Another Nun Blog

A Sister friend of mine in Rome is from Singapore. We have been friends since she spent four years in Boston for her initial formation as a Daughter of St. Paul.
Here is her blog spot address: http://fspveritas.blogspot.com/index.html

Cast Your Nets

A Good Day for Fishing

Today was a beautiful one weather-wise in Toronto. I hope it was the same for you who are reading this. A few young women spent the weekend with us. Yes, there are still some women who see religious life--being a Sister--as a valuable, viable option for their life's choice. Today's gospel reading from St. John tells of a miraculous catch of fish. That came after a hard night of no fish at all. Then the Lord said, "Cast your nets to the other side of the boat." The net was filled with 153 fish. After Peter hauled the fish ashore, all by himself, the Lord had breakfast ready and waiting. Then came a moment of decision for Peter. Three times Jesus asked him: "Do you love me." Each time the answer was "yes." After each affirmation Jesus gave Peter a task--really layers of responsibility: "Feed my lambs; feed my sheep." Peter's love would have a price. I recently saw the film called "Peter" so the characters in the gospel were vivid in my imagination today. (Omar Shariff portrays a convincing Peter in the full length feature DVD.) Love is freely given, but it requires sacrifice. That's what Peter would find out soon enough.

So all of us find out that love has its own costs, yet the rewards beat out the costs any day! The young women who came this weekend were discerning if this life of ours is where God is calling them to pour out their love.

Today during our hour of prayer before Jesus in the Eucharist, we were asked to present a symbol of ourselves at this moment. I brought up a map of Toronto and the surrounding area--the GTA as it is called--along with a lighted candle. The symbolism lay in the candle light representing the light of Christ in the Word we distribute as Paulines in this area; plus the light of my own life which is burning out slowly for the Lord. Years ago my sister had a prayerbook for young women. I would borrow it sometimes. I still remember a poem in it which started like this: "Rabboni, when I am dying, how glad I shall be, that the lamp of my life has burned out for Thee." An old, seasoned missionary priest once said, "There is a fire in everyone. It can be the fire of love of God, or the fire of love for self." So I hope this "fire" is the right one--for God!

I have a poster in my office with the words: "We have believed in love!" That epitomizes one who gives his or her life in love. I think of that 76 year old professor and Holocaust survivor who died saving his students at Viriginia Tech. He certainly proved his love for others.

The late Pope John Paul loved the expression taken from the gospel of today: Cast your nets into the deep. That expression would take the space of an entire blog. Yet, there are times when God asks us to take a leap of faith, and cast into the deep. May we be ready for that when the time comes....

May you have a wonderful, Jesus-filled week of peace.

The "Sea of Peace"

For many families and individuals, this has been a painful week. I am referring especially to the shootings at Virginia Tech. The young perpetrator was obviously mentally disturbed. As one TV commentator remarked, "Hindsight is 100% surer than foresight." As we look to the past of that young man, then we see a trail of abnormal and disturbing behavior. Let us pray that in the future any such individuals will be helped long before they reach a point of no return.

The Presidential Prayer Team website gave an opportunity to sign a cyber "wall" for the victims and their families. When I responded to the PPT website, I thought of the words of St. Catherine of Siena (1347-1380). She lived in unsettled times in Italy when the opposing parties--Ghibelline's and Guelph's--were antagonizing each other, and the Pope was living in Avignon, France, rather than in Rome.

Catherine learned a ot from prayer. Even though she had not gone to school, she was fearless when she felt it was God's will to act in a certain way. That certainty of being anchored to the Will of God gave her the courage to go to the Pope and respectfully urge him to move back to Rome. Despite her lack of academic skills, Catherine became a spiritual leader, and a mystic. One of her writings describes Jesus as "a sea of peace." I pray that the Lord will plunge the families of the deceased and wounded into this Sea of Peace, so they will be consoled in this time of grief and sorrow. May Jesus grant his peace to each of the deceased as well as to the survivors. May his strength and love console those who grieve.

On a much brighter side, it was a delight to be in our book and media center today to witness how many young people are approaching the sacrament of the Eucharist as they make their "First Holy Communion" this weekend or very soon in May. Many youngsters are going to have a Jesus-filled day when they receive the Body and Blood of the Lord for the first time. The graces of the Holy Spirit will anoint many young people as the Bishops of the Archdiocese confer the sacrament of Confirmation on many young people, and some adults in the Archdiocese. We pray that the remembrance of Who jesus is, his teachings and the examples of the Saints will help to prolong the spiritual effects of these two sacraments.

Today was one of unmitigated sunshine and mild temperatures in Toronto. It's amazing to watch how faces brighten too when the sun comes out. I thank the Lord for giving us good weather, espcially for all the young childen who will be receiving the Lord for the first time in Holy Communion.

