June 2021 - Feast of Corpus Christi (The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ)

In this time of concern and anxiety about the future of our country and the world, the Hebrew Scriptures remind us of God's providing for the Hebrew people. They had no food and water in the desert. Without divine intervention, they would starve to death.

The only hope for the Jews was God himself. Because of their trust in him, the Lord provided water from a rock and manna (a type of bread) from the heavens.

In the Christian Scriptures, we learn of the time when Jesus had been preaching to a crowd of 5,000 men and curing people throughout the day. It was getting toward evening. His disciples had expressed their concerns and asked Jesus to dismiss the crowd so they could find food and shelter for the night. Jesus simply responded: "Give them some food yourselves." The disciples told Jesus that all the food that was available was five loaves of bread and two fish. There was no way that they could feed the 5000 men and probably some women and children.

The disciples had to put their trust in the Lord because it did not make sense to them. Jesus rewarded their faith by taking the five loaves of bread and two fish, lifting his eyes to heaven, offering a blessing and breaking them, and giving them to the disciples to distribute. The food multiplied so that the disciples are able to feed the crowd and have twelve baskets of food left over. This prefigured what Jesus would do at the Last Supper and at every Mass since.

In the Eucharist, we are blessed to have Jesus as our loving companion. Sometimes, when people receive the Eucharist during their last days, it is referred to as Viatecum. The word comes from the Latin: Via (on the way), te (you), cum (with). However, that word can be a comfort all the time because Jesus is with us all along the paths of our lives.

God wants us to know that he cares and provides for us. However, it is not always in the way we expect. Often it is only when we look back over our lives that we see how he provided and even carried us at times. I love the poem “Footprints” which illustrates that so well.

Footprints in the Sand by Mary Stevenson

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord

Scenes from my life flashed across the sky,
In each, I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints;
other times there was only one.

During the lowest times of my life
I could see only one set of footprints,
so I said, “Lord, you promised me,
that you would walk with me always.
Why, when I have needed you most would you leave me?”

The Lord replied, “My precious child,
I love you and would never leave you.
The times when you have seen only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you.”

Jesus invites us to participate in caring for ourselves and our brothers and sisters. Jesus knows that in difficult times, if we focus only on our own problems, we become weighed down. However, if we try to find solutions for ourselves and others, we are able to make it through.

I can recall my mother’s giving me similar advice. She told me: “If you ever find that you are feeling sorry for yourself, remember there are others worse off than you are, and do for them.” In these stressful times, we see many people and even children, helping others to deal with the tragedies and disasters so common today. Often they become more Christ-like people as a result.  

Comments:

Reflection Question 1: During the Feast of Corpus Christi, we celebrate the Eucharist, made up of many grains of wheat, a reminder that we are all parts of the Mystical Body of Christ. Jesus calls us to show love for one another. A very important way to reach out to others today is to become involved in social justice causes.  St. Katharine Drexel gave an excellent example in her day. What does she say to us?

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D. Historian, Certified Archivist, Emerita

St. Katharine wrote that “Working for social justice can take many paths.” Social justice for St. Katharine was giving each his/her due. All were to be treated equally and fairly.  For her and for the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, education was an important path for promoting equal treatment.

Another path was letter-writing. President Franklin D. Roosevelt authorized the Mississippi Flood Control project. Negroes working for white supervisors in the South was not treated or paid the same as their white co-workers. St. Katharine wrote to President Roosevelt, protesting this injustice. She and her sister Louise D. Morrell also supported the work of the NAACP in highlighting this double standard. Walter White, Executive Secretary of the NAACP, thanked St. Katharine and Mrs. Morrell for their invaluable support in correcting this injustice.

We can find our own path, whether by prayer, letter writing, financial support, voting, or other means, to promote social justice in the United States, the “land of the free.”

