Book Club Update

Jambo!  (a common Swahili greeting)

I love to read.  It is a hobby that brings me true relaxation.  I can escape from the world around me and be transported into another world, sometimes one filled with danger and suspense as I love to read suspense novels.

Since I have returned to the workforce, I found that I was doing less and less leisurely reading.  This prompted me to start the Summer Book Club, now in its third year.  In searching for books for summer reading, I rely upon advice from our Diocesan librarian, Carla Hlavac.  She is a wealth of knowledge and seriously brought me probably 15 books to consider!  She is amazing.  One of the books pulled at my heart strings because it documents a priest’s time (while studying to become a Jesuit priest) serving God’s people in East Africa.  Having sent a daughter half way across the world to help build a school and run water lines in the Maasai Mara, I had to read this book!

Recently a few St. William mamas (Swahili for mature woman) and I shared our thoughts on the book, “This Our Exile” by James Martin, S.J.  He tells many of his adventures while serving refugees in East Africa.  One thing that really hit home to each of us is what a privileged life we lead here in the United States of America.  It is true that we have our share of poverty, civil unrest, unemployment, homelessness; however, we also have access to shelters and soup kitchens and government assistance.  It is eye-opening, at least to me, that most people in the world do not have access to even the basic human need of clean drinking water.  

 

Another aspect of the book that we all enjoyed was being able to witness the transformation that happened to Fr. Martin.  He went into Nairobi, Kenya because he was ordered to do so as a two year learning experience.  Like many men and women who embark on mission work, he was filled with exuberance at the thought of how he would be able to make positive change in the world.  And, like many men and women, he came back a changed man.  In the words of Fr. Martin, “The refugees, as I said before, changed me.  They changed the way I look at poverty.  The refugees changed the way I look at humanity.  The refugees changed the way I looked at God, too.  The refugees broke my heart, too.  But they broke my heart in another way: they broke it open, helping me to receive God’s love in a new way from people I would have never expected to know so well.”

When I reflect upon these words of Fr. Martin, I think of how we are each given the opportunity every day to be changed by the ways God is revealing himself to us.  We also have the opportunity to be the catalyst of change for others.  My Anna traveled to Nairobi, Kenya with John F. Kennedy Catholic School and their relationship with the Me to We Foundation/Free the Children.  Their motto is “Be the Change.”  I pray that someone breaks your heart open to receive God’s love and that you in turn can be that change for others.

Our next book club session will be held Tuesday, August 11 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm.  We will be discussing the book, Our Lady of the Lost and Found.  A Novel of Mary, Faith, and Friendship by Diane Schoemperlen.  I encourage you to consider reading this novel and “meet me on the lawn”  so that together we can see how our Mother Mary may be waiting to break our hearts open for God just in time to celebrate the Assumption!

Kwaheri kwa sassa, (goodbye for now)

Tina

This our Exile. A Spiritual Journey with the Refugees of East Africa.  James Martin, S.J. ©1999, 2011 by The Society of Jesus of New England.  Published by Orbis Books, Maryknoll, NY 10545-0302.

Meditation

In today’s Gospel, Mark recounts for us how the disciples came back to Jesus to share their experiences of healing and casting out demons in his name.  The first thing that Jesus says to them is “Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” Mark 6:31

Jesus knew the importance of stepping away from a task in order to rest.  It is through rest that we are able to rise refreshed to continue the work of the day; the work that God has planned for us.

The opportunities for rest and relaxation are far and wide, however, I think that what Jesus wants for his disciples, the original twelve and all of us in the current era, is to find true spiritual rest.  Spiritual rest involves quieting our minds and setting the world aside for a time in order to hear God speak.  Long ago I learned the art of meditating; however, I have allowed the busy-ness of life to keep me from this spiritual gift.  Yoga has also been an outlet of spiritual rest for me which I have recently re-introduced to my life thanks to the Women’s Guild and the ladies who participated in Praying with the Body.

Every year, the Diocese of Youngstown Office of Religious Education offers those in parish ministry a retreat opportunity.  This year the retreat was held at Villa Maria Spiritual Center in Villa Maria, PA.  I feel so refreshed after spending a few days at the Villa.  First of all, the grounds are beautiful.  Nature itself affords us so many opportunities for retreat when we slow down enough to notice.  This was also very apparent at the Jesuit Spiritual Center.  Benches, Adirondack chairs, placed perfectly under trees, tucked away in quiet spaces beckoning you to come and sit and listen to God speak through nature.  Each facility also offered the labyrinth; a journey of walking with God.  Oh, what joy when you can push everything out of your mind and simply walk with God.

One session which I attended at the Villa was guided meditation.  Now, I may have shared this already, but the memory is so very clear I can’t help but talk with you about the experience.   I had really been struggling with the death of my mom.  I felt so far away from her being that she is in heaven and here I am still on the earth.  As Sister was preparing us for meditation, she asked us to find a word upon which we could focus.  As we took a breath, we were focus on the word.    After just three breaths, I was filled with such a bright light and piercing of my heart that I started to weep and nearly left the room.  The feeling was too intense for my human body to hold.  I stayed . . . breathed again . . . and let my spiritual being accept what God was showing me.  I exclaimed, “ah, there you are God!  There is my Mom, right there in my innermost being, the center of my heart.”  So, when I am weighed down by the tasks of the day, I take a breath; focus on my word; and find my God.