In Jesus,

Sister Mary Peter

Amazing Grace--the Movie

Recently our Toronto Star newspaper had front page articles on the 200th anniversary of Great Britain's abolition of the slave trade. The USA took almost 50 years to follow suit.
Today three of us went to see Amazing Grace the new film that depicts the struggles of William Wilberforce to end his country's slave trade. His pastor was the ship captain turned preacher who wrote the song "Amazing Grace." Because slavery was part of the underpinning of the English colonies economy, few members of parliament were willing to vote against it. With dogged perseverance Wilberforce finally won. His story reminds me of St. Paul's advice to preach the gospel "in season and out" of season. Wilberforce's did that. Of course he made enemies, and he ruined his health. Yet he won in the end. The acting is top notch, and the action keeps moving. The movie focuses on William Pitt also. Pitt was a lifelong friend who served in Parliament with Wilberforce. The producers and screen writers came up with a good blend of friendship, subdued romance, Christian commitment, and hsitorical fact to make for a fast moving two hours. The emotional impact was strong--at least for me and my companions. So bring the Kleenex if you go!
Have a great continuation of Easter Week!
Sister Mary Peter

Little Easter

Happy Easter!

Today is Easter Monday. In the Church each day of Easter Week is a new Easter day. The psalms of Morning and Evening Prayer are the same each day of this week. Some of Christianity's best hymns are reserved for this time of year.

I hope that all of you readers were able to connect with family and some friends yesterday. I spoke with family members in Utah, Ohio, and South Carolina.

The weather has not been cooperating here in the north country, and apparently down in the USA too. Despite snow flurries and cold temperatures, Easter is real and Christ is truly risen. Of course we hope for the resurrection of the dead at the end of time. Yet there are daily resurrections that can bring us joy, and radiate peace to those who live near us. The first of the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary is that of the resurrection. Blessed James Alberione's reflection on this mystery goes something like this: "Jesus resurrection also represents our resurrection from the 'grave' of sin and defects. Let us ask the grace to rise from the tomb to new life in Christ."

Have a wonderful Easter Week!

Sister Mary Peter

Happy Easter!

Our chapel bathed in the Easter morning sun.

Happy Easter to all who read this! We rejoice in the reason for our faith--the rock foundation being the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was so uplifting to be present a the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil. The pastor from Blessed Trinity Church where we attended Mass last evening explained the history of the Easter Vigil to all of us present. Keeping "vigil,", waiting up at night to commemorate the resurrection of the Lord, goes back probably to the second century of Christianity: People read Scripture and prayed all through the night in anticipation of the Lord's resurrection. So we read the Scriptures and pray for various intentions. Then the Alleluia is sung three times before the Gospel is proclaimed. All through Lent the alleluia was silent. In fact, in some places a ceremonial "burial of the alleluia" takes place on Ash Wednesday. It resurrected again last night as the alleluias were sung. I felt very happy to be a Roman Catholic--to be connected with all these centureies of belief and practice; to all the people of every culture who worship the same God with the same sacrifice and the same teachings from Scripture. It was good to see about 15 adults baptized or received int o full "Communion with the Roman Catholic church.

I want to pass on to you an Easter homily from Hong Kong. It is very upbeat. HK of course means Hong Kong.

Please enjoy it.

Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday, April 7-8, 2007 by M. Sloboda (Father Michael Sloboda, a Maryknoll priest serving in Hong Kong.)

Happy Easter!
I’ll begin and end with words of joy from the ancient Greek Church:
[Tonight] Today we rejoice in the salvation of the world.
Christ is risen; let us arise with him!
Christ enters new life; let us live in him!
Christ has come forth from the tomb;
Let us shake off the chains of evil!
The gates of hell are open,
The powers of evil are overcome!
In Christ, a new creation is coming to birth,
Alleluia!
Lord, make us new,
Alleluia! [St. Gregory of Naziansus, 330-389]