*********************************************************************

Reflection Question 2: Think of a time when someone in very difficult circumstances reached out to help others and simultaneously helped himself or herself.  Share your memories.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

The first thing that came to mind when I read your reflection question was, “Support Groups.” As I thought about it, I felt gratitude for the multitude of needs supported by so many gatherings facilitated by compassionate people who can hold the pain of others as precious because they experienced a similar event, situation, or circumstance. 

I have participated in a few such groups and have always left the meeting feeling more hopeful than when I entered. The opportunity to tell one’s story and be heard, to listen to another’s story, shed tears and receive hugs, express anger, learn coping tips, all in a nurturing environment, is healing as well as renewing. The Holy Spirit is very active in such life-affirming spaces. 

Twenty-seven years ago, when my youngest child was just a toddler, my friend and I started a support group for separated and divorced women. We met twice a month in my living room. The gathering was the brainchild of my friend, a psychologist, who saw many women who were bitter toward men and, by focusing on perceived wrongs done to them, held themselves prisoners by their limiting belief that they were victims.

The foundation of our group was to support and uplift one another to move forward with our lives as stronger and more self-aware women. We called our group Self-Empowerment. My friend was committed to inspiring women to claim their wholeness by acknowledging their accountability and responsibility for their own choices, decisions, and actions. The eye-opening techniques grasped were life-changing for many of us.

For individuals unable to get to meetings, the Internet can be a window to beneficial supportive communities. Whether grieving the loss of a loved one, a relationship, marriage, or job, to feeling intense fear resulting from a devastating diagnosis, worry surrounding addiction, or fatigue resulting from caregiving – there is positive support available to guide us through life’s difficult experiences.

I became aware of Chris Wark, via the Internet, when my friend, Jill, was diagnosed with cancer. Jill received the traditional treatment protocol – surgery, chemo and radiation, but she felt there was more she actively needed to do to regain her health. Chris Wark not only regained his health but is healthier now than before his diagnosis as a result of healthy lifestyle changes he personally made. His online community (chris@chrisbeatcancer.com) became a resource for Jill as she incorporated his tried and proven enhancements to nutrition, exercise, meditation, and rest.

He developed twenty questions that every newly diagnosed patient should ask his or her oncologist prior to initiating treatment; he created a powerful docu-series on healing modalities, and he posts ongoing interviews with people who have successfully beat cancer! Positively healing, genuinely caring information to help others as they journey through cancer treatment is provided.  Helping cancer patients achieve wellness has become his passion and mission in life. See his ongoing resources at (chris@chrisbeatcancer.com).

Jesus was the model support group leader. He drew diverse peoples together, and spent three years dispelling worldly fallacies, teaching spiritual principles, and introducing people to a higher level of living, caring and sharing for themselves and others.  Communion was his passion and mission. He died promoting it. However, the group, Christians, continues His mission to this day as its members, individually and collectively, extend His love through ministering to others.

 

Happy Father’s Day to all fathers and grandfathers.

Also, blessings on all those who care for others 

in a loving, fatherly manner!

May 2021 - The Feasts of Pentecost and Mary, Mother of the Church

The word “pentecost” simply means fiftieth. Our Pentecost Sunday Feast is celebrated on the fiftieth day after Easter, and it is called the “Birthday of the Church.” According to Sacred Tradition. the disciples and Mary, the mother of Jesus, were praying in an upper room waiting for the promised Holy Spirit. The disciples were terrified that they would be tortured and killed if they were known to be followers of Jesus. These disciples were being called to hold leadership roles in the new Church. How could these frightened men lead in this new Christian Community?

The Lord had promised to send them the Holy Spirit who would be their companion and guide in this new challenge. He had promised not to abandon them. Knowing their weaknesses, as well as their goodwill, Jesus sent the help they needed. He also entrusted them to His mother.

 Although it was a deep interior experience, St. Luke describes the coming of the Spirit in ways that appeal to the senses.  He describes the coming as like the wind. The wind can lift up and move things. He was the wind behind the back of Peter who now had the fortitude to stand up and preach to the Jews that they had put to death their Savior. Many were converted and baptized as a result. 

