Pilgrim progress- a disciple on a journey!

Shrine to St. Elizabeth Setton Photo: KJM Today would be the memorial of St. Elizabeth Anne Setton but obviously the second Sunday after Christmas takes precedence. Given my love of the saints, I count myself very blessed to have been able to visit many saints tombs, birth places, places of conversion and strong spiritual experiences. During my stay in New York last Christmas 2013 I had the opportunity to visit the Shrine to St. Anne Seton there. It is quite a strange architectural juxtaposition against the dizzying skyscrapers of the Manhattan skyline. Located directly across from entrance to the Staten Island ferry, it is hard to miss and definitely merits a visit. It is a beautiful red-brick stately building which pays homage to St. Elizabeth Anne Setton. Her story is quite interesting. Convert to Roman Catholicism; foundress of the American Sisters of Charity, which was the first sisterhood native to the United States; a wife, mother, widow, sole parent, foundress of the...

The fourth week of Advent functions as a Grand Pause and allows us to return to the early days of Mary’s pregnancy. The altered time sequence moves us back, in the closing days of this season, to a more contemplative way of being, to roots, to silence, to mystery–all of which have a way of getting sidetracked in the frenzy of preparations for the celebration. The fourth Sunday says again and more emphatically: “Be still. Let what is about to happen sink in.” Last Sunday, as Church, we celebrated what is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of Joy. We were invited to rejoice for the Lord is in our midst. In today’s liturgy, we see in concrete terms the manifestation of that joy which comes from the presence of the Lord. It is a joy which is first prophesied by Micah in the First Reading. In the Gospel, we see how Mary accepts the message of joy and hurries with haste to her cousin Elizabeth. As I reflect, I think of Mary’s urgency which was the fruit of God’s plan and co...