Team Spiritual Care: Open Your Hands

Sister Kateri Theriault

Jesus taught that we have a fundamental choice to make: to hold tight to whatever we find of value or to let go of all for the sake of Christ and the gospel. Most of us find ourselves somewhere in the middle—probably more on the side of grasping than letting go, if we’re honest about it. Perhaps the story of the closed fist vs. the open palm can help loosen our grip. Both can hold a precious jewel, but a closed fist can receive nothing more than what it already holds, while an upward-facing open palm can hold the jewel and also be filled with much more. Keep your hands open and leave room for the gifts of the Spirit.


TODAY’S READINGS: Sirach 35:1-12; Mark 10:28-31 (348)

“There is no one who has given up [anything] for my sake . . . who will not receive a hundred times more.”


CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Care: Pass on the Works of Wisdom

Sister Kareri Theriault

People who work with their hands have an intimate connection with their labor, and because of that as a rule they take great pride in and care of what they do. Though you don’t hear much about Joseph or his relationship with Jesus in the biblical accounts, it does not seem a stretch to imagine him patiently teaching his craft to young Jesus and imparting a lot of wisdom along the way. Whatever your own line of work may be, you do well to stay connected to its basic dignity and share that value with a young person in your own life. In doing so you will be shaping a future life in the same quiet way Joseph did.



TODAY’S READINGS: For the memorial: Genesis 1:26-2:3 or Colossians 3:14-15, 17, 23-24; Matthew 13:54-58 (559)

“ ‘Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds? Is he not the carpenter’s son?’”



CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Care: Keep our Earthly Garden Clean

Sister Kateri Theriault

Monday, April 22EASTER WEEKDAY; EARTH DAY

“Whose garden was this? / It must have been lovely. / Did it have flowers? / I’ve seen pictures of flowers, / And I’d love to have smelled one. / Ah! Tell me again, I need to know: / The forest had trees, the meadows were green, / The oceans were blue and birds really flew, / Can you swear that was true?” Folksinger Tom Paxton wrote these lyrics for the first Earth Day, 43 years ago, and they were made popular by John Denver. Do those times and names sound merely nostalgic? Do the words sound simplistic? Sentimental? Old-fashioned? On the contrary, they are as urgent as “love one another,” “love your neighbor as yourself,” and “follow me.”

TODAY’S READINGS: Acts 11:1-18; John 10:1-10 (first choice) (279)
“Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Wellness: Do You See Clearly?

Sister Kateri Theriault

Do you see clearly?

Early in the 20th century quantum physicists discovered a mysterious phenomenon they called “the disturbing observer.” They had learned that merely observing a quantum particle changes it in unpredictable ways. As a result scientists have had to develop elaborate methods for their experiments to compensate for the changes their observations cause. What is true at the quantum level of reality holds true at the visible level as well, only the effects are much more subtle. In other words, your attitude toward a person or event has an unpredictable effect on what you perceive. Today, be aware that what you observe is partly of your own making. Are you judging or loving?

TODAY’S READINGS: Acts 7:51-8:1a; John 6:30-35 (274)
“What sign can you do, that we may see and believe in you?”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Care: Get in the Way

Sister Kateri Theriault

In the Easter season we recall how the faith grew in its earliest days. It wasn’t easy. The Way of following Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah and Risen Lord was opposed just as Jesus himself had been, and by the same forces, the organized religion of the day. When those powers imprisoned the apostles for invoking The Name, God’s angel whispered to them, “Go and take your place in the temple area, and tell the people everything about this life” and freed them from prison to do so. Today, that same spirit is still breathing and blowing as she will—and not always in accord with what has been organized or established.

TODAY’S READINGS: Acts 5:17-26; John 3:16-21 (269)
“Whoever lives the truth comes to the light.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Care: The True Self

Sister Kateri Theriault

“Jesus’ life and his risen body say . . . that the discovery of our own divine DNA is the only, full, and final meaning of being human. The True Self is neither God nor human. The True Self is both at the same time, and both are a total gift.” — Richard Rohr

Team Spiritual Care: Give the Gift of Love

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

One of the keys to Lenten conversion is almsgiving, a word seldom heard except in church, which might be apt because while altruism can often be found among all good people, there is something more here than acts of charity. In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paul says, “If I give away everything I own . . . but do not have love, I gain nothing.” It is the love, your attitude toward the other, not the thing given or even the sacrifice in giving that matters; it is the love that must motivate the gesture. It’s not only, “Shall I give this person a few dollars?” but also, “shall I—can I—love them?”

TODAY’S READINGS: Jeremiah 17:5-10; Luke 16:19-31 (233)
“I, the Lord, alone probe the mind and test the heart, to reward everyone according to his ways.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

From the Desk of Sister Kateri Theriault OSF

Sister Kateri Theriault

Once again St. Leonard is blessed. God heard our prayers for a full-time Sacramental Minister. You may already have heard that Rev. Gerald Haemmerle has decided to retire here at our residential community and serve as Sacramental Minister. Many of you may know him because he is currently the pastor at St. Charles Borromeo Parish in Kettering.

