UPDATE Reflective Moments August 2011

Reflective Moments Moments Reflective Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph

August 2011

The purpose of Reflective Moments is to offer you a way to incorporate the spirit of Saint Angela Merici into your own lives. We hope that it enriches you spiritually.

By Sister Marietta Wethington, OSU

“The best things in life are not things.”

The author of those words is unknown to me, but two recent events in my life help confirm the wisdom of them.

The first happening was a family reunion. One Saturday in June, a large number of cousins on Daddy’s side of the family came together for the first time in many years. It was a wonderful day of remembering, reconnecting, and appreciating our roots. We all left feeling enriched by the time together.

The second happening was our Ursuline Community Days. I love the times we come together to share prayer and to engage in honest dialogue with each other around the things that matter in our lives, personally and communally. These are better by far than our material possessions and our money. I do recognize material possessions and money are blessings from God and that we are called to share them with others. In song we so often say, “The gifts we have, we are given to share.” Community Days remind us of that, and hopefully call us to share.

In addition to the formal sharing, there are those times of informal sharing that are also enriching and stimulating. There are the fun times when the talents of so many of our sisters are called forth and shared. There are the celebrations of those sisters who have lived faithfully the mission of Jesus as expressed in the charism of Angela – for 40, 50, 60, and 70 years. These are our “best things.”

Our greatest models, Jesus and Angela, both reminded us that it is not things that matter: Jesus, by telling us to take nothing for the journey and Angela, by saying that Jesus Christ should be our only treasure. Can we wholeheartedly embrace the wisdom and advice of these two great models?

Continued on back

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For Your Reflection Reflection:

Sit with Angela at the feet of Jesus.  What do I have that I do not need? What am I going to do about it?  What is my responsibility in helping my family, my faith community, and all those around me to “hear the cry of the poor” and respond to it?

Prayer:

God

of the nonmaterial, God of relationships, of family, of community, help us to let go of all that we do not need and to put our trust in you alone. Give us the courage to put aside our desire for security and be able to proclaim with our lives that you are enough.

An Intentional Minute...

Stop and focus your attention for one INTENTIONAL MINUTE

Be not lax in celebrating.

Be not lazy in the festive service of God. Be ablaze with enthusiasm.

Let us be an alive, burning offering

before the altar of God.

– Hildegard of Bingen

Join us as we pray for one another!

Send your prayer requests for friends and loved ones to the Email Prayer Network.

Write the Ursuline Partnerships office, 8001 Cummings Road, Maple Mount, KY 42356 Call 270-229-2006 • Email associates.msj@maplemount.org • www.ursulinesmsj.org

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