“Understand clearly that we must fully unite with the prayer of the Holy Spirit. We do this by recollection and the gift of self to him, and by praying only as the Holy Spirit inspires and lifts on high.” Saint Peter Julian Eymard What must be done for us to refrain from handing others over […]

Now Jesus no longer walks about; he remains (with us), waiting night and day, and will do so until the end of the world. He remains waiting for us, to heal our wounds, to dry our tears comfort our infirmities. What love! (Saint Peter Julian Eymard, letter to the Sister Servants, 6/22/1858). We hope that […]

“Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” (Mark 4:35-41). In a letter to Miss Theodorine Thomas, Saint Peter Julian writes: You must certainly expect some thorns, because at such a time, self-interest often manifests itself full force. If you […]

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, it was the most miraculous time of my life. I loved being pregnant, holding life within, wondering what the child would look like and be in this world. I would sing “Somewhere over the Rainbow” during the nine months of pregnancy. At the moment of birth, this […]

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola “Pierced” comes to my mind after the proclamation of today’s gospel. Jesus was indeed pierced and already on his way to his agony in the garden after receiving the message of the beheading of Saint John the Baptist. A sigh of utter heartache certainly comes over us if we […]

As Sirach says, when we were young and innocent, we sought wisdom from authority figures and were often comforted in being led by an elder. In today’s gospel, the elders question Jesus’ authority. I imagine Jesus smiling, answering their question with a question of his own. We hear poetic words in Sirach. They pierce our […]

“Quiet! Be still!” Jesus’ words in today’s gospel reading invite us to prayer. We have witnessed some turbulent times in the past months yet have a new year of hope to enter. In the first reading we hear about Abraham not knowing what was to happen. His obedience led him to dwell in tents with […]

My husband, Raymond, tested positive for Covid-19 on November 1, 2020. We were in isolation the entire month. The fruit of this experience was time spent in contemplation. In thinking of all that transpired over the last few years with his sickness, liver transplant, and Covid, it is apparent there is grace from suffering. Through […]

Tomorrow Will Be Too Late! As he set out to form the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament, Saint Peter Julian Eymard shared these words with his two sisters he loved so dearly. He wrote to them the day after he departed from Grenoble: “The bishop advises me to set out from here so as not […]

“I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and anyone who lives and believes in me will never die.” On June 13, 2020, the Mothers of the Blessed Sacrament celebrated their fifth anniversary. The cenacle began with a desire for a group of mothers to share […]