Let’s look at those exclamations.
“[Tonight] Today we rejoice in the salvation of the world.” Jesus and all of his first disciples were Jewish. But the Good News has gone out to all the world. In this congregation, there might be several people with Jewish ancestry, but I see faces from every part of the world. St. Anne’s is a cross section of the human race, part of a universal church open to everyone, and the Greek adjective for universal is “catholic.”
“Christ enters new life; let us live in him!” Speaking of new life, tonight [last night] we will baptize a baby [name]. His mother was baptized at the Easter Vigil in the USA a few years ago, and his grandparents are visiting HK now. The Easter Vigil is the best time of year to baptize. In all the Catholic churches in HK, a total of 2550 adults and children will be baptized tonight. “Christ enters new life; let us live in him!” So after I baptize baby N, we will renew our baptismal promises.
This baby is one of the youngest residents of HK, but HK also has the oldest priest in the world. Fr. Nicholas Gao is a monk at the Trappist monastery on Lantau Island. Born on Jan. 15, 1897, he recently turned 110. The oldest citizen of HK has been thin all his life. He says a Rosary every day, and advizes people to “keep moving, keep praying, keep working, and never get angry, never get angry.” He is alert and can still take care of himself. He goes to bed early and rises when they ring the bell at 3:30 AM. He throws on his alb, ties a cincture, that is, a rope belt, and shuffles to the chapel for the first prayers of the day. Actually, he started slowing down at age 104 and now he does not have much energy. So some people are now whispering that Fr. Gao’s best days are behind him. On the contrary, I say that his best days are ahead of him, the endless days of eternal life.
As most of you know, I was seriously interested in astronomy years before I became seriously interested in the Gospel. I read a book review recently. An astronomer [Marcus Chown] wrote a book to explain the frontiers of science and the latest news in astronomy to the general public. He tackled big qns, like the origin of the universe and its long-term fate, in non-technical language and without a lot of math. Next, he needed an attention-grabbing title to entice people to buy his book. So he titled his new book The Never Ending Days of Being Dead. The Never Ending Days of Being Dead? That doesn’t sound like an attractive title to me. I’d rather read about the Never Ending Days of Eternal Life. Because Jesus triumphed over death, because he rose from the dead in a glorified body, the laws of physics will not have the final say over the universe. The Son of God will have the final word. Whatever our problems, there are better days ahead for us, and so we have hope.
Looking at the parents of baby N, they seem fully qualified to give their son an excellent start in life, a nice house, good medical care and first-class education. We all wish that N will grow up wise, loving and strong, and make a contribution to the world. We hope he will be in this world for a long time. When N turns 110 in October of the year 2116, the world will be a different place. On second thought, asking for 110 years on this earth might be overly ambitious. But the hopes of his parents and grandparents for N are not limited to this world only. They are bringing him into the church to ask for faith for him, and faith will give him eternal life, a share in the eternal life which Our Lord won for us by his death and resurrection.
They will be the first teachers of N in the ways of faith. May they also be the best of teachers by what they say and do. Setting a good example is the hard part. But in Christ a new creation is coming to birth, and Christ can make us new, alleluia!
Candles are the most noticeable feature of the Easter Vigil. So what? Today we take bright lights for granted. Everywhere in HK there are lights, too many lights, which are brighter than any candle. The city of Sydney recent turned off its downtown lights for an hour to demonstrate saving energy. However in this church a few years ago, the electricity stopped before the 6 PM Mass. It was late summer, so we still had some daylight. But by the time I got to the altar, it was growing dark, and those candles (plus someone standing next to me with a torch [flashlight]) gave me enough light to read the book. We take light for granted, but it is precious. Not everyone can see the sun at noon, and many people are blind to the light of truth.
I’ll end with an ancient Greek invitation, an invitation for all of us to rejoice at Easter:
Let everyone who loves God rejoice in this festival of light!
Let the faithful servants gladly enter into the joy of their Lord!
Let those who have borne the burden of fasting now come to celebrate the feast!
Let those who were inwardly dead now rise and dance with Christ, the Lord of life! [St. John Chrystostom 347-407]
Happy Easter!

Waiting for Easter

I am writing this on the night of Good Friday. In Toronto, the streets were quieter than usual--even quieter than Sunday's. People have the day off so they can go to church. I took the subway to the downtown cathedral of St. Michael. I was edified at seeing lines of people waiting at each confessional to receive the sacrament of reconciliation. Other folks were devoutly praying the Stations of he Cross on their own. Some people had stopped to pray at the Pieta' statue of the Sorrowful Mother in the entrance way. When the prayer service began, there was standing room only. Since the weather outside was very chilly, it was OK to be squeezed into a pew. I held my coat most of the time, since it is so thick it takes up the space of another person when I rest it on the bench.
Tomorrow, Holy Saturday, is as Henri Nouwen put it a time for "the rest of God." It is a day of silent waiting for Christ's promise to be fulfilled. The Word of God lies silent for a short time--waiting for Sunday morning when the joyful alleluias sing out around the world.
May your Holy Saturday be serene and to the extent possible, a day of silent waiting for the Lord in company with Mary and the disciples.

Palm Sunday

Before I went to Mass this morning, I saw a glimpse of Pope Benedict beginning the Palm Sunday liturgy in Rome. St. Peter's Square seemed overflowing with clergy and lay people packed into the Square.

Yesterday a woman came into our centre asking for The Liturgy of the Hours. "What does liturgy mean anyway?" she asked as I lead her to the area where we have books to assist in praying the Liturgy of the Hours. The Greek origin of liturgy comes from the words "letus ergon" meaning work of the people. The Roman Catholic Church has only two "official" liturgical prayers or forms of worship: the Mass or the "celebration of the Eucharist," and the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is really a way of sanctifying the hours or time of each day. Morning prayer, which is also called Lauds, and Evening Prayer, or Vespers, are the "hinges" or mainstays of the hours. Monks, priests and many nuns (that is vowed religious women) pledge to pray this form of prayer every day. Lay people are strongly encouraged to pray the hours, especially morning, evening and night prayer.