Marcy, Tim and I have met with him on different occasions and feel truly blessed that he has chosen St. Leonard as his home in early retirement years. We are grateful that our ministerial needs fit with what he is hoping to continue in his early retirement. We know that you will welcome him with open arms and much gratitude. God has gifted us once again with a Sacramental Minister who will be living among us. Our prayers have been heard. Amen!

Team Spiritual Care: Keep in Touch

Sister Kateri Theriault

Human beings require gentle, frequent touch to thrive. When touched in a nurturing, appropriate way, blood pressure goes down and creativity goes up. Tender loving care makes us whole, accepting, and generous. Studies have shown that premature infants given soothing massaging touches gain weight faster, children who are cuddled by their parents are more likely to graduate high school, and students who receive a supportive pat by a teacher are nearly twice as likely to volunteer in class. Unleash the power of a proper hug.

TODAY’S READINGS: Hebrews 12:1-4; Mark 5:21-43 (324)
“He took the child by the hand and said to her, ‘Talitha koum,’ which means, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise!’ ”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Siobhán O’Neill, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Care: Passage to Freedom

Sister Kateri Theriault

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have become more firmly convinced than ever that forgiveness is the universal path to wisdom and the only reliable passage to freedom and joy.
— from Set Free

Team Spiritual Care: Be an Inspired...and Inspiring...Leader

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

It must have been tempting for those closest to Jesus to let him do all the talking, deciding, praying, and healing. After all, he was the one with all the know-how and the power. Jesus was aware of that, of course, and so regularly encouraged his followers by telling them, for example, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these” (John 14:12). Leaders can either empower or disempower. Today is a good day to consider how you guide your children, employees, students, team. Do you do things for them, or do you motivate and encourage them to try themselves?

TODAY’S READINGS: 1 John 4:7-10; Mark 6:34-44 (213)
“Give them some food yourselves.”

Team Spiritual Care: O Little Town of Capernaum

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

You’ve probably heard the saying, “All politics is local,” suggesting that people are mostly concerned about the quality of life in their neighborhood or town. The same might be said of religion. Though Christianity now counts well over 2 billion believers worldwide, it all began in Capernaum, a small fishing village on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Reportedly the home of the apostles Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, and the tax collector Matthew, Jesus selected this hamlet as the center of his public ministry after he left the mountainous town of Nazareth. Think of Capernaum as the mustard seed from which a great world religion sprung forth. And never underestimate the power of your own “small” life to bear great fruit as well.

TODAY’S READINGS: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16; Luke 4:31-37 (432)

“Jesus went down to Capernaum, a town of Galilee.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Caroline Hopkinson, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, and Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Spiritual Care: Feast of Maximilian Mary Kolbe, Priest, Martyr

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

Nights of destiny

It may seem that our lives are defined by our best or worst hour. Yet character is actually honed one decision at a time, and we’re always free to choose a new direction. At an early age the Franciscan priest Maximilian Kolbe had a vision of martyrdom and embraced it. Forty years later he would have to choose it more concretely, offering his life in exchange for another prisoner in the Auschwitz death camp. On this day Muslims commemorate another “Night of Destiny,” when Mohammed received his revelation, by praying as a community for mercy, forgiveness, and salvation. Today, pray for the gifts you need to fulfill your destiny.

TODAY’S READINGS: Ezekiel 2:8-3:4; Matthew 18:1-5, 10, 12-14 (414)

“I opened my mouth, and [the Lord God] gave me the scroll to eat.”

CONTRIBUTORS

Alice Camille, Daniel Grippo, Caroline Hopkinson, Father Larry Janowski, O.F.M., Ann O’Connor, Joel Schorn, Patrice J. Tuohy, and Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M.

Team Spiritual Wellness: Blinded by the Light

Sister Kateri Theriault

FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD

On this day in 1945 the United States exploded one of the two nuclear weapons ever used in war. Whatever you think about the ethics of the bombing, the fact is the strike on Hiroshima, Japan killed an estimated 66,000 men, women, and children and injured 69,000 others. Three days later the bomb over Nagasaki left 39,000 dead and 25,000 injured. In the 53 years following the bombings, 2,053 nuclear test explosions occurred around the world. To see their locations in chronological order, visit Japanese multimedia artist Isao Hashimoto’s animated map at ctbto.org/specials/1945-1998-by-isao-hashimoto/. The brightness of the transfigured Jesus’ garments revealed his divinity; the blast of an atomic weapon reveals humanity’s capacity for destruction.
Which path shall we choose?