The Holy Spirit is also described as tongues of fire. Fire can purify, and warm things. The disciples were cleansed of their cowardliness and set on fire with zeal to spread the Good News. They even had the courage to give up their lives as martyrs for the faith.
 
Fire provides light. The disciples are given guidance also through the light of the Holy Spirit. Today many people pray to the Holy Spirit for guidance, especially when there are important decisions to be made.

The Holy Spirit is visualized as a dove, symbolizing gentleness and love. Jesus had exhibited gentleness and love all through His divine-human life. How gentle He was with sinners who repented! His whole message was “Love” that we are to love God and our neighbor as ourselves.  

Then, there was the phenomenon of people hearing things in their own native languages. The Spirit’s message is that the Good News is for people of all nations and races. These disciples were being called to bring this Good News to everyone.

Finally, there with the disciples was another wonderful gift! As he was dying on the cross, Jesus had given John and all of us, his own loving, faithful, mother to accompany us through the joys and sufferings of our own journeys through life. 

Reflection on the sequence for the Feast of Pentecost is helpful for fully appreciating the Gifts: 

  Veni, Sancte Spiritu (Come Holy Spirit)

 

Come, Holy Spirit,

send forth the heavenly

radiance of your light.

Come, father of the poor,

come, giver of gifts,

come, light of the heart.

Greatest comforter,

sweet guest of the soul,

sweet consolation.

In labor, rest,

in heat, temperance,

in tears, solace.

O most blessed light,

fill the inmost heart

of your faithful.

Without your spirit,

there is nothing in man,

nothing that is not harmful.

Cleanse that which is unclean,

water that which is dry,

heal that which is wounded.

Bend that which is inflexible,

fire that which is chilled,

correct what goes astray.

Give to your faithful,

those who trust in you,

the sevenfold gifts.

Grant the reward of virtue,

grant the deliverance of salvation,

grant eternal joy.

Since the Holy Spirit is not visible, the disciples have to trust in the Lord’s word that He can send His Spirit of Love, the third person of the Trinity to be with them. The apostle Philip is certainly a good example of one who placed his whole trust in Jesus and the Holy Spirit. As a result, His missionary journeys were very fruitful, as seen in his ministry in Samaria.  

While the apostle Philip was in a city of Samaria, being filled with the Holy Spirit, he performed miracles of freeing possessed people and healing paralyzed and crippled people. The crowds listened attentively to him. When the apostles heard that the people of Samaria were accepting the Good News, they sent Peter and John who prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit                    

*****************************

For the Latin rite, Pope Francis has dedicated the first Monday after the Feast of Pentecost to be the Feast of Mary, Mother of the Church to be celebrated every year. This emphasizes the sacred tradition that Mary was with the disciples as they prayed for the coming of the Holy Spirit.  It also acknowledges that many Catholics through the years have honored Mary and sought her motherly care.

 Reflection Question:  Do I take the time to call on the Holy Spirit and/or Mary when I need, courage, comfort, or guidance?

Stephanie Morris, Ph.D. Historian, Certified Archivist, Emerita

St. Katharine wrote that “The Holy Ghost is ever within me – the presence of God.” Like the Apostles, we have received the Holy Spirit; like the Apostles, we each have our “own particular work to do for the Church.” Spending a little quiet time with the Holy Spirit, after Communion or whenever we have some quiet time, we may hear the Voice of the Holy Spirit, inviting us to work with God to do what God has asked us to do.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

The song, “The Prize Worth Fighting For,” by Jamie Kimmett, can be heard regularly on Christian radio. Essentially, it affirms that one will persevere through the difficulties of life by remembering the promises of Christ and His unfailing grace.