In some communities the prayers are sung. They can be put to music because the prayers are from the Psalms which were written to be sung at temple worship by the Jewish people. Yesterday someone was surprised that we pray with prayers from "the Old Testament," or, as it is often referred to: "the Hebrew Bible." Usually morning prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours is a form of praise and thanksgiving to God expressed in two Psalms and a canticle. By a canticle we mean a prayer taken from another book of the Bible, Isaiah, for example. Then there is a short reading from Scripture followed by a few lines of response. Then an antiphon, a line or two giving a theme, is recited before we pray the "canticle," Zechariah's words praising God from Luke's Gospel. Then the antiphon is repeated, and an intercessory prayer follows which presents needs of the church and the world. All our prayer intentions are gathered up as we pray the Lord's Prayer and a concluding prayer which sums up that "hour" of prayer for the day. Before we leave the place of prayer we end with an invocation: "May the Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen."

Sometimes the psalms used are those of "lament." In a psalm of lament the writer or original pray-er is complaining to God, at times even asking God to wreak havoc on "my enemies." Yet in the same psalm of complaint, the writer usually never fails to interject praises to God for all the good he has done in the past. The "enemy" in those psalms can be our own unruly inclinations, our stubbornness, our faults and sins, our temptations. Even though the words were written a few thousand years ago, the emotions we feel today can be transferred into the words we pray from those psalms of lament and praise.

When someone prays the Liturgy of the Hours he or she can be confident that he is praying with the whole church. We are praying with the same Word of God that Jesus used. In fact, among the last words Jesus spoke on the cross were, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" from Psalm 22. At first it looks like a terrible lament: God forsaking his loved one. Then the psalm returns to the fact that God does deliver his beloved: "You who fear the Lord, give praise!...For God has not spurned or disdained the misery of the poor." In Jesus' case, God the Father allowed him to suffer for us, but he vindicated him through the power of the resurrection.

There are many translations of the Psalms available. But, for the Liturgy of the Hours, an official translation is chosen so people can pray easily together. To find a copy of he liturgy of the Hours, check out the Daughters of St. Paul website: www.pauline.org.

Best regards for a peace-filled and blessed Holy Week.

Let's pray today too for youth, since Pope Benedict addressed young people today. It's become a tradition initiated by John Paul II that the Pope give a talk to youth every Palm Sunday.

Sister Mary Peter

A Week Called "Holy"

It's already Palm Sunday in lands east of North America. Each year Lent seems to be a long haul of 40 long days. Then it ends up zooming by faster than any "zoom zoom" commercial on TV.

Palm Sunday's liturgy plunges us deep into the heart of the Paschal Mystery--that's the name the Church calls the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paschal relates to "Passover." It is the new and lasting Passover when Christ's blood saved each of us from the effects of sin. Instead of the blood of a lamb being sprinkled on door posts, as happened at the first Passover when the Hebrew people--the Israelites--were preparing to leave the slavery of Egypt for the freedom of the Promised Land, we were and are saved by the blood of Christ shed for us on Calvary. Easter then is our celebration of Christ's saving event.

There are good movies to help us recall these events: Jesus of Nazareth, and Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" are among them.

Then there are other movies that have "Christ Figures" in them. By that I mean characters who give their lives that others may live. "Ladder 49" with Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta as firemen shows how some people do give their lives that others may live. Kevin Costner in "The Guardian" portrays a Coast Guard veteran rescue swimmer who seems extremely tough on new recruits. Yet, he never asked anything from the young men and women he trained which he had never gone through himself. I don't want to give away the end of the movie, so I won't tell you how "The Guardian" ends. Just bring Kleenex when you get the DVD. The Kevin Costner film uses real Coast Guard rescue personnel in addition to real actors. These last two movies are good for any time of year, since being Christ-like is a 24/7 operation, 365 days of the year.

I wish you a good Holy Week: time for inner quiet; outer quiet too; prayer; reading that reminds us of what Christ did for you and me; time for Church; time for reconciliation and confession; time for peace. One gentleman who frequents our book centre told me last week, "What counts is that God loves us, and that we love him in return." That's a great start for a Holy Week reflection.

Let's pray for each other to make this the holiest of Holy Weeks, so our Easter will truly be a Happy Easter.

The crucifix depicted here is in the lower church at the basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, Italy.

Meet the Actor

Today I was privileged to meet the young man who played Karol Wojtlya in the movie (now on DVD) Karol A Man Who Became Pope; The Pope, the Man. Piotr Admaczyk is in Toronto for what -- in a sense -- is the premiere of this film on Imax screen. The movie will show in English Saturday night, March 31 at Ontario Place in Toronto. It is showing in Polish--but that viewing is sold out already. On Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM it will be shown in Italian.

One of the announcers at the station "Radio Maria" -- a Catholic radio station here in Toronto--invited us Daughters of St. Paul to come to the station to meet Piotr who is in town for the premiere. Frank Ruffolo conducted an interview on radio. Before the radio program began Omni News, a multi-lingual television service, sent their camera man Hugh to film Piotr who spoke in English, Italian and Polish. The actor was still feeling jet lag having arrived in Canada only a few hours before.

The DVD of Karol is in English and Italian dialogue. Apparently the film was first shown on teloevision as a mini-series.

