Heroes and Superheroes

Growing up heroes and superheroes were goals to aspire towards. These were the bigger than life personalities which covered my imagination with tales of amazing feats. While these characters were "superheroes," they were not fictional persons like Superman, Spiderman or Wonder Woman, they were actually men and women who had lived in former times yet still lived heroically.



These were a few of my superheroes:

• Mary--a young peasant girl called by God to be the Mother of Jesus, our Savior;
• Monica--a mother who prayed incessantly for the conversion of her son, Augustine (who later lived his own life in an extraordinary way);
• Paul--a zealous defender of his Jewish heritage until he had personal encounter with Jesus;
• Miguel Agustin Pro--a Mexican priest martyred during the religious persecutions of the 1920's in Mexico.

 As a young child, I heard the stories of these Christians and many others from my grandmother. These were the stories that she remembered from her own formative years.

As we prepare to celebrate the Feast of All Saints and the Feast of All Souls this weekend, let's take a few minutes to reflect on the influence of these men and women in our lives and in our faith.

How can we continue to inspire future generations with the memory of the lives of these heroic men and women?

Sr. Catherine

Traditions and Celebrations

One of the best parts of autumn for me, other than the endless football games, the changing of the leaves and the evenings on the patio making s'mores, is the community traditions which all fall in October. 

One of those family celebrations is our annual Chicken Day.  While the rest of the universal Church celebrates St. Teresa of Avila on Oct 15, it is the day that we have fried chicken for dinner in honor of our founding generation of Sisters.

Here is the story, as I remember it (apologies in advance for any mistakes or omissions which may occur in this story).  When our Sisters were still living in Creston, IA, they were moving to a new, larger convent about 6 blocks away from St. Malachy's Church where they had originally resided. Our Sisters packed everything in crates including the chickens. Someone forgot to put air holes in the crates for the chickens. So at the end of the day after the long day of moving, the Sisters discovered that the chickens had all smothered in the crates. Being mindful never to waste anything, they fried the chickens that evening and used them as an evening snack.

Our Sisters love fried chicken and use any excuse available to have a celebration. So even more than 130 years later we still celebrate this event in our history.

This year we are also blessed to celebrate 135 years since our founding day on October 28. On this date we remember Mother Paula O'Reilly and her two companions who travelled from Pennsylvania to Iowa to start a new Benedictine foundation. May the spirit which enlivened these women continue to inspire us as we progress along the monastic way of life.

What are some family traditions that are important in your life?

Sr. Catherine

An Invitation...and A Challenge

Do you know a single, Catholic woman between 18 and 35 who might be interested in a 24 hour monastic experience?

Do you know single, Catholic woman who is looking for something more in her life?

Is there a single woman in your family, parish, Newman Center, college dorm, workplace that might possibly benefit from our 24 Monastic Moment experience?

If the answer is yes (or even maybe) to any of these questions, feel free to direct them to our website for more information or give them the information provided below.

Studies tell us that many of the men and women who are currently priests or religious brothers or sisters first thought of it after a personal invitation. It could be as simple as the question: Have you ever thought about religious life? It is okay to ask even those that don't seem like likely candidates...God can work with all kinds of people.

When I was young, my parents were pretty confident that there was a potential vocation in our family. We have a history of religious vocations in our extended family...so why not ours. My brother, John, proclaimed that he wanted to be a priest after he served his first Mass. My younger sister, Juli, could rattle off her prayers and bible verses before she was 4.  Then, there was me, the oldest who couldn't seem to sit still very well, loved to sing in the kid's choir and was always looking for the next adventure. Well, with two potential vocations--I guess I was okay. Oh, and I also proclaimed loud and long that I had no visions of religious life in my future.

When I was 18, one of our parish priests invited me to spend a weekend with some friends of his. He asked me not once but multiple times until I said: Okay, I'll go. That was about 35 years ago now. What I found in that weekend was that religious women could be fun and funny, intelligent and competent...and they even liked some of the things I liked. After that weekend I decided to give religious life a serious look. I entered St. Joseph Monastery 4 years later and have been here ever since.

That one invitation from that priest opened my mind and many doors for me.

Do you know a single, Catholic woman who might be ready for a change? Invite her to Monastic Moment.  For more information visit our website: stjosephmonastery.org or call (918)746-4203.

Sr. Catherine

Seeking Escape

Today we are looking at the fourth step of humility. This step encourages quiet acceptance of life circumstances, patience, and steadfastness of purpose. All of which are qualities that I struggle with regularly. It definitely seems counter-intuitive to me (my nature and will) to strive for these characteristics; yet I need to accept the fact that Benedict saw great value in these personality traits.

Quiet acceptance of life circumstances

There are some things in life that cannot be changed no matter how hard I try, how sincerely I wish things were different or how much I bargain with God or with myself to change it. It could be my height and weight, my quickly graying hair or my difficulties with a work situation. Benedict sees merit in simply acknowledging the reality and then moving forward rather than fighting, stomping my foot against life or yelling about the unfairness of my life. My tendency is more towards creating a fan base around my issue and rallying for support...unfortunately this does little to move me towards greater humility.

Patience
 
Patience has never come naturally to me. My preference is usually towards instant gratification--as in as soon as the idea comes into my mind. I pray daily for a greater appreciation and awareness of patience in my life.

Steadfastness of Purpose

For me, this aspect of humility deals with focus, perseverance and intentionality...none of which is high in my list of personal qualities acquired. I like things that are quick and don't require lots of effort.  As I tell my friends, I am much more likely to be a "sprinter" than a "marathoner." While there is definitely value in perseverance in life, I know that I do not have the stamina necessary to see things through to completion.  While I have completed many tasks in life, I know that about half way through my interest starts to waver and the only thing that sees me through to the end of a project is God's grace and lots of determination on my part.

Today I am being invited to reflect on what part these qualities have in my life and how I can increase them daily through prayer and continued effort.

Sister Catherine

Going Beyond Myself

The third step of humility is that a man submits to his superior in all obedience for the love of God, imitating the Lord of whom the Apostle says: He became obedient even to death (Phil 2:8). RB 7.34

I have definite ideas and opinions about what I like, what is acceptable, what is necessary, what is essential and tons of other issues. I am usually quick to search for the point or benefit of new projects or thoughts and am often reluctant to let go of my way of seeing the world. This comes naturally to me; partly because I never learned the skill of keeping my thoughts to myself. I have always liked telling others what is happening with me...and being an extrovert I cannot fully engage my brain unless my mouth is involved.

Today, I am being invited to at least be open to the idea that there might be someone who might know more than I do or who might have a fuller vision of reality than I do. I am encouraged to not feel compelled to fight to the end for my way of everything. Sometimes, it actually might be better for the whole group to do things in a way which seems opposite to my thoughts. Benedict reminds me today that it is okay to lay down my will once in a while for the benefit of the whole or simply so that I can follow Jesus' example of obedience.

I can choose to accept Benedict's challenge today to quietly accept a different way of living out of love for God and those with whom I live.

How is God inviting me to express humility today?

Please pray for the participants and staff of our School of Lectio which takes place October 1-4, 2014.

Sr. Catherine