Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

The Gospel for today's liturgy finishes with the phrase: "He (Herod the Tetrarch) was anxious to see Jesus." (Luke 9, 7-9). The original text reads: "He was seeking to see Jesus." Herod's seeking to see Jesus may have been more of a curiosity but God can use all avenues to bring people to seek Him and discover the truth which liberates and sets free. It did get me thinking though! I wondered if I am 'anxious' to go see Jesus.  Anxious, because I know that when I come before Him, He stills my swirling soul. He is the Rock of Refuge, the Place of Safety, the Lighthouse beaming out light in the darkest night. He invites me gently to place all my anxieties into Him and trust once more. A friend of mine has an expression: “I need to go see Jesus”, that is, “to go and pray”.  Nearly a year ago, I started using this phrase instead of saying  ‘I was going to pray’. It has received some strange looks at times but it has helped me to remember that I am not goi

Today we celebrate a beautiful feastday: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary or as it is also known: the Feast of Maria Bambina. Mary’s name, therefore, is really more than just a name. It’s a prayer in and of itself. As Disciples of the Divine Master, we receive the name ‘Mary’ when we make our First Profession and the 8 th of September is our common nameday throughout the world as a Congregation. I feel very honoured to bear Mary’s name but sadly we don’t use it as much as we used to, unless there is something serious or for formalities! Kind of like your Mum calling you by all your all your names including your Baptism and Confirmation names. Then you know you’re in trouble! In Italy, we were more accustomed to calling each other by our Marian name, thus reminding us of our mission to be like Mary in the world. When I was in Ottawa, my classmates used to talk about the famous ' Sister Mary Nun’! Indeed it does seems that every parish has a ‘Sister Mary’, especially in I