TODAY’S READINGS: Deuteronomy 7:9-10, 13-14; 2 Peter 1:16-19; Mark 9:2-10 (614)

“His clothes became dazzling white.”

Team Spiritual Care: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration


Many of us associate the prophet Hosea with the sweet-sounding song “Come Back to Me.” His life, however, was anything but sugar-coated. He challenged the people of Israel, seduced by false gods, by allowing his own life to become the medium of his message. By God’s instruction Hosea married a prostitute, and, though she abandoned him for other men, he kept loving her, sought her out, forgave her, and brought her back. He warned the leaders of his day to stop prostituting themselves and assured them of God’s enduring mercy. He allowed his very life to mirror the mercy of God. In some real way the life of every Christian must reflect the one who commanded, “Love one another.”



TODAY’S READINGS: Hosea 8:4-7, 11-13; Matthew 9:32-38 (384)

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.”

Team Spiritual Care: Show Yourself the Door

Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration

During a tour of San Francesco Basilica in Assisi, Italy, a friar took a group of pilgrims through the upper and lower churches and to the crypt where Saint Francis and his companions were buried. Throughout the tour he talked about the life of Francis and the architecture, art, and history connected to him. At the end the friar brought the group back to the upper church and showed them the stunning frescoes attributed to Giotto illustrating scenes from scripture and Francis’ life. As he guided the group to the exit he explained that on this wall was the most important scene yet: the door! The exit, he said, is a reminder to go through the doors and spread the Good News to the whole world. Something to think about next time you leave a church building!


TODAY’S READINGS: 2 Kings 19:9b-11, 14-21, 31-35a, 36; Matthew 7:6, 12-14 (372)

“Enter through the narrow gate.”

Team Spiritual Care: Words to the Wise about Scripture

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

To encounter scripture is to encounter the Word of God, but sometimes you need a little help in understanding how God is speaking to you right now. When you are attracted to a passage of scripture but not sure what to do with it, find some saints, pastors, poets, or theologians who have meditated on and written about the passage. Their words might be just the springboard you need to gain greater understanding. For example, Jesus’ enigmatic command to turn the other cheek? Dorothy Day of the Catholic Worker Movement sets this scripture in the context of living nonviolently. “To be truly nonviolent,” she writes, “is to ‘resist not evil,’ turn the other cheek, put aside all power, walk another mile, give up coat and cloak, too.”



TODAY’S READINGS: 1 Kings 21:1-16; Matthew 5:38-42 (365)


“When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well.”

Team Spiritual Care: A Gospel for Hungry Hearts and Minds

Sister Kateri Theriault Mission Integration



As Christians we’ve not always done evangelization well. Saint Boniface (c. 680-754), a Benedictine monk and bishop, had a mixed history in this regard. There are stories about him literally trampling the religious traditions of other cultures but also about him embracing the customs of people and inviting them to see their own lives in light of the gospel. What’s your take on evangelization? Hammer or gospel in hand? Consider the words of the U.S. bishops: “Evangelization happens when the word of Jesus speaks to people’s hearts and minds. Needing no trickery or manipulation, evangelization can happen only when people accept the gospel freely, as the ‘good news’ it is meant to be, because of the power of the gospel message and the accompanying grace of God” (Go and Make Disciples, no. 19).

TODAY’S READINGS: 2 Peter 3:12-15a, 17-18; Mark 12:13-17 (354)
“Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Chris

Team Spritual Care: Can you see God and live to tell about it?

Sister Kateri Theriault: Mission Integration

 
“No one,” God says in the Book of Exodus, “can see me and live” (33:20)—almost no one, that is. Moses, for example, used to speak with God “face to face, as a person speaks to a friend” (Exodus 33:11) without undergoing instant vaporization. Christian theology calls this experience the beatific vision: the total heavenly awareness of God that would overwhelm most mortals during their earthly lives. That doesn’t mean you can’t get a glimpse of the Divine every now and then. The worship and service you offer as a Christian opens a door to the holy and will carry you all the way to the fullness of complete communion with God forever.

TODAY’S READINGS: Acts 18:9-18; John 16:20-23 (295)
“I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice.”

Team Spiritual Care: Show some Real Zeal!

Sister Kateri Theriault
Mission Integration

Zeal is an obscure virtue during the season of Lent. We aim often for the virtues of self-denial, humility, fortitude, and others that seem to lend themselves to our desire for repentance and movement toward the new life of the Resurrection. With that repentance, however, is an opportunity to look at our life in relationship with God and make some real and positive change. That is where zeal can help. Zeal is the quality of eagerness and ardent desire in pursuing something. In Christian language, zeal is love in action. Let us continue this Lenten season with zeal, allowing love to impel us to look realistically, without judgment, at our life and make choices that more fully reflect Christ's life within us.

TODAY'S READINGS: Jonah 3:1-10; Luke 11: 29-32 (226)
"However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen."