Yesterday, the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady was the 53rd anniversary of the day I promised my life to Our Lord. I am keeping that promise but not the way I had planned it :-)
Instead of living my life keeping the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience as a member of an RSCJ religious community, I am living by myself as an RSCJ Associate  trying to live a life of simplicity, purity and openness to the Will of God  as a mother and grandmother, friend, sober woman and educator. God works in mysterious ways and I can see the hand of God in my life all through it.  In each of the pieces and places of my life, God uses me to share the message of the eternal love of God with the people who cross my paths.

The paths I recently crossed included my daughter Trish and her family including my grandson Jack in London. We had a wonderful family time and I was able to experience ordinary days with Jack, seeing him enjoy playing, running, watching and chasing bubbles and loving life as only an 18 mos old child can.

While I was in Barnes,London,England for those two weeks in August I experienced once again the international charism of the Society of the Sacred Heart. An RSCJ, whom I met through her blog, continued to build a relationship through FB, came to my daughter's house in Barnes from her home in Oxford. We spent the better part of a day and evening together, she taking me to Digby Stuart College in Roehampton to meet the new English Archivist, Barbara Vessey where I spent several hours in the Archives with Janet Erskine Stuart and praying in the newly renovated Chapel. We returned to my daughter's home where we shared supper with my family and then my new friend returned to Oxford.

I am now home, starting a new Fall semester of online teaching, volunteering as a member of the Council of Catholic Women, attending Bible Classes, and ministering to some friends who are ill with cards and phone calls, maintaining contact with my family;; all ways of sharing God's message  of love.

As I titled this blog-I am so - blessed by God - the best of all worlds.

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This prayer has been sitting on my desktop. The Spirit prompted me to open it this morning and I share it with you. It seems like a most appropriate prayer for these days, written by an RSCJ who is preparing to go to God and who has devoted her life to championing the marginalized, the downtrodden, the nonviolent, the victims of injustice.
Prayer at this Kairos Time

In this Kairos time of crisis and challenge, may we, like Mary of
Nazareth, be open to the Spirit who calls us to new ways of in-
carnating the Word of truth and love.



In the face of harsh judgment even by those closest, may we,
too, ponder deep in our hearts a response inspired by the nonvi-
olent Christ who went beyond traditional teachings to grow to
maturity in wisdom and grace.



May we invite the servants in the house of our Church to re-
spond in trust to the faith that turns water into new wine,
bursting the old skins of paternalism and outgrown legalistic
structures,



May we, in the bold meekness of the Syrophoenecian woman,
challenge our Church to an inclusivity that dissolves fear to en-
rich and fill up the Body of Christ.



May we, by nonviolent and creative actions that speak louder
than words, pour out whatever gifts we have, remembering the
promise to the woman at Bethany: "Wherever the gospel is
preached throughout the world, what she has done will be told
in memory of her." (Mk. 14:9)



May we have the courage to leave our securities and publicly
follow the way of the cross to stand by the One who rejected
the sword, healed the enemy, and challenged the perversion of
truth by fidelity to it.



May we stand firm, even when darkness and chaos seem to fill
our threatened earth, and express hope in the hidden energy of
creative hope and love.



May we carry the message to the fearful disciples of the resur-
rection of a new humanity, birthed by the Spirit in the heart of
a creation that groans " in the pains of childbirth right up to the
present time." (Rom. 8:22)

~ Anne Montgomery, RSCJ


peace and love,
capecodcathy

As I sit here by my window  this morning attempting to meditate on the reflection from the English website "Give glory to God with a quiet mind", I am struck by an awareness coming from the flowers on my deck. They symbolize the ever present love of my God. My pink New Guinea impatiens live even when I forget to water them; they look dead, but the minute they are watered they spring back to full life again. So when I forget to nurture my relationship with Our Lord, my connection droops, but springs back to life because God's love is still present. The lavender and white petunias give off blossoms continuously, just as God gives me gifts always and ever. I need to be mindful of them. A recent gift is the opportunity to put sacred music back into my life. At the Methodist Church down the street, there is a monthly Taize practice and worship service. Sunday I attended the worship service at the invitation of a friend. What a gift. I left, with my soul singing Jubilatae Deo ! I will return. A strange plant the name of which I do not know :-)  is growing in one of my flower boxes. It has a very thin stem topped by a large leaf of pink ringed with green. Last night we had a  storm complete with high winds, thunder and lightning. This morning the stems are not broken, just as when the are large storms in my life, God's love can withstand them.
So now I go out about my day more aware of God's love, in gratitude for the new insight into God's creation. Hope your day is similar.
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Our two Feast Days the end of last week, The Feast of the Sacred Heart and the Feast of the Immaculate Heart brought with them a great gift. Starting early in the morning of the Feast of the Sacred Heart  every fiber of my being felt a connection with all the RSCJ and Associates with whom I am connected and have been connected. During Mass there was the realization that somewhere in the world others were also celebrating the Eucharist with the same focus on God's love poured out for us. All day small reminders of our connectedness with His Love and with each other kept popping up. Reminders that God's love is everlasting and surrounds me all the time. Remembrances of connections with people I have not seen for many moons and yet still feel in touch with. As I clean out boxes and corners for a yard sale coming up, items, notes and pictures show up unexpectedly that remind me of a funny time, a sad moment, a happy occasion - all signs of connection. For one who used to worry about abandonment, Our Lord has certainly filled my life with signs of love and caring, pouring from the wellsping of his heart.
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Today is a beautiful day.A spring-summer day. warm sun, cool breezes, the scent of blooming flowers on the air, a sense of freshness all about. It makes me wonder if Jesus experienced days like this? How did He see them, feel them?
These days are God's gift to us-out of God's love for us. The Eucharist is also God's love for us,a way of uniting us with God, with Jesus. Yesterday at Mass we sag-"Here I am, Lord". I always sing this hymn with my heart as well as my voice. This is the only way of saying "thank you" for the gift of the Eucharist and for all the gifts God gives me on a daily basis.
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As I was praying this morning, I suddenly realized (inspiration from above!) that today begins the Novena for the Feast of the Sacred Heart. Immediately the Novena of Confidence also came into my thoughts:
                   "Lord Jesus, to your Sacred Hear we confide this intention.
                   Only look, then do what your heart inspires.
                    Let your heart decide. We count on it. We trust in it.
                   We throw ourselves on its mercy.
                    Lord Jesus you will not fail us."

When I was at Oakwood Sister Clare Pratt suggeted for the Novena for St. Madeleine Sophie that we "confide all our sisters and brothers who are ill". I am going to do that again, since there are relatives, friends and acquaintances all dealing with various stages of illness.

On another note my prayers are very much still with the LCWR. What brave women to make the statement they did in response to the Vatican. Again in prayer, Mary and her role as Mother of God was the focus on Saturday. Images of her confronting Jesus in the Temple when he was a child, "telling" him what to do at Cana, calling for him in Galilee and staying with him through the whole passion and death and holding him in death, came to mind. Our Lady is our role model. The Board of the LCWR is following in her footsteps and drawing on her strength, as I see it.

Love and peace to all,
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An attitude of gratitude - that is what is on my mind today as I review the last month. School ended! I left for a week at Oakwood with my beloved Sisters in retirement. What gifts of love and acceptance and warmth they give to me. There is a tinge of sadness as I watch them fade as they grow older-some I have known since they were first professed and came to teach at the Sacred Heart school in Cincinnat-62 years ago. However it is balanced with the joy of long term friendships and the mutual exchange of love and prayers.
And now I am home for a month until I go to celebrate success with Casey my oldest. She will host her agency's annual Tribute to Change in Philadelphia and I am able to be there to cheer her on. How grateful I am for that and for her in my life.
In August I go to England to visit my other blessings, daughter Trish, Ian and baby Jack for two blessed weeks. They too are such a grace in my life and give me  much joy.
God is very good to me and has been all through my life - even when I have not noticed it. Today I am very aware of it every day and thank God frequently throughout the day for the many blessings with which I am showered;my sobriety, the beauty around me, loving family, loyal friends, opportunities to grow, interesting students - and I could go on and on.
Today I am also praying for the Board of the LCWR who are meeting in D.C. They have much to think, pray and talk about. May our loving God surround them with care and protection.
Cape Cod Cathy