Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Today within the Pauline Family, to which I belong, we celebrate the return to Heaven of a  little saint called Maggiorino Vigolungo. He was born in Benevello (Cuneo, North Italy) on May 6, 1904 into a family of humble farm workers but rich in the faith. A youth of sharp intelligence and lively temperament, he always sought to be the first in everything: in study, work, play and goodness. While still a little child, he met Fr. Alberione, Founder of the Pauline Family, and entrusted himself to his spiritual direction. He was enthusiastic for three things which were to become his ideal: to sanctify himself quickly; to become a priest; to become an apostle of the good press. He entered the Society of St Paul on October 15, 1916 at the age of twelve. Happy with his vocation and desirous to preach the Gospel by means of the press and the diffusion of good books and newspapers, he was to undergo many trials. But he knew how to respond firmly to those who opposed his decision. ...

St. Teresa of Avila I recently finished reading a biography of St. Teresa of Avila by Shirley du Boulay. What can I say but that once more I have been kicked out of my comfort zone. I had read biographies of her life in my earlier days in the convent but for some reason she has made a return to my reading shelf. Here as in all her major writings, the reformer of Carmel has that gift in making us believe that she is speaking directly to us. She doesn’t compose a long soliloquy on God’s wonders or present a third-person discourse on the objective conditions for a more fulfilling life. Instead, Teresa seems to sit down with her reader, seeking out individual needs and also possible resistances to what she proposes. She establishes a You-and-I relationship and tugs at your sleeve if she fears you might walk away. There is a strength in Teresa which is fruit of the strong union she has with the Lord. Her sole desire is to love him and serve Him, listening to the str...

For a thousand years, until the publication of the Imitation of Christ, the Confessions of Saint Augustine was the most common manual on the spiritual life.  It has had more readers than any of St. Augustine’s other works.  He wrote his Confessions ten years after converting, and after being a priest for eight years.  In it, St. Augustine confesses to God, narrating the writing addressed to Him.   St. Augustine admits to God:  “Late have I loved Thee, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new.  Late have I loved Thee” (Confessions, Chapter 10). The text continues: “Late have I loved you, O Beauty ever ancient, ever new, late have I loved you!  You were within me, but I was outside, and it was there that I searched for you.  In my unloveliness I plunged into the lovely things which you created.  You were with me, but I was not with you.  Created things kept me from you; yet if they had not been in you they would not have been at all....

Thank God for auto-correct! How often have I signed myself off in an email or a text message as ‘St.’, that is, Saint, instead of ‘Sr.’, that is, 'Sister'.  Though yesterday some kind person actually texted me as ‘St. Louise’! Whilst I giggled, it was also a moment of reflection on the huge commitment I have to become a saint. Yes, I aspire to be a saint. It may sound proud for someone to say out loud that one aspires to be a saint. I am convinced that I have lived with and live with saints, holy people who aspire to ‘be’ completely for Christ, for to be a saint to is be holy, in the footsteps of Jesus who is Holy.  They are ordinary people, to say it somehow, without a visible heroism, but in their everyday goodness I see the truth of the faith. This goodness, which they have matured in the faith of the Church, is for me a sure defence of Christianity and the sign of where the truth is. I came across this blog from Neal Obstat  which had a post entitled: “We need sai...

Today the Church offers us the memorial of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. By celebrating the feasts of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen on the same day, the Church praises a virtue which has always been held in high esteem friendship. Born in Cappadocia around 330, Basil and Gregory first were schoolfriends, they studied together in Athens. Following this, they were co-defenders of the orthodox teaching on the Trinity. As the French say, “The more things change, the more they remain the same.” Basil and Gregory faced the same problems as modern Christians. Sainthood meant trying to preserve the spirit of Christ in such perplexing and painful problems as reform, organization, fighting for the poor, maintaining balance and peace in misunderstanding. For Gregory, we are reminded in The Church's Year of Grace by Pius Parsch that ‘during his life span the pendulum was continually swinging back and forth between contemplation and the active ministry. He ...