Piotr, who turned 35 on March 21, said he felt honored to play the role of the Pope. He recalled one of the scenes which took place in Poland where 600 extras portrayed Poles who were forced to flee their homes when the Nazis invaded their country. The actor said that despite cold and wet conditions the people did their part quietly and seriously. He felt they realized they were walking in the footsteps of their ancestors who actually suffered displacement and hardship in the war years. He said too that even as a child of seven, when John Paul visited Poland as Pope for the first time, he knew that things were going to change. The grown ups were talking about it and he sensed the greatness of this man from Poland. Another moment which struck the actor as especially poignant was the scene in St. Peter's Square which re-enacted the attempt of John Paul's life by Ali Acca. He was dressed in the white cassock which then was stained with blood. The square was filled with pilgrims from all over. Yet one woman close to the filming site spoke aloud: "I will never forget that moment...". Then it was that Adamczyk realized that this is a film that would touch the emotions of people around the world.

I am looking forward to seeing it. One of our Sisters who has seen all of the John Paul II movies says that this portrayal is by far the best.

In the photo you will see Frank Ruffolo interviewing Piotr Admaczyk for Omni TV; myself and Antonietta Ferlitto, an Annunciationist. She too is a member of the Pauline Family--a vowed member of our feminine secular Institute of Our Lady of the Annunciation.

Check out these videos

Sister Anne Joan Flanagan who lives in Chicago sent me some links to videos she has done with the assistance of some friends. The one on The Angelus prayer is very interesting. Some of you may even live in areas where the Catholic church bells ring at 6:00 AM, at noon and at 6:00 PM for The Angelus--the prayer which daily reminds us of the fact of the Incarnation. That Latin based word, "In - carnation" means "in the flesh" literally. That is what happened when Mary said "yes" to the Angel Gabriel. The Word of God, God Himself became a human embryo which became Jesus. All of us started out in that embryonic, microscopic form. Jesus shared this experience with us. I recommend that you see the DVD "The Nativity Story", a very reverent yet very human portrayal of the Incarnation and Mary and Joseph's roles in this drama that impacts us every day.
Here are the links Sister Anne Joan prepared:
Pray the Angelus! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cQse864GuN8.
Best Catholic Books for Lent: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiBj2XlTF74
Best Books for the Way of the Cross: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWAb4vI7Se8

She will have to prepare something now for Ester very soon.
To everyone reading this I wish a serene and joyful preparation for Holy Week, and for the celebration of Easter.mHave a blessed day! Sister Mary Peter

Jesus' Bones

Tonight Canada's Vision Channel aired the "documentary" about the supposed tomb of Jesus.
There were so many "if's" that the film maker seemed to take no note of how far fetched his whole theory is. I was impressed at how little time he gave to those who seriously doubt his premise, even though the "doubters" are people of outstanding credentials. I also found it uninteresting, maybe boring is the more honest word.
As we say in the Creed, he, Jesus, arose from the dead. He did not, as the film wrongly states, ascend in spirit and leave his body behind. Why go through the Resurrection only to have bones left behind? That hypothesis, as one writer comments, is "full of holes."
I pray that people who may know little of their faith will read more about the truths of Christianity, and thus have their faith strengthened by this attack on Christian faith.
N.T. Wright has a large book called "Jesus" which answers those who resist the Resurrection accounts in the gospel.

Meeting the Archbishop

Yesterday's Mass with Toronto's new Archbishop Collins and the women and men religious of the Archdiocese was a very nice event. The Sisters of St. Joseph hosted us in their chapel for the Mass and for the reception in the spacious hall beneath chapel. About 500 were in attendance. It was nice to get to meet and see some of the many sisters and religious priests and brothers who serve in this Archdiocese.
I just realized that I used a very specific Catholic term when I wrote "religious."
That word refers to men and women who are consecrated to God by means of vows, from the Latin word "religare" which means to bind. Many priests are religious--that is members of religious orders. Other priests are secular or diocesan--that is, they are not bound to live in common with other priests, nor do they have a vow of poverty. Canon Law which is another name for Church Law stipulates that priests should live simply, but it does not impose a vow of poverty on diocesan priests. Religious also stems from the Latin "regula" which means "rule." That is, each order of monks or Sisters has a rule or regulation to follow which governs their lives. Some older books about Catholicism may mention secular or regular priests: the regulars are the religious who live in community and follow a rule of life according to a particular order's constitutions. That's enough of "class" for the day. Enjoy the week, and for those of us in the northern clime, stay indoors as much as possible, since we have a wind chill warning that advises against going out in subzero weather.

Meeting with the Archbishop

This afternoon many of the Sisters in the Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto will have the opportunity to meet with our new Archbishop Thomas Collins. Three of us Daughters of St. Paul met Archbishop Collins at the dinner and reception which followed his installation Mass on January 30. His homily at the Mass was clear and challenging in the sense that he invited Catholics to be engaged with society. He seems very outgoing and approachable.
I will let you know how the meeting went in my next blog.
Sister Hosea and I are somewhat involved in the Archdiocese as we are members of a planning team. The team is preparing for the 2008 North American Catholic Communicators Convocation. It will be held in Toronto in May of 2008. It is good to know the lay people and clergy involved in using media to get out the Good Word. I am impressed at how well our meeting went, being it was the first time for some of us to have met.

