come to us at the Brombachsee Lake in summertime for their vacation – and to the Müßighof. The people like to do their shopping here, too. They say there is a special atmosphere. Not so much stress like in the city… it is like vacation in everyday life! First go shopping, then drink a cup of coffee… and then watch the animals with the kids. We have donkeys, alpacas, hens, roosters, cows, cats, horses, goats, rabbits, peacock and peafowls, ducks and geese. At the shop, in the small restaurant, and at the farm, disabled people also work. This is our passion. We are here for the disabled people, to help them at their daily life and work. When you are in Germany, it would be nice if you would visit me at the Müßighof! For older posts, please visit the old blog site. |
AuthorSr. Christina M. Neumann Archives
December 2019
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