Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

A thought for today: Be careful with butterflies, For they are fragile and easily damaged; Do not think you could manage easily without them ... It is not for you to say, For they are bound up with you in the pattern of life, And their brief and beautiful existence Is precious in the eyes of God. Be careful with people, For they are fragile and easily damaged; Do not think that some are more important than others, It is not for you to say. For we are here to serve and not to rule, And the bruised and easily broken ones Are precious in the eyes of God. (Br. Daniel O’Brien OFM. Cap.)

Pope Francis has set aside the 21st of November, the Feast of the Presentation of Mary, as a day to pray for and support cloistered religious. It is called Pro Orantibus Day (“For those who pray”), also known as World Day of Cloistered Life. At the very beginning of my vocational journey I did consider the cloistered life but the Lord had a very different idea! He has now called me to serve them in a particular way through my ministry in the Office for Religious in the Archdiocese. I continue to be in awe of t hese amazing brothers and sisters who choose a very hidden way of life to carry in prayer the whole world! And God knows, we need it! Considering we are 'semi-enclosed', we claim it as our feastday too! In Europe, we celebrate within our Order, the feastday of our Postulants. We are blessed to have Presentation of Blessed Virgin Mary sisters staying with us so we join in their joy on their titutlar feastday! Happy feastday to all!

You are called to be a saint of God. You – yes you! You might think, how could I be a saint? I have already messed up my life, I am beyond redemption. Before you stick to your 'excuse', you might want to look at the lives of these people who allowed themselves to be open to God and to be used by God to do mighty things. They were far from 'holy'! Check this list out: Noah got drunk Abraham was too old Sarah laughed at God’s plans ... Isaac was a daydreamer Jacob was a trickster Joseph, well he was a show off in that fancy coat of his. Moses stammered Miriam gossiped Gideon was insecure Samson – let’s just say ‘my, my my, Delilah!’ Rahab was a prostitute Ruth was a foreigner David was an adulterer and murdered Bathsheba’s husband. Isaiah...er, preached naked for three years Jeremiah struggled with depression Jonah ran from God... and in the New Testament: Zaccheus was too small the woman at the well had had five husbands Martha