Composed by: Sr. Rose Martina de Porres
 
We are at the end of our Lenten season.  As I started, my plans for Lent did not became fully refined until I attended Ash Wednesday Mass.  The priest gave a homily that really resonated with me.  He said if you don't remember anything else about my homily (I don't), remember this, “Consume more BEER.” Of course everyone, including me, woke up at that point.  He went on to explain that B is for Bible.  We should be consuming God’s word daily in the scriptures.  He stated the first E is for empathy.  The money we are not spending because we are fasting is for the poor.   So we must donate it to the poor or it will be stealing. Then he explained that the second E is for Eucharist.  We should be consuming His Body frequently, attending Mass regularly.  The R is reconciliation.  We need to go to confession at least once a month.  God wants to reconcile us to Himself.  He wants to forgive.  Go to him.  Go to confession.  This helped me get into the right frame of mind.
 
"Unless you are willing to do the ridiculous, God will not do the Miraculous."--Mother Angelica
 
By God-incidence the movie Samson was recently released.  I couldn't remember where exactly the story was in the Bible so I decided to read the entire book of Judges. There I encountered a fallen people that kept turning away from God. Things got too bad and they turned back...but only for a while.  I encountered God’s mercy and desire to save his people.  I met Gods' might working through women to prefigure the crushing of Satan’s head.  I was so intrigued I kept reading through to the books of Judith and Esther.  Each woman fasted, prayed, and covered herself in ashes before embarking on a mission to save her people.  They trusted God even when things seemed stacked against them.  They did the ridiculous and literally walked alone into what seemed was certain death.  That's trust in God.  
 
As the old adage goes, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."  Our society is not much different from Israel.  We can see how much we have turned from God and worship mortals instead of Him.  Every Lent we start with ashes, prayer, and fasting.  Then Easter comes and life "goes back to normal."  Up until recently, I think I viewed the ashes, all of the fasting and prayer as part of Lent, something we do.  But reading Esther and Judith made me realize how integral all of it is in being able to convert, turn back to God, and receive God's mercy.  Easter is the good news that Jesus has risen.  But it does not stop there, life should not “go back to normal.”  We need to continue the walk in celebration even if it means into a hostile world, but we walk trusting in God. 
 
On Good Friday, the Divine Mercy novena begins.  Each day has a specific intention. To me each intention has a familiar face that God is trying to reach through my prayer, fasting, and ashes.  Divine Mercy Sunday is the culmination of the novena.  The abundant graces poured out that day are more than we can ever imagine:  "...But where sin increased, grace abounded all the more" (Romans 5:20).  We must proclaim "Jesus, I Trust in You!" 
 
We can't be afraid to set out into the deep for a catch.  But before we do....consume more BEER. 

Image Source:​Crucifixion by Albrecht Altdorfer, circa 1514–1516, with tiny donor couple among the feet of the main figures

Composed by: Sr. Mary Magdalene

I recently was feeling overwhelmed by a “good deed” that I had agreed to do several years ago.  The problem arose that my original “gift” had grown a great deal in those years, and, although I was still happy to continue, it had grown to the point that it had become personally and professionally difficult to sustain.  I knew that I needed to set some boundaries in order to be both a good steward and a good servant, but I admit to being hesitant about how to proceed to do that in a compassionate way.

I consulted a friend whose insight and honesty I’ve always appreciated.  He responded very simply.  “It’s good to set boundaries,” he said, “It helps us to recognize that we are not God.”

His words struck a chord with me.  It is important to be generous with our families, our communities, and our world.  A bit more generosity and a sense of mutual responsibility will always yield more good than staunch individualism does.  It is also important to recognize our own limitations and, when necessary, to have a willingness (and humility) to communicate those limitations to others.  Our abilities and resources are finite!  In other words, we are not God.

A generous heart is a beautiful thing, and our desire to do some good for another is quite a dear virtue.  This inclination should always be considered worthy of pursuing.  In fact, some can be moved to truly great acts of virtue and heroism. But do not be afraid to set healthy boundaries when necessary.  What I mean is this:  if you’re contributing something you know to be beyond your resources, there is the distinct possibility that you are “stealing” time, energy, financial security, and perhaps more from others in order to provide for that particular experience.  We are not inexhaustible, and, perhaps more importantly, we are not expected to be inexhaustible. Setting limits need not be a selfish act!  It may, indeed, be a very humble and loving response.

I think it can sometimes be a very blurred line between what we think we are doing “for God” and what we do as a natural extension and result of our eyes being fixed upon God.  I remember reading a story about Mother Teresa and her unwavering commitment to spending an hour before the Blessed Sacrament prior to starting her active missionary work.  She was asked why she spent that amount of time in the Chapel each day rather than starting immediately in to helping the poor.  Wouldn’t she be getting more done (for God) if she just set right out to do the work?  She responded that the work could not possibly be accomplished without first sitting in silence with the Lord and allowing herself to be filled by God’s Grace.  Eyes fixed on Jesus, Mother Teresa recognized her limitations, such as they were, and set a kind of “boundary,” a boundary to insure that her intentions were firmly rooted in Him.  The “work” is His, after all.  Ours is primarily a privilege of participation in that work.

So perhaps we can settle in and take a few moments each day to allow God the opportunity to tend to our heart, fill us with His Grace and direct our hands and feet in His service.  Let’s leave the omnipotence to Him.  “It’s good to set boundaries.  It helps us recognize that we are not God

Image Source: The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo