Greetings to dearest Sisters in Christ as we together reap the graces of these Lenten hours into days into weeks – in anticipation of the celebratory heights of Easter and its octave finale of Divine Mercy Sunday, a day of a second Baptism.  Enhancing the outpouring of graces in the Paschal-tide are more – through the devotional orientation of the Church in this month of April toward the Eucharist and the Holy Spirit.  Who can knowingly turn from this blessing-laden treasure trove of our Faith! Grace upon grace…

 A privileged time in my life one Easter was sponsoring my friend, Faith, to come home to the Catholic Church.  As an unwavering life-long Protestant she was relentless in her questions about Mary and purgatory. The wisdom of a priest quelled the torrents of reservation when he assured her to be at peace if she didn’t completely understand, as long as she didn’t oppose.  “Come in and receive the sacraments.  What would be gained from waiting?  The learning is lifelong. Graces await!”   

 Several months later Faith told me that living the sacramental life she experienced inner healing she was convinced she could not have received in any other way.  “The rhythm of the Liturgy and the graces of the sacraments have given me a wholeness that I never imagined possible.” It hearkens to convert GK Chesterton’s discovery that the Church was “larger on the inside than it is on the outside”.

 As Seven Sisters we poise ourselves weekly at the crux of what is most important to the Church – its source and summit – the Eucharist. Intimately entwined is the ministerial priesthood.  Holy Thursday reminds that both were instituted on the same evening.  Two sides of a coin, inseparable. God’s perfect design.  Our particular summons to prayer affirms the inseparability.  And graces abound for whoever is willing to receive (St Francis de Sales).  Are we asking for them? Open to them?

 Consistently upholding the demands of the priestly vocation in prayer boosts a mindfulness of our inheritance as Catholics – and our clear dependence upon priests for the fullness of that inheritance. This awareness should do nothing less than spur us on to still more prayer! In strengthening the priest, you strengthen the whole Church… (Fr Gerald Fitzgerald). The Liturgy itself in its rhythm within the liturgical seasons moves us toward personal and collective remembrance, conversion, untold graces that await and assist!  As Seven Sisters, we open ourselves to an additional gift: to grasp a fresh understanding of the work and life of the priest and in so doing, beseech a lavishing of graces for him.  Graces enough for his sanctity! As we pray before the Blessed Sacrament our inner eyes are enlightened.  Our hearts are tenderized.  Our prayers take on new wings.

The priest is steadily called to a deeper identity with Christ through the Liturgy, sacraments and liturgical seasons.  Over and again, with Christ and through Christ, he brings together Heaven and earth for our benefit. “For the priest in particular, everything starts from the Eucharist and everything returns to it. … Leading men to Jesus and giving Jesus to men, that is the vocation of the priest.  At the summit just as at the beginning of this wonderful ministry, shines out the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, the Sovereign Priest, prayed to, adored, contemplated by the priest, his minister” (Canon Tancrede Guillard).

Perhaps both most challenging and fulfilling for a priest is the intensity of call of alignment to the Passion of Christ. While this is the essence of each Mass, during the Lenten season the priest is beckoned to offer more liturgies, more sacrifices, more times of confession, more prayer, more suffering, more love.  Our prayers as Seven Sisters during Holy Week especially must intensify to call forth the necessary graces.  “The greater perfection a soul aspires after, the more dependent it is upon Divine Grace” (Brother Lawrence).  With this awareness, may we not relax our prayer efforts during Holy Week, but instead utilize the graces we have been afforded this Lenten season and strengthen our efforts.  “You can do more with the grace of God than you think” (St John Baptist de la Salle).  The Adoration Chapels may have limited or no access during Holy Week.  Seek the Lord as to how you might offer ‘the Hour’ that week in perhaps a departure from your norm, but do dedicate and offer an Hour at all costs!

Let us continue to avail ourselves to the plentitude of graces Our Lord offers us.  Yes, he is looking for ones that are willing to receive.  The joyful women in Magsaysay-Ho’s painting offer hints.  They have left their homes for the bountiful fields.  They fill and carry baskets of a size meant to be shared.  Yet the fields seem to retain a fullness of the fruit of the earth – more to share.  Let us awaken to the great gifts that the Vineyards of Our Lord offer that serve as conduits of graces:  through His priests, liturgy, the sacramental life, liturgical calendar (daily and monthly themes of devotion), offerings of sufferings and united prayers and works with one another.  Let us embrace the words of the priest counseling my friend, Faith, “What would be gained from waiting? … Graces await!”  Indeed.  Grace upon grace, glory to glory. We are blessed to in turn be a blessing.  “Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace and virtue.  I belong to Him whom the angels serve” (St Agnes).

United in prayer and mission…

that our prayers may find the heart of every bishop and priest…

… eternal gratitude continues as you each remember to offer a wee Hail Mary for me every day….  Pray that I will not ‘spoil the beautiful work that God has entrusted…’  (St Teresa of Calcutta)

… Eternal gratitude is mine for YOU! Be assured of my continued daily prayers for you at the altar.

 Blessed Triduum, Easter, and all 50 days of Eastertide – feast upon feast – like “fifty Sundays”! Rejoice!

 Janette
+JMJ+
[email protected]

Greetings to dearest Sisters in Christ as we together catch a glimpse of the beautiful Lenten Season awaiting us on the horizon … we enter … then exit … the same, but different…

My mother, Rosemarie, was the youngest of seven sisters. Memories abound of these women who witnessed strong sisterly love, and at the same time, starkly unique (and strong!) personalities.  When Thanksgiving rolled around, these Belgian-bred ladies donned their well-worn aprons and presented their ‘best pie’ to the expansive table awaiting the annual arrival.  While each sweet confection was offered for the same purpose: a happy ending to the bountiful meal, any of the scores of family members gathered could tell you that they knew (just by eye-ball) ‘which came from which sister’ and chose accordingly.  There was always lively discussion, ribbing and a lot of pointing going on when dessert time approached.  And while I could have been more-than-satisfied with any piece, habit had me reaching for my mother’s pie.  True, the filling was more generous and the crust had no equal, but more so, I preferred it… because it was mom’s …

As Seven Sisters, we too, bring our offerings to the table of the Lord.  Our offerings are happily unique.  They are as singly distinctive as the Spiritual Bouquets that we know so well as Catholics.  Experience reminds that until all the Bouquet offerings are set forth, a mystery remains.  Then what a gladsome surprise to realize how generous everyone has been!  What an over-abundant gift for the recipient! Our weekly Holy Hour offerings may seem like a fragile pansy at times, but oh, my – the fragrance and fullness of our united offerings together truly swell the heart of the priest for whom we sacrifice and pray.  We likely underestimate our hunches of the true impact on body and soul of the recipient of our devotions. Yet even appreciating the united influence of prayer, perhaps the individuality of our offerings is where a true and even more colossal hidden treasure lies.

This past month I happed upon a short article by Fr Richard Veras (St Joseph Seminary, New York) in the Magnificat (Vol 20, No. 12).  He referenced a stirring encounter in The Song of Bernadette (Franz Werfel’s classic novel) between Bernadette and the Lady in the Grotto.  Another young woman, Pauline, asked to exchange rosaries with Bernadette the day before an anticipated apparition.  Bernadette was disinclined, but agreed.  She took Pauline’s authentic red coral rosary, but with the appeal that Pauline would stay nearby with Bernadette’s simple black rosary. When Our Lady appeared the next day, she and Bernadette began to pray.  Our Lady asked, “Where is your own rosary?” Bernadette was so moved by our Lady’s notice and preference for her unique offering, that she ran to Pauline and retrieved her simple rosary and held it high for our Lady to see.  In reflection, Fr Veras intimates that our encounters with the Lord are not generic.“They are personal encounters in which the Holy Spirit unites to the Lord a particular person with a particular history, a particular temperament, particular weaknesses and wounds, and particular and preciously endearing qualities.”

From the seed of the Apostolate, there stood a sense of strength that would grow kindled by the courage and confidence of each intercessor to trust the workings of the Holy Spirit within her heart.  As the maidens in Waterhouse’s painting, each woman uniquely chooses her offerings in the presence of the living waters of the Eucharist. Whatever prayers are important to the individual are likely ones that flow from the heart with sincerity and would likely bring merit to the soul of the priest for whom is prayed. For we are his workmanship, created for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).

While in Ave Maria, Florida, at the end of January for a Seven Sisters gathering, a few women in attendance offered ideas of prayers that they sensed would edify the life of the priest for whom they prayed.  For them, this was most obviously a prayer that rose from deep recesses of their heart and meant something – for them, for the priest.   At the end of the time at Ave, one of the priests presented his ‘piece of pie’ as it were.  When asked how we should, could, would pray for priests, he paused and said, “Well, you could pray for pastoral energy.  We all need that! We are called to go here, then there, then somewhere else.”  He paused … then continued, “But really … don’t worry about what to pray.  You are in the Presence of Jesus Himself.  He will guide you. He knows best what the priest needs that day, that week.  He will guide you.” Father was affirming the uniqueness of each Holy Hour, each individual waiting upon the Lord for direction in prayer.  Quietness. Trust. Strength.

As we present our offerings nourished by the life-giving waters of the Eucharist (again referring to Waterhouse’s painting), may we eventually so consistently linger and exist in this milieu that we may be like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and whose leaf does not wither.  In all that (she) does, (she) prospers (Psalm 1: 3).  May this word not return void!

United in prayer and mission…

that our prayers may find the heart of every bishop and priest…

… eternal gratitude continues as you each remember to offer a wee Hail Mary for me every day….  Pray that I will not ‘spoil the beautiful work that God has entrusted…’  (St Teresa of Calcutta)

… your kind emails and notes and generous support always arrive to my heart door at the right moment! Your letters of testimony are so beautiful and edifying! Don’t stop writing to me. Eternal gratitude is mine for YOU! Be assured of my continued daily prayers for you at the altar.

Janette
+JMJ+
[email protected]

Blessed Candlemas moving into Ordinary times to dearest Sisters in Christ…

Mounting current research brings a brutal truth:  multitasking, while seeming efficient, may actually use more time and involve more error. Moving from one task to another with different streams of information makes it difficult to tune out distractions and can actually cause mental blocks that can slow a person down.  MIT neuroscientist, Earl Miller, notes that our brains are “not wired to multitask well… when people think they’re multitasking, they’re actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly.  And every time they do, there’s a cognitive cost.”  

This news may come harder for we women who, more often than men, generally make a sport of this. While complexity and familiarity of tasks play a part, overall this start/stop/start process is rough on us.  There is evidence that it can eventually squelch overall concentration and creativity even when engaged in single tasks.  One solution is the twenty-minute rule which recommends engaging in a single activity for at least twenty minutes before moving to another.  Result: brain health.

As Seven Sisters we practice and live the sixty-minute solution!  Wow, consider the brain and soul health we experience!  While each of us carries life’s challenges and burdens, let us be reminded that our only charge for our Seven Sister Hour is to pray for one person.  Single tasking at its best!

What a perspective to realize this is a gift in itself: to be drawn from the distractions of the day, the week, to engage in what de Caussade reminds is the “duty of the present moment”.  We are not insensitive to the other concerns and demands of our day or lives, but rather responding fully to a heavenly task to which we have been assigned.  In the long run we are benefitting from the disciplined practice.  Another hidden gain of this Apostolate!  De Caussade believes that the one given over to God in the moment is a “soul as light as a feather, liquid as water, simple as a child, active as a ball in receiving and following the inspirations of grace. … they have confidence in Him, they abandon themselves to Him, and, entirely absorbed by their duty, they think not of themselves, nor of what may be necessary for them, nor of how to obtain it.” Oh, what blessings this affords!

Our weekly visit to the Adoration Chapel happily brings us to that most special place of the meeting of two eternities (past/future), the present moment.  We arrive to meet our Lord to give ear to learn His wisdom and love regarding the sole object of our time and prayers: one priest or bishop, who likewise lives in the balance of these two eternities.  He is expected to respond to the present moment himself. We have been summoned to come alongside, beseeching the graces for this to happen.  As Catholics we repeatedly ask Our Lady to pray for us now and at the hour of our death – the two decisive moments of any life.  De Caussade encourages, “Come, not to discuss the words of others, but to listen… For in the sacredness of every moment Divine Grace is telling you alone all that is required.”

