Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Today, the 12th of July, as Disciples of the Divine Master we celebrate the birthday of our first sister, now Venerable Mother M. Scholastica Rivata. She returned home to God on the 24th of March 1987 after a life which was totally dedicated to the Divine Master. She leaves us a precious legacy and a spiritual programme to follow. Here are some thoughts from her: -Heaven is beautiful and to reach there we need to pass by the way of our Master, the way of the Cross, may the Lord be blessed because in His infinite mercy He  allowed us poor mortals to participate in it…  -Seek to correspond to the divine invitations and to work faithfully because the Lord has chosen you and loves you so much. He lets you taste the joy of belonging to Him, to be His, always be His. Give thanks to Him and keep faith that He will continue to enrich you with the Holy Spirit. Your ‘yes’ which you pronounced on the day of your Profession flows into each day until that final day where you will gi...

A post just to give thanks....for the gift of life, for the gift of my parents who gave me this gift and collaborated with God's plan to bring me into this world. Life is a gift: each day I become ever aware of this. Some of you know that I was a premature baby. It reminds me that just as life is a gift, it is a fragile gift and we carry this gift in clay vessels as Scriptures remind us. My friends in Ottawa used to say I was precocious since I was a baby! I couldn't wait to embrace the world and all that it contains. I pray I may still see with world with fresh eyes each day. There is so much good to be seen, first of all, in the people around us, in the beauty of creation, in the flutters of grace which pass by each day. Birthdays can be strange things. Some people like to celebrate them, some people prefer no mention or fuss be made. For me to mark a birthday is to say to a person: "I thank God that you were born," I am grateful that you are alive and in this w...

A simple prayer which came from a grateful heart during Adoration as I spent the last hours of my birthday with my Spouse before the Blessed Sacrament: For the gift of life, I praise you Lord. For the gift of family, I bless you Lord. For the gift of community, I thank you Lord. For the gift of friends, I glorify you. For the gift of another year, I stand in awe at your grace. For the gift of this day, I magnify you. For the gift of faith, I adore you. For the gift of experience, I stand surprised. For the gift of pain, I stand before you purified. For the gift of love, I strive to love you in return. For the gift of hope, I look to the future. For the gift of trust, I walk a slow steady journey. For the gift of being simply 'Louise', thank you Lord.

Saturday morning and a blog post designed simply to say ‘thank you’ because I am simply blessed, flows from a grateful heart. Yesterday, on the part of friends, family, residents and religious sisters, the event of celebrating another year of my life on this earth was marked by many delicate gestures. Yes, I am simply blessed. Simply blessed because at the moment that is the feeling that invades my soul. ‘Blessed’ not because life is easy or without its difficulties, but ‘blessed’ because, in the words of today’s liturgy for the Conversion of St. Paul: “For I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him.” (2 Timothy 12:1). So celebrating a birthday is just counting how much I have already received. One of the cards which I received reminded me: “Count the blessings, not the candles”. Pretty good advice, if you ask me and that's what I intend to do! I am thankful to my parents for the gift of li...

Yesterday I celebrated my birthday...rather sheepishly I have to admit as I was conscious that I was hitting a kind of milestone! Thank God for 33 years of adventure…more to come I pray. However, my friends and companions here at Deschatelets ensured that it was a really special day, beginning right from the vigil, as did many people from all over the world who took time out to call (and sing!), skype, text, facebook, email, write cards, find gifts, bake Nutella cookies, get cupcakes and a beautiful plant, organise a party...the list goes on! For this, I am so grateful and overwhelmed and in humble thanksgiving, I offer my prayer. Despite my initial reluctance, I caved and began to think of it in another way. Having had attended a pro-life talk by Stephanie Gray on abortion and gendercide earlier yesterday evening, I was just grateful to be alive. My parents choose to give me the gift of life and this is worthy of celebration and to come together to strengthen the bonds of communion...