| Quote for the Day: "There are nine orders of angels, to wit, angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities, dominations, thrones, cherubim, and seraphim." St Gregory the Great |
Monday,
Well, I had something rather interesting happen yesterday (I'm writing this on Sunday afternoon). I was reading one of my latest computer books... (sort of addicted to them you know) and anyway this one was called "Clear Blogging" by Bob Walsh . It is very, very good... but in Chapter 6 the book had a brief interview with a blogging nun named Sister Julie. I was reading about her and it sounded pretty neat so I decided to go and visit her site, A Nun's Life
Guess who I found when I got there? Me! Really... It was a YouTube posting of my Confession video! Sister Julie had just posted it. Isn't that amazing? That she would post it on the very day I discovered her and went to visit her site? That sounds like a God thing to me. Anyway... who knows what will come of it.. but I thought it was neat. If you go to her site.... (and I hope you do) be sure to leave a comment
I am in the process of some changes with my email - so if you get a bounce or something in the next few days sending an email .. don't be surpriised. This is taking my "learning patience" to a whole new level.
Oh! I wanted to share a picture with you of Pi - she was sitting over there in her cage...munching down on something or other .. and I decided to take a picture to see what all the noise was about. I never realized birds could make so much noise eating.Crunch, crunch, crunch.
Blessings of Peace and All Good,
Sister Patricia
The Confession Connection The Sacrament of Reconciliation: Celebrating God's Forgiveness by Sandra DeGidio, O.S.M. Day Thirteen: Confession: Externalizing what is within Our attitude toward the sacrament of reconciliation is intimately related to our image of God. We need to really believe that our God, like Zorba's, is not some big bogeyman waiting to trip us up, but a great lord who is ever ready to reach out in forgiveness. The rite of reconciliation reflects this image of a God of mercy. Formerly, it was the penitent who began the encounter in confession—"Bless me, Father, for I have sinned"—not unlike the way the sinner of Zorba's imagination approached God, or the way the son in our parable planned to greet his father. But both Zorba's God and the parent in the parable intervened. In the same vein, now in reconciliation it is the confessor who takes the initiative, reaching out, welcoming the penitent and creating a hospitable environment of acceptance and love before there is any mention of sin. Thus, the sacramental moment of confession—just one of the sacramental moments in the whole rite—focuses on God's love rather than our sin. To be continued A selected article from "101 Inspirational Stories of the Sacrament of Reconciliation." |
4 comments:
Dear Sister Patricia, I haven't been in touch for a while due to my dear Mum's passing on 5th June. I wanted to share something special with you but the grief and pain I have endured at Mum's bedside, subsequent death and non-Christian burial have caused me great, personal anxiety and distress. Just before Mum fell asleep for the last time, I made the Sign of the Cross on her forehead, she looked up at me, gave me two, beautiful, glad smiles and said, "Thank you". After I had been there some hours, my brother came towards the last and was brow-beating me over Mum's bank account while she had fallen asleep (not unconscious). It was due to his communication with my elder brother and as soon as the communication stopped he became more human/e again. I had no say on Mum's behalf as regards her funeral but at least they adhered to her request to be buried bodily. I didn't attend her funeral because I knew that God had led and protected us right through to the very end of Mum's life on earth and she had so many more Masses said for her by my friends because they knew of the circumstances of her funeral. I am a Cantor and attend to music ministry at St Peter-Julian's Church, Haymarket in Sydney each Friday to sing the 12.10 Mass and Novena. Mum had a precious moment in time which she shared with me when I began caring for her over 10 years ago. While still a school girl with the Poor Clare Sisters at Waverley, Mum had her first encounter with a Snowdrop Flower in Our Lady's Grotto. I knew she regarded as a special gift from Our Lady so I planted Snowdrops in my garden which I subsequently brought with me in a pot when I had to move house. They always began to blossom towards the end of July into August and I always had some to take on her and Dad's Wedding Anniversary on 10th August and her birthday on 28th August. We shared special times on the Feast of the Assumption when she underwent operations on two Assumption Feastdays. She also had a great devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Amazingly when I was invited to sing at St Peter-Julian's, the Novena is to Our Lady of Perpetual Help. The 2nd Friday after Mum's death, I was travelling to Sydney and it was as though Mum was beside me, saying, "Remember this, remember when..." and they were about events I had never had brought to mind until that particular day and if you asked me now, I could not tell you. I came home, went to bed and while making my first cup of coffee on Saturday morning, I looked into the backyard and there I saw one, little Snowdrop in blossom. The green leaves were only beginning to sprout and were about an inch and half high. The weather here had been wild shortly after Mum's death and I felt as though my grief was in accord with the weather but there it was, that one, little snowdrop blossoming in mid-June. It stayed one little blossom for sometime and then as the green began to sprout more, other snowdrops began to appear. Mum and Dad's Anniversary fell on Friday, 10th this year so I took a floral arrangement to place in front of the Icon of Mary, Mother of Perpetual Help when I journeyed to Sydney to attend my music ministry. On the Feast of the Assumption which fell on a Wednesday this year, I took the last of the Snowdrops down to the Sacristan at Church Hill, Sydney. They also celebrate a Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help on Wednesdays. There were only five stems and I cut the dead flower heads so they were very scant indeed. The Sacristan encouraged me to place them in a gold, fan-shaped vase and they looked like a little fan of Snowdrops. We placed them in front of Our Lady of Fatima's Statue underneath some Magnolia blossoms. The Sacristan phoned me a week and a half later to tell me that at day's end he took them up and placed them in front of the picture of Our Lady of Perpetual Help at the back of the church and they lasted for one week which I believe is rather amazing because they usually only last 2/3 days. Since 15th August a second flush of Snowdrops have blossomed and more blossoms are still forthcoming. To others, perhaps this isn't remarkable but to me, I know it's a sign straight from heaven and I know Mum is in our Blessed Mother's care. A very dear priest-friend is coming up soon to take me to where Mum is buried so we can pray and she will be given Christian Blessing. Please pray for my two brothers that they may one day believe in God and remember what true Christian faith, hope and love is and please pray for me also. My father is now 93 and suffers Alzheimer's Disease and has failed markedly since Mum's death so it is an extremely sad time but God has given me this grace-filled time to care for him as I did Mum so I know that regardless of what happens, we are in God's loving hands. Margaret from Australia (Oz)
P.S. I love the picture of Pi. It is heading towards evening here in Oz and my little Mickey Canary is happily singing. He is around 9 years' old now and has a great personality and also knows how to handle Tinkerbell Cat and my daughter's cat, Asha, who is quite a handful. St Francis of Assissi takes special care of them. Margaret...
Sister Patricia - It's that sort of connection when you least expect it that makes the blogosphere something amazing.
Cheers, and I'm glad my book was of some value to you.
Dear Sister Patricia,
Alwys enjoy your writings...serious
& funny. What a wonderful card you
created for the Feast of the Holy
Name of Mary! On the 15th of Sept.
my hubby & I will be celebrating our 56th wedding anniversary.
Question....any chance that a card
could be created for this occassion? Just wondering!!
Admiration & appreciation to you
and all the sisters.
From the Ozarks
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