A "Documentary" on Jesus' Bones

By now you probably heard or read the news about a documentary prepared by a Canadian film maker and the famous director of the Titanic film. The documentary treats an issue which most Christians will find interesting, but also a waste of time. According to the news release information, the film maker asserts that the bones of Jesus Christ, "son of Joseph," of his "wife," and other members of his family were discovered in Jerusalem. Christians believe that Jesus Christ, Son of God the Father, raised in Nazareth in Galilee, and who was crucified by Pontius Pilate, rose from his tomb on the first Easter morning. Therefore, there are no bones about it. Jesus Christ is still very much alive. The names Jesus, Joseph and Mary was very common in the early first century C.E. (or A.D.)
I read two commentaries. One appeared this morning on CNA, a Catholic web news service. In the news article, the author states that he himself is the one who discovered the "bones" in question. He does not believe they belong to Jesus the Resurrected One. Another longer article was forwarded by our publishing house's acquisitions office. CNA's email address is: cna_news@acinews.net.
The longer article is written by Ben Witherington. The file name is: Ben_Witherington_on_the_Jesus_Tomb.doc. I am not sure if you can link to it from here, but give it a try. He also refers to a Toronto Star article which discusses the same topic: http://www.thestar.com/News/article/185708.
If you have ever read the works of Eusebius, Father of Church History, you will find a description of the tomb of "James 'brother' of Jesus." Of course, the term 'brother' here also can mean cousin. Eusebius' writings contradict the Talpiot tomb findings which will be discussed in the documentary.
Since I am a partial movie buff I was taken by Witherington's words: "So my response to this is clear--James Cameron, the producer of the movie Titanic, has now jumped on board another sinking ship full of holes, presumably in order to make a lot of money before the theory sinks into an early watery grave. Man the lifeboats and get out now."
May the Risen Jesus enlighten us and strengthen our faith.

February's Almost Over!

Last Saturday was very busy. It started out as a very sunny day which allowed many folks to come to our Pauline Centre (Canadian spelling) on Dufferin Street. Since we were minus two of our "regular" Sisters (one is helping out in Los Angeles for a couple of weeks, the other was due to arrive that evening from a Rome-Boston trip), we were very busy. Then two Pauline lay Cooperators came to accompany Sister Hosea Marie who went to set up a book display in St. Mary's Parish in Barrie, Ontario. Milly (Milagros) and I were alone to help the people who came to us on Saturday. Milly and I did not have time to hold a conversation with one another as we kept busy answering the phone and the inquiries of the customers.
Many people also paid a visit to our chapel to spend a few quiet moments with the Lord.
On Sunday Sister Paul who had arrived the evening before and I attended the 11:00 AM Italian Mass at St. Charles Church just two doors away from us. Father Donato Sartini, OFM, celebrated Mass. Father Donato always gives a great homily. Since Sr. Marie Paul had recently come back from a communications' course held in Rome, she was happy to keep up the Italian. It was good to have a real day of rest after our busy Saturday. Fridays can also be demanding, since our centre is open from 9:30 AM until 7:30 PM. As in so many big cities, Friday evening traffic creates miles of automotive "crawl space" on the 401 [that's the major east/west artery here], and all the other big streets in-between. Toronto rivals New York and even Boston for traffic jams! I always admire people who drive to Pauline Books & Media on Friday evenings, since they have a real sense of perseverance! May the Lord reward their patience.
How is your Lent doing? I hope it is going well for you.
God bless you! Sister Mary Peter

A Time for Ashes and Renewal

Happy Lent!
Yesterday seemed a bit like Spring, since for the first time in what seemed ages, the temperature was above freezing. And, I thought I heard little birds chirping! No matter the temperature outside, Lent is often called a "Spring time for the Soul."
Sister Hosea and I went to 7:00 AM Mass at the chapel of the Sister Disciples of the Divine Master. After the readings, Father Mark blessed ashes left from last year's palms. Then he marked each of our foreheads with the ashes. This ritual is repeated around the world today to remind us of the need to "repent and believe" the Good News.
The Vatican Council II document on the Liturgy says, "The season of Lent has a twofold character: primarily by recalling or preparing for baptism and by penance, it disposes the faithful, who more diligently hear the Word of God and devote themselves to prayer, to celebrate the paschal mystery. This twofold character is to be brought into greater prominence...in the liturgy and by liturgical catechesis."
St. Paul said that "Christ did not seek to please himself" (Rm. 15:3). So we have our best model for Lent in Jesus himself.
Father Guido Gandolfo, SSP, commented on our Founder's thoughts on Lent and penance or what the Founder more often called mortification: "To understand precisely the thought of the Founder (Blessed James Alberione) who said 'take on the way of Jesus Christ by means of mortification', we need to speak of adhering so much to Jesus-Way, by following him, even by 'holding on' to him, so that he re-lives his virtues in us today. It is a question then of making space for the One whom we have chosen to love!"
That's a very positive spin on repentance.
Just as in the Spring we do some digging and moving around in our gardens, so the same with our spiritual selves: we dig out the weeds, soften the soil and plant seeds of virtue. We make space for God in our thoughts and in our way of acting, and we spend more time with him in prayer. Best wishes for a great Lent!

