One never knows what a Wednesday night in August will bring!  Last night, Sister Alice Marie and I joined about 180 other people (including the Cross Country Team from NDA) at Sidecut Park in Maumee for a Poker Run to benefit SewHope.  SewHope is an organization founded to assist the people of northern Guatemala.  Sister Pamela Marie has been a vital member of this group and is now serving in Guatemala, so Sister Alice Marie and I thought this was a great way of showing our support.  Well….

We arrived at Sidecut in plenty of time to register and scope out the trails.  Our task was to run/walk (WE definitely walked!) to at least five of the seven stations in 45 minutes.  At each station, we were given an envelope with a playing card inside.  After collecting 5-7 cards, the person with the best poker hand ws the winner.  The start siren sounded and we were off!

What did we learn from the evening?  1) We are NOT runners!  We do walk well.  We were happy to make it to four of the seven stations in the allotted time. 2) We won nothing with the cards we collected.  3) Everyone had a great time!  4) SewHope is a wonderful cause for spending a lovely August evening outdoors!

One of the reasons I love our summers in community is because it is often during the summer that we celebrate jubilees, first professions and perpetual professions.  I had the privilege on Saturday of witnessing the perpetual profession of our Sister Maria Christina and Sister Mary Judine in Covington, KY.   It was a great joy to be part of this celebration since I have come to know these Sisters through our national formation gatherings.

Each time I take part in one of these ceremonies of commitment, I am renewed in my own gift of vocation. Our life in Notre Dame is a tremendous gift, and I am blessed to be called to give my whole life to God and God’s people along with this amazing group of women.  I rejoice that our spirit continues in our newer members.

Congratulations, Sisters Maria Christina and Mary Judine!  May you know the joy of a life given in love!

Sr. Kathleen, Sr. Alice & Sr. Carolyn having fun!

What are you doing today?  Working? Having fun? Sleeping? What about faith-ing? Verbs ending in –ing tell us something is in process. For example, I am writing this blog now. I’m actually doing something; I don’t just have the capacity to do it.  In the spiritual life, too, I think we should go about our day faith-ing.  Faith isn’t something I have. It’s something I’m doing and something I’m becoming. I grow more deeply in love with God, I’m more willing to make a difference in people’s lives, I’m more open to the Spirit’s possibilities. Well, gotta go!  I’ve got a lot of faith-ing to do today.

There’s something magical about the whole world coming together for the Olympics.  They certainly bring our competitive spirit to the fore, but there is also the shared amazement at the incredible ability of each athlete.  I’m always struck by the effort and sacrifice these individuals and their families put forth with the hope of being named “best in the world.”

As I watched some of the closing ceremony last night, it left me with a sense of “What now?” What will happen now to those athletes who were declared winners?  What will be the future of those who didn’t make it to the winning platforms?  What will life be like for the people of Great Britain when everyone leaves and goes home?  What impact will these Olympic games have had on the way I live my daily life? What now?

I’d like to think I come away with a renewed sense of giving my very best to whatever I’m doing, of celebrating the amazing things I see people doing around me each and every day, and of focusing on those things that unite us rather than our differences.

What lessons are you taking away from the Olympics?

Am I bothered enough to bother?  My to-do list is long, my job jar is full, the laundry basket is overflowing. I have plenty of reasons not to bother with requests for volunteers or donations or letters to congresspersons. But sometimes the requests touch my heart, especially those wanting help to educate children. Putting a book and a child together is enough to make me bother. Most of the doors to curing the world’s ills are closed to me, but I can at least open the world to a child through a book.  What bothers you?  Are you bothered enough to bother today?

Yes, I had another one of those nights when, what should have been a simple trip became quite the adventure!  Leaving a half hour early for a picnic with the Tiffin Serra Club, I still managed to arrive five minutes late.  It seemed there were even detours on the detours!  I didn’t do too badly for a person who is not gifted with a good sense of direction.

 I worked hard to reach my destination last night despite the many road closures I encountered.  I couldn’t help reflecting how easily I sometimes give up when I encounter what seems like a closed road in my spiritual life.  Perhaps I need to be a little more creative in finding different ways to pray or try looking at situations from a different perspective. I wouldn’t think of just sitting on a road staring at the road closed sign; yet, sometimes I sit and do nothing when I encounter a block in my spiritual life. I know the ultimate destination I have – how hard am I willing to work to get there?

Even coming home last night provided some good laughs.  After deciding to take a route I was sure of even though it was a little out of the way — you guessed it, another road closure! God has a great sense of humor!

Several of us had the joy and privilege yesterday of traveling to Chardon to celebrate the First Profession of Sister Lynette Miryam and Sister Mary Kelley.  Everything about the day was truly wonderful.  Witnessing these Sisters professing their vows certainly brought back many memories of my first profession and strengthens my daily renewing of these vows.

In his homily at the Mass of Profession, Father spoke of  the Gospel reading from the Bread of Life discourse in John’s Gospel.  Among other points, he referred to the Eucharist as sign and symbol of a greater reality than simple bread and wine.  As he spoke, I reflected that the vows and lives of these two Sisters are also sign and symbol of a greater reality.  They share with the world the reality and possibility of an incredible and amazing relationship with our God.

I pray that Sister Lynette Miryam and Sister Mary Kelley are graced with all they need to be vibrant signs of the reality of God’s love in our world.  Has there been a Sister in your life who has been/is such a witness?

Today’s reading from the prophet Jeremiah was one of those “dessert” prayers that Sister Valerie blogged about a few weeks ago.  I am a potter — of sorts.  Better said, I like to mess around with clay!  I seem to fade into the background; time falls away.  Thoughts and distractions are minimal; presence to the moment is paramount.  Working, watching, wondering: what will this be?  What a marvelous analogy for prayer!  I hope you tasted a little dessert today as God continued to mold and fashion you!

July 31 celebrates the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  Today I’ve been mindful of this dear man of God who made it his quest to give God all the glory and to find God everywhere.  Fast forward several centuries and there are tens of thousands of men and women in the world who have made the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius either in the long retreat or amidst daily life.  What a treasure Ignatius left for us!  Before we drift off into peaceful slumber tonight, we might ask where we found God this day … perhaps in the smile of a young child or an elderly person?  in a patient or client’s valiant acceptance of suffering? in the clerk at the store?  in a surprise note or gift?  in the beauty of a butterfly or summer flower?  Let us know where you found God today!  And let’s keep our hearts set on deepening our awareness that we might truly come to see God in all things.

I still had visions of yesterday’s eXclaim gathering in my head as I woke up this morning.  What a wonderful experience of Church! It was a great opportunity to connect with so many people and to enjoy a day of fellowship.

I was especially touched at last night’s liturgy when we heard the gospel reading of the multiplication of the loaves and fish.  While we may not have numbered five thousand (I believe the estimated number for Mass was two thousand), there was the same sense of our being gathered on the hillside listening to the teachings of Jesus.  Father Jeff McBeth reminded us in the homily that while we may see ourselves as poor and inadequate and feel we have little to offer, God can do amazing things with us just as he did with the five loaves and two fish.  We need only to turn our lives over to Him and watch incredible things happen!

I’m not sure there were twelve baskets of fragments left over after Holy Communion last night, but I do suspect the grace of the day was left in the hearts of those who were present.  May each of us go forth to exclaim the goodness and provident care of our God!