Reality check: at times the single task focus proves challenging to lay aside (even momentarily) the many things we balance and manage, as both whimsically and somberly depicted by Duda’s Princess Juggler.  While it might be tempting, or even seem necessary, to carry all that we juggle into our Hour, trust that the grace is sufficient to discipline that time as we have committed it: one hour for one.

If personal concerns overwhelm, perhaps another can cover your Hour that week or perhaps extra time in prayer in the Chapel can be spent prior to or following your Hour.  The April 2016 Communiqué offered helpful hints to help curb distractions. It might be worth a re-visit on the Web. Related ones are July 2017 (benefits of being before the Blessed Sacrament) and Nov 2017 (de Caussade regarding submitting to Divine Will).  On the Web site, simply click on any of the Communiqué images to open and then scroll to the bottom of the screen to select an archived Communiqué.

Let us remain encouraged, holding firm in faith, that our sacrificial time spent in our Holy Hours of singular focus compelled by love are and will be amply rewarded. De Caussade affirms, “The present moment holds infinite riches beyond your wildest dreams, but you will only enjoy them to the extent of your faith and love.”   

Just for fun – and to perhaps ‘prove a point” regarding multitasking:  try this simple exercise. Time this: Draw two lines.   On one write: “I am a great multitasker.”  On the other write all numbers 1 through 20. Note time. Re-set watch.  Draw two more lines.  Write the same things on each line as before BUT only one character/number at a time.  So, on the first line write an “I”, then switch to the second line and write a “1”.  Then go back to line one and write an “a”, then to second line and write a “2”.  Complete the exercise filling the two lines with the same info.  Hmmmm – how long did it take you the second time?  Any mistakes?  I rest my case!

Our every effort to keep our Hours focused upon one reaps benefit.  Let us embrace the grace upon grace to be keenly aware of the present moment – at every moment!  How beautifully St Augustine reminds us that our Ever-Present Help is Ever-Near to assist.   “You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You.  Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back.  Kindle and seize us.  Be our fire and our sweetness.  Let us love” (St Augustine). Oh, truly, Sisters, in our call to love, we live the richest lives!

United in prayer and mission…

that our prayers may find the heart of every bishop and priest…

… eternal gratitude continues as you each remember to offer a wee Hail Mary for me every day….  Pray that I will not ‘spoil the beautiful work that God has entrusted…’  (St Teresa of Calcutta)

… your kind emails and notes and generous support always arrive to my heart door at the right moment! Your letters of testimony are so beautiful and edifying! Don’t stop writing to me. Eternal gratitude is mine for YOU! Be assured of my continued daily prayers for you at the altar.

Janette

+JMJ+

Blessed Christmastide into Epiphany to dearest Sisters in Christ…
and happy and prosperous New Year of the Lord 2019…

The sweet center of Christmastide is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Jan 1).  The Church beckons, “let us rest here a while in joy: recalling what was, what is, what is to come”. The Church’s wisdom and generosity consistently invites us to times and places to consider all-at-once both origins and high points of the Faith.  She encourages us to collectively linger for both solemn days and full seasons of liturgy, prayer and meditation.  In those periods we are poised to understand other aspects of the Faith too, that may seem at first unrelated, but then offer an epiphany, an insight and connection.

We are never disappointed if we trustingly enter into the certain and rich deposit of our Faith – its principles and its people.  We stand to assuredly emerge strengthened in knowledge, then in turn, love, and finally graced to bear the fruit of authentically serving – our Lord and others.

In thinking of Our Blessed Mother, recent thoughts floated to another Mary. Far from being named after the Blessed Mother, it is well to remember that Mary Magdalene was her contemporary.  They no doubt often conversed with one another, prayed together, mutually planted their footsteps side-by-side in the Way of Jesus. While their beginnings acutely differed, they came together on common path, sharing a growing desire to know, love and serve the way, truth and life that was Jesus Himself.

Scripture leaves much to our imagination, but all four Gospel writers were inspired to include the scene that we so cherish as Christians and witness in Daniel Gerhartz’s image of St Mary Magdalene at the feet of her Jesus.  The image is a notable and familiar one for Seven Sisters.  It is printed in every Apostolate Guidelines Booklet and has made its way around the world. It carries no language barriers.  A thousand words spoke to my heart through it before a single word was written regarding more formal structure regarding our Holy Hour offerings.  The reality of that scene served as a ponderable guide for what was yet to unfold through this Apostolate.  The example of St Mary Magdalene’s extravagance of love, which likewise captivated the heart of St Therese of Lisieux, still speaks to and of the Apostolate. We seek to imitate this lavishing of love and service – to another – that wins the heart of Jesus Himself.  To fittingly quote St Therese again, “How sweet is the way of Love!… leaving naught but humble and profound peace in the innermost soul” (Story of a Soul, Chapter VIII).  This, it seems, is an apt description of a universal experience for a Seven Sisters intercessor.

St Mary Magdalene knew what she was about the evening of that dinner.  I envision her long, thin fingers clutching the vial, warming the costly balm within. Perhaps simultaneously this line of the Psalmist rose from her heart: How can I repay the Lord for all the great good done for me? (Psalm 116).  She awaited the nudge of the Holy Spirit.  When that divine moment befell, she quietly slid onto the dust-laden floor to express her love from the lowest of places. Her position was humble, fitting. She understood something, someone … that compelled her heart, in deep love, to generously serve.

St Mary Magdalene’s action was likely unnoticed against the flurry of the meal preparations and jovial conversations all about.  She was shrouded in the shadows.  When the lid was tipped from the flask, the gratifying fragrance offering swiftly rose to meet the squall of activity above.    But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman?  For she has done a beautiful thing to me. … what she has done will be told in memory of her.” – Gospel of Matthew 26: 10, 13b

As Seven Sisters our motivation, in imitation, is surely one of knowing, loving, serving.  We know there is a need for prayer and generously respond.  A desire to know this priest or bishop through the gift of prayer gently unfolds, no rushing. Through consistent intercession, a welcomed understanding of the vocational call to the priesthood is often revealed.  In this newfound knowledge, a newfound rightly-ordered love arises to meet it.  We are compelled to beseech graces for the sanctity – nothing less – for this priest.  What (super)naturally flows is a desire to serve that priest through the sacrifices of continued consistent and intentional prayer.

Through this growth and conversion of heart is an abiding friendship with the Blessed Mother, also in imitation of St Mary Magdalene.  We find ourselves walking the Way with Mary, looking to her as first and ever-faithful Disciple.  She is our recourse in our prayer efforts.  A growing understanding develops of the absolute necessity of friendship of Mary with the priest for whom one is committed to pray.  St Therese helps us understand something here too: “O, how I love the Blessed Virgin.  If I were a priest how often would I speak of her.  She is described as unapproachable, whereas she should be pointed to as a model.  She is more of a Mother than a Queen.”

Like St Mary Magdalene, Seven Sisters contentedly embrace the shroud of the quiet environs of the Adoration Chapel. Unnoticed. In a place of humility.  In a sense, kneeling at the base of a Monstrance might be akin to serving Our Lord, as St Mary Magdalene, at His Feet, as we lift in prayer that one who is ‘in persona Christi’.  What an honor has been bestowed on us.  How great is this grace!

As Seven Sisters we have the opportunity to grow in the virtue of patience as we allow the fragrance of our prayers to reach varied and pre-ordained destinations:  the heart of the priest, the hearth of the Rectory or Abbey or Seminary, the pews of a parish, the streets of a Diocese.  The winds of the Holy Spirit blow where they may.We accept and applaud.  “Love! … that is what I ask … I know but one thing now – to love Thee, O Jesus! Glorious deeds are not for me, I cannot preach the Gospel, shed my blood … what does it matter? My brothers toil instead for me, and I, the little child, I keep quite close to the royal throne, I love for those who fight.”– St Therese of Lisieux (Story of A Soul, Chapter XI)

As Seven Sisters, we learn from Mary, St Mary Magdalene, St Therese, our patrons, so many … regarding the way of love.  All point in the same direction – to Him Who is Love.  While we have lived unique beginnings, we are called to share common path in these Holy Hours.  The united Hours fortify the prayer offerings for the priest or bishop, but also fortify us as Sisters (purposely capitalized) in Christ. We come to know, to love, to serve…. that is enough.  And your examples, dear ones, have served to inspire others, as St Mary Magdalene did for St Therese.  Your “loving audacity” has likely “won the heart of Jesus”, as well!

United in prayer and mission…that our prayers may find the heart of every bishop and priest…

… eternal gratitude continues as you each remember to offer a wee Hail Mary for me every day….  Pray that I will not ‘spoil the beautiful work that God has entrusted…’  (St Teresa of Calcutta)

… your kind emails and notes (and recent Christmas greetings) and generous support always arrive to my heart door at the right moment! Your letters of testimony are so beautiful and edifying! Don’t stop writing to me. Eternal gratitude is mine for YOU! Be assured of my continued daily prayers for you at the altar.

Janette
+JMJ+
651-484-3404 (h)
651-283-0929 (mobile)
[email protected]

Blessed Advent to dearest Sisters in Christ…

A lesson from nursing school was brought to remembrance recently. Our Psych Nursing Professor advised the class to judiciously listen when a person repeatedly uses absolutes, such as “I am seriously the only one in the family that ever takes the garbage out,” or “She always has kind words for everyone else but never, ever for me.”  Persistently using “always, never, ever” which contradict reality, generally points to a clouded intellect in perceiving what’s truly what.  Anxieties, emotions and hurts blur one’s perspective.  You may be familiar with the saying,“I was so angry, I couldn’t see straight.”

Yet while each of us may recall an occasion where we expressed a similar skewed viewpoint, as Christians we bear allegiance to a God Who rightly speaks in absolutes.  “And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matt 28:20).  Moreover, He invites us to live in these absolutes of Truth.  Perhaps this is in part what makes us fools for Christ (I Cor 4:10)!  “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut 6:4,5).  And elsewhere: “(Love) always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails” (I Cor 13:7,8).  “But in your hearts reverence Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give a reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect…”  (I Peter 3:15).

Far from confounding us, God’s words are trustworthy and clear. They are not an invitation into winsome wishful thinking. Sometimes our lack of faith or wounds prevent us from believing them.   Our Lord boldly persists and beckons us to what is actually fully achievable, not through our nature, but through His supernatural assistance.  Our baptismal waters open the door.  In the same moment this sacrament summons us to a life of intense love as if entering both the tranquil waters of an amiable lake (it is right to live conveying extravagant love) and the erratic torrents of an uncharted ocean (help! – it is challenging).

We love God, we also love the world.  We vacillate and are dizzied in the indecision.  LeFebvre’s “A Pensive Moment” captures it perfectly. This young woman, deep in thought, seems to be shedding the clothing of the world in preference to donning a white garment of abandonment to purity which covers her heart. A heart without duplicity.  The built-in tension of desire and goal can only be reckoned from within.  An intentional prayerful pause is imperative to learn the path of that full, whole life of giving one’s “all”.   One breath, one step at a time, where truth can set one free. The fruit of silence. “The measure of love is love without measure.” – St Francis de Sales

Our Lord met us from the beginning with what was essential.  In this Advent season we especially are poised to remember:  “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us… who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1: 14). I have long imagined He arrives with grace in one Hand, truth in the other – offering them both in balance of one another.  His graces are sufficient to meet the call of living in His truth – His absolute Truth.  We are called to “all “ because He calls us!

St John Neumann, the Bohemian-born Bishop of Philadelphia, was quoted as saying, “I don’t want to waste one second of my life.”One second?  At times full hours and days seem to slip from my grasp as through a sieve!  Yet, as Catholics, there is a way that nothing is lost, not even that second, not even the dizzying tension when we fall short of our “all” for our Lord.  The Church encourages us to offer our day at the get-go – as a morning offering, uniting the day ahead to Him.  In so doing, nothing is wasted.  And in that sincere offering, we assent to live in giving and loving with “all”.

The journey to “all” is not meant to be done solo.  As Seven Sisters we have a unique opportunity to learn the joy of offering the extravagance of our love through our Holy Hours and remembering that the offering is done alongside six others the other days of the week (or twenty others in the case of groups for bishops).  We also have the great joy of asking that the priests and bishops for whom we are committed to pray, will also come to know and model this great extravagance of love to the communities that they are called to serve. As Seven Sisters let us be in remembrance in that morning offering of “our day” of our Holy Hour.  Further, when we enter the Chapel on that day, let us echo St John Neumann in an intentional offering of each second of that Hour for Father’s benefit.