Catching Up

Well, a lot has happened in the past few weeks, and I forgot to enter a blog. Forgive the lapse.
Tonight each time I tried to spell check y blog I somehow erased it!
About two weeks ago I accompanied Sister Hosea to St. Isaac Jogues Church in Pickering, just east of Toronto. The pastor and his assistant were very gracious and allowed us to speak after Communion at each Mass. Folks were very responsive once again. That was the beginning of the truly cold weather. Yet people came and waited patiently in line to be served. One of the books which I spoke about was "Why Go to Confession?" It's a little book by Archbishop Bruno Forte. I had the privilege of getting to know Bruno Forte when he spent a month at our Staten Island house several years ago. Then one Saturday morning in Charleston, South Carolina there was a priest sitting in the sanctuary of St. Mary's Church waiting to concelebrate the Mass. The Sister with me, Sr. Mary Agnes, had been in Staten Island that summer when Father Bruno Forte came to stay with us. We both looked at each other and said, "That's Father Forte!" After Mass he walked over to our book center, and one of his books was on display in our book center window. I am delighted that this new book, so small yet so precious is available to a wider audience. Forte has been and still is an outstanding theologian. Right now he is an Archbishop in Italy. For years he taught theology in Naples, Italy. He would spend his summers in a different country not only to practice his language skills, but to get to understand new cultures and the needs of people. Forte's pocket sized book answers not only why go to confession, but its emphasis is not so much on sin, but on the intensity of God's love waiting to meet us in the Sacrament.

Weekly Roundup

Usually I blog on a Sunday. I realized that last week, I told you about the day we would spend at St. Jerome's Parish in Brampton, Ontario. Since our van was on its way to Boston with two Sisters who had meetings to attend there, our good neighbor and Cooperator Pat D'Cruz drove Sister Donna and I to Brampton. There were some snow flakes coming, but the salt trucks were ahead of us, which was very reassuring. At the Mass, the pastor, whom I know as Father Jan, welcomed us. He said, "The Daughters of St. Paul are here," and they did not arrive empty handed. We want them to go home empty handed." Then after Communion I spoke at two of the Masses and Sr. Donna spoke at the last Mass. I mentioned how as Daughters of St. Paul, we use the media "for God," and if St. Paul were alive today, we figure that he would use the media to preach the Good News. I held up some of our children's' titles and a book on St. Luke's gospel. I also assured the people that we do pray for them, and that prayer accompanies all the work that we do--especially prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. I felt inspired to keep walking down the aisle after I left the pulpit. In that way, I could get to our tables in the foyer before the final procession. In a flash, a sea of people was surging against our tables holding up books, Cd's and DVDs. For the second Mass, I had to pick different books to focus on, since the first titles were disappearing fast. When we packed up and met Pat at 2:30, Father's suggestion had come true: book wise, we were pretty much "empty handed." However, we were very happy that God's Word, in the guise of many books and audio/visuals had elected to stay in many homes in Brampton.

I spent most of the week helping in our center (centre is the Canadian spelling) on Dufferin Street. Despite the icy weather on Monday, things kept busy. There was a major computer glitch which tried the patience of all of us, and of our heroic staff members. The problem was finally fixed on Thursday. Once it was said that there are "martyrs of patience." Well, I think our staff should be carrying the palms of "patience martyrdom" high for all to see!

Sometimes phone calls are routed to my office. I picked up the call one day from a priest at the Catholic Mission in Perilous Bay in Nunavut. That is way up north. Father had a strong French-Canadian accent, even though he did speak English. I still have to look up Perilous Bay on a map. Our assistant manager assured me that it is a bush community, probably reached only by plane. That was a neat experience speaking to a missionary priest from our Canadian Far North. Father's call gave me the incentive to take up my study of French once again. I have two computer programs to help me. Both employ microphones which then have a gauge with a line that wavers between tourist (red: 0% pronunciation skills to green for pretty good.) Right now, I can pray the Hail Mary in French and say Good Day, and Good Night. So I have a lot more to learn!

Since we are still in Ordinary Time, I wanted to share with you something I shared with our Pauline Cooperators at our meeting last week. The information of suggestions came from an Italian Pauline priest, Father Guido Gandolfo. Don Guido, as he is called over in Italy, has been preaching on a book written many years ago by our Founder, Blessed James Alberione, called "Donec Formetur Christus in Vobis." That is Latin for Paul's words in Galatians 4:19 where he tells the people that as a mother is in labor to give birth to her child, so Paul is undergoing pain similar to child birth "so that Christ may be formed in us." Don Guido suggests taking St. Paul in his conversion which we celebrate this week on January 25th as a point of reference. When Paul was struck down on his way to Damascus, and the Lord spoke to him, he was told, "Get up, go into the city...and it will be told to you what to do." From then on, for the most part, God's Will for Paul was mediated through many ways: the Word of God and the Eucharistic celebration; through people, like Barnabas, Peter and other companions; it was mediated by the needs of the people to whom he was sent; God's will was mediated and manifested also through events, and circumstances. So for us, God uses these ways, including that "still, small voice inside of each of us which gives us inspirations to behave well" to let us know what his Will is for each moment of our days.