Before I headed out the door to do some errands, I read your post for the Feast of Pentecost so I could think about it during the day. I turned the radio on in the car and the above-mentioned song was playing. I was struck by the description of the challenges the songwriter was describing:

 

“Lately been down so low

My faith seems to come and go

Some days father I don’t know

How did my love grow cold

When every day’s just another struggle

And every choice is an act of war

Gotta pray gotta press on

To the prize worth fighting for…”

The lyrics go on to describe the depths of pain that none of us desire to experience.

 

The first thing that came to my mind is how blessed I am to believe in, and have a relationship with, the Holy Spirit. Next, I felt panic at the thought of not having the Holy Spirit to call on for comfort and support if I were going through a season where life felt like a battle. I realized how important it is to pray for others going through difficult times who may not know of the Presence of the Holy Spirit, that they will come to know His consoling, strengthening grace.

 

Richard Rohr wrote a series of daily reflections on the Indwelling Spirit and one thought that stirred me was, “When the Spirit is alive in people, they wake up from their mechanical thinking and enter the realm of co-creative power.” That sentence moved me because I recognized that, after so many decades of praying to the Holy Spirit for guidance, this is now a reality for me. As soon as I turn my attention to the Holy Spirit when I am in need, I am reminded that I have access to a higher level of thinking. When I ask Spirit for help, I can be assured of a more favorable outcome than if I had turned to my default mode of operating and tried to “fix” matters on my own.

 

While preparing for the day today, I was listening to talk radio and Flash Point Philadelphia was on. The topic was Suicide Awareness among teens. Suicide has tripled over the past several years in the 10 to 19-year-old age group, and Mental Health experts attribute this situation to increased exposure to social media. Depression, linked to loss of contact with others, is cited as contributing to suicides. The facilitator also mentioned the presence of self-harm videos on Instagram where practices such as cutting, draw young people into darkness that ending life is an option.

I found the program to be disturbing and I felt a profound sadness that these exquisite children fail to recognize their true value and worth. Mental health issues are unique and complex, yet I ask, against what standards do these hurting souls measure their sense of identity. These grim statistics, in my mind, provide evidence that the attractions of the world are shallow and that we have an obligation to reach young people with the message that they are loved and have available to them the intimate companionship of the Spirit of God.

 

As numbers of churchgoers continue to drop, where will this generation of youth hear the message of God’s love and of His Plan for them; that they matter and are infinitely precious? We are wired for God. It is who we are, and the absence of this awareness, I believe, will cause us to experience a void when we encounter struggles that cry for spiritual communion. As I call upon the Holy Spirit for guidance, comfort, and courage for myself and my loved ones, I will include in my prayers those who are in need of His assistance but unaware of His Presence in their lives.

Social Justice Virtual Event 4/26/21

Corpus Christi -
The Lamb of God

When we reflect on the Sacred Body and Blood of our Savior, we realize that under that humble appearance of bread and wine, we have the Almighty God Himself hidden. There are many titles given to help us get a glimpse of the wonders within.

One of my favorite titles is used just before we receive Holy Communion. The priest holds up the Host and says: “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” “Lamb of God” is such a tender title.  It bespeaks gentleness, sacrifice, and new life. 

How sweet the image of the gentle little lamb.  How gentle the Lamb of God is dealing with us sinners.  How strong and self-sacrificing He was to undergo the Passion with all the cruelty shown by those very creatures whom He had chosen to redeem! What humility to allow Himself to be consumed by His creatures in the Eucharist so that they may be one with Him and one another! 

There is no other explanation except that He loves us so dearly that we could say that He is “crazy about us.”  All He asks is that we return that love and love one another as He has loved us. We are so weak that we even have to ask His grace to love Him as He deserves to be loved and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

There is so much meaning packed into the title “Lamb of God”
that it is no wonder that the priest at Mass calls on us to pause and contemplate the Host saying: “Behold the Lamb of God, Behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.” 

What could be more fitting just before we are fed with His Sacred Body and Blood? What an awesome God we have!  How truly “Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lord!”  How wonderfully blessed are we!!!

April 2021 - Holy Week

The Easter Vigil 

Since there is so much in the celebrations of Easter, the high point of the Church Year, I shall begin by giving an overview of the mother of all vigils: the Easter Vigil, and then focus on the making and renewing of the Baptismal Vows in both the Vigil and Sunday Masses.

The Roman Missal explains that during the Easter Vigil “The Church keeping watch, awaits the Resurrection of Christ and celebrates it in the Sacraments.” The Vigil begins in a darkened Church. The large decorated paschal candle, representing the risen Christ, is lit and is carried into the church while the words “Light of Christ” are proclaimed. Usually, small candles, held by the congregation, are lit from the pascal candle and the light is passed from one worshiper to the next until the whole church is filled with light from the candles. I see this as symbolic of the fact that we are to carry the light of Christ into a dark world.

Several readings from the Hebrew Scriptures summarize the story of salvation beginning with the story of creation, the choosing of the Hebrews to be God’s people, and their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Then the readings speak to God’s constant care until Christ comes. Prayers and canticles follow each reading.

After the readings, the altar candles are lit from the paschal candle, and the church is filled with light and triumphant music. The “Alleluias” are heard in the Church again and the first Easter Eucharist begins. Our risen Lord has come into the darkness to light up the world.

Following the Gospel, the Saints are invoked to pray for those to be baptized and/or receive other Sacraments. Then the baptisms and confirmations take place. Those who were baptized in Christian denominations whose baptisms are accepted as valid by the Catholic Church make a profession of faith in the Catholic Church.

The people in the congregation are sprinkled with holy water as a reminder of their own baptisms.  They renew their vows to renounce Satan and promise to serve God in the holy Catholic Church. For those who were baptized as infants or young children, it is an opportunity to consciously verbalize their commitment to Christ.

Since none of us is perfect, it is a way for all of us to start anew to live and love as Jesus has taught us. The Liturgy of the Eucharist follows and the newly baptized will join the rest of the people receiving Holy Communion.

Easter Sunday

The Easter Sunday Masses are like the ordinary Sunday Masses except for the addition of a sequence, the renewal of Baptismal Vows, and several choices for the Gospel readings.

                         

Sequence

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

Offer your thankful Praises!

A Lamb the sheep redeems;

Christ, who only is sinless,

Reconciles sinners to the Father.

Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous

The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.

Speak, Mary, declaring

What you saw, wayfaring.

“The tomb of Christ, who is living,

The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;

Bright angels attesting,

The shroud and napkin resting,

Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;

To Galilee He goes before you.”

Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.

Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!

Amen. Alleluia

Although there are several choices for the Gospel on Easter Sunday, I shall focus on John 20:1-9.  Many believe that aware of how deeply His mother Mary was suffering, Jesus would have appeared to her first. That may well be true. In fact, John concludes his Gospel with the following words: “Now there are many other things that Jesus did. If they were all written down one by one, I suppose that the whole world could not hold the books that would be written.”  (John 21:25).

John, the evangelist, has personally witnessed Mary of Magdala grief-stricken running to tell Peter and himself that the stone had been rolled back from the entrance of the tomb. She fears that His body has been stolen.

In response, Peter and John hasten to the tomb. John, being younger, arrives first but does not enter. When Peter arrives, he goes inside and sees the burial cloths and the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head, not with the burial cloths, but rolled up in a separate place. Then John goes in, sees and believes. According to John: until that moment, “they had failed to understand the teachings of scripture that he must rise from the dead.” (Jn 20:9).

During the Easter Season, we shall be reflecting on the many ways the risen Savior makes himself known to the people. What great joy they must have felt after witnessing the cruel Passion of Jesus to know that He was victorious and that they would someday share in His victory over death.

Reflection Question:  How can I consciously bring the Light of Christ into our world?