At the beginning of last month, the Apostolate Chaplain, Fr Joseph Johnson, offered a rich reflection at the 5th annual Archdiocese of St Paul – Minneapolis Seven Sisters time of Recollection. He repeatedly challenged us to love with all our heart, soul and strength. Further, he masterfully unfolded how the priest understands his identity most – and thus his full expression of love – through the celebration of holy Mass.  He received a standing ovation at its conclusion.  It is no wonder that the love and generosity of this priest, long ago observed and admired, sparked the flame that ignited an International Apostolate.  NOTE: The talk is available on the Website and copies of theDVD can be easily ordered from there, as well.

During the same day of Recollection, a question was posed from a Seven Sister in attendance regarding a possible pilgrimage for Seven Sisters.  Father swiftly suggested France, with an emphasis on the parish home of our patron, St John Vianney in Ars.  As a first step toward the realization of such a pilgrimage, a survey has been prepared to learn of sincere interest in such a quest. It is easy and quick. Fr JJ is asking this be completed by the Feast of Immaculate Conception, Dec 8.  More info will follow reflecting the level of interest. Here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JGRHH7P

Ah, the Advent season is here. A gift we happily embrace each year.  A new slate. A new beginning. A new appreciation of silence and anticipation and mission.  Let us don our purple (and rose) sweaters and dresses and welcome God’s perfect Will and Way for our lives and for another Church year ahead.  May we grow in hope, peace, joy and love in this Advent season, as we anticipate the profound Christmas season ahead where our new-born King awaits! … And while we may not meet Him with gold, frankincense and myrrh, let us meet Him with another triad of gifts: a pledge to love Him will all of our heart, soul, and strength. St Bernard of Clairvaux reminds, “The way of perfection is not traveled by flying but by walking.”  As Seven Sisters, may I aptly add: “and in the quiet and on our knees”.  What a year it will be to extravagantly give our “all” for Him, Who is our All!

Archbishop Charles Chaput offers a suitable conclusion to this Communique and to this closure of a Church year… “As a bitterly difficult Church year closes, and we wait on the threshold of another beginning – a new Advent season – we need to remember three simple realities.  God loves us infinitely and with a Father’s tenderness.  God’s ways will be done, with or without our approval.  And our choices and actions matter, not just in this life, but forever.”

United in prayer and mission…
that our prayers may find the heart of every bishop and priest…
… eternal gratitude continues as you each remember to offer a wee Hail Mary for me every day….  Pray that I will not ‘spoil the beautiful work that God has entrusted…’  (St Teresa of Calcutta)
… your kind emails and notes and generous support always arrive to my heart door at the right moment! Your letters of testimony are so beautiful and edifying! Don’t stop writing to me. Eternal gratitude is mine for YOU! Be assured of my continued daily prayers for you at the altar.

Janette
+JMJ+

Blessed Solemnity of All Saints to dearest Sisters in Christ…

Today we are called to remember all of the saints, known and unknown, whose lives have served as holy examples, whose prayers have held merit.  The Solemnity and its Octave (keep celebrating!) are significant for Seven Sisters whose hallowed endeavor is praying for the sanctity of priests.  And all the while trusting the same outcome for ourselves.  “O blessed souls, who knew so well how to profit by the gifts of God, and to purchase with this precious ransom so delectable and enduring a heritage, tell us how you won through Him such an eternal blessing! Assist us, since you are so near the Fountainhead.  Draw water for those of us on earth who are perishing with thirst.”  (St Teresa of Jesus -Exclamations of the Soul to God, 13).  As our patron, St John Vianney, prompts with an infusion of hope, “The saints did not all begin well, but they all ended well.”

Much in life is not always what it appears.  Parental counsel in one’s formative years prudently warns, “Do not judge a book by its cover.” Our Lord reminds Samuel, that He does not look at the things people look at.  While people look on the outward appearance, He looks on the heart (1 Sam 16:7).  Even the natural world echoes this principle.