Besides being aware of and assenting to these mediations of God in our daily, "ordinary" lives, Father Guido also said to keep asking the Holy Spirit to help us live "of" Jesus. He suggests that we set aside three "moments" in our day (in the morning, in the early afternoon, and in the evening) to renew our consecration to the Holy Spirit with this little prayer:

"To you O Spirit of Truth, I consecrate my mind, imagination and memory.

To you, O Sanctifying Spirit, I consecrate my will, guide me in your Will.

To you, O life-giving Spirit, I consecrate my heart. Guard and increase the divine life in me."

The Holy Spirit formed Jesus in Mary. Together with Mary and the Holy Spirit, Jesus will be formed in us and grow in us. In this way Galatians 4:19 will come true in all of us.

Friends Young and Old

Hearing from Friends Young and Older This First Week of Ordinary Time has sped by. Much of my time was spent in preparing an order for Italian titles. It was faxed yesterday. I found out by email today that it was received and the Sisters in Rome are planning to fill it soon.Today was a bit colder than the unseasonable warm weather which we have been experiencing.Today, Saturday, people came into our center in small groups. One of the first groups was a young mother of five. Today she only had the two youngest boys with her. Her oldest who are girls attend Italian classes nearby at Villa Colombo. We are in what was once a very Italian neighborhood. It is predominantly Italian, but now more multi-cultural. Folks of all colors and ethnic backgrounds came in today.One of our Saturday regulars in Toronto is a gentleman who is a devout New England Patriots' fan. He went on vacation to Boston and bought himself a nice Patriots' jacket. I did not have a chance to tell him that we have to pray that they win tomorrow's game against San Diego!Another Saturday "regular" is a business man who spends time in Eucharistic adoration in our chapel. He is getting lots of spiritual nourishment with books from our shelves.Our center also houses our chapel. We open the chapel to the public as long as the center is open. It is moving to see the prayer intentions which people write in the chapel's prayer book.Some people write out their feelings, their anxieties, their cares for family members who are alienated, or in difficulty. Others are truly grateful to God for all the favors He gives them.I received a very upbeat letter from a young priest friend in New England. He has been ordained just a year and a half. His schedule is overflowing with pastoral activities.At times he is called on to be with people at the most painful times of their lives. Father Michael accompanied State Troopers when they had to break the news to a young husband that his wife and unborn baby had died in a horrific car accident. Father accompanied the man as he identified the bodies of his wife and child. It seems that neither he nor his wife practiced any faith and were not familiar with prayer. Here is part of Fr. Michael's description: "Because no family members were present in the area, the man was facing waiting hours for family from out of state. I stayed with him at his home for the rest of the evening and morning until family arrived. It was one of the saddest experiences I ever had and it was hard to imagine how the man must have felt. I will never forget this experience....I am simply amazed at what Christ asks of us sometimes. It is amazing how priests are placed in situations that are humanly impossible but with the grace of Christ are possible."From another New England priest I received an invitation to celebrate his 50th anniversary of priestly ordination. This priest, Father Hugh, was a US Navy chaplain for more than 20 years. I met him in Guam when I was driving a stick-shift truck on Nimitz Hill. Since the phones were not operational at the time, Father was tailgating us so he could order some religious books from us. Years later, when we were both reassigned to Boston, we would laugh about the "crazy driver" in Guam who would not leave us. I have always wanted Father "O", as we call him, to write his memoirs of his Naval experience. He told us once that in a single day during the Vietnam War he offered Mass eight times: he was ferried via helicopter from one ship to another since so few chaplains were available. Father worked well beyong "retirement" age in his Boston assignment--which included two churches with very diverse congregations. I am privileged to call both the young and the seasoned priest my friends. Another priest friend (since there is never a two without a three, right) is a retreat director in Italy. He sends a seasonal letter with suggestions for the spiritual life. I shared his insights with our Pauline Cooperators on Thursday night.Here are a few highlights from Father: since we will be celebrating St. Paul's Conversion this month, we can take a lesson from what happened to Paul. Jesus told him "It will be told to you what you have to do." That "telling" did not usually come with any fanfare. It was mediated through persons like Ananias and Barnabas, and people who needed his ministry; it came through that "tiny still voice" within him that was the inspiration of the Holy Spirit; it came through events and circfumstances. We all have people around us whose kindnesses to us can be as "visits" from the Lord. The Word and the Eucharist at the Liturgy are visible signs of the loving presence of the Father. It's up to us to have an inner "silence" so we can listen to the voice of the Spirit within and without us, and see how God's "visits" to us are mediated during each day.Tomorrow I will be going to Brampton, Ontario for a parish display of our books and A/V's at St. Jerome's parish.I will let you know how it goes.God bless you!Sister Mary Peter