Comments:

Stephanie Morris, ASBS, Ph.D. Historian, Certified archivist, emerita

To shine a light, you need to turn on a switch or strike a match to light a candle. To bring the Light of Christ anywhere, we must first have Christ’s Light within us.

Any lamp needs fuel. Matthew tells us that the “eye is the lamp of the body” (6:22). During these difficult times, our eyes are almost the only part of our face showing above our face masks! 

Christ’s lamp within us needs fuel. Mother Katharine tells us that prayer and the reception of Holy Communion are the food necessary for a strong spiritual life. If we are open to being fed by the Word of God and to the love He freely offers us, we can fan a little light of God into a fire of His Love radiating from us. This fire will then illuminate our actions.

Do our eyes show that we are listening to those around us who are asking for help or prayers? Do our eyes show the joy and gratitude we feel for the love and mercy God has for us? Few of us are where we would like to be physically or socially or perhaps spiritually.  But we can keep trying to do what God asks of us in a willing manner. Then our lives will shine the Light of Christ to all.

At the Easter Vigil we will sing: “Christ, be our light! Shine in our hearts, Shine through the darkness.” May the Light of Christ shine in and through our hearts today and always.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

“But you, beloved, are not in darkness…for you are children of light and children of the day.”  These words from 1 Thessalonians 5:4 came rushing to mind as a result of three individuals who chose to let their lights shine one ordinary day.

Wednesdays are shopping days for mom and me. We adhere to a set pattern. I gather her up and we leisurely walk down the long hallway to the exit where I park the car. Once mom and her walker are in the car, we head to Walmart, the Dollar Store, the supermarket and occasionally, the State Store to pick up a bottle of Manischewitz Concord Grape wine. She maintains that it warms her “insides.” One blustery cold Wednesday our routine chores were elevated to glimpse Compassionate Presence. The event that set my heart ablaze was not announced or noticed by anyone other than myself but it was one of the strongest sensations of being in the Light that I experienced, at the supermarket, of all places.

All the handicap parking spaces were taken, so I decided to drop mom off at the entrance of the store. The area was exceptionally congested and noisy due to active construction work.  I pulled up, got out of the car, went over to the passenger side to get mom and walker out.  A young man, who was gathering up shopping carts, paused and asked if I would like him to get a handicap cart for my mother.  Then, from seemingly nowhere, a woman was standing next to us. She told me she would take care of my mother while I parked the car. I was still trying to figure out where those two people came from when I went inside the store and found my mother comfortably sitting on a chair off to the side with a team of three people surrounding her. The third person was a young male store associate who had fetched the chair for mom. They attended to her as if she were a celebrity.  I thanked them repeatedly, and they were genuinely appreciative of my thanks.

The young men who tended to the needs of my mother each had speech and physical impairments. Rather than limit their abilities, these “handy-capable” individuals had innate insights which moved them to be of service to a stranger. There was such simplicity in their actions and in their caring!  I sensed the movement of the Holy Spirit as I held back tears of gratitude. Their response held the intrinsic energy of “We’re here for one another.”  I felt very much a member of the Body of Christ for a few brief moments huddled in this little circle in the bakery department of Giant Market. The woman, who was the supervisor of the boys, had stepped outside for her break which she willingly sacrificed to watch out for my mother.  Mom benefitted from the attention and pampering, but the lesson was exclusively mine. 

Mom’s helpers were shining lamps radiating light to all around them.  I felt embraced by warmth in their presence because Presence (The Lord) was shining through them. The big question for me was, “Would I have even noticed the elderly woman, the pressured caregiver, the tired mother?” Regrettably, the truthful answer was probably “No.”   My flame was extinguished, mostly due to my recurrent bouts of negative thinking regarding all the ongoing restrictions surrounding Covid. Would the prolonged darkness of pain, separation and self-suffocation of masks ever end? Not if I keep fanning the flames of misery.  