I pray that you can make time for retreat and encourage your children to do the same.  We will once again participate in the Kairos retreat for High School students held at Villa Maria in February and pray at the labyrinth in May.  I will be working this year to form adult retreat opportunities.

Until then, find a word; as you inhale focus on the word; as you exhale focus on the word.  Close your mind from everything but your breath and that word.  I pray that you will find God.

Shalom,

Tina

Mission Reflection

I am filled with hope for a bright future after spending two days serving God’s people in Cincinnati.  I could not be more proud of our teens, Tessa, Haley and Bridget who, along with 23 other teens from the Diocese of Youngstown, fed the hungry, gave drink to the thirsty, sheltered the homeless, clothed the naked and helped with disaster relief services.

In addition to mission work, each of the four days of the retreat began and ended with praise and worship.  It was beautiful to pray with these teens; to hear them praise God in both prayer and song.  A main focus as we began our retreat Monday was to help us become one despite coming from seven parishes.  We experienced a few team building games right at the start to help us get to know one another.  When we shared our first meal and had our first “free” time, I noticed that we tended to stay with our own community.  I admit that I was a little worried about 23 teenagers having the freedom to do as they please while we chaperones had our first meeting.  Not one teen wondered beyond the boundaries set by the Jesuit team; quite the contrary; within a short time, nearly all the teens were engaged in a game of volleyball.  What a sight it was for me to walk outside and see such bonding within a few short hours.  From this moment on, teens sat and prayed and worked alongside each other as if they had grown up together.

In reflecting upon this bonding, I wondered if this is what is was like in the early Christian communities.  As the disciples were sent “two by two” into the world to proclaim to good news, heal and drive out demons in the name of Jesus Christ, I suspect that those they ministered to kept to themselves at first.  Just like our teens, once they came to know Jesus and were willing to answer the call to love one another, they would have been compelled to join together.  For it is the love of Jesus Christ that binds us and this love serves as a catalyst to do great things.

I experienced many touching moments.  One of the places in which I was blessed to serve was Mary Rose Mission.  Their motto is “to love as God loves.”  Every volunteer we worked with not only provided food for the hungry, they made sure that every guest who crossed the threshold knew that they were loved because God loves.  I was especially touched when a little girl came running in and into the arms of team leader Cindy.  Her laughter was contagious.  The guests did not walk into a soup kitchen; they walked into a loving home environment where the love of God and friends welcomed them in to share a warm meal.  I can’t stop smiling with the thought of it and also cannot wait to extend this same warmth at St. Vincent DePaul.

We concluded the four days with the celebration of Eucharist.  I share with you the video of one of my favorite songs that we prayed throughout our experience: https://youtu.be/3gpU15nVe4Q  (This video is hosted by the St. William YouTube Channel.)

Humble thyself before the Lord.  Walk in his ways.  “Love as God loves.”

Shalom,

Tina

Strength from the Lord

I may have shared with you this story before, so please bear with me as I once again reflect upon the moment that I first recognized God calling me to service as an adult.

I believe the year was 1991.  I was a mother of a 2 year old and a 10 month old at the time.   Sister Yvonne stood at the ambo and announced that she was being transferred.  Sister had been nudging me for a few years to become involved in religious education but I kept saying no way, I was

working fifty to sixty hours a week and was a new mother.  When she made the announcement that she was leaving I felt it was more than Sr. Yvonne nudging me, I finally realized that it was God who was calling me.   I remember the moment like it was yesterday.  We were singing “Here I Am Lord”; I was staring at the face of Christ in our mosaic, and just like Ezekiel

"As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet.”   Ezekiel 2:2

From that moment on, I was no longer satisfied working in the secular world ~ I felt I had to work for the Church.  It has taken me a long 20 years to actually officially “work” for the church but during those twenty years my life has been so full of learning, volunteering at both our parish and our Catholic school, and best of all, teaching religious education.  I LOVE TEACHING!  My heart is on fire to share my love of Jesus with others.  I have been blessed with mentors like Sr. Mary Cora, Margaret McCarthy, Carol Potts, Fran Ray, Theresa White and Mary Pytlik to name a few.

The road has not been easy and what I have come to appreciate is that it is not supposed to be easy.  I have found that the biggest obstacle has been my own worry of whether I am smart enough or clever enough or liked by others.  I have beaten myself up countless times because I never finished college.  I have come to understand that this is all rubbish!  We listen today to the words of St. Paul as he talks with the people of Corinth and I am reminded that all I need is my total reliance on my savior, Jesus Christ, for he assures me,

    

     “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.”  2 Corinthians 12:9a

So, I continue to forge ahead, to accept my many human weaknesses, but I am strengthened by the sure knowledge that “when I am weak, then I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10b because in my weakness, I automatically turn to God, the source of my strength.

Be weak my friends.  Be weak enough to surrender pride and ambition and find true strength in the grace of God!

Shalom,

Tina