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| 03-02-2012 |
| Sister Maria Viatori, OCD, Cleveland Heights, OH USA |
| Bookmarks in Life |
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Early on in my religious life I had the graced privilege to care for a very frail, elderly sister who was in the throes of death. As I bathed her translucent skin she fixed her gaze on me and said, “It is easy to sing the songs of surrender to God at your age, but see: I am living that surrender now as I give my mind, body and spirit back to God.”
There was a serenity that conveyed her acceptance; a wisdom of years that sang of a long, loving partnership with God.
When I ponder this type of milestone experience, Holy Mother Saint Teresa’s Bookmark invades my consciousness like a gentle companioning presence. Those words encourage me to continue the pilgrimage on this royal road of intimacy with Christ.
“Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing;
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing.
God alone suffices.”
How can I appropriate this type of conscious living in the midst of uninvited and unpredicted events of life? How can I embrace that holy daring which allows God to take back ownership rights of my life?
I do not relish the vision of gritting my teeth and bearing it when life plays out in harsh and unwelcome ways. I don’t want to harbor bitterness because of the disillusionment or disappointment that has checkered my path.
When I think of the mentors that shaped the course of my life it seems that they all joined the chorus in singing the words of Teresa’s Bookmark with gusto and full voice. They had the ability to navigate the treks and whirlwinds and gently lay aside the pre-occupation of ego preservation. They asked for that gift of holy daring to grapple with the rugged conversations of self which, through God’s grace and time led to a resilience and integration.
I open my breviary and gaze upon the prayer that Holy Mother Teresa held in high esteem. It conveyed her deepest longing and desire to be inseparably united with Jesus Christ, her Majesty and Lord. It is a continual invitation to that journey of transformation of heart that spans a life-time and leads to the fullness of life in God.
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| 07-02-2012 |
| Official logo of the Fifth Centenary available |
| The general house of the Discalced Carmelites, in Rome, has placed at the disposition of all the religious communities in the 4 continents, the official logo of the Fifth centenary of Saint Teresa’s birth in English, Italian, German, French and Spani |
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