God’s Divine Mercy cradled me that day and restored me to renewal. God’s Light is contained in His Word (Holy Scripture). I recognized I was spending so much time reading and listening to all the fear-fueling news that my prayer time with God had slipped to daily snippets. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Light begets light. I chose to reignite my flame that day. That ordinary shopping day was a grace-filled gift for me. Thus, I encourage any reader who may be experiencing distress over conditions “out-there,” to spend adequate time going “within” to commune with Jesus who is “Light from Light.”

 “Let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:16.

Let us pray for an end to the Pandemic, racism, injustice, and suffering in our world!  

Let us bring peace and justice and joy to all!

May you and your loved ones

have a blessed Triduum

and Easter Season!

March 2021 - The Third Sunday of Lent

Reading I: Exodus 17:3-7
Psalm 95
Reading II: Romans 5: 1-2, 5-8
Gospel: John 4: 5-42

There are many meanings of the word "Lent" in the English language, but the one we are focusing on is "springtime." When I think of spring, I think of growth, renewal, and resurrection.

First, I think of an awakening of the vegetation as it makes a path through the soil, pushes obstacles out of its way, and seeks nourishment for growth. All this enables it to provide food and beauty for our world.

That is what "lent" is about. We take time to examine our relationships with God, our brothers, and sisters. We ask the Lord to help us to discern what needs to happen to allow our spirits to grow. We seek to know the obstacles in our path and how to remove them. We also look to ways of nourishing our souls for greater growth.

What are obstacles in my path?

1) Am I unwilling to forgive? Ask the Lord and/or a spiritual friend for help.

2) Am I spending too much time watching TV or with social media, or something else so that I do not pray enough? What can I give up in order to spend more time with the Lord?

3) Do I enrich the soil by studying the Bible, doing spiritual reading, listening to spiritual songs or sermons, or engaging in faith-sharing circles, etc.? Ask the Lord what he wants of you.

In the spring, we also see renewal. Trees, which seemed to be dead in the winter, begin to bud forth and gift us with their beauty and welcomed shade. It may be that the Lord simply wants me to renew a holy practice that I have let go of because of busyness or other reasons.

All this is in preparation for the new life which we will celebrate at the Easter Vigil and Masses with Alleluias and renewal of our Baptismal Vows. Then, we will be able to bring the light of Christ to our world in such need of hope and love.

The Feast of St. Katharine Drexel - March 3

St. Katharine Drexel was the first canonized Saint to be born a United States citizen. She was a daughter of a wealthy Philadelphia banker, Francis Anthony Drexel. She and her whole family became philanthropists because they believed that their wealth was a gift to be shared with the needy.

As a child, Katharine helped her stepmother, Emma Bouvier, to distribute food, clothing, and rent assistance to the needy. especially to the recently emancipated African Americans. Her sisters Elizabeth and Louise also helped. They were aware that these former slaves, although very capable, lacked the education to find good jobs.

From this experience, Katharine recognized the need for a good education to enable people to improve their lives. Later, when she became a Religious Sister and founded a new community, the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, she stressed education as a way of improving the lives of the oppressed, especially, but not exclusively, among the Native Americans and African Americans.

Today, St. Katharine Drexel is the patroness of Philanthropists and Racial Justice. The following information is taken from an article by Brook Gregory found in EpicPew.com.

Five Times St. Katharine Drexel Won Against Racism 

1) When construction began for the convent St. Katharine was building for her new Community in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, people began to make threats. A stick of dynamite was found at the construction site of the Motherhouse. One of her first schools was destroyed by arson. These incidents did not deter St. Katharine from her work.

2) Needless to say, St. Katharine was not popular in the South during the early 1900s. Officials in Macon, Georgia, tried to prevent the Sisters from teaching at one of her schools. They simply did not want white women teaching and interacting with black students and their families. St. Katharine fought the law, won, and the school is still open.