The sight of the aftermath of a forest fire sinks the heart.  A deeper reality, however, is that the seeming devastation potentially invigorates new growth.  My younger brother, Jim (degree in forest science), says that most forest trees need to be exposed to fire every 50-100 years to enliven the ecosystem.  Fires seem to be a natural part of the regeneration system.  The intense heat and pressure serve to explode cones that are filled with seeds.  Millions of kernels carpet the ground and ash.  In less than a month, scores of them germinate and bring forth seedlings.  In 30-40 years, a hiker enjoying the lush woodlands of such an area will not have any inkling that the area had once been devastated.

Here is the fascinating part.  The power of the fire is merely the initial step of forest re-growth. The weather patterns in the affected area over the next year (says Jim) play a crucial role in how the new forests develop.  Normal rains nourish the nutrients and seeds left on the ground and will serve as the greatest boost for successful growth.  A summer of drought will severely stunt the potential growth.

Seven Sisters are set to learn something here.  In our current milieu where it appears a torch has devasted the Church’s landscape, perhaps our steady flow of prayers serves as symbolic gentle rains of healing, beckoning new life.  One drop of water may not impress, but acting together there is a steady shower through which one drop cannot be differentiated from another!  There is a built-in fidelity and consistency of our Holy Hours that cannot help but be beneficial.

The faith deposit remains ever-rich with potential and propagation.  Anything additional or profaned has no place in this deposit.  Reform purges that which is not of God.  Truth liberates. Reparation mends wounds.  Our prayers in no-small-part are set to assist and invigorate the true, the good, the beautiful.  St John Chrysostom reminds for the individual but also the Body of Christ, the Church, “Let no one grieve at his poverty, for the universal kingdom has been revealed.  Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again; for forgiveness has risen from the grave.”  Our Faith consistently boasts of life – and life to the fullest! We are partakers in the very life of the risen Christ Himself. Further, Our Lord promises that He will restore what the swarming locust has eaten (Joel 2:24).  Indeed, He makes all things new (Rev 21:5).

The church has tread a journey steeped with countless examples of rising and falling, falling and rising: from individuals to family groups to religious orders to specific areas within the life works of the Church. Multitudes of our brothers and sisters in Christ have lived lives of both white and bloody martyrdom for the sake of reform.   St Clement of Alexandria is straightforward in his observations, “Therefore let us repent and pass from ignorance to knowledge, from foolishness to wisdom, from licentiousness to self-control, from godlessness to God.” This is the path wrought only by prayer … lots of it… unceasing…

How great is the worth of your sacrifices, dearest Seven Sisters!  Your offerings are eternal.  The task before us each week is not always easy to bear nor execute.  Yet love never tires.  You so well understand that in His Will is our peace (Dante).  And yes, we can take heart because much in this life is not always what it appears.  We see dimly at best…

And while the fires of both the world and within the Church itself have scorched and, in some places, have yet to burn, we do well to remember that we too bear a fire.  We bear a fire within.  It should soothe one’s soul to consider that the spark was ignited from the flaming Sacred Heart of Jesus Himself.  He bequeathed that spark to the nascent Church at Pentecost.  Those dancing flames compelled the 120 to explode into the streets with the good news of Love.  The bud and seedling of new life ensued.

And so, while the flames about us may rise or continue to burn yet for a while, let us not succumb.  Let us allow our fervor and resolve to ignite an explosion of a few seeds of new life within our own hearts.  Let us water those seeds of eternal potential with prayer and hope and embrace the course of the new, come what may.

Over and again I hear from Seven Sisters and others (outside of, but supportive of the Apostolate) that a prayer consistently rises to pray that the flames of the Apostolate will be ignited “all over the world”. That indeed, our prayers will find the heart of every bishop and priest.  Some have told me they pray and light vigil candles in every church they visit to symbolically suggest this same sentiment.  St Catherine of Siena encourages, “Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”  And in that, dear Sisters, is a sure hope of new life!

United in prayer and mission…

that our prayers may find the heart of every bishop and priest…

… eternal gratitude continues as you each remember to offer a wee Hail Mary for me every day….  Pray that I will not ‘spoil the beautiful work that God has entrusted…’  (St Teresa of Calcutta)

… your kind emails and notes and generous support always arrive to my heart door at the right moment! Your letters of testimony are so beautiful and edifying! Don’t stop writing to me. Eternal gratitude is mine for YOU! Be assured of my continued daily prayers for you at the altar.

Janette
+JMJ+
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