St. Ignatius of Loyola St. Josemaria Escriva, Founder of Opus Dei, once said: “Reading has made many saints!” This is what came to mind today as I reflected on the life of St. Ignatius of Loyola and how a book changed his life. Ignatius was a solider in the Spanish army fighting against the French when a cannon ball and a series of bad operations ended his military career in 1521 and left him confined to bed for a long recovery period.  It was not pain that brought him suffering, it was the boredom. During his days of recovery he asked for books on chivalry, his favourite reading, but there were no such romances in the Loyola castle. So instead he was given the only books in the house -- one was a Life of Christ by Ludolph, a Carthusian monk, and the other was Flos sanctorum , a collection of lives of the saints. Iñigo set about reading them, and as it happened, this was the most important reading he would ever do. During his convalescence Iñigo reflected on the books he read ...

“Why is it in popular culture -- and even in some Catholic circles as well -- we like our nuns buttoned up, predictable, and contained? Why is it that we don't mind outbursts of singing and giddiness, but we have a problem with normal, accurate displays of strength, balance, relationship, compassion, and zeal for God's mission?” (from a Nun’s life, 6th of June 2013). When I read today’s blog from A Nun’s Life , it really got me thinking. Recently a friend said to me that I break the stereotypes of a nun/sister, probably something to do with my recent rollerblading ! People have varying opinions about me being present in the big world of social media. It is important for me to be present and as a younger religious to be able to dispel many of the stereotypes that there are out there about sisters. I am surprised by the many people, from so many different walks of life who make contact, be it through Facebook, twitter, email and even through this little blog. More than ofte...

Today, 13th of December, the Church commemorates the feast of Saint. Lucy. There are many interesting traditions and customs associated with this saint, especially in the Scandinavian countries. You can check them out here and  here. On a spiritual note, Saint Lucy is one of seven women, aside from the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mass. Hagiography states that Lucy was a Christian martyr during the Diocletian persecution. She consecrated her virginity to God through pious works refused to marry a pagan betrothed, and had her wedding dowry distributed to the poor. Her betrothed pagan groom denounced her as a Christian to the governor of Syracuse, Sicily. Miraculously unable to move her or burn her (they tried with 50 men and 150 oxen to move her!), the guards took out her eyes with a fork. In another version, Lucy's betrothed admired her eyes, so she tore them out and gave them to him, saying, "Now let me live for God”. Extreme and gory as al...

After Christmas and Easter, All Saint's Day is my favourite feastday of the year! I had hoped to write a series of blog posts in preparation for the feastday but haven't got that far yet! I blame 'General Norms' and so after tomorrow's exam, I can have my life back for a while! In the meanwhile, here's a few thoughts about the saints from a blog I posted a while back at the time of the beatification of Chiara Badano . Happy feastday to you all! "Did you ever wonder what people in heaven do all day? Float on clouds? Wander around on gold pavement? Sing a cappella? Maybe. But many of us have the wrong impression if we think heaven is a perpetual resting home where we indulge our every desire and forget about other people. The saints are at peace and are resting in the Lord, but it’s not the kind of rest that is oblivious to the world! No, they are always aware of us and are prepared to receive our prayers in love. Some people frown on the idea that we sh...

Did you ever wonder what people in heaven do all day? Float on clouds? Wander around on gold pavement? Sing a cappella? Maybe. But many of us have the wrong impression if we think heaven is a perpetual resting home where we indulge our every desire and forget about other people. The saints are at peace and are resting in the Lord, but it’s not the kind of rest that is oblivious to the world! No, they are always aware of us and are prepared to receive our prayers in love. Some people frown on the idea that we should pray to saints seeing it as a form of idolatry. But they have a misconception of the role of the saints. St. Paul tells us that we are a communion of saints, and a saintly communion, united with the Lord, is not divided by death. Those who are called to God might leave our earthly eyes, but they are present, and they are family and family members do not ignore each other when one of their own asks for help. Think of the saints as agents of God. No, they are not just an...