3) Then, St. Katharine purchased a building with the intention of opening a Catholic Institution of Higher Education in New Orleans, Louisiana. When her plans became public knowledge, vandals broke in and smashed all the windows. St. Katharine made little of it and pursued her dream. Today, Xavier, a historically Black Catholic University, is still thriving and providing many professionals for the area and beyond.

4) A prayer response to a threat from the KKK of the Beaumont, Texas Chapter, is striking. On the door of a parish church, connected with one of her schools, a note was nailed which read, "We want an end to services here. Suppress it in one week or flogging with tar and feathers will follow." A few days late, nature responded in the form of a tornado that completely destroyed the Klan headquarters and killed two of its members. The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Beaumont were never bothered again.

5) St. Katharine outsmarted racist laws by designing the churches she built in the South in a special way. The people had to be segregated if a service was to be held legally. St. Katharine didn't like the idea that the Black people were roped off and relegated to the back of the church. Since St. Katherine couldn't change the laws, she changed the arrangement of the pews. St. Katharine had two front-to-back rows of pews in her churches. The law couldn't attack her or the people. The pews were still technically segregated, but the people of color were not forced to sit behind the white people. They were seated side by side.

St. Katharine advanced the legal protection of Native Americans and people of color through persistent letter-writing campaigns. Also, she was a vocal advocate of early civil rights legislation.

St. Katharine died at age 96 in 1955 on the eve of the Civil Rights Movement that she helped to advance long before its existence was even considered. The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, their Associates, Partners, Alumni, and friends carry on her Mission today. She left us much-needed words of wisdom for today.

"Have a cordial respect for others in heart and mind; if there is any prejudice in the mind, we must uproot it, or it will tear us down."

Reflection Question: Ask the Lord to help you to know in what area/s he wants you to grow during this Lenten Season.

Comments:

Stephanie Morris, ASBS, Ph.D. Historian, certified archivist emerita
“Lento” is an Italian word that signifies a direction in music – to go in a slow manner. Spiritually, we can see Lent as a time to go slowly, to slow down our usually hectic lives, and re-connect with God. If you have ever planted a garden or even grew some flowers from seeds, you know that you have to wait for the seeds to germinate. Growth may be slow but the end results are often beautiful and/or delicious. So, it is with our spiritual life. The seed might be a few quiet minutes with the Lord at the start of our day. This could grow into a calm demeanor during the day and greater trust in God. Mother Katharine said that “Growth must be gradual to be enduring.” We can try this spring to slowly come into a closer relationship with God.

Pat Chiaffa, ASBS

I was truly enlightened by your blog this week. Your description of the spiritual processes of growth, renewal, and resurrection, using the example of how nature removes obstacles in its path as it seeks nourishment for sustenance is so relatable.  We can use this illustration, along with your questions that help us identify some of the obstacles that stand between us and our relationship to God, to offer others an understandable explanation of the importance of Lent in our spiritual development.

Additionally, the information you shared on Saint Katharine Drexel was really interesting. St. Katharine Drexel’s courage and steadfast faith in the face of so many obstacles encountered in her mission is inspiring. She is a wonderful model of loving God and serving our brothers and sisters in Christ.  I particularly enjoyed reading of Mother Katharine’s brilliant creativity in rearranging the pews in the churches she financed in order to get around the racist law that Black people had to sit behind the white people in the church.  She arranged for two rows side by side. In that way the groups were separate but at least side by side. Those of us fortunate enough to know any Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament get to witness her spirit in the activities, prayers, and stories of these dedicated women.                                                             
Sadly, racism continues to plague our society and demoralize our youth. An article in The New York Times, by Amy Horman, told of the experiences of 101 black teenagers in Washington, DC over a two-week period. Their stories were tracked by researchers who reported that the teens encountered more than 5600 instances of racial discrimination, averaging more than 5 instances per day for each teen.  

On February 12,2021, the Sisters celebrated the